[NAME OF DOCUMENT] | VOLUME [Client Name]
University of Montana Bus Study
November 2014
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | i
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Table of Contents Page 1 Introduction ...... 1-1 2 Existing Conditions ...... 2-1 Red Line ...... 2-1 Blue Line ...... 2-4 Green Line ...... 2-6 3 Potential Service Changes ...... 3-9 Red Line and Blue Line ...... 3-9 Green Line ...... 3-11 4 Service Recommendations ...... 4-1 Short-Term Recommendations ...... 4-1 Long-Term Recommendations ...... 4-3 Future Improvements ...... 4-5 5 Mountain Line and ASUM Bus Integration ...... 5-1 Overview ...... 5-1 Case Studies ...... 5-1 Lessons for MUTD and the University of Montana ...... 5-2
Table of Figures Page Figure 1: UDASH Route Comparison ...... 2-1 Figure 2: Red Line Statistics by Day ...... 2-1 Figure 3: Red Line IB Average Weekday Ridership by Stop ...... 2-2 Figure 4: Red Line OB Average Daily Ridership by Stop ...... 2-3 Figure 5: Blue Line Statistics by Day ...... 2-4 Figure 6: Blue Line IB Average Daily Ridership by Stop ...... 2-5 Figure 7: Blue Line OB Average Daily Ridership by Stop ...... 2-6 Figure 8: Green Line Statistics by Day ...... 2-7 Figure 9: Green Line Average Daily Ridership by Stop ...... 2-8 Figure 10: Short-Term Recommended Routes (Pre-Missoula College Opening) ...... 4-2 Figure 11: Long-Term Recommended Routes (Post Missoula College Opening) ...... 4-4
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | i UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
1 INTRODUCTION The Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD) has outlined a long-term vision for expanding service in Missoula. That vision includes more effective and efficient service to the University of Montana (UM). The implementation of increased late evening service in January 2015 is an important step towards improving customer comfort and safety. When properly implemented, this type of investment typically results in increased transit mode share and fewer auto trips. Since September of 1990, University of Montana (UM) has contracted with MUTD to provide subsidized (fare free with ID) transportation on all services to students, faculty, and staff. In addition to using Mountain Line services, the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) provides its own shuttle service to park and ride lots, Missoula College, dorms, and an evening shuttle to downtown. Recent and proposed improvements to Mountain Line Routes 1, 6, and 8 will have an impact on travel patterns to the University of Montana. MUTD, along with the City of Missoula and ASUM have a joint interest in improving mobility and minimizing congestion in a cost-effective manner. These shared goals warrant an evaluation of all bus service in and adjacent to the University of Montana. This report includes an analysis of existing conditions on ASUM routes and provides future route network recommendations. It also includes a discussion about potential ways to integrate Mountain Line and ASUM services.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 1-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
2 EXISTING CONDITIONS The ASUM Office of Transportation operates four bus routes serving the UM campus and surrounding areas of Missoula. Three routes operate Monday through Friday during the day: the Red Line, Blue Line, and Green Line. This analysis focuses on these routes. A fourth route, the Gold Line, provides evening and night service Monday through Saturday. Figure 1: UDASH Route Comparison
Daily Service Daily Round- Daily Boardings per Boardings per Route Hours Trips Boardings Hour Round-Trip Red Line 23 68 1,225 54.1 18.0 Blue Line 22 45 774 35.2 17.2 Green Line 11 44 333 30.3 7.6
RED LINE The Red Line runs every 10 minutes on weekdays from 7:25 a.m. to 7:05 a.m. The route is scheduled as a loop, with trips starting at the Lewis & Clark Transfer Center and operating via South Ave and Arthur Ave before completing a loop around the UM campus. The route then proceeds back to the Lewis & Clark Transfer Center. Ridership statistics are shown in Figure 2 below, and figures 3 and 4 are maps showing ridership by stop in both the inbound and outbound directions. Ridership is high along the entire route alignment and productivity is high, with an average of 54.1 boardings per service hour. Ridership is highest on Mondays and lowest on Fridays. Figure 2: Red Line Statistics by Day
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Average Daily Revenue Hours 22.7 22.7 22.7 22.7 22.7 22.7 Daily Round Trips 68 68 68 68 68 68 Daily Ridership 1,458 1,207 1,296 1,206 961 1,225 Boardings per Hour 64.3 53.3 57.2 53.2 42.4 54.1 Boardings per Round Trip 21.4 17.8 19.1 17.7 14.1 18.0
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 3: Red Line IB Average Weekday Ridership by Stop
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-2 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 4: Red Line OB Average Daily Ridership by Stop
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-3 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
