Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan

Technical Memorandum #5 Existing Service Evaluation

Prepared for:

Submitted by: Connetics Transportation Group October 2010

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ...... 1 2.0 Ozark Regional Transit System Level Analysis ...... 2 2.1 Service Requirements ...... 2 2.2 Current and Historical Ridership Characteristics ...... 7 2.3 Ridership Productivity Measures ...... 8 2.4 Ridecheck Survey Results ...... 8 3.0 Ozark Regional Transit Route Profiles ...... 14 4.0 Razorback Transit System Level Analysis ...... 83 4.1 Service Requirements ...... 83 4.2 Historical Ridership Characteristics ...... 88 2.3 Current Ridership Characteristics ...... 90 4.4 Ridership Productivity Measures ...... 91 4.5 Ridecheck Survey Results ...... 93 5.0 Razorback Transit Route Profiles ...... 96

Technical Memorandum 5: Table of Contents Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

1.0 Introduction

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) is leading the effort to complete a Transit Development Plan for the Northwest Arkansas region. The overall objective of this project is to identify near‐term, short‐range and long‐range service recommendations that provide an integrated regional transit network and expands opportunities for Northwest Arkansas residents to utilize transit. Several work tasks are being completed to achieve this objective including:

 The collection of Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) and Razorback Transit ridership data at a stop level and trip level basis;  An on‐board survey of ORT and Razorback Transit riders;  A review of historical ridership trends for both systems;  Input from staff and drivers for both systems;  A comprehensive evaluation of existing transit services on a systems and route level basis that is based on collected data;  Input from representatives of key stakeholder groups, a project advisory committee and from input received at public meetings; and  A latent demand analysis that is based on existing and projected demographic characteristics of the Northwest Arkansas region.

This Technical Memorandum is one of several that are being prepared as part of the TDP. This particular Technical Memorandum presents a detailed evaluation of existing Razorback Transit and Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) bus service. This analysis has been completed to identify route strengths and weaknesses, which in turn, will be the basis for TDP service recommendations.

Several data sources were used to complete this evaluation of existing transit services. Data provided by Razorback Transit and ORT that has been used in this evaluation include:

 Individual route schedules;  Current headway sheets; and  Daily and Monthly ridership reports.

As part of this TDP work effort, the following data collection efforts occurred:

 A 100% weekday ridecheck survey effort was completed between September 14, 15 and 16 for both systems;  A weekday on‐board survey was also conducted during this time period for both systems; and  Extensive fieldwork was completed by consultant service planners.

This Technical Memorandum begins with a systems‐level evaluation of Razorback Transit and ORT service characteristics. Existing ridership and service productivity measures have been reviewed as part of this system‐level evaluation. Individual route profiles are then provided. These profiles present a detailed assessment of current route characteristics and route strengths and weaknesses. Much of the route‐level analysis is based on the collected ridecheck survey data.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 1 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

2.0 Ozark Regional Transit System Level Analysis

Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) provides regularly scheduled fixed‐route and on‐demand paratransit services for Benton and Washington Counties. Fixed‐route service is provided to the most densely populated areas including Bentonville, Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers. In general, service operates hourly on weekdays only between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. with on‐demand service available on Saturdays when arranged in advance. There is no Sunday service. Figure 2‐1 presents the systemwide fixed‐route alignments for ORT. Figures 2‐2 and 2‐3 present a more close‐up view of the fixed‐route service in Benton and Washington Counties, respectively. It is important to note; Route 54 is the only means of connectivity between the two counties’ services.

2.1 Service Requirements

Service spans and frequencies are constant throughout the year on almost all ORT routes. The only exception is Route 54, which operates a reduced level of frequency when NWACC is not in session. Tables 2‐1 and 2‐2 present each route’s span of service, frequencies and estimated service statistics for ORT’s weekday service for regular and reduced schedules. Annualized service statistics for ORT based on the current operating scenario are as follows:

 Maximum buses in operation – 12  Annual revenue bus‐hours of service – 29,116  Annual revenue bus‐miles of service – 496,862

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Figure 2‐1 Ozark Regional Transit Systemwide Route Alignments

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Figure 2‐2 Ozark Regional Transit Benton County Route Alignments

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Figure 2‐3 Ozark Regional Transit Washington County Route Alignments

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Table 2‐1 Ozark Regional Transit Existing Weekday Operating Plan – Regular Schedule

Service Frequency Cycle Time One‐Way Average Weekday Bus Requirements Route Start of First/ Total Daily Time Layover % Cycle Distance In‐Serv. Rev. Rev. Route #DescriptionLast Trips Hours AM Midday PM Eve. Trips (Min.) Time Layover Time (Miles) Hours Hrs. Miles AM Midday PM Evening 40 Fayetteville/Springdale 0630 ‐ 1800 11.5 60 60 60 n/a 12 120 0 0% 120 28.4 24.0 24.0 340.8 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 41 6th Street 0700 ‐ 1700 11.0 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 14.9 11.0 11.0 163.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 42 Springdale East 0700 ‐ 1700 11.0 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 11.2 11.0 11.0 123.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 43 E Robinson Ave/W Huntsville Ave 0722 ‐ 1622 3.0 60 60 60 n/a 3 60 0 0% 60 16.3 3.0 3.0 48.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 44 Rogers North 0635 ‐ 1635 10.5 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 10.2 11.0 11.0 112.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 46 Bentonville 0645 ‐ 1645 10.5 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 12.7 11.0 11.0 139.7 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 47 Zion/Joyce 0700 ‐ 1800 11.5 30 60 60 n/a 14 30 0 0% 30 5.3 7.0 7.0 74.2 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.00 North Hills Medical 0800 ‐ 1600 9.0 n/a 60 60 n/a 9 30 0 0% 30 6.0 4.5 4.5 54.0 0.00 0.50 0.50 0.00 50 Lincoln/Fayetteville Commuter Exp 0700 ‐ 1705 0.0 1 trip n/a 1 trip n/a 2 60 0 0% 120 18.8 2.0 2.0 37.6 1.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 54 NWACC/University of Arkansas Exp 0640 ‐ 1615 10.0 60 60 60 n/a 20 60 0 0% 120 34.2 20.0 20.0 684.0 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 55 Springdale Crosstown 0640 ‐ 1820 11.8 20 20 20 n/a 34 20 0 0% 20 7.8 12.0 12.0 265.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 TOTALS 138 117 117 2,044 12.0 11.0 12.0 0.0

AM = Before 9:00 am Midday = 9:00 am to 3:00 pm PM =3:00 pm to 6:30 pm Eve. = After 6:30 p.m.

