Bike Plus Train A Perfect Combination! BIKES ONboard Project Shirley Johnson, Ph.D. June 3,

June 3, Outline Access to public transit Case study: Caltrain’s onboard bicycle service BIKES ONboard project Caltrain’s concerns Caltrain’s progress Summary Reference: SFBC Plan for Bicycle Carriage on Caltrain

June 3, Access to Public Transit People living within ½ mile of a station are three times more likely to use transit In 10 minutes, average person can walk ½ mile bike 2 miles ½ mi 2 mi Cycling increases accessibility by 16-fold!

June 3, Bike Plus Train Average bike commuter will ride 3 miles Combining bike plus train considerably extends travel range Bike to the station Bring bike on board for a fast trip Bike to destination Caltrain is a national leader with its onboard bicycle service  a good case study +

June 3, Caltrain’s Onboard Bike Service Enormously popular Offers convenience and flexibility; 40% of cyclists vary their normal commute pattern Suburban stations have limited public transportation; biking is often faster Green commute method Biking is fun and great exercise Over 7% of Caltrain passengers bring a bike onboard Caltrain could not have anticipated the success

June 3, Cyclists Bumped Daily Caltrain’s bicycle capacity is insufficient Cyclists with paid tickets left behind Trains have empty seats Bumped in Palo Alto, Sept 2007

June 3, Cyclists Exceed Capacity YearWalk-onsBicyclists 2003 to %+41% 2006 to %+5% 2008 farebox revenue loss ~ $1 million

June 3, Solution: Add Bike Capacity Pulling out of SF, Sept 2008 Add onboard bike space More passengers Fewer empty seats More revenue

June 3, BIKES ONboard Project: Goals and Scope Goals 1.Increase bicycle capacity on-board Caltrain's existing trains by Ensure recommendations for Caltrain's new rolling stock (for electrification in 2015) meet bicyclists' needs In ScopeOut of Scope Bikes on trains nowBike access to stations Bikes on trains in the futureBike security at stations

June 3, Caltrain’s Concerns Dwell time Seat removal Subsidies

June 3, Bikes cause dwell time delays? Bicycle boardings increased 45% from 2003 to No significant change in on-time performance.

June 3, Inadvertent Experimental Trial: Seat Removal On May 30, 2008, Caltrain removed 14 cars from service for emergency repairs Reduced seating capacity Ridership increased 5% from May to June No walk-on passengers bumped

June 3, Conclusion: Removing empty seats does not decrease ridership. Inadvertent Experimental Trial: Seat Removal

June 3, Estimated Subsidies Station Access MethodSubsidy Walk both ends$5 Bike both ends$13 Bus both ends$15 Shuttle both ends$17 Drive + walk on other end$25

June 3, Caltrain’s Progress Caltrain is increasing onboard bike capacity In process of adding 8 bike spaces per bike car by end of July 2009, a 28% increase Converting two cars to bike cars by Sept 2009 One-third of trains specified to have 80 bike spaces Need more onboard bike capacity After Sept 2009, two-thirds of trains will vary unpredictably with 24, 40, 48 or 80 bikes per train Inconsistent service drives away paying customers Consistent 80 bikes per train needed to meet demand

June 3, Summary BIKES ONboard continues to help Caltrain plan for success Need better consistency today Onboard bike service must be a high priority for new rolling stock specifications Bike plus train is a perfect combination! Green for the planet Convenient for commuters Cost-effective for transit agencies