BLUE LINE The Blue Line runs every 15 minutes on weekdays from 7:20 a.m. to 6:35 p.m. The route is scheduled as a loop, with trips starting at Missoula College and operating via South Ave and Arthur Ave before completing a loop around the UM campus. The route then proceeds back to Missoula College. In the inbound direction, the route deviates to provide extra capacity at Lewis & Clark Transfer Center. It does not deviate in the outbound direction. Ridership statistics are shown in Figure 5 below, and Figures 6 and 7 are maps showing ridership by stop in both the inbound and outbound directions. Ridership is highest at the stops serving Missoula College, Lewis & Clark Transfer Center, Dornblaser Park & Ride, and the UM Campus. The only stop that has significant ridership activity that is not served by the Red Line is the Missoula College stop. Overall, ridership and productivity are relatively high, at 35.2 boardings per hour, which is lower than the Red Line. Ridership is highest on Mondays and Wednesdays and lowest on Fridays. Figure 5: Blue Line Statistics by Day
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total Daily Revenue Hours 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 Daily Round Trips 45 45 45 45 45 45 Daily Ridership 867 788 847 764 606 774 Boardings per Hour 39.4 35.8 38.5 34.7 27.5 35.2 Boardings per Round Trip 19.3 17.5 18.8 17.0 13.5 17.2
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-4 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 6: Blue Line IB Average Daily Ridership by Stop
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-5 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 7: Blue Line OB Average Daily Ridership by Stop
GREEN LINE The Green Line is a straightforward route providing quick service between East Broadway Park & Ride and the UM Campus. Service operates every 15 minutes on weekdays from 7:25 a.m. to 6:25 p.m.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-6 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Ridership statistics are shown in Figure 8 below, and Figure 9 is a map showing ridership by stop in both the inbound and outbound directions. Overall, ridership and productivity are lower than the other routes, with 30.3 boardings per hour. East Broadway Park & Ride will be closed in the future and the property will be developed into a new campus for Missoula College opening in 2017. Figure 8: Green Line Statistics by Day
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total Daily Revenue Hours 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 Daily Round Trips 44 44 44 44 44 44 Daily Ridership 361 364 348 347 247 333 Boardings per Hour 32.8 33.0 31.6 31.5 22.4 30.3 Boardings per Round Trip 8.2 8.3 7.9 7.9 5.6 7.6
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-7 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 9: Green Line Average Daily Ridership by Stop
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 2-8 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
3 POTENTIAL SERVICE CHANGES RED LINE AND BLUE LINE The Blue Line, Red Line, and Mountain Line Route 1 all provide service along South Ave and Arthur Ave to and from the UM campus, with the Blue Line and Red Line also serving the Lewis & Clark Transfer Center. An analysis was conducted to determine if there is excess capacity along the shared segments of these routes, and if so, if services could be consolidated without introducing overcrowding. Existing Data Analysis Initially, the maximum passenger load by trip on the Blue Line and Red Line was calculated using automatic passenger counter (APC) data. Charts illustrating this data can be found in Appendix A. The charts are broken out by direction (inbound/outbound) and day of the week, because loads vary significantly on a day to day basis because of class schedules. In the inbound direction, the Blue Line has some high loads before 11:00 a.m., but there are no loads above 25 passengers after 11:00 a.m. In the outbound direction, there are no loads above 25 passengers all day. This direction has lower ridership than inbound because it does not serve Lewis & Clark Transfer Center. The Red Line has higher loads overall than the Blue Line, with high loads on trips in the inbound direction in the morning and in the outbound direction in the afternoon. Loads above 35 people occur, meaning that there are standees, but the majority of trips have significant unused capacity. Estimated Loads if Blue Line is Eliminated Blue Line and Red Line APC data along with Mountain Line stop-by-stop data were used to estimate passenger loads on Route 1 and the Red Line under a scenario in which the Blue Line is eliminated. The last Mountain Line stop-by-stop ridership counts occurred in 2011, before Route 1 had been upgraded to 15-minute service frequency. Since frequency was increased, ridership has increased approximately 40%. To estimate the current loads on Route 1, trip-by-trip loads from the 2011 data collection were inflated by 40% to match current ridership. Then, because 15- minute frequency expansion created new trips, ridership was allocated from the existing trips to the new trips to arrive at estimated boardings and maximum load for each trip now operating on Route 1. For analysis purposes, it was assumed that if the Blue Line were eliminated, all Blue Line boardings at the Lewis & Clark Transit Center would be absorbed by the Red Line, and all other passengers would be absorbed by Route 1. Ridership on each Blue Line trip was allocated to the closest Red Line and Route 1 trip based on these guidelines. The results of the analysis can be found in Appendix B, which includes maximum load by trip charts by direction (inbound/outbound) and day of the week for Route 1 and the Red Line. Based on this analysis, it appears likely that Route 1 has enough capacity to absorb ridership from the Blue Line. A small number of trips would have loads above 35, meaning there would be standees, but it does not occur that significant overcrowding would occur, with no loads estimated to be above 45.