Table 2‐2 Ozark Regional Transit Existing Weekday Operating Plan – Reduced Schedule

Service Frequency Cycle Time One‐Way Average Weekday Bus Requirements Route Start of First/ Total Daily Time Layover % Cycle Distance In‐Serv. Rev. Rev. Route #DescriptionLast Trips Hours AM Midday PM Eve. Trips (Min.) Time Layover Time (Miles) Hours Hrs. Miles AM Midday PM Evening 40 Fayetteville/Springdale 0630 ‐ 1800 11.5 60 60 60 n/a 12 120 0 0% 120 28.4 24.0 24.0 340.8 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 41 6th Street 0700 ‐ 1700 11.0 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 14.9 11.0 11.0 163.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 42 Springdale East 0700 ‐ 1700 11.0 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 11.2 11.0 11.0 123.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 43 E Robinson Ave/W Huntsville Ave 0722 ‐ 1622 3.0 60 60 60 n/a 3 60 0 0% 60 16.3 3.0 3.0 48.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 44 Rogers North 0635 ‐ 1635 10.5 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 10.2 11.0 11.0 112.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 46 Bentonville 0645 ‐ 1645 10.5 60 60 60 n/a 11 60 0 0% 60 12.7 11.0 11.0 139.7 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 47 Zion/Joyce 0700 ‐ 1800 11.5 30 60 60 n/a 14 30 0 0% 30 5.3 7.0 7.0 74.2 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.00 North Hills Medical 0800 ‐ 1600 9.0 n/a 60 60 n/a 9 30 0 0% 30 6.0 4.5 4.5 54.0 0.00 0.50 0.50 0.00 50 Lincoln/Fayetteville Commuter Exp 0700 ‐ 1705 0.0 1 trip n/a 1 trip n/a 2 60 0 0% 120 18.8 2.0 2.0 37.6 1.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 54 NWACC/University of Arkansas Exp 0640 ‐ 1615 10.0 125 155 125 n/a 10 63 0 0% 125 34.2 11.7 11.7 342.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 55 Springdale Crosstown 0640 ‐ 1820 11.8 20 20 20 n/a 34 20 0 0% 20 7.8 12.0 12.0 265.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 TOTALS 128 108 108 1,702 11.0 10.0 11.0 0.0

AM = Before 9:00 am Midday = 9:00 am to 3:00 pm PM =3:00 pm to 6:30 pm Eve. = After 6:30 p.m.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 6 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

2.2 Current and Historical Ridership Characteristics

Monthly ridership reports from ORT were graphed to determine ridership trends over the past 13 months. Figure 2‐4 presents these trends at the systemwide level.

Figure 2‐4 Average Systemwide Weekday Ridership (September 2009 through September 2010)

1,200 1,015 1,000 949 872 863 863 820 785 808 813 765 747 800 730 711

600

400

Average Daily Riders 200

Average weekday ridership in September 2010 has grown 33% when compared to September 2009. September 2010 was also the highest ridership month during this time period. This was followed closely by December 2009, when a free‐ride promotion was in effect.

Individual route ridership was also compared during this same 13‐month time period as presented in Figure 2‐5. Figure 2‐5 Average Route‐Level Weekday Ridership (September 2009 through September 2010)

300 Sep 09

250 Oct 09 Nov 09 Dec 09 200 Jan 10 Feb 10 150 Mar 10 Apr 10 100 May 10 Jun 10 50 Jul 10 Aug 10 0 Sep 10 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 50 54 55

Route 40 consistently carries the highest average weekday ridership and has demonstrated steady growth during the past year. Routes 41, 42 and 54 have also performed well. In fact, Route 54 has experienced the most recent dramatic growth of all ORT routes when comparing September 2009 to September 2010.

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2.3 Ridership Productivity Measures

Ridership data from ORT was used to determine service productivity measures. Specifically, ridership productivity was measured on the basis of riders per revenue bus‐hour, riders per revenue bus‐mile and riders per bus trip. September 2010 ridership data was used to determine current weekday productivity measures. Table 2‐3 presents these measures and rankings. Overall, ridership for ORT is modestly productive, given its available resources. Systemwide productivity measures are as follows:

Weekdays Weekday Riders per Bus‐Hour – 8.8 (Sept. 2010) Weekday Riders per Bus‐Mile – 0.5 Weekday Riders per Bus Trip – 6.7

Table 2‐3 Ozark Regional Transit Ridership Productivity

Service Riders/ Riders/ Riders/ Route Riders Rank Rank Rank Period Hour Mile Trip

Weekday 40 261 21.8 1 1.5 1 21.8 1 41 192 17.5 2 1.2 2 17.5 2 42 95 8.6 4 0.8 3 8.6 4 43 12 4.0 7 0.2 8 4.0 7 44 54 4.9 6 0.5 4 4.9 6 46 64 5.8 5 0.5 5 5.8 5 47 44 3.8 8 0.3 6 1.9 8 50 31.510 0.1 9 1.5 9 54 182 9.1 3 0.3 7 9.1 3 55 20 1.7 9 0.1 10 0.6 10

Routes 40 and 41 rank very high in all three productivity measures, performing two to three times better than the systemwide averages. Routes 42 and 54 perform near the system average in riders per hour while Routes 43, 44, 46 and 47 perform just below average in this criterion. Routes 50 and 55 perform well below the systemwide average in all three productivity measures.

2.4 Ridecheck Survey Results

A ridecheck survey was conducted on September 14, 2010 for all ORT routes. Passenger boardings and alightings were recorded at every stop, and departure and arrival times were recorded at timepoints. Results from this survey are presented in detail in individual route profiles, presented later in this Technical Memorandum.

The ridecheck counted 842 daily boardings and 842 alightings as shown in Table 2‐4. Average daily ridership counts provided by ORT for the month of September totaled 826 – a less than 2% difference; giving a strong level of confidence in the ridecheck’s accuracy.

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Table 2‐4 Ozark Regional Transit Ridecheck Survey Results

% of Route No. Route Description Ons Offs Total Total 40 Fayetteville-Springdale NB 120 112 232 Fayetteville-Springdale SB 104 112 216 Route 40 Total 224 224 448 26.6% 41 6th Street 178 178 356 21.1% 42 Springdale East 98 98 196 11.6% 43 Robinson/Huntsville EB 3 1 4 Robinson/Huntsville WB 3 5 8 Route 43 Total 6 6 12 0.7% 44 Rogers 47 47 94 5.6% 46 Bentonville 76 76 152 9.0% 47 Zion/Joyce & N. Hills Medical 32 32 64 3.8% 50 Lincoln/Fayetteville Express NB 3 3 6 Lincoln/Fayetteville Express SB 2 2 4 Route 50 Total 5 5 10 0.6% 54 NWACC/U of A Express NB 69 70 139 NWACC/U of A Express SB 86 85 171 Route 54 Total 155 155 310 18.4% 55 Springdale Crosstown 21 21 42 2.5% TOTALS 842 842 1,684 100.0%

Combined, Routes 40 and 41’s ridership represents almost half of all daily ridership on ORT. The two Benton County routes (Routes 44 and 46, excluding Route 54) represent 15% of ORT’s daily ridership.

