Washington Area Bus Transformation Project Action Plan Exec Sum

3.4 MB·English

by  Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

bustransformationproject.com
Action Plan
Executive
Summary
December 2019
A better way to
GET THERE
Congestion, affordability, and mobility are major problems in the Washington
Region that will only continue to grow as 40,000–60,000 jobs and households
are added each year. Meanwhile, our regional bus system is not keeping pace
with this growth and riders’ needs for frequent, reliable, and fast service.
Other regions nationally and globally have transformed their bus systems to
address similar challenges, decreasing congestion, improving reliability, and
THE VISION:
operating efficiently with frequent and fast service. It is past time for us to do
Bus will be the
the same: rapid, effective surface transportation is critical to our region’s
mode of choice on prosperity. Buses have a vital role to play because they make efficient use of
the region’s roads roadways by transporting large numbers of riders safely, conveniently, and
affordably, and they provide service in areas not accessible by Metrorail.
by 2030, serving as
the backbone of a Over the course of the project, the region’s residents and civic and
advocacy groups were loud and clear on how to transform the bus system:
strong and inclusive
Transformation means fast, frequent, reliable, affordable service
regional mobility
that feels like a unified system, and isn’t beholden to geographic or
system that will
funding boundaries. The Bus Transformation Strategy provides a path
support a growing forward as a coordinated regional strategy that addresses customer needs,
and sustainable leverages innovative technology, and fosters collaboration and coordination
to make the strategy a reality.
economy.
This Action Plan highlights the activities required to achieve the
changes envisioned for the region’s bus system, and demanded by
stakeholders and the public, over the next decade. Whereas the Bus
Transformation Strategy document embodies the “what” for transforming
bus, this Action Plan details the “how.” These actions focus on achieving
Visit bustransformationproject.com results that benefit bus riders and the whole region by providing frequent
to read more about the Strategy and reliable bus service on a consistent basis across the region, with
and the Action Plan. improved speed and efficiency for riders.
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Recommendations Key Outcomes of Implementation
THE FOUR MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS ARE:
Authored in Concerted effort leads to a BY 2030 BUS RIDERS WILL SEE
partnership with 1 range of far-reaching regional A VASTLY IMPROVED BUS SYSTEM:
Provide frequent and convenient bus
benefits:
stakeholders across service that connects communities and
the region, the promotes housing affordability, regional Satisfaction with transit Faster and … as a result of
service more reliable trips service standards,
equity, and economic growth.
Bus Transformation bus priority, and
enforcement.
Strategy sets out an Financial benefit
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ambitious path
Give buses priority on roadways to move Environmental benefit
forward. The strategy
people quickly and reliably.
makes four key More affordable … with new reduced
transportation fare options and free
recommendations to The region’s system will also
transfers between bus
achieve the goals of see many benefits: and Metrorail.
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this effort. Increased
Create an excellent customer experience

ridership
to retain and increase ridership.
A restructured … that better meets
Higher operating
regional bus system customer needs.
cost efficiency
4 Better
Empower a publicly appointed task force coordination in
to transform bus and lead the implementation regional decision
of a truly integrated regional system. making
A bus system … thanks to
Increased transit that is easy to use standardized maps,
more accurate data,
mode share
These four overarching recommendations encompass 26 specific upgraded technology
and signage.
recommendations that will require collaborative action from a number of Reduced
agencies and stakeholders. With nine separate agencies providing local bus environmental

impact of
service in the region, along with multiple layers of state and local
transportation
governments with adjacent responsibilities, no one entity can implement all Safer, more … with cleaner buses,
of these recommendations on their own. Agencies will need to take the Improved comfortable trips improved bus stops, and
added security features
initiative to lead some actions and partner together to achieve customer
throughout the system.
others. Building on the excellent work already underway in our region, the satisfaction
Action Plan envisions a collaborative implementation approach that
Less congestion
facilitates progress by sharing knowledge and best practices while
on the region’s
leveraging the priorities and resources of each stakeholder. roads
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Action Plan Overview
The recommendations have been divided into three categories
The Action Plan represents the detailed
based on how they should be implemented:
implementation plan for the Bus Transformation
Strategy recommendations and prioritizes each
activity for maximum impact over the 10-year
implementation period.
