TORRANCE BUS SERVICE RELIABILITY AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master In Urban and Regional Planning By Jose M. Perez 2019 i SIGNATURE PAGE PROJECT: TORRANCE BUS SERVICE RELIABILITY AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES AUTHOR: Jose M. Perez DATE SUBMITTED: Spring 2019 Department of Urban and Regional Planning Dr. Alvaro M. Huerta Project Committee Chair Professor of Urban Planning Richard Zimmer Committee Member Lecturer of Urban Planning David Mach Senior Transportation Planner Torrance Transit i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author thanks the Torrance Transit Employees for the data they furnished and their participation in the client project, especially Senior Transportation Planner David Mach. The author would also like to thank the City of Torrance for providing information on future development and specific goals of their circulation plan. Special thanks to Dr. Alvaro M. Huerta and Professor Richard Zimmer for their help and guidance in completing the client project. i ABSTRACT A city’s transportation infrastructure directly affects the mobility of the people, goods, and services, of all who live within its’ limits. Bus transit lines are a key element of a balanced transportation system that can improve or detract from the quality of life of its’ populous. Transit networks that are poorly implemented eventually become impractical and difficult to maintain; and thus, a burden upon the city it’s meant to help. In addition the service reliability of a transit line is critical to both the transit agency and its users in order to maintain a healthy transportation system. In the City of Torrance, the Torrance Transit Agency is part of the system that primarily serves the South Bay of Los Angeles County. Their transit network consists of fixed routes located through the South Bay corridors. The scope of work for this research will include examining the eleven existing transit lines that are operated by Torrance Transit to help determine the level of transit reliability for each route and provide recommendations to address both current and future needs. Analyzing time-related indicators and revenue data for each bus line that is struggling will provide a better understanding of its present condition. Although it is challenging to develop an agreement on the idea of transit reliability, there are still distinct service attributes that can be identified in most dependable transits. i Executive Summary Torrance Transit Agency serves the South Bay of Los Angeles County with their transit network runs through the region’s major corridors of the City. It is important that the Agency runs an efficient transit system that provides a reliable service. Passengers are discouraged from using public transportation when poor service is provided. The level of reliability will be determined for the bus system so that the appropriate alternatives that will assist in improving the bus network can be explored. In 2016 there was a significant decline in boarding’s which consisted of 231,696 fewer boardings than in 2013. Bus lines that have low levels of reliability will be defined by poor on-time performance, inefficient schedule, low average daily ridership, and unproductive spacing of bus stops. This project will quantitative data to demonstrate that the Torrance Transit bus lines provide poor levels of reliability. Torrance Transit buses are all furnished with the AVL system, which provides the real-time geographical location of the buses. The AVL data that is gathered from the buses provides; stop identification tags, dates, bus terminal arrival time, idle time, bus terminal departure time, and passenger counter for each bus route. Data from a travel survey that was conducted in September of 2018 will be used to provide feedback and comprehend ridership patterns. Riders were asked various questions that would provide an overview of ridership daily patterns, transit accessibility, and satisfaction. After an analysis of all the data was gather it was determined that an overall lack of on-time performance by the transit network has caused riders to lose confidence that the bus will arrive on time. The survey confirmed there is an overall i low satisfaction rate with the inconsistent arrival time amongst riders. Most riders come from low-income backgrounds with minimal to no access to a private vehicle. Riders that contain such a profile rely heavily on public transportation to complete their daily activities. This is also an indicator that other socioeconomic classes have minimal incentive to utilize public transportation either due to reliability issues or a negative perception of public transportation. Rapid 3 bus line has the ideal characteristics for a full BRT to be implemented. Although a full