Figure 2‐6 illustrates systemwide ridership by time of day. Ridership is strongest during the 7:00 a.m. hour when passengers are destined for work and school trips. The next strongest periods are 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The weakest time periods are at the start and end of the service day. However, consideration should be given since some services are not operating during these hours. When these are excluded, the 5:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. become the least utilized service hours.

Figure 2‐6 Ozark Regional Transit System Ridership By Time‐of‐Day 120

100

80 Hour

per 60

40 Riders 20

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 9 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Systemwide and route‐level on‐time performance are summarized in Table 2‐5. For this application, on‐ time is defined as ranging from one minute early to five minutes late. During the ridecheck, ORT buses were on‐time slightly more than half of the time. 51% of the on‐time violations can be attributed to early arrivals, which are typically easier to manage than late arrivals. These early arrivals are likely due to ORT’s practice of not scheduling layover at the end of the line. Instead, excess time is built into the running time between the last two timepoints of a route. If the early arrivals can be controlled, ORT’s on‐time performance could readily improve to 76%.

Table 2‐5 Ozark Regional Transit System On‐Time Performance Route Route Total Early Late Total Percent Number Description Samples Arrivals Arrivals Early/Late On-Time 40 Fayetteville/Springdale 99 31 17 48 51.5% 41 6th Street 55 24 2 26 52.7% 42 Springdale East 45 7 17 24 46.7% 43 Robinson/Huntsville 18 6 0 6 66.7% 44 Rogers North 46 9 17 26 43.5% 46 Bentonville 55 0 44 44 20.0% 47 Zion/Joynce/Medical 60 43 0 43 28.3% 50 Lincoln Express 10 5 0 5 50.0% 54 NWACC Express 88 10 33 43 51.1% 55 Springdale Crosstown 64 1 0 1 98.4% Total 540 136 130 266 50.7%

On-Time defined as 1-minute early to 5-minutes late.

Figures 2‐7, 2‐8 and 2‐9 illustrate cumulative ridership activity (boardings and alightings) at all ORT bus stops. It is important to note, the scales for each map is unique.

In Benton County, NWACC and Scottsdale Shopping Center are the most active stops. This comes as no surprise as NWACC is a major regional destination and ORT carries a significant student ridership base as outlined in Technical Memorandum 4. The Scottsdale Shopping Center stop sees significant ridership activity by virtue of being the only connecting point between Route 44, 46 and the rest of the ORT system.

In Springdale, NWACC’s Washington County campus was the busiest stop. Again, this is supported by the high levels of student ridership as outlined in Technical Memorandum 4.

In Fayetteville, there are four stops that see significant activity – Northwest Arkansas Mall, Hillcrest Towers, Lot 56 and the MLK Jr. Wal‐Mart. The Northwest Arkansas Mall, Hillcrest Towers and Lot 56 are major connection point in both the ORT and Razorback Transit systems. The mall is also a major employment and shopping destination as is the MLK Jr. Wal‐Mart.

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Figure 2‐7 Ozark Regional Transit System Cumulative Ridership At Bus Stops – Bentonville/Rogers Area

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Figure 2‐8 Ozark Regional Transit System Cumulative Ridership At Bus Stops – Springdale Area

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Figure 2‐9 Ozark Regional Transit System Cumulative Ridership At Bus Stops – Fayetteville Area

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3.0 Ozark Regional Transit Route Profiles

The following pages present detailed assessments of route characteristics, strengths and weaknesses for each Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) fixed route. Each route profile presents the following information:

 A “snapshot” of route service characteristics and productivity measures and a map of land use characteristics along the route alignment;  A description of the existing route alignment;  Key route issues and observations from fieldwork and Razorback Transit route information, including: o Alignment o Schedule/Span of Service o Cycle/ layover times o Route transfers  Historical monthly ridership characteristics over the past thirteen months;  Current ridership characteristics from the ridecheck survey including: o Observations o Graphs showing boardings by time of day o Maps showing daily ridership at each stop o Graphs showing weekday boardings, alightings, and average line loads by stop and direction

Various graphs and maps within each route profile present ridership activity at the stop level (boardings and alightings), average daily vehicle loads and on‐time performance data at time points by time of day.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 14 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 40 – Fayetteville/Springdale

Route 40 operates primarily as a bi‐directional connection between Route 40 Full Service Weekday Fayetteville and Springdale via the US 71 Business corridor. The Route Characteristics northern leg of the route operates along the US 412 corridor, ending in Hours of Operation 6:30 a.m. ‐ 6:45 p.m. Frequency (Pk/Mid/Eve) 60/60/‐‐ a large one‐direction loop via Springdale Avenue, Carley Road, Luvene th Cycle Time (min) 60 Avenue and 48 Street. The southern segment of the route makes Layover Time (min) 0 three deviations from the main highway – the first to serve apartments Route Statistics along Gregg Avenue, the second to serve the VA Hospital and the third Round Trips 12 to serve the route’s terminus at Hillcrest Towers. The Northwest Daily Revenue-Hours 12 Arkansas Mall serves as the mid‐point of the route. Route 40 mostly Daily Revenue-Miles 170.4 serves commercial businesses when operating along the US 71 Peak Buses 1 Business segment. However, stops are more neighborhood‐oriented in Route Productivity Boardings 261 the northern one‐way loop and the deviation to Gregg Avenue. Riders/Rev. Hr. 21.8 Riders/Rev.-Mi. 1.5 Riders/Trip 21.8

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 15 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 40 begins at Hillcrest Towers in Fayetteville and makes its way to US 71 Business (College Avenue) via Church Avenue (Block Avenue on southbound trips) and Dickson Street. At College Avenue, the bus travels north and deviates through the VA Hospital and then across the street to the Evelyn Hills Shopping Center. The route then returns to College Avenue and turns west on Sycamore Street, north on Gregg Avenue and east on Sunbridge Drive. Route 40 continues north on College Avenue to serve Fiesta Square, the Northwest Arkansas Mall and the Springdale Wal‐Mart. After making connections at the Wal‐Mart, Route 40 travels north on Pleasant Street, west on Robinson Avenue and north on West End Street to US 412 (Sunset Avenue). At Sunset Avenue, the bus travels west into a large one‐way loop via Springdale Avenue, Carley Road, Luvene Avenue and 48th Street. Before closing the loop at Sunset Avenue, Route 40 also makes a branch south on 48th Street to the Ozark Guidance Center.