The Action Plan is built around a set of milestones associated with the 26
Complete the Enhance Existing Implement New Initiatives:
recommendations—targets for achieving specific improvements by
Work Already Efforts: Includes Includes the remaining
individual entities and all of the region’s bus providers. These milestones
highlight how action by these agencies will result in a better bus system Underway: Includes recommendations whose recommendations whose
for the whole region. recommendations whose activities represent ongoing activities should be implemented
actions are already work that will need to be as soon as possible by the
All of the recommendations are critical to truly transforming bus in the
largely underway by the elevated through expanded involved actors. Current
region, but taken together they represent an extremely large undertaking
responsible parties. funding or staffing existing progress on these actions may
that cannot all be addressed simultaneously. The Action Plan presents
programs and work vary widely between agencies,
sequenced steps to implementation, based on each recommendation’s
activities. and some may already be
potential for transformation and the relative difficulty of implementation,
underway at individual agencies.
to achieve maximum impact within a 10-year timeframe. Considering
activities already being pursued at the local, state, and regional
levels, this Action Plan is designed to be flexible enough to
encourage each jurisdiction and agency to implement their
priorities while working collaboratively to implement regional
priorities. The specific actions are likely to be pursued and achieved in This Action Plan will allow the region to truly transform the bus into the mode of choice on the region’s
different manners in each of our region’s jurisdictions due to differences roads and ensure that customers will be provided with high-quality service that takes them where they
in the governance structures, processes, and progress that each has need to go quickly, reliably, and comfortably. This won’t be easy. It will take political will and require difficult
already made. decisions. While financial stewardship is an important tenet of the Strategy – and indeed many of the
recommendations would result in operating cost savings, increased fare revenues from higher ridership, or
The following pages highlight the Action Plan schedule and priorities,
both – to successfully transform the bus, the Action Plan needs political leadership and
with a focus on the milestone achievements that will transform the
financial resources.
bus system in our region.
It is critical that in addition to completing the planning and technical work that is part of this Action Plan, the
region must come together to ensure that investment in bus and continued support of bus are at the
forefront of regional conversations about transportation.
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1 Provide frequent and convenient
bus service that connects
communities and promotes
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BENEFITS
UNLOCKED
housing affordability, regional
in 2020
Customers will have:
equity, and economic growth.
The WMATA Board will revise the definitions of
– a more seamless
“regional” bus service and associated funding –
experience using the
formulas.
region’s transit system
Multiple agencies will pilot and implement flexible
PRIORITIES: –
on-demand service.
bus service that better
A. Establish regional standards across bus systems to provide –
The region will adopt minimum service standards
– matches their needs
consistent bus service, tailored by location and time of day.
tailored by land use and time of day.
and demands
B. Collect and share standardized bus operations and performance
data across agencies to improve transparency and better plan bus better access to
–
service. in 2021 frequent bus service
C. Collaboratively restructure the region’s bus network to create the
most efficient and customer-focused bus system. Data sharing agreements between bus providers The region’s bus system will see:
–
will be implemented.
D. Cooperatively assess Metrobus’ current service definitions and increased ridership
The bus system restructuring effort for the region –
funding allocation formula using the WMATA Board’s Authority. –
1%–3% will begin. higher operating cost
E. Leverage existing efforts by transit providers to operate flexible –
efficiency
on-demand services to supplement the fixed route network where
Cities such as Austin,
and when warranted. improved customer
Columbus, and Houston
by 2025 –
that have recently satisfaction
restructured or redesigned
their bus service have Data about all the regional bus providers will be less congestion on the
–
stabilized ridership and in 48% available in one place. –
region’s roads
some instances, realized
The new restructured regional bus system will be
ridership increases from –
reduced environmental
operational.