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 3-9 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Loads on the Red Line would be higher than on Route 1, but except for select trips, there is a high probability that the Red Line could absorb ridership from the Blue Line. Some trips would experience heavy overloads. On trips where overloading could occur, a second bus should be used to shadow the Red Line to provide extra capacity. These high demand trips vary based on the day of the week, so the extra bus trips should vary based on the day of the week. Trips where extra buses may be needed are noted on the charts in Appendix B and listed below. To be conservative, trips with estimated loads greater than 30 are assumed to potentially need extra buses. Some Blue Line riders will have a choice between using Route 1 and using the Red Line, and if a high number take the Red Line, loads may be higher than anticipated. . Monday Inbound o 7:45 a.m. o 8:35 a.m. o 8:55 a.m. o 9:55 a.m. o 10:55 a.m. Outbound o 11:55 a.m. o 1:55 p.m. o 2:55 p.m. o 3:55 p.m. o 4:55 p.m. . Tuesday Inbound o 7:55 a.m. o 8:55 a.m. o 9:25 a.m. o 10:45 a.m. Outbound o 1:55 p.m. o 3:25 p.m. . Wednesday Inbound o 7:55 a.m. o 8:55 a.m. o 9:55 a.m. o 10:45 a.m. Outbound o 11:55 a.m. o 1:55 p.m.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 3-10 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
o 3:55 p.m. o 4:55 p.m. . Thursday Inbound o 7:55 a.m. o 8:55 a.m. o 9:25 a.m. o 9:55 a.m. o 10:55 a.m. Outbound o 12:25 p.m. o 1:55 p.m. o 3:25 p.m. . Friday Inbound o 8:55 a.m. o 9:55 a.m. Outbound o 11:55 a.m. GREEN LINE East Broadway Park & Ride will be closed in the future and the property will be developed into a new campus for Missoula College opening in 2017. An analysis was conducted to identify potential park & ride locations to replace the East Broadway Park & Ride as well as alternatives to creating a new park & ride, such as new residential service. New Park & Ride Two potential locations for a new park & ride that were investigated include a vacant lot near the intersection of Broadway & Maple and Ogren Park at Allegiance Field. The Broadway & Maple lot would serve the west side of Missoula, providing an alternative to driving to campus for people in the area. However, due to its distance from campus, it could not be served with one bus running every thirty minutes. For this reason, this location was not seriously considered. Ogren Park at Allegiance Field is relatively close to the UM campus, and because peak parking demands at the stadium generally do not overlap with peak parking demands at UM, there would likely be available capacity. However, there is a strong likelihood that it will generate less demand than the current park & ride on East Broadway due to its relatively inaccessible location. The Clark Fork River acts as a barrier to the north, and drivers must take either Russell Street or Orange Street to access the stadium, if they are coming from the north. ASUM has been investigating the potential to lease parking stalls from businesses, such as Southgate Mall, where users could take Route 1 to the UM campus. Arrangements like this are worth considering because they would provide park & ride options to University students and
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 3-11 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
employees without incurring any additional bus operating costs, because the location is already served frequently by Mountain Line. New Residential Service An alternative to creating a new park & ride served by ASUM is to create a new route that serves residential areas with significant concentrations of UM students and employees. Student and employee home locations were mapped to identify potential areas for direct service (see Figure 10). The most promising alignment appears to be to west of campus serving the 5th St / 6th St corridor. The route would begin near the intersection of Wyoming St & Russell St, serving housing with a dense concentration of students on Wyoming St and new apartments on Russell St between Wyoming and 2nd. It would connect to the UM campus via 5th St / 6th St. This alignment could likely be served by one bus providing 30 minute service. The schedule should be coordinated with the Route 8 schedule to provide combined 15 minute frequency along the 5th St. / 6th St. corridor. There is a strong probability that this route would result in higher ridership than a route serving a new park & ride.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 3-12 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 10: University of Montana Student and Employee Home Locations and Proposed Route