Route 40 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 40 include:  Hillcrest Towers  Northwest Arkansas Mall (Sears)  Dickson Street  Springdale Wal‐Mart  College Avenue (US 71 Business)  Fox Fire Apartments  VA Hospital  Sunset Avenue (US 412)  Evelyn Hills Shopping Center  Spring Meadows Apartments  Gregg Avenue  Ozark Guidance Center  Sunbridge Avenue  Northwest Arkansas Convention Center  Fiesta Square

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 40 is one of ORT’s longest routes but also offers bi‐directional travel through the majority of its alignment. The large one‐way loop at the northern terminus of the route may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within this segment. There is no layover scheduled at this end of the route. Therefore, delays associated with out‐of direction travel are kept to a minimum. Nonetheless, the perception of wasted time on‐board the bus may be greater to those passengers whose destinations are beyond the Ozark Guidance Center.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 40 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐ demand service is available to Route 40 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 40 has a 120‐minute cycle time, and requires two buses to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 120‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at Hillcrest Towers and the Springdale Wal‐Mart to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 40 intersects with Route 41 and Razorback Transit’s Brown Route at Hillcrest Towers. Additional connection opportunities occur at the Northwest Arkansas Mall with Route 47 and Razorback Transit’s Red Route. The Springdale Wal‐Mart provides connections with Routes 42 and 43.

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Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 40 has grown 40%. Ridership was highest during the Summer months as well as December 2009. This is most likely due to free ride promotions that occurred these time periods. In December 2009, all fares were waived for all passengers. In Summer 2010, K‐12 students were permitted to ride free of charge. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

300 268 275 267 259 261 250 240 222 229 196 197 203 200 187 187

150

100

Average Daily Riders 50

Current Ridership Characteristics

A weekday ridecheck survey was conducted in September 2010 for all ORT routes. Passenger boardings and alightings were recorded at every stop, and departure and arrival times were recorded at timepoints. Results from this survey are presented over the following pages:

 A graph showing weekday ridership activity (boardings and alightings) by time of day;  Maps that illustrate total weekday ridership activity by stop for each direction; and  Graphs that depict weekday boarding and alighting activity by stop, by direction, along with average daily line loads

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 40 are as follows:

 Route 40’s average weekday ridership was 224, which represents 27% of ORT’s daily ridership – the highest of all ORT routes.  19% of all Route 40 ridership activity occurred at the Springdale Wal‐Mart, followed closely by the Northwest Arkansas Mall with 15% of all Route 40 boardings and alightings.  Stops inside the VA Hospital and Fiesta Square accounted for 3% and 6% of all Route 40 activity, respectively.  The highest maximum load was 15 passengers and occurred on the 2:00 p.m. southbound trip. This was followed by an 11 passenger maximum load on the 11:00 a.m. northbound trip. Trips in the opposing direction also performed well during these hours.  Route 40 was on‐time at timepoints 51.5% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Early arrivals occurred twice as frequently as late arrivals.

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Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

25 Hour 20 per 15

Riders 10

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Northbound)

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Southbound)

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Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Northbound)

50 5 45 Avg. Line Load 4.5 40 Offs 4

35 Ons 3.5 Load 30 3 25 2.5 Vehicle 20 2 15 1.5

10 1 Average 5 0.5 Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Southbound)

50 5 45 4.5 Avg. Line Load 40 4 35 Offs 3.5 Load 30 Ons 3 25 2.5 Vehicle 20 2 15 1.5

10 1 Average 5 0.5 Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 21 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 41 – 6th Street Route 41 operates as a one‐way “figure‐eight” circulator route Route 41 Full Service Weekday throughout the southern portions of Fayetteville. The route also Route Characteristics Hours of Operation provides bi‐directional service between Hillcrest Towers and the Wal‐ 7:00 a.m. ‐ 6:00 p.m. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 60/60/‐‐ Mart on MLK Jr. Boulevard. Besides the core route alignment, Route 40 also makes scheduled deviations to serve Nantucket Apartments and Cycle Time (min) 60 Layover Time (min) Grandview Apartments. In addition, Route 41 will make on‐demand 0 Route Statistics route deviations to Washington Avenue/College Avenue as well as the Round Trips 11 University of Arkansas Tech Center. Daily Revenue-Hours 11 Daily Revenue-Miles 163.9 The majority of Route 41’s service areas supports residential uses. However, locations in downtown Fayetteville and along MLK Jr. Peak Buses 1

Boulevard are more commercial in nature. Route Productivity Boardings 192 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 17.5 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 1.2 Riders/ Trip 17.5

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Description of Existing Alignment Route 41 begins at Hillcrest Towers in Fayetteville and begins its “figure‐eight” routing via Mountain Street, College Avenue, Archibald Yell Boulevard and School Avenue. At MLK Jr. Boulevard, the route travels east to Curtis Avenue, south to 15th Street and west to Brooks Avenue. Two deviations – one to Nantucket Apartments and another on‐demand deviation to Washington Avenue and College Avenue occur along the way. Southbound Brooks Avenue becomes Garland Avenue. At the end, Route 40 travels east on Cato Springs Boulevard to School Avenue. An on‐demand deviation to the University of Arkansas Tech Center occurs at the end of this segment. From School Avenue, the route travels south to Grandview Apartments and then returns north on School Avenue to Hillcrest Towers. The second half of Route 41 is more linear in nature and operates along the University of Arkansas campus via Center Street, California Boulevard and Garland Street to Lot 56. From Lot 56, Route 41 continues west on MLK Jr. Boulevard to its terminus at the Wal‐Mart.

Route 41 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 41 include:  Hillcrest Towers  University of Arkansas Tech Center  Downtown Fayetteville  Garland Square Apartments  MLK Jr. Boulevard  Grandview Apartments  Nantucket Apartments  Fayetteville Public Library  Fayetteville Senior Center  Lot 56  Walker Park  Wal‐Mart

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 41 is one of ORT’s most complex routes. The large one‐way figure‐eight loop along the southern portions of the route may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within this segment. However, the western end of the route is more linear and far more conducive to bi‐directional travel.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 41 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐ demand service is available to Route 41 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 41 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Wal‐Mart and Hillcrest Towers to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 41 intersects with Route 40 and Razorback Transit’s Brown Route at Hillcrest Towers. Additional connection opportunities occur at Lot 56 with Route 54 and Razorback Transit’s Green, Purple and Route 56.

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Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 41 has grown 28%. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as during the Summer months. This is most likely due to free ride promotions that occurred these time periods. In December 2009, all fares were waived for all passengers. In Summer 2010, K‐12 students were permitted to ride free of charge.

Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

250 221 199 192 200 169 158 161 157 150 150 148 155 154 152 150

100

Average Daily Riders 50

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 41 are as follows:

 Route 41’s average weekday ridership was 178, which represents 21% of ORT’s daily ridership – the second highest of all ORT routes.  22% of all Route 41 ridership activity occurred at Hillcrest Towers, followed by Wal‐Mart with 13% of all Route 41 boardings and alightings. Stops at Hunstville & Curtis , Curtis & Fairlane, 15th & Washington, 15th & School and MLK & Beechwood were also well represented.  Stops along the Mountain/College/Archibald Yell segment of the route accounted for .5% of all Route 41 activity, with only two boardings throughout the day.  The highest maximum load was 13 passengers and occurred on the 10:00 a.m. circulation segment of the route. This was followed by 12 passenger maximum loads on the 8:00 a.m. circulation segment and carried through to the westbound western branch.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 24 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

 Route 41 was on‐time at timepoints 52.7% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Nearly all instances that degraded on‐time performance were attributed to early arrivals.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

20 Hour

per 15

10 Riders 5

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 25 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Southern Circulation)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 26 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Western Branch Westbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 27 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Western Branch Eastbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 28 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Southern Circulation)

30 7

25 Avg. Line Load 6 Offs 5 20 Load

Ons 4 15

3 Vehicle

10 2 Average 5 1

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Western Branch Westbound)

30 7

25 6 5 20 Load 4 15 Avg. Line Load

3 Vehicle

10 Offs 2 Ons Average 5 1

Boardings &Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 29 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Western Branch Eastbound)

30 7 Avg. Line Load 6 25 Offs 5 20 Ons Load 4 15

3 Vehicle

10 2 Average 5 1

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 30 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 42 – Springdale East

Route 42 operates as a one-way circulator route through central Route 42 Full Service Weekday Springdale. Besides the core route alignment, Route 42 also makes Route Characteristics Hours of Operation scheduled deviations to serve Eastwood Apartments and Applegate 7:00 a.m. ‐ 6:00 p.m. Apartments. In addition, Route 40 will make on‐demand route deviations Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 60/60/‐‐ Cycle Time (min) to serve Young Street and Quandt Avenue behind the Northwest Medical 60 Layover Time (min) 0 Center. Route Statistics Route 42’s service area supports a mix of residential and commercial Round Trips 11 uses. However, along Mountain Road land uses, besides the Eastwood Daily Revenue-Hours 11 Daily Revenue-Miles 123.2 Apartments, are more industrial and commercial in nature. Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 95 Ri d e r s/ Re v . Hr . 8.6 Ri d e r s/ Re v .- Mi . 0.8 Riders/ Trip 8.6

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 31 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 42 begins at the Springdale Wal‐Mart and makes its way to the Applegate Apartments via Robinson Avenue, Crutcher Street and Caudle Avenue. After circling through the apartments, the bus travels north on Park Street and east on Emma Avenue to the Bernice Jones Center for Families. Route 42 travels through the Jones Center parking lot and exits onto Huntsville Avenue. Here, the route makes a bi‐directional branch to Eastwood Apartments and back via Old Missouri Road and Mountain Road. When Route 42 returns to Huntsville Avenue, it continues west to Spring Street, north to Mill Street and west on Sanders Avenue to Harp’s grocery. From Harp’s grocery, the route continues west on Backus Avenue, south on Pleasant Street, east on Christian Avenue and south on Kansas Street to Huntsville Avenue. At Huntsville Avenue, Route 42 travels east to downtown Springdale via Shiloh Street, Price Avenue, Main Street and Johnson Avenue. At Spring Street, the route makes its way to Northwest Arkansas Medical Center via Emma Avenue, Holcomb Street and Maple Avenue. At the medical center, the route performs an optional deviation via Maple Drive, Quandt Avenue and Young Street. The route then returns to Maple Avenue and turns south on Pleasant Street to complete the loop back at the Wal‐ Mart.

Route 42 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 42 include:  Springdale Wal‐Mart  Harp’s Grocery  Applegate Apartments  Bread of Life  Springdale Housing Authority  Shiloh Museum  Springdale Senior Center  Downtown Springdale  Community Clinic at JTL Shop  Northwest Medical Center  Bernice Jones Center  Springdale Library  Eastwood Apartments  Springdale Aquatic Park  Mill Creek Apartments

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 42 is comprised of a large one‐way loop throughout its entire alignment. This may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within the route, resulting in a “tour” of the entire route if passengers ride the bus to and from their destination. Also, a number of safety issues were noted, particularly if ORT moves to larger traditional transit buses. Specifically, travel through the Bernice Jones Center was constrained with the mix of parking; visibility was observed to be poor at Lowell Road & Sanders Avenue; and the left turn from Kansas Street onto Huntsville Avenue was difficult given traffic volumes.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 42 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 42 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 42 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Wal‐Mart to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 42 intersects with Routes 40 and 43 at the Springdale Wal‐Mart. Transfers are also accommodated at the Bernice Jones Center with Route 55.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 32 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 42 has remained constant. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as during the Summer months. This is most likely due to free ride promotions that occurred these time periods. In December 2009, all fares were waived for all passengers. In Summer 2010, K‐12 students were permitted to ride free of charge. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

140 121 120 116 120 115 103 106 103 96 95 100 93 93 90 89

40 Average Daily Riders 20

Current Ridership Characteristics

 Route 42’s average weekday ridership was 98, which represents 12% of ORT’s daily ridership – the fourth highest of all ORT routes.  35% of all Route 42 ridership activity occurred at the Springdale Wal‐Mart, followed by Applegate Apartments with 9%, Eastwood Apartments with 8% and the Bernice Jones Center with 7%. The remaining stops yielded minimal single‐digit activity throughout the day.  Stops in downtown Springdale accounted for less than 5% of all Route 42 activity, with only 9 boardings or alightings throughout the day.  The highest maximum load was 9 passengers and occurred on the 2:00 p.m. trip. This was followed by 8 passenger maximum loads on the 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. trips.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 33 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

 Route 42 was on‐time at timepoints 46.7% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Late arrivals outnumbered early arrivals more than 2 to 1.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

16 14 12 10 Hour

per 8

Riders 4 2 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 34 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 35 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

40 4.5 Avg. Line Load 35 4 Offs 30 3.5 Ons 3 Load

25 2.5 20 2 Vehicle 15 1.5 10 1 Average 5 0.5

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 36 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 43 – East Robinson Ave/West Huntsville Ave Route 43 is a limited‐trip service that operates once during the morning Route 43 Full Service Weekday peak, midday and afternoon peak hours. The route consists of two legs. Route Characteristics Hours of Operation The northern leg primarily operates bi‐directionally between the 7:22 a.m. ‐ 5:45 p.m. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 60/60/‐‐ Springdale Wal‐Mart and the NWACC Washington County Center. The eastern leg is more circuitous in design and serve neighborhoods and Cycle Time (min) 60 Layover Time (min) businesses along the Robinson Avenue corridor. 0 Route Statistics Route 43’s service area primarily supports residential uses. However, land Round Trips 3 uses along Robinson Avenue and Pleasant Street are more industrial and Daily Revenue-Hours 3 Daily Revenue-Miles 48.9 commercial in nature. Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 12 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 4.0 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 0.2 Riders/ Trip 4.0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 37 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 43’s eastern routing begins at the Springdale Wal‐Mart and makes its way to the Harp’s grocery via Robinson Avenue, Oriole Street, Cardinal Drive, Dick Smith Street, Adrian Avenue and Butterfield Coach Avenue. After circling through the Harp’s, the bus travels west on Robinson Avenue, south on Hidden Lake Street, east on Electric Avenue and south on Old Missouri Road to the Elizabeth Richardson Center. Here, the bus turns around and returns north to Don Tyson Parkway and then west to Powell Street and north to Robinson Avenue, returning to the Springdale Wal‐Mart. Route 43’s northern routing leaves the Wal‐Mart north on Pleasant Street. At Emma Avenue, the route travels west to Westwood Lane and then north to Huntsville Avenue. Route 43 then continues to NWACC via White Road, Backus Avenue and 40th Street where the loop is closed and the route returns to Wal‐Mart using the same reverse routing.