1% to 3%. Today, 48% of the Washington –
impact of
area population has 15-minute Flexible, on-demand service will be provided in the
–
or better service during peak areas and times of day where it makes the most transportation
periods. Applying service sense, widening the reach of the transit system
guidelines to ensure that
throughout the region.
service aligns with demand will
increase the number of
residents with access to
frequent service and the
number of jobs accessible
via frequent service.
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2 Give buses priority on roadways
to move people quickly and
reliably.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BENEFITS
UNLOCKED
in 2020
Customers will have:
PRIORITIES: The region will commit to pursuing area-appropriate
– Faster and more
bus priority treatments at the policy level. –
F. Obtain commitments from state and local agencies (including roadway
reliable trips
owners) to adopt consistent guidelines, bolster jurisdictional capital The region will develop an implementation-ready
–
spending, and expedite coordinated implementation of bus priority. enforcement program for bus priority.
The region’s bus system
G. Implement enforcement policies that establish bus priority and result will see:
in reliable and fast service.
Increased ridership
$30M –
H. Establish a capital program at WMATA that supports accelerated
in 2021
Higher operating cost
implementation of bus priority projects, including BRT. –
efficiency
Improving bus speeds to I. Support regional congestion mitigation efforts that bolster bus priority WMATA will develop a capital program for
–
2008 levels would enable
and move more people more efficiently. implementing bus priority in the region. Improved customer
Metrobus to recoup much –
of the $30M that is lost satisfaction
annually to congestion and
could result in ridership Less congestion on
85% –
increases of 7%. the region’s roads
Reduced
In London, by 2025 –
automated bus environmental impact
lane enforcement
of transportation
The region will have established guidelines for
reduced bus lane
–
10% violations by 85%. where and how bus priority should be implemented.
To appropriately enforce bus priority, the necessary
–
equipment will have been acquired and necessary
With transit signal priority
Up to 31%
(TSP), routes outside of legislation will have been enacted by the appropriate
downtown DC have shown state and local bodies.
runtime improvements of
New York City Select Efforts to support and implement congestion pricing
greater than 10% and –
Bus Service showed in the region will be moving forward.
schedule reliability has
travel time improvement
shown improvements by Implementation of bus priority projects around the
averages of 13% to 23% –
about 5%. region will be underway.
and 10% to 31%
increases in ridership.
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3 Create an excellent customer
experience to retain and increase
ridership.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BENEFITS
UNLOCKED
in 2020
Customers will have:
PRIORITIES:
Mobile payment will be enabled on local buses in A more seamless
– –
Equip riders with high-quality, accurate, and easily accessible the region.
experience using the
information to plan a trip. All bus providers in the region will have a plan for
– region’s transit system
J. Ensure that accurate, real-time service information for all publishing GTFS-Real Time bus data.
providers is available in one place. Transfers between Metrorail and Metrobus will Less expensive trips,
– –
K. Make bus service easy to understand with legible maps and be free. especially for low-
customer-friendly route names across providers. DC will pilot a low-income fare product for transit income passengers
15,000 –
L. Expand marketing efforts to enhance visibility of bus options passengers.
Accurate, easy-to-use,
and benefits. –
accessible information
An increase in 15,000
Make paying bus fares easier. in 2021
weekday transit riders that makes it easy to
could result by creating M. Provide full transfer discount between local bus and Metrorail.
GTFS-Real Time data will be available for all bus use the region’s transit
a more seamless fare N. Provide reduced fare options for low-income riders. –
structure between providers in the region. system
O. Create a mobile solution to plan and pay for trips in one place.
Metro and local bus Transfers between Metrorail and all local bus
–
providers. P. Develop regional passes that work across all providers, and services will be free. The region’s bus system
make bus fares clear and understandable.
