Express Bus Service
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Form Revised: September 1999 TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION REPORT NO. MEETING DATE: November 26, 2008 SUBJECT: EXPRESS BUS SERVICE ACTION ITEM RECOMMENDATIONS 1) Approve the elimination of the premium fare on the 141 DOWNTOWN/MT PLEASANT EXPRESS, 142 DOWNTOWN/AVENUE RD EXPRESS, and 144 DOWNTOWN/DON VALLEY EXPRESS bus routes, so that customers pay only a regular fare, as described in this report, effective September 8, 2009; 2) Note that: • in 2008, service levels have been improved on 21 existing local-express bus services; • in 2008, new periods of operation have been implemented on six existing local- express services • new local-express service will be introduced, on a trial basis, on the 41 KEELE and 60 STEELES WEST bus routes, as described in this report; • more-frequent service will be introduced, on a trial basis, on the existing local- express services on the 35E JANE and 96E WILSON bus routes, as described in this report; • an additional downtown/express bus service on Bayview Avenue will be assessed in conjunction with the planned post-implementation review of the introduction of regular fares on downtown express services recommended above; • a comprehensive evaluation of opportunities for express bus operations on all of the other major bus routes in the system has been carried out, and has concluded that additional express bus operations are not recommended at this time because they would not provide sufficient benefit to customers to justify their costs; EXPRESS BUS SERVICE Page 2 • the operation of limited-stop express bus services on the six future Transit City LRT corridors now served by buses, until the new LRT services begin, is not recommended because they would require the addition of 54 peak buses, and would cost approximately $5.6-million per year in additional direct operating costs, and have few passenger benefits over and above the express services already in operation on a number of these lines; and • Forward this report to all City councillors, Mississauga Transit, York Region Transit, Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, GO Transit, and Metrolinx. FUNDING The recommended conversion of routes from premium fare to regular fare would decrease fare revenue by approximately $300,000 per year. This loss of revenue has not been budgeted for in the 2009 Operating Budget. Other service increases described in this report can be accommodated within the 2009 Operating Budget. BACKGROUND TTC staff have initiated work on a Transit City Bus Plan which is a comprehensive review of bus operations on all major routes in the system, focusing on improving the speed of operations and customer-focused amenities. The Bus Plan involves assessing all aspects of bus operations including the design of services, physical road improvement (queue jump lanes, for example) to speed operations, improved stop locations and shelter treatments, improved customer information systems, and branding. As a first step in the development of the Bus Plan, staff have completed a comprehensive review of the use of express buses at the TTC, and these results are presented in this report. The report summarises approximately 20 proposals for new express bus services. DISCUSSION The TTC currently operates 22 express bus services. These are shown in Exhibit 1, attached. These can be broadly categorised in three ways: • “Local-Express” Bus Services: usually consist of an express branch that operates on a regular TTC route, often in the peak-periods from Monday to Friday only. The express buses typically serve all local stops at the outer end of the route and then serve limited stops only as they get closer to the subway station. These services are implemented when there are overall passenger benefits to reassigning existing local buses on the route to express bus operation on a no-net cost basis. • Rocket Routes: These are limited-stop express routes that generally link two major transit destinations. They typically have peak-period service and some off-peak EXPRESS BUS SERVICE Page 3 service. These services involve additional costs which must be justified through the route’s ability to attract new riders to the system. • Downtown Express Routes: These are routes that operate directly to the downtown in the morning peak-period and from downtown in the afternoon peak-period. They provide an alternative to travel on the Yonge Subway or parallel local bus and streetcar routes. Premium fares are charged for travel on these routes. Express services improve service for customers by reducing travel time and making transit a more-attractive travel option, compared to other ways of travelling. The local-express services reduce operating costs on long routes, because fewer buses, overall, are required to provide the required capacity, compared to operating all the buses in slower local service. The Rocket Routes and downtown express routes generally require an overall increase in operating costs. The provision of a direct no-transfer and fast service to link major destinations means that the Rocket Routes provide substantial