Route 43 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 43 include:  Springdale Wal‐Mart  Brookhaven Apartments  Signature Square  Springdale Aquatic Park  Harp’s Grocery  Springdale Library  Hidden Lake  Springdale High School  Keystone Crossing Apartments  NWACC Washington County Center  Elizabeth Richardson Center

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 43 is comprised of a large one‐way loop through much of its eastern alignment and a more linear bi‐directional routing along its northern segment. The one‐way loop on the eastern segment may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within the route, resulting in a “tour” of the entire route if passengers ride the bus to and from their destination. Travel through the Harp’s was noted to be constrained with the mix of parking. This may create safety issues as drivers navigate through the parking aisles with backing cars.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 43 operates limited trips Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 5:54 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 43 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 43 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Wal‐Mart to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 43 intersects with Routes 40 and 42 at the Springdale Wal‐Mart. Transfers can also be made with Routes 54 and 55 at the NWACC Washington County Center.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 38 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 43 has remained constant. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as during the Summer months. This is most likely due to free ride promotions that occurred these time periods. In December 2009, all fares were waived for all passengers. In Summer 2010, K‐12 students were permitted to ride free of charge. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

25 24 24 20 20 19 16 15 15 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 10

Average Daily Riders 5

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Route 43 are as follows:

 Route 43’s average weekday ridership was 6, which represents 1% of ORT’s daily ridership – the second lowest of all ORT routes.  42% of all Route 42 ridership activity occurred at the Springdale Wal‐Mart (5 boardings or alightings). 2 riders were recorded at Pleasant & Rogers. Single‐rider activity was also noted at Huntsville & Gutensohn, Oriole & Cardinal, Adrian & Wilson, Robinson & Hidden Lake and Huntsville & Morrison. No riders boarded or alighted at NWACC.  The highest maximum load was 2 passengers and occurred on the 7:00 a.m. trip and 4:00 p.m. trip.  Route 43 was on‐time at timepoints 66.7% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All instances of on‐time performance failure were related to early arrivals.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 39 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

2.5

2 Hour

1.5 per

1 Riders 0.5

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 40 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Eastbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 41 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Westbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 42 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Eastbound)

6 0.3 Avg. Line Load

5 Offs 0.25

4 Ons 0.2 Load

3 0.15 Vehicle

2 0.1

1 0.05 Average

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Westbound)

6 0.3 Avg. Line Load

5 Offs 0.25

4 Ons 0.2 Load

3 0.15 Vehicle

2 0.1

1 0.05 Average

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 43 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 44 – Rogers North

Route 44 operates as a one-way circulator route through central Route 44 Full Service Weekday Rogers. The route “pinches” in the center of its loop at the Rogers Wal- Route Characteristics Hours of Operation Mart. Besides the core route alignment, Route 44 also makes scheduled 6:35 a.m. ‐ 5:45 p.m. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) deviations to serve the Adult Development Center on Dixieland Road. 60/60/‐‐ Cycle Time (min) 60 Route 44’s service area supports a mix of residential and commercial Layover Time (min) 0 uses. Businesses are concentrated along the Walnut Street corridor while Route Statistics residential land uses are oriented along the outer perimeter of the route. Round Trips 11 Daily Revenue-Hours 11 Daily Revenue-Miles 112.2

Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 54 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 4.9 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 0.5 Riders/ Trip 4.9

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 44 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 44’s routing begins at the Scottsdale Shopping Center and makes its way to the Wal‐Mart via Walton Boulevard/Walnut Street. After circling through the Wal‐Mart, the bus continues east on Walnut Street to 8th Street. Traveling south on 8th Street, Route 44 turns east on Oak Street, north on 5th Street and east on Poplar Street. At 2nd Street, Route 44 turns north and continues to Olive Street. The route then travels west to 13th Street, south to Persimmon Street and continues to Dixieland Road. At this point, the route deviates twice daily to the Adult Development Center. Otherwise, Route 44 continues southwest through the Frisco Station Mall. Before returning to Scottsdale Shopping Center, Route 44 passes through the Wal‐Mart again and then travels north on 24th Street, west on Olive Street and south on 46th Street.

Route 44 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 44 include:  Scottsdale Shopping Center  Harp’s Grocery  Rogers Wal‐Mart  Rogers Activity Center  Center for Non‐Profits at St. Mary’s  Rogers Apartments  Wal‐Mart Claims Management  Frisco Station Mall  Downtown Rogers  Adult Development Center

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 44 is comprised of a large one‐way loop through the majority of its alignment. This one‐way loop may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within the route, resulting in a “tour” of the entire route if passengers ride the bus to and from their destination. However, the “pinching” of the route in the middle at the Wal‐Mart helps alleviate some of this for passengers making shopping trips.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 44 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from 6:35 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 44 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 44 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Scottsdale Shopping Center to accommodate transfers with other routes. Excess time was also noted at the Wal‐Mart.  Route Transfers – Route 44 intersects with Routes 46 and 54 at the Scottsdale Shopping Center.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 45 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 44 has remained constant. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as during the Fall months. The December peak is most likely due to free ride promotion when all fares were waived for all passengers. The reasons behind the stronger ridership in the Fall months is unknown but may be attributed to student ridership and/or more favorable weather. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

80 76

60 55 55 54 52 54 48 50 50 48 49 50 41 38 40

20 Average Daily Riders 10

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Route 42 are as follows:

 Route 44’s average weekday ridership was 47, which represents 6% of ORT’s daily ridership – the fifth lowest of all ORT routes.  26% of all Route 44 ridership activity occurred at the Scottsdale Shopping Center, followed by the Rogers Wal‐Mart with 21% of all ridership activity.  The deviation to the Adult Development Center accounted for 2% of all Route 44 activity, with only 2 alightings throughout the day.  The highest maximum load was 10 passengers and occurred during the 1:00 p.m. hour. The remaining trips ranged between 0 and 5 passengers.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 46 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