The region will begin deploying easier to will see:
–
Q. Incentivize more employers to offer transit benefits. understand print and electronic maps.
Increased ridership
–
The region and the jurisdictions will develop plans
–
Improved customer
to encourage more employers to offer transit
–
20% benefits to bus riders. satisfaction
2%
Less congestion on
by 2025 –
Across the WMATA Compact the region’s roads
Providing accurate real-time area, some 350,000 residents
information increased (8.5% of the total population) Bus routes across the region will have a cohesive, Reduced
–
–
ridership by 2% in San live below the poverty line, easy to use numbering scheme.
environmental impact
Francisco, New York, and and low-income people make
Low-income fare products will be available in all
Chicago. They also realized up about 25% of weekday – of transportation
jurisdictions.
increased customer passenger trips (rail + bus). A
satisfaction, increased 50% decrease in fares could WMATA will have an upgraded mobile solution that
–
customers’ feelings of generate a 20% increase in allows people to plan and pay for all their local bus
safety and security, and ridership.
and Metrorail trips in the region.
reduced perceived
All regional bus providers will accept WMATA’s
wait times. –
Monthly Unlimited Passes and other types of
unlimited bus passes.
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3 Create an excellent customer
experience to retain and increase
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BENEFITS
UNLOCKED
ridership.
(continued) in 2021
Customers will have:
New customer service training programs will be
– A more seamless
developed for transit staff. –
PRIORITIES: experience using the
Best practices for bus cleanliness will be
Make it safer and more pleasant to ride the bus. – region’s transit system
established.
R. Make bus stops and shelters safe, comfortable, accessible,
Safer and more
and technology-enabled. by 2025 –
comfortable
S. Advance technology and programs that improve the safety of
experience when
everyone on board by partnering with riders, bus operators, and Bus will be marketed more effectively around the
–
unions. region, with an appropriate portion of operating riding and waiting for
T. Empower front-line staff to provide exceptional customer costs spent on marketing efforts. the bus
service. Responsible parties will have developed plans and
–
identified funding to ensure that all bus stops are The region’s bus system
U. Ensure that all buses meet the highest standards of comfort
ADA accessible and meet jurisdiction’s amenity will see:
and cleanliness.
guidelines by 2030.
Pursue innovation and bus improvement. Increased ridership
All transit providers will be implementing their –
–
V. Advance new vehicle technologies to improve bus’
plans to equip buses with enhanced safety Improved customer
environmental footprint and efficiency, such as electric buses –
equipment. satisfaction
and automation.
All transit providers will have implemented improved
50% W. Establish a Regional Mobility Innovation Lab to systematically – customer service training programs and other – Less congestion on
share knowledge and accelerate improvements such as policies that ensure best-in-class customer service. the region’s roads
service provision, customer experience, and bus operator and
All providers will have implemented improved bus
On-board monitors passenger safety. – Reduced
showing live CCTV footage cleaning programs, ensuring that buses throughout –
environmental impact
of the vehicle to passengers the region have clean interiors and exteriors.
of transportation
were added to some
Bus providers across the region will be in the
Metrobuses, which resulted –
128,000 process of implementing full zero emission vehicle Higher operating cost
in a reduction in customer
–
fleets and supporting facilities.
complaints by over 50% and efficiency
criminal incidents logged by The Regional Mobility Innovation Lab will have
Transitioning to a battery –
the control center by 30%.
successfully launched.
electric bus fleet could
reduce Metrobus emissions
by almost 128,000 metric by 2030
tons of CO e annually by
2
2040, the equivalent of All bus stops in the region will meet jurisdictional
–
almost 100,000 passenger
guidelines for access, amenities, and safety.
vehicles driven for 1 year.
Buses will be safer for passengers and bus drivers
–
and be fully equipped with the best safety and
security features.
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4 Empower a publicly appointed
Task Force to transform bus and
lead the implementation of a truly KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS BENEFITS
UNLOCKED
integrated regional system.
in 2021
Customers will have:
The region will come to consensus on a
– A more seamless
formal process that elevates the role of bus –
experience using the
PRIORITIES: in regional transportation plans and ensures
region’s transit system
that all local bus providers are moving
X. Convene a Task Force to ensure implementation of the Strategy and
forward in the same direction.
provide long-term leadership for the region’s bus system. A voice in shaping the
–
The first Bus Transformation Progress
Y. Facilitate an independently published annual progress report on Bus – Bus Transformation
Report will be published.