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 3-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
4 SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS SHORT-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS In the short-term, the following service changes are recommended: . Blue Line – Eliminate the route due to duplication of service with Red Line and Route 1. Doing so frees up two buses for other uses or cost savings. . Red Line – Maintain existing service and use an extra bus to provide supplemental service on high demand trips, as described in the previous section. . Green Line – When the Broadway lot closes, the Green line should be eliminated, which frees up one bus. In the should term, this bus could be used to operate a new “Purple” Line serving the 5th St / 6th St. corridor. When Missoula College on Broadway comes on line, the Green Line would resume. . Gold Line – Maintain existing service. The proposed routes are summarized in the table below. Table 1: Short-Term Recommended Service Attributes
Days of Cycle Time Line Service Frequency of Service (mins) Span of Service Number of Buses Red Monday - Friday 10 20 7:25 a.m. – 7:05 p.m. 3 (including bus used for extra trips) Purple Monday – 30 30 7:25 a.m. – 6:25 p.m. 1 Friday Gold Monday – 30 30 7:05 p.m. – 12:12 1 Wednesday a.m. Thursday - 15 30 7:05 a.m. – 2:27 a.m. 2 Saturday
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 4-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 11: Short-Term Recommended Routes (Pre-Missoula College Opening)
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 4-2 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS The new Missoula College campus is scheduled to open in 2017. At this time, the Green Line should be reinstated to provide service between the UM campus and the Missoula College campus. The reinstated Green Line should not be restructured to make the loop around campus. The Red Line provides frequent circulation to anyone wishing to get from south campus to the Green Line. All other changes recommended in the short-term would remain the same. Table 2: Long-Term Recommended Service Attributes
Days of Frequency of Cycle Time Line Service Service (mins) Span of Service Number of Buses Red Monday - Friday 10 20 7:25 a.m. – 7:05 p.m. 3 (including bus used for extra trips) Purple Monday – 30 30 7:25 a.m. – 6:25 p.m. 1 Friday Gold Monday – 30 30 7:05 p.m. – 12:12 1 Wednesday a.m. Thursday - 15 30 7:05 p.m. – 2:27 a.m. 2 Saturday Green Monday – 15 15 7:05 a.m. – 6:25 p.m. 1 Friday
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 4-3 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Figure 12: Long-Term Recommended Routes (Post Missoula College Opening)
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 4-4 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS There are several additional service improvements that ASUM may wish to undertake in the future. None of these are recommended for implementation using existing resources, but if additional funding becomes available, these may be considered. . Sunday Service: Currently, neither ASUM nor Mountain Line provide service on Sundays. Providing Sunday service would provide easier access to campus for students who need to get to academic buildings or the library on Sundays. A survey was conducted of peer institutions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and North Dakota to determine how common Sunday service is. None of the universities surveyed provide Sunday service on campus bus services. In some cases, the transit agency serving the city provides Sunday service to campus, but this only occurs in cities significantly larger than Missoula, including Eugene and Spokane. Sunday service is not recommended at this time unless there is strong support from students. . Missoula College - Downtown Connection: With the new Missoula College campus opening on East Broadway in 2017, there will be more demand for transit to that location. In addition, the University is considering building student housing at that location. The long-term recommendations above include reinstating the Green Line when Missoula College opens to provide a connection between the Missoula College campus and the UM campus. There will be demand for transit service between Downtown and Missoula College, which will be partially served by Route 4, which operates hourly. It is unlikely that demand will justify additional dedicated service between Downtown and Missoula College. Green Line stops should be provided near the intersection of Madison & Broadway to provide a convenient transfer between Route 1 and the Green Line for people traveling between Missoula College and Downtown. . Service to the Sawmill District: Student housing may be provided in the future in the Sawmill District. As this housing develops, service should be considered between this location and the UM campus.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 4-5 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