 Route 44 was on‐time at timepoints 43.5% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Late arrivals outnumbered early arrivals more than 2 to 1.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

10 Hour 8 per 6

Riders 4

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 47 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 48 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

14 2.5 Avg. Line Load 12 Offs 2 10 Ons Load 8 1.5 Vehicle 6 1 4

0.5 Average 2

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 49 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 46 - Bentonville Route 46 operates as a one-way circulator route through central and Route 46 Full Service Weekday southern Bentonville. Besides the core route alignment, Route 46 also Route Characteristics Hours of Operation makes on‐demand deviations to serve S Street, Lawrence Street and P 6:45 a.m. ‐ 5:45 p.m. Street. The route experiences some of the region’s worst traffic as it Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 60/60/‐‐ Cycle Time (min) travels through areas with some of the highest recent growth. 60 Layover Time (min) 0 Route 46’s service area supports a mix of residential and commercial uses. Route Statistics Business uses are heavier in the area surrounding Wal‐Mart’s Round Trips 11 headquarters building as well as the NWACC main campus. Daily Revenue-Hours 11 Daily Revenue-Miles 139.7

Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 64 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 5.8 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 0.5 Riders/ Trip 5.8

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 50 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 46’s routing begins at the Scottsdale Shopping Center and makes its way to NWACC by traveling north on 46th Street, west on Olive Street, north on Moberly Lane, east on 20th Street, north on Phyllis Street and east on 14th Street. From NWACC, the route heads west on 14th Street, offering on‐demand deviations through S Street, Lawrence Street and P Street. At J Street, Route 46 turns north and then west on 10th Street and north on Main Street to Harp’s grocery. From Harp’s, the route travels west on Central Avenue, south on I Street, east on 14th Street, south on D Street, east on 28th Street and south on J Street to the Benton County Senior Center. After leaving the senior center, Route 46 travels north on J Street to 30th Street and then east to the Northwest Medical Center’s Bentonville campus. The route then completes its loop back to Scottsdale Shopping Center via Olive Street and 46th Street.

Route 46 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 46 include:  Scottsdale Shopping Center  Downtown Bentonville  Ozark Guidance Center  Bentonville Wal‐Mart  NWACC Main Campus  Benton County Health Department  Walton Life Fitness Center  Benton County Senior Center  Wal‐Mart Distribution Center  Northwest Medical Center ‐Bentonville  Harp’s Grocery Campus

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 46 is comprised of a large one‐way loop through the majority of its alignment. This one‐way loop may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within the route, resulting in a “tour” of the entire route if passengers ride the bus to and from their destination.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 46 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from 6:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 46 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 46 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Scottsdale Shopping Center to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 46 intersects with Routes 44 and 54 at the Scottsdale Shopping Center and again with Route 54 at NWACC.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 51 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 46 has remained somewhat constant with a modest 8% increase over the prior year. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as during the Fall months. The December peak is most likely due to free ride promotion when all fares were waived for all passengers. The reasons behind the stronger ridership in the Fall months is unknown but may be attributed to student ridership and/or more favorable weather. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

80 76

70 64 61 59 59 58 60 55 56 53 52 49 49 50 45

20 Average Daily Riders 10

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Route 42 are as follows:

 Route 46’s average weekday ridership was 76, which represents 9% of ORT’s daily ridership – the fifth highest of all ORT routes.  19% of all Route 46 ridership activity occurred at the Scottsdale Shopping Center, followed by 20th & Phyllis (Ozark Guidance Center) with 14% and NWACC with 11% of all ridership activity.  The deviation to the Benton County Senior Center accounted for 3% of all Route 46 activity, with only 2 boardings and 3 alightings throughout the day.  The highest maximum load was 10 passengers and occurred during the 8:00 a.m. hour. The next highest load was 9 passengers and was recorded during the 11:00 a.m. hour.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 52 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

 Route 46 was on‐time at timepoints 20.0% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All failures in on‐time performance were attributed to late arrivals.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

10 Hour 8 per 6

Riders 4

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 53 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 54 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

25 4

3.5 20 3 Load 15 Avg. Line Load 2.5 Offs 2 Vehicle 10 Ons 1.5

5 Average 0.5

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 55 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 47 – Zion/Joyce/North Hills Medical Center Route 47 operates as a one‐way “figure‐eight” circulator route Route 47 Full Service Weekday throughout its entire length. The eastern leg serves Zion Road and Joyce Route Characteristics Hours of Operation Boulevard while the western leg serves Shiloh Drive, Millsap Road and 7:00 a.m. ‐ 6:30 p.m. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 30/60/‐‐ Washington Regional Medical Center. Both legs of the route intersect at the Northwest Arkansas Mall. Cycle Time (min) 30 Layover Time (min) 0 The majority of Route 47’s service areas supports commercial uses. Route Statistics However, there are several apartment complexes scattered along both Round Trips 23 legs of the route. Daily Revenue-Hours 11.5 Daily Revenue-Miles 128.2

Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 44 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 3.8 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 0.3 Riders/ Trip 1.9

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 56 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 47 begins at Northwest Arkansas Mall and begins its eastern segment via Zion Road, Crossover Road, Millennium Place and Joyce Boulevard. At Joyce Boulevard, the route makes a small deviation via Park Oaks Drive, Parkshore Drive and Parkview Drive. When the route returns to Joyce Boulevard, is makes its way back to the mall via Vantage Drive, Ford Drive and Steams Street. The western segment departs the Sears stop and travels south on Mall Avenue to Shiloh Drive. At Gregg Avenue, Route 47 turns south and then east on Appleby Road to Washington Regional Medical Center. After serving the hospital, the route exits onto Futrall Drive and continue to Millsap Road. Route 47 completes its trip back to Northwest Arkansas Mall by turning north on College Avenue.