Transformation Strategy implementation and a bus performance Strategy as it evolves
The first annual Bus Performance
scorecard to track the level of service delivered to customers. –
Scorecard will be published by an
Z. Develop a platform for rider feedback, administered by the task The region’s bus system
independent entity.
force, and an ongoing mechanism for incorporating feedback into will see:
The region’s Rider Feedback Platform will
regular revisions of the Strategy recommendations. –
Improved customer
be launched to provide a single touchpoint
–
for riders to provide comments on the bus satisfaction
 system.
Less congestion on
–
by 2025 the region’s roads
With increased visibility of
bus performance, progress Better coordination in
This Action Plan will have been revised to –
on bus transformation, and – regional decision
expanding implementation reflect progress made and new priorities
of bus priority treatments and opportunities. making
across the region, the profile 8,800
of bus is expected to grow
among regional decision
makers, and investment in
The Bus Transformation Strategy
priority treatments and
was shaped through the priorities
other critical improvements
and preferences of over 8,800
is expected to increase.
people who responded to surveys
and attended events. During
implementation, public input will
continue to be a crucial part of
the process in the form of a
regional rider feedback platform.
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Action Plan
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
1 Provide A Establish regional standards across bus systems to provide consistent bus service, tailored by location and time of day.
frequent and
Collect and share standardized bus operations and performance data across agencies to improve transparency
B
convenient and better plan bus service.
bus service
C Collaboratively restructure the region’s bus network to create the most efficient and customer-focused bus system.
D Cooperatively assess Metrobus’ current service definitions and funding allocation formula using the WMATA Board’s Authority.
Leverage existing efforts to provide flexible on-demand services where and when fixed route service is not efficient,
E
through collaborative planning with bus operators and unions.
2 Give buses Obtain commitments from state and local agencies (including roadway owners) to adopt consistent guidelines, bolster
F
jurisdictional capital spending, and expedite coordinated implementation of bus priority.
priority on
roadways G Implement enforcement policies that establish bus priority and result in reliable and fast service.
H Establish a capital program at WMATA that supports accelerated implementation of bus priority projects, including BRT.
I Support regional congestion mitigation efforts that bolster bus priority and move more people more efficiently.
3 Create an J Ensure that accurate, real-time service information for all providers is available in one place.
excellent
K Make bus service easy to understand with legible maps and customer-friendly route names across providers.
customer
L Expand marketing efforts to enhance visibility of bus options and benefits.
experience
M Provide full transfer discount between local bus and Metrorail.
N Provide reduced fare options for low-income riders.
O Create a mobile solution to plan and pay for trips in one place.
P Develop regional passes that work across all providers and make bus fares clear and understandable.
Q Incentivize more employers to offer transit benefits.
R Make bus stops and shelters safe, comfortable, accessible, and technology-enabled.
Advance technology and programs that improve the safety of everyone on board by partnering with riders,
S
bus operators, and unions.
T Empower front-line staff to provide exceptional customer service.
U Ensure that all buses meet the highest standards of comfort and cleanliness.
Advance new vehicle technologies to improve bus' environmental footprint and efficiency,
V
such as electric buses and automation.
Establish a Regional Mobility Innovation Lab to systematically share knowledge and accelerate improvements in
W
service provision, customer experience, and bus operator and passenger safety.
4 Empower X Convene a task force to ensure implementation of the Strategy and provide long-term leadership for the region’s bus system.
Key
a publicly Facilitate an independently published annual Progress Report on Bus Transformation Strategy implementation and a Complete the Work Already Underway
Y
appointed Bus Performance Scorecard to track the level of service delivered to customers. Enhance Existing Efforts
task force Implement New Initiatives
Develop a platform for rider feedback, administered by the task force, and an ongoing mechanism for incorporating
Z Dependency
feedback into regular revisions of the Strategy recommendations.
Milestone
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