5 MOUNTAIN LINE AND ASUM BUS INTEGRATION OVERVIEW MUTD and UM have a joint interest in operating efficient and effective service for the University community. Although the systems are operated separately, MUTD and the ASUM Office of Transportation work together to coordinate service. The University is a very large customer for Mountain Line, and since September of 1990,the University has contracted with MUTD to provide subsidized (fare free with ID) transportation on all services to students, faculty, and staff. MUTD and UM are interested in further coordination between Mountain Line and ASUM bus services. There are several examples of strong coordination and integration between city and university transit systems in other university towns. Two notable examples are the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS and Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. This section describes transit integration in those communities and provides a list of potential actions that MUTD and UM could take to further integration of the two systems. CASE STUDIES University of Kansas / Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas is home to the University of Kansas (KU) and has a population of about 90,000, compared to 70,000 in Missoula. KU enrollment is about 28,000, compared to about 15,000 for UM and Missoula College. The KU transit system is known as KU on Wheels and has operated since 1971. The system has always been operated by a private contractor. From 1971 to 2007, it was operated by Lawrence Bus Company, and since 2007 it has been operated by MV Transportation. The City of Lawrence began operating service in 2000 with MV as the contractor. During the mid-2000s, the City and KU began discussing coordination seriously. Many of the discussions about coordination focused on the governance model. It was a desire for students to maintain control over how student funds were used. It was decided to maintain individual governance models but to work together as much as possible. One of the first ways that the systems coordinated was in route design. Previously, there was one City route and one and a half KU routes providing duplicate service. The City and KU decided to consolidate the routes, with each system paying a portion of the funding. A second coordinated route was added later based on the same model. In 2007, KU switched contractors to MV with a short contract to get on the same procurement timeline as the City. In 2009, a single RFP was issued for the operation of both systems. The RFP
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 5-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
listed the combined requirements for both systems, but there are separate contracts for each system. The contracts have slightly different funding and budget cycles, and the operating cost per hour is slightly different due to how vehicle parts are handled. There is one operator wage scale for both systems. In 2010, the City and KU coordinated on the construction of a new joint operations and maintenance facility that was designed for two systems operating out of the joint facility. Federal funds could not be used for the new facility because of charter service operated by the University. Instead, KU built the new facility and used two years of student funded bus purchase fees to pay for the facility. The City used the same amount of money that KU paid for the facility to pay for hybrid buses that are used on a jointly-operated route. The City leases space from KU, who bills the City for the space, fuel, and a portion of utilities. Other ways that the City and KU coordinate involve rider information. There is a joint rider guide and website, all customer service is handled by KU, and the systems honor each other’s fare media. The City and KU gain cost efficiencies with this coordination, but KU staff stated that the most valuable efficiency is jointly operating the systems together out of one facility with the same contractor. Without joint operations, the systems could still be coordinated to provide benefits from a route design and customer information perspective, but the significant cost efficiencies are realized because the systems are jointly operated by one contractor. CyRide (City of Ames, Iowa / Iowa State University) Ames, Iowa is home to Iowa State University (ISU) and has a population of about 62,000, compared to 70,000 in Missoula. ISU enrollment is about 33,000, compared to about 15,000 for UM and Missoula College. CyRide is the transit system providing service within the City of Ames and began in 1976 with fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride service owned and operated by the City of Ames. In 1981, the system transformed into a new agency funded jointly by the City of Ames and ISU. CyRide staff are employees of the City of Ames. The system has steadily expanded and now carries close to 6 million passengers per year, and about 90% of riders are ISU students. The system is free for all ISU students to ride, and the University subsidizes faculty and staff passes so they cost about 70% of the regular rate. CyRide has a unique governance structure among transit agencies, with equal representation between the city and university. The governing board has six members: the Ames City Manager, an Ames City Council member, a citizen appointed by the mayor, ISU’s Vice President of Business and Finance, and two ISU students. Primary funding for the system comes from ISU student fees, a city property tax, and ISU Administration funds. The system receives significant Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) funding due to its high performance. LESSONS FOR MUTD AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA The review of transit agency and university coordination in Lawrence and Ames makes it clear that additional steps could be taken to integrate the Mountain Line and ASUM systems. Four areas for potential integration include route design, customer information, operations, and governance.