Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Planning & Standards Unit 4: Service Planning & Network Design

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Outline Quality of service basics Service availability Comfort and convenience Defining quality transit service

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood QUALITY OF SERVICE BASICS

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Transit service Transit serves two populations “Choice riders” “Transit dependents riders”

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Performance Points of View

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Quality of Service AvailabilityComfort and Convenience FrequencyPassenger Load Service SpanReliability AccessTravel Time

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood SERVICE AVAILABILITY

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Availability

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Frequency is the number of transit vehicles in a given period of time. Headway is the measurement of time between transit vehicles. Frequency generally divided into 2 categories:  High Frequency Service: Headways less than 10 minutes  Low Frequency Service: Headways greater than 10 minutes Headway = 1 Frequency Service Frequency

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Frequency is important because it determines waiting times. Wait time for high frequency transit is, on average, half of the headway. (That is if it’s reliable – more later) Wait Time = Headway 2 Frequency & Wait Time

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Frequency Mean HeadwayPassenger Perspective Operator Perspective ≤ 5 min No schedule needed Bus bunching likely High-density (high-ridership) Exclusive right-of-way highly desirable Bunching can occur in mixed traffic Possibly cannot add more frequency > 5 – 10 min No schedule needed Bus bunching possible High-density or major activity center Exclusive right-of-way desirable Possible bunching Possible to increase frequency 11 – 15 min Need schedule Max desired wait for missed bus Branded as “frequent service” Higher-density or strong anchors Longest possible to still be BRT 16 – 30 min Need schedule Adapt to schedule Typically 20- or 30-min headways Moderate-density corridors Typical commuter rail headway Longest commuter bus headway

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Frequency Average Headway Passenger Perspective Operator Perspective Non-clockface headways require check schedules Must adapt to the transit schedule Typically 40- or 45-min headways Low-to-moderate density 60 min Minimal service for basic travel needs Must adapt to the transit schedule Maximum headway for fixed route bus Low density with subsidy Service coverage standard > 60 min Undesirable for urban transit service Should consider demand responsive

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Span is the length of time that transit service runs. Spans can be all day or can have peaks. Service Span

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Hours of Service Service at least hourly – Round (last trip – first trip + 1 hr) Hourly-or-worse service – Count the number of departures.

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Span Hours of ServicePassenger PerspectiveOperator Perspective > 18 h Full range of purposes Replace riskier travel (drunk driving) “Night” or “owl” Added driver pay Security Route differences 15 – 18 h Broad range of purposes More than two drivers Route differences 12 – 14 h Work trips with flexibility Two drivers per vehicle 7 – 11 h Midday trips Limited flexibility One driver with gap or part-time help 4 – 6 h Some AM & PM choice Commuter bus / rail Part-time drivers < 4 h Lifeline service Passengers plan around service Intra-county Rotate drivers

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Access Is transit service provided near one’s desired origins and destinations? Can one get to and from the necessary transit stops or stations?

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Walk Access Route density – Route miles per sq mile Geographic coverage – Percentage of service area served Transit market coverage – Transit-supportive (high density) area served

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Actual walking distance

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Impact of Street Network

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Impact of Street Network

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Impact of Street Network

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Bike and Drive Access Bike access – Up to 1.25 mi for local bus – Up to 2.5 mi for rapid transit Auto access – Up to 2.5 mi for park-n-ride lots

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Passenger Load

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Passenger Load

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Space Available

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Reliability Measures On-time performance Headway adherence Excess wait time Missed trips Percent of scheduled time in operation Distance between mechanical breakdowns

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood WHAT IS “ON TIME”?

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Reliability Measures On-time performance – Scheduled service (headways > 10 minutes) – % on-time vehicles – By run, by route or for system – Definition of “on-time” Headway adherence c vh = Standard deviation of headway deviations Mean scheduled headway

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Excess Wait Time Where: t w = avg wait time (min) h = avg scheduled headway (min) c vh = coefficient of variation of headways

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Long-headway Waiting Time

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood On-time performance

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood MARTA On-time (bus)

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood MARTA On-time (rail)

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Travel Time Number of transit vehicles needed to operate route at a given headway – Preferential treatments measured by travel time saved Average speed allows peer routes or peer agency comparison – ridership elasticity factors Travel time rate – 1 / avg speed – Preferential treatments

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Transit-Auto TT Ratio

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Passenger Safety & Security Accident rate (accidents per distance) Passenger safety (injuries or fatalities) Percent positive drug and alcohol tests Number of traffic tickets issued to operators Number of station overruns (manually operated rail systems) Number of fires Number of crimes (crime rate) Ratio of police officers to transit vehicles Number of vehicles or stations with safety devices

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Customer Service Service Center Measurements – Number of call missed – Response time Compliment and complaint tracking Passenger Satisfaction – Rider surveys

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Passenger Environment Cleanliness and appearance Customer information Equipment condition Operators or station agents

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood DEFINING QUALITY TRANSIT SERVICE

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Quality of Service AvailabilityComfort and Convenience FrequencyPassenger Load Service SpanReliability AccessTravel Time

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Elements of Good Transit Service 7 Demands of Useful Service It takes me where I want to go. It takes me when I want to go. It is a good use of my time. It is a good use of my money. It respects me. I can trust it. It gives me freedom (to change my plans).

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Exercise comparing TCQSM & Walker

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Elements of Good Transit Service 7 Demands of Useful Service It takes me where I want to go. It takes me when I want to go. It is a good use of my time. It is a good use of my money. It respects me. I can trust it. It gives me freedom (to change my plans).

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Elements of Good Transit Service 7 Demands of Useful Service How Transit Services Them It takes me where I want to go. It takes me when I want to go. It is a good use of my time. It is a good use of my money. It respects me. I can trust it. It gives me freedom (to change my plans). Stops/ Stations Connectivity FrequencySpan Speed or Delay Fares CivilityReliability Simplicity /Presentation

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Elements of Good Transit Service 7 Demands of Useful Service How Transit Services Them It takes me where I want to go. It takes me when I want to go. It is a good use of my time. It is a good use of my money. It respects me. I can trust it. It gives me freedom (to change my plans). Stops/ Stations Connectivity FrequencySpan Speed or Delay Fares CivilityReliability Simplicity /Presentation Travel Time Access Passenger Load

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood STAGES OF SERVICE PLANNING

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Service Planning Steps Crew scheduling Vehicle scheduling Timetabling Frequency determination Route design and stop layout Network design

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Reference The materials in this lecture were taken from: Chapter 4 and 5 of the TCRP Report 165, “Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, 3 rd edition”, 2013 TCRP Report 88, “A Guidebook for Developing a Transit Performance-Measurement System”. Transportation Research Board, Walker, J. (2011). Human transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives. Island Press. Hickman, Mark, Fundamentals of Transportation wikibook, “Network Design & Frequency”, Network_Design_and_Frequency Network_Design_and_Frequency TCRP Report 113, “Using Archived AVL-APC Data to Improve Transit Performance and Management”. Transportation Research Board, 2006.