Metrobus Transit Study.pdf - City of St. John's

St. John’s Transportation Commission (Metrobus) 2011
Market Assessment and Strategic Directions Study – Part D: Strategic Directions
Since industrial specials are based on a partnership approach with employers, monitoring
performance is essential. There are two approaches to implementing an industrial special which are
described below:
Based on discussions with stakeholders and observations of the current travel market, the pursuit of
an Industrial Special strategy to increase ridership should be a lower priority than other initiatives
outlined in this report. A strong interest by major employers or industrial developers could be a
catalyst for future implementation.
Option 2a – Industrial Special based on Utilization Targets
This approach provides a specially designed industrial service with pre-set utilization targets to
determine whether the service should be continued, modified or discontinued. Providing special
service to industrial areas can be costly, as a result of having to carry bus fleets beyond the normal,
for one or two runs a day, and the cost of manpower outside normal operating hours. This extra
cost not only includes the driver but also maintenance and supervision.
This strategy would involve setting a Metrobus guideline to identify acceptable utilization
targets. The concept of "Use it or Lose it" is appropriate and underutilized runs would be candidates
for discontinuance. For example, a Ridership Guideline for Industrial Specials could be:
1. Acceptable Utilization 20 or more daily average passengers per hour
2. Marginal Utilization 10 to 19 daily average passengers per hour
3. Unacceptable Utilization 9 or fewer daily average passengers per hour
These utilization targets would need to be confirmed if this strategy where selected. The average
would be calculated over a three month period. If performance is marginal, Metrobus would provide
a notice to the employers on that route to post on their Bulletin Boards that ridership on the specific
run has not maintained an economic threshold, but would be extended for a further three month
trial period. The notice would include the positive aspects of the service and general information on
how to use the bus, the transit pass tax deduction advantages, environmental benefits and personal
savings potential compared with auto operation. Such a process has the added advantage of
notifying the employer who would be in a position to consider adding incentives for transit use on
their own. All runs that are in the unacceptable range for more than a three month period would be
discontinued.
These guidelines are recommended for services operating during or close to normal operating hours.
Requests for service during extreme off service hours, such as 12:30 to 5:00 AM are difficult to
provide efficiently by Metrobus. The local taxi industry may be better equipped to provide these
services on a contract basis unless a suitable cost sharing agreement between Metrobus and the
industry can be reached.
Option 2b – Financial Partnership Approach
This option involves developing a partnership and specific agreement between Metrobus and the
industrial area employers being serviced by transit. The concept is to design an effective dedicated
service in cooperation with employers and obtain a minimum financial commitment from them
(through the advance purchase of transit passes for employees) before initiating the service.
The benefit of this strategy for the employer and employees is that:
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