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 5-2 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Route Design Mountain Line and ASUM route design should be coordinated to avoid duplicate service. The systems have taken the first step by undertaking this study, and all future service changes should be discussed by staff at both systems to ensure that route duplication is minimized. In some cases, duplication is necessary, such as serving South Ave and Arthur Ave with both Route 1 and the Red Line, but unnecessary duplication should be minimized. In addition, the systems should consider jointly operating routes when efficiencies can be gained, like is done in Lawrence. Customer Information Lawrence, Kansas has shown that providing customer information about a public transit agency and university transit agency in the same place can have benefits. By producing a combined rider guide and website, the two systems are presented as an integrated system that is open to all, and riders do not need to look in two different places to get information. By combining customer service functions, riders can call one number to get information and cost savings are achieved. In the future, when Mountain Line becomes zero-fare, anyone in Missoula will be able to ride each system for free. Providing Mountain Line and ASUM transit information in the same place and presenting the system as one would reduce confusion about where the systems operate and how to use them. Operations Consolidating operations so that the Mountain Line and ASUM systems were operated jointly would have several advantages when compared to operating them separately. First, coordination of operations would make it easier to consolidate other functions, such as customer information. Second, consolidation could lead to cost savings by reducing duplicate infrastructure and functions, such as requiring one operations and maintenance facility instead of two. If Mountain Line and ASUM were to combine transit operations, one solution would be for ASUM to pay Mountain Line to operate the service so that ASUM would no longer need to operate service on its own. However, there are a number of obstacles that would make such an arrangement challenging or potentially more expensive than the current situation. First, ASUM has considerably lower operating costs than Mountain Line on a per hour basis, with an operating expense per hour of about $50, compared to $79 for Mountain Line (according to the National Transit Database). A significant portion of this is due to ASUM’s use of student operators, who are paid less than Mountain Line’s unionized operators. It is unlikely that student operators could continue to be used for the ASUM service if it were being operated by Mountain Line, so more expensive labor would be necessary. Operating UM service at Mountain Line’s higher cost per hour would increase costs by about $300,000 per year. Second, the MUTD operations and maintenance facility does not have capacity to accommodate the vehicles currently used to operate the ASUM service. An expansion or a new maintenance facility would be required, significantly increasing the cost and complexity of Mountain Line taking on operations of the ASUM service.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 5-3 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Governance The two peer case studies presented in this section showcase two different forms of governance when a public transit system and university system coordinate service. In the case of Lawrence/University of Kansas, both systems maintain control over funding and how the system is operated, but operations are coordinated with a single operator to gain cost efficiencies. In the case of Ames/Iowa State University, the City and University operate a combined system with equal representation on the governing board. If steps are taken to jointly operate Mountain Line and ASUM service, the governance model will likely be a major issue. From the ASUM perspective, students will want to maintain control over how funding is used and the design of routes serving the University.
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 5-4 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Appendix A Existing Maximum Load by Trip BLUE LINE Inbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Wednesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Thursday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-2 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Outbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-3 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Wednesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-4 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Thursday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:05 PM 1:05 7:20AM 7:35AM 8:05AM 8:35AM 9:05AM 9:35AM 1:35PM 2:05PM 2:35PM 3:05PM 3:35PM 4:05PM 4:35PM 5:05PM 5:35PM 6:05PM