BRT would not necessarily help the overall reliability of the transit system, it is still a valuable opportunity that should be explored by Torrance Transit. Impractical schedule efficiency exists for bus line 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Riders who were surveyed indicated that they would like to see greater investment from the agency on bus frequency. Increasing the frequency of buses in the line will improve bus schedule efficiency and rider satisfaction. Implementation of a Transit Signal Priority (TSP) should be explored by Torrance Transit Agency to help improve transit reliability. It is a tool that offers transit vehicles priority when a bus approaches a traffic signal. It’s a traffic system that can be used by transit agencies and emergency responders. The idea of TSP is to reduce travel time which theoretically should improve on-time performance while having minor effects on opposing traffic. An annual assessment of all bus lines should occur as a tool for monitoring improvements. Developing the structure within the agency will be challenging but necessary so that a high-quality service remains constant. Bus designated lanes would assist to improve on-time ii performance for that specific line. Infrastructure improvements will be necessary to create designated lanes that will provide fast and cost-effective mobility. Three recommendations were suggested to improve transit reliability, passenger experience, and quality control: annual assessment of bus lines, integrate a traffic signal preferred program, and implement the infrastructure for a full BRT. Grants and public-private partnership are possible financing options that can be explored. Incremental implementation of the recommendations would allow for a solution over an extended period. All three recommendations are closely associated and if possible, a package of all three solutions should be rolled out concurrently so that the agency can continue achieving its goals in improving transit reliability for its riders. iii Table of Contents Signature Page……….....………………………………………………………… ii Acknowledgments.……….……………………………………………….………. iii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….. iv Executive Summary……..……………………………………………….……….. v Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………. viii List of Tables……………………………………………………...………………. x List of Figures……………………………………………………………………… xi Chapter 1.0 Introduction.....………………………………………………………. 1 Chapter 2.0 Agency Background……...…………………….……..……........... 2 Chapter 2.1 Overview of Torrance Transit……….…………………………….. 3 Chapter 2.2 Demographics.……………………………………………………… 4 Chapter 2.3 Research Intentions………………………………………………... 5 Chapter 2.4 Transit Trends………………………………………...................... 6 Chapter 2.5 Research Goals and Objectives………………………….………. 8 Chapter 2.6 Current Bus Line Attributes……………………………….………. 10 Chapter 3.0 Literature Review…………………………………………………… 15 Chapter 4.0 Research Methodology….……………………………..………….. 20 Chapter 4.1 Quantitative Analysis………………………………....................... 22 Chapter 4.2 Rider Survey Analysis………………………………….………….. 28 Chapter 4.3 Case Studies…………….…………………...…………………….. 31 Chapter 4.4 Research Findings…………………………………………………. 34 Chapter 5.0 Recommendation…………………………………...……………… 35 i Chapter 5.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………….. 38 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….. 39 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………… 43 ii List of Tables Table 1: Annual Transit Rider…………………………………………………… 6 Table 2: Average Fare per Passenger Mile Traveled in 2015 Dollars……… 7 Table 3: Weekday On-Time Performance 2017……………………………… 25 Table 4: Saturday On-Time Performance 2017………………………………. 26 Table 5: Sunday On-Time Performance 2017………………………………… 26 Table 6: Schedule Efficiency October 2017…………………………………… 27 Table 7: Bus Stop Distance…………………………………………………….. 28 Table 8: Average Daily Ridership by Route October 2017…………………... 29 Table 9: Survey Participants……………………………………………………. 30 Table 10: EmX Key System Performance…………………………………….. 34 i List of Figures Figure 1: Current Torrance Transit Bus Line Map…………………….……… 15 Figure 2: Method of Fare Payment………………………………………….…. 31 i 1.0 Introduction Cities that can integrate a reliable multi-modal transit network can help create an urban environment that is sustainable and efficient. A multi-modal system includes various transportation choices such as private vehicles, public transportation, walking, and cycling. The importance of a good transit network are evident on both the local and regional scale. As cities become further developed and their populations grow, it is essential to create a strategic plan such as a long- range transportation master plan that will address current and future needs for all socioeconomic levels. A city’s