System Reimagining. METRO Community Connector Service Description of Proposed Operation and Information from Fact Finding Site Visit.

Transcription

1 System Reimagining METRO Community Connector Service Description of Proposed Operation and Information from Fact Finding Site Visit November 2014

2 Map of the Proposed METRO Community Connector Zones 5 Proposed Service Zones Fifth Ward/ Denver Harbor 377 Mesa 378 Kashmere 395 North Shepherd 398 Jensen 2

3 How to Access the METRO Community Connector OPTION 1: Call for Same Day Pickup Call the dedicated Community Connector Service Request Line and schedule a pickup. The telephone operator will give you a 10 minute window when a Community Connector vehicle will show up in the next 60 minutes to your location. Board the vehicle when it arrives, pay your fare, and ride to your destination. Other customers may be picked up and/or dropped off along the way. Exit the vehicle at your destination. 3

4 How to Access the METRO Community Connector OPTION 2: Call for a Recurring Trip Pickup Call the dedicated METRO Community Connector Service Request Line and schedule a recurring pickup. The telephone operator will give you a 10 minute window when a METRO Community Connector vehicle will show up on those days. Board the vehicle when it arrives, pay your fare, and ride to your destination. Other customers may be picked up and/or dropped off along the way. Exit the vehicle at your destination. 4

5 How to Access the METRO Community Connector OPTION 3: Board the METRO Community Connector Service at a Transit Hub Show up at one of two designated Transit Hubs, board the METRO Community Connector vehicle and tell the operator where you want to go. The operator will call in all trip requests and receive a travel itinerary back from the METRO Community Connector dispatcher. Pay your fare and ride to your destination. Other customers may be picked up and/or dropped off along the way. Exit the vehicle at your destination. 5

6 Other Agencies that have Used This Service PACE (Chicago, IL) RTD (Denver, CO) PRTC (Woodbridge, VA) Omnitrans (San Bernardino, CA) DART (Dallas, TX) CARTA (Charleston, SC) JTA (Jacksonville, FL) 6

7 Lessons Learned from DART On-Call Be flexible service evolves after implementation Dedicated and bi-lingual staff is essential Operators should be selected based upon customer service not seniority Adhering to On-Time Performance is essential, supporting decision to restrict zone size With one bus, service can be limited depending upon zone size Despite limited seating, few denials experienced by customers 7

8 Measuring Success Success is not about ridership as this is a coverage-type service Success should be about community acceptance and providing a quality service A pre and post-pilot survey of customers will be conducted to gauge customers opinions and solicit areas for improvement On-time performance, caller wait times, and operator complaints/commendations could all be tracked 8

9 Basic Operating Principles 24 ARBOC buses with 12 seats and 2 wheelchairs. These buses have been in service for the past year with high customer acceptance. 1-2 buses scheduled for each of the 5 proposed zones 1-2 standby buses available at strategic locations to address: Mechanical Failures Services/Traffic Issues Capacity demands 2 Anchor stops per zone typically one transit center and 1 communityrecommended location Bus schedule pinned at anchor locations with arrivals on a minute basis (1-2 buses). 9

10 Basic Operating Principles (Cont d) Reservation and call center with bi-lingual availability Dispatching available to address subscription and bus dispatch during all operating hours Initial pilot to be operated through existing service contracts in place Yet to be determined if future long term operation addressed by inhouse METRO personnel or by third party contractor (or blend) 10

11 Marketing a Successful Service Rename the service METRO Community Connector reflects the communities served and the unique, flexible service offered 11

12 Marketing a Successful Service Brand the fleet 12

13 Marketing Strategy Awareness Campaign notify METRO riders in the pilot area of the service and its benefits using Targeted door drops Transit center signage Direct mail Posters at local venues 13

14 Marketing Strategy Pre-pilot survey $1, Direct mail/door Drops $10, Community newspapers $5, Street team $10, Vehicle branding $5, Post-pilot survey $1, TOTAL COST: $32,

15 Description of Proposed Pilot Operate 1 or 2 METRO Community Connector Zones for a minimum of 90 days to fine tune the operation Operate with 2 buses in each Zone with a backup vehicle operated by a field supervisor Operate service seven days-a-week, for 14 hours a day, with the existing fixed-route service still in operation Allows for a real world evaluation of the Zone s size and shape, testing of marketing materials and outreach strategies, and gauge the community s acceptance 15

16 Updated Costs Six Month Pilot Program in One or Two Zones 1 Bus 2 Buses 1 Zone Cost $400K $530K 2 Zones Cost $570K $825K 16

17 Next Steps January 2015: Implement METRO Community Connector pilot January April 2015: Conduct customer survey and document findings May 2015: Brief Board on Future Recommendations 17