10:05AM 10:35AM 11:05AM 11:35AM 12:05PM 12:35PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-5 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
RED LINE Inbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-6 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Wednesday
45 40 Max Load 35 30 25 20 15
10 Passengers 5 0
-5
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM
Trip Time
Thursday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-7 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Outbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-8 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Wednesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-9 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Thursday
45 40 Max Load 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | A-10 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Appendix B Estimated Ridership by Trip if Blue Line is Eliminated ROUTE 1 Inbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:20 PM 1:20 7:05AM 7:50AM 8:20AM 8:50AM 9:20AM 9:50AM 1:50PM 2:20PM 2:50PM 3:20PM 3:50PM 4:20PM 4:50PM 5:20PM 5:50PM 6:50PM 8:00PM
10:20AM 10:50AM 11:20AM 11:50AM 12:20PM 12:50PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-1 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:20 PM 1:20 7:05AM 7:50AM 8:20AM 8:50AM 9:20AM 9:50AM 1:50PM 2:20PM 2:50PM 3:20PM 3:50PM 4:20PM 4:50PM 5:20PM 5:50PM 6:50PM 8:00PM
10:20AM 10:50AM 11:20AM 11:50AM 12:20PM 12:50PM Trip Time
Wednesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:20 PM 1:20 7:05AM 7:50AM 8:20AM 8:50AM 9:20AM 9:50AM 1:50PM 2:20PM 2:50PM 3:20PM 3:50PM 4:20PM 4:50PM 5:20PM 5:50PM 6:50PM 8:00PM
10:20AM 10:50AM 11:20AM 11:50AM 12:20PM 12:50PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-2 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Thursday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:20 PM 1:20 7:05AM 7:50AM 8:20AM 8:50AM 9:20AM 9:50AM 1:50PM 2:20PM 2:50PM 3:20PM 3:50PM 4:20PM 4:50PM 5:20PM 5:50PM 6:50PM 8:00PM
10:20AM 10:50AM 11:20AM 11:50AM 12:20PM 12:50PM Trip Time
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:20 PM 1:20 7:05AM 7:50AM 8:20AM 8:50AM 9:20AM 9:50AM 1:50PM 2:20PM 2:50PM 3:20PM 3:50PM 4:20PM 4:50PM 5:20PM 5:50PM 6:50PM 8:00PM
10:20AM 10:50AM 11:20AM 11:50AM 12:20PM 12:50PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-3 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Outbound
Monday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:00 PM 1:00 6:45AM 7:30AM 8:00AM 8:30AM 9:00AM 9:30AM 1:30PM 2:00PM 2:30PM 3:00PM 3:30PM 4:00PM 4:30PM 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:30PM 8:00PM
10:00AM 10:30AM 11:00AM 11:30AM 12:00PM 12:30PM Trip Time
Tuesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:00 PM 1:00 6:45AM 7:30AM 8:00AM 8:30AM 9:00AM 9:30AM 1:30PM 2:00PM 2:30PM 3:00PM 3:30PM 4:00PM 4:30PM 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:30PM 8:00PM
10:00AM 10:30AM 11:00AM 11:30AM 12:00PM 12:30PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-4 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Wednesday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:00 PM 1:00 6:45AM 7:30AM 8:00AM 8:30AM 9:00AM 9:30AM 1:30PM 2:00PM 2:30PM 3:00PM 3:30PM 4:00PM 4:30PM 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:30PM 8:00PM
10:00AM 10:30AM 11:00AM 11:30AM 12:00PM 12:30PM Trip Time
Thursday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:00 PM 1:00 6:45AM 7:30AM 8:00AM 8:30AM 9:00AM 9:30AM 1:30PM 2:00PM 2:30PM 3:00PM 3:30PM 4:00PM 4:30PM 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:30PM 8:00PM
10:00AM 10:30AM 11:00AM 11:30AM 12:00PM 12:30PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-5 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Friday
45 Max Load 40 35
30
25 20 15
Passengers 10 5
0
1:00 PM 1:00 6:45AM 7:30AM 8:00AM 8:30AM 9:00AM 9:30AM 1:30PM 2:00PM 2:30PM 3:00PM 3:30PM 4:00PM 4:30PM 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:30PM 8:00PM
10:00AM 10:30AM 11:00AM 11:30AM 12:00PM 12:30PM Trip Time
RED LINE Inbound
Monday
70 Extra Bus Max Load 60
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-6 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Tuesday
70 Extra Bus Max Load 60
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Wednesday
70 Extra Bus Max Load 60
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-7 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Thursday
70 Max Load Extra Bus 60
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Friday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-8 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Outbound
Monday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Tuesday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-9 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Wednesday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Thursday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-10 UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA BUS STUDY Missoula Urban Transportation District
Friday
70 Max Load 60 Extra Bus
50
40
30
20 Passengers 10
0
7:25AM 7:55AM 8:25AM 8:55AM 9:25AM 9:55AM 1:25PM 1:55PM 2:25PM 2:55PM 3:25PM 3:55PM 4:25PM 4:55PM 5:25PM 5:55PM 6:25PM
10:25AM 10:55AM 11:25AM 11:55AM 12:25PM 12:55PM Trip Time
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | B-11