benefits to customers, and attract new customers to the TTC because of the reduced travel time. Three of the four downtown express routes importantly provide an alternative to peak- period travel on the Yonge Subway. Ridership in recent years has been relatively low on the downtown express routes. Express services are routinely evaluated in the same way as all other TTC routes, using the Commission-approved Service Standards. Since 2003, 16 requests for new or improved express services have been formally analysed as part of the report on Service Improvements, of which three have been implemented. Many other service improvements have been made to express bus services in recent years. Between February and September, 2008, service was increased on 13 express routes, to reduce crowding. In February, 2008, new Monday-Friday midday and early evening and Saturday daytime express service was introduced on the 39E FINCH EAST (Finch Station-Neilson Express) branch, and new Monday-Friday early evening express service was introduced on the 53E STEELES EAST (Finch Station-Markham Road Express) branch. Starting on November 23, 2008, as part of the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy, new and increased express services were introduced on several routes. New service during the late evenings from Monday to Friday and the evenings on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays was introduced on the 191 HIGHWAY 27 ROCKET route. New service during the late evenings on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays began on the 190 SCARBOROUGH CENTRE ROCKET route. New service during the late evenings from Monday to Friday, the evenings on Saturdays, and all day on Sundays and holidays is now operating on the 196 YORK UNIVERSITY ROCKET route. New off-peak service at all times of the week has been introduced on the 116E MORNINGSIDE (Kennedy Station-University of Toronto Scarborough) branch. Service has been increased during the peak-periods on the 39E FINCH EAST (Finch Station-Neilson Express) branch, the 45E KIPLING (Kipling Station-Steeles) branch, the 131E NUGGET (Kennedy Station-Old Finch Express) service, 86E SCARBOROUGH (Kennedy Station–Sheppard Express) branch, the 53E/F STEELES EAST express branches, the 60E/F STEELES WEST express branches, the 190 SCARBOROUGH CENTRE ROCKET route, and the 196 YORK UNIVERSITY ROCKET route. EXPRESS BUS SERVICE Page 4 Starting on January 5, 2009, service during the peak-periods on the 39 FINCH EAST EXPRESS route will be extended east from Neilson Road to Old Finch Avenue and Valley Centre Drive. This change is being made as part of the report on Service Improvements for 2008. The balance of this report discusses additional possible express bus services, and summarises a systematic review that has been made of possible additional express services on all major routes and along significant transit corridors. Local-Express Services – Review of Existing Routes A comprehensive review has been undertaken of existing and possible new local-express services. The ridership, costs, and customer benefits of all existing express services were evaluated. Based on this evaluation, two routes with existing express service, the 35E JANE (Jane Station-York University Express) and 96E WILSON (Wilson Station-Humber College Express) have been identified as underperforming. Ridership and service levels on these two services are relatively low, and the overall benefit to customers provided by the express services on these two routes is less than if the services were discontinued and the resources reinvested into local service. Both of these routes provide relatively infrequent express service, however, (every 14 minutes on 35E JANE and every 21 minutes on 96E WILSON) and the lack of success on these services may be the result of relatively infrequent express service. In order to determine if increased service on the two underperforming express services would attract additional customers, service on the 35E JANE (Jane Station-York University Express) and 96E WILSON (Wilson Station-Humber College Express) branches will be increased to a bus approximately every 12 minutes, from the present 14- to 21-minute service. This change will be made, on a trial basis, beginning in November, 2009. The changes would require the addition of three morning peak and five afternoon peak-period buses. Sufficient resources are available in the 2009 Operating Budget for this change. Ridership and route performance on these two services will be re-evaluated in the spring of 2010, at the end of the trial period. If ridership has not increased and the overall benefit to customers of the express service is not positive, then these express services will be discontinued. Service and ridership characteristics on the other existing nineteen local-express routes are satisfactory. Ridership levels are higher, and the express services provide an overall benefit to customers. No route or service level changes are recommended for these services. Many of these have had service increases in 2008 to reduce crowding, and service will continue to be increased if and when ridership exceeds the maximum planned levels.