Route 47 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 47 include:  Northwest Arkansas Mall  Stearns Street Apartments  Credit Counseling of Arkansas  Department of Human Services  Valley Lake Apartments  Mall Avenue Wal‐Mart  Fayetteville Athletic Club  Target  Millennium Plaza  Washington Regional Medical Center  Social Security Office  Washington County Health Department  Park Apartments  North Hills Medical Center  Joyce Street Post Office

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 47’s large one‐way figure‐eight loop may be problematic for passengers whose origin and destination both fall within one of these segments. The “pinch” in the middle at the Northwest Arkansas Mall offers some relief for passengers destined to this stop. However, another trips internal to Route 47 must take a “tour” of the entire route if riding the bus to and from their destination.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 47 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition, 30‐minute frequency is provided to the eastern segment of the route from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. During these two peak periods, service is not provided to the western segment of the route. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 47 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 47 has a 60‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 60‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route. However, field observations along with the ridecheck indicated small amounts of time at the Northwest Arkansas Mall to accommodate transfers with other routes.  Route Transfers – Route 47 intersects with Routes 40 and 54 as well as Razorback Transit’s Red Route at Northwest Arkansas Mall.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 57 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 47 has grown 47%. Ridership was highest in December 2009 as well as April 2010. In December 2009, all fares were waived for all passengers, resulting in higher than normal ridership. The reason for April’s performance is unknown but may be attributed to favorable weather. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

60 52 51 49 50 47 47 48 44 41 42 40 38 37 30 30 30

Average Daily Riders 10

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 47 are as follows:

 Route 47’s average weekday ridership was 32, which represents 4% of ORT’s daily ridership – the fourth lowest of all ORT routes.  44% of all Route 47 ridership activity occurred at Northwest Arkansas Mall. The next highest stop was the Mall Avenue Wal‐Mart with 14% of all ridership activity.  The deviation to Parkview Apartments yielded 1 passenger during the survey period. The stop at Washington Regional Medical Center was also only used by 1 passenger.  The highest maximum load was 4 passengers and occurred on the 12:00 p.m. eastern circulation segment of the route. Trips during the 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. carried no passengers during the survey period.  Route 47 was on‐time at timepoints 28.3% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All instances that degraded on‐time performance were attributed to early arrivals.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 58 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

5 Hour 4 per 3

Riders 2

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 59 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Western Circulation)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 60 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Eastern Circulation)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 61 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Western Circulation)

12 1.2

10 Avg. Line Load 1 Offs 8 0.8 Load

Ons 6 0.6 Vehicle

4 0.4

2 0.2 Average

Boardings & Alightings Boardings 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Eastern Circulation)

12 1.2 Avg. Line Load 10 1 Offs 8 Ons 0.8 Load

6 0.6 Vehicle

4 0.4

2 0.2 Average

Boardings & Alightings Boardings 0 0

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Ozark Regional Transit – Route 50 – Lincoln/Fayetteville Commuter Express Route 50 is a limited‐trip commuter express service between Lincoln, Route 50 Full Service Weekday Prairie Grove, Farmington and the University of Arkansas campus in Route Characteristics Fayetteville. One trip from Lincoln to Fayetteville is provided in the Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m. ‐ 6:00 p.m. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 2 trips/day morning and one trip from Fayetteville to Lincoln is provided in the afternoon. Cycle Time (min) 120 Layover Time (min) 0 Land uses along the route are primarily residential until reaching Route Statistics Fayetteville. Then Route 50 serves more commercial and institutional Round Trips 2 interests. Daily Revenue-Hours 2 Daily Revenue-Miles 37.6

Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 3 Ri d e r s/ Re v. Hr . 1.5 Ri d e r s/ Re v.- Mi . 0.1 Riders/ Trip 1.5

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 63 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 50 begins in the town of Lincoln and travels along Highway 62 to the University of Arkansas campus through the towns of Prairie Grove and Farmington. Buses generally remain on Highway 62, with some deviations to stops, such as the MLK Jr. Drive Wal‐Mart in Fayetteville.

Route 50 serves a variety of parking opportunities and employment destinations. Major stops along Route 50 include:  Lincoln City Hall  MLK Jr. Wal‐Mart  The Sanctuary Church  Regional Technology Center  Dillon’s Store  Garland Avenue & Maple Avenue  Prairie Grove Tennis Courts (University of Arkansas)  Farmington Baptist Church

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 50 is a straight‐forward, linear route between Lincoln and the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 50 operates Monday through Friday with one trip to Fayetteville departing Lincoln at 7:00 a.m. and one trip to Lincoln departing Fayetteville at 5:05 p.m. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 50’s one‐way trip takes 55 minutes. Since there is only one trip in each direction, there is no need for layover to be scheduled.  Route Transfers – Route 50 intersects with Routes 41 and 54 as well as Razorback Transit’s Green, Purple and Route 56 at Lot 56. Route 50 also intersects with all Razorback Transit Routes (except Route 56) at Garland Avenue & Maple Avenue.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 64 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 50 has grown 50%. However, this performance is still dismal considering that growth was from 2 boardings in September 2009 to 3 boardings in September 2010. Ridership was highest in February, March and April 2010 with 4 boardings recorded. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

5 4 44 4 3 3 3 3 33 3

22 2 2 2

Average Daily Riders 1

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 50 are as follows:

 Route 50’s average weekday ridership was 5, which represents 1% of ORT’s daily ridership – the lowest of all ORT routes.  Morning boardings (one each) included passengers at Lincoln City Hall, Harp’s grocery, and the MLK Jr. Wal‐Mart. There was one alighting at the Wal‐Mart as well. The remaining passengers exited at Garland & Maple. The only afternoon boardings occurred at the MLK Jr. Wal‐Mart. Two passengers boarded at this location with one alighting at Sanctuary Church and the other at Lincoln City Hall.  Route 50 was on‐time at timepoints 50.0% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All instances that degraded on‐time performance were attributed to early arrivals.

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Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

3 Hour

per 2

Riders 1

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (A.M. Eastbound)

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Weekday Ridership Activity (P.M. Westbound)

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Ozark Regional Transit – Route 54 – NWACC/University of Arkansas Express

Route 54 operates as a bi‐directional Route 54 Full Service Weekday Reduced Service Weekday commuter express service between the Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 6:40 a.m. ‐ 6:20 p.m. 6:40 a.m. ‐ 6:20 p.m. University of Arkansas campus (Lot 56) in Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas Frequency (Pk/Mid/Eve) 60/60/‐‐ 125/155/‐‐

Community College campus in Cycle Time (min) 120 125/155 Layover Time (min) 00 Bentonville. Intermediate stops are also Route Statistics provided at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, Round Trips 20 10 Northwest Arkansas Community College’s Daily Revenue-Hours 20 11.7 Washington County campus and Daily Revenue-Miles 684 342 Scottsdale Center. Peak Buses 21 Route Productivity The majority of Route 54’s service area Boardings 182 Reduced Service did not operate supports commercial and institutional Riders/Rev. Hr. 9.1 during September 2010 uses as the route is primarily designed to Riders/Rev.-Mi. 0.3 receive connections from other routes. Riders/Trip 9.1

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 69 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 54 begins at Lot 56 on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. From there, the route travels north on I‐540/US 71 to the Northwest Arkansas Mall. After serving the mall, Route 54 returns to I‐540 and continues north, exiting at Elm Springs Road to serve NWACC’s Washington County campus. The route then returns to I‐540 and once again travels north on I‐540 to Walton Boulevard/Walnut Street to make connections at Scottsdale Shopping Center. From here, Route 54 makes one more trip north on I‐540 to the NWACC main campus on 14th Street. Service in the southbound direction makes the same stops and exits from I‐540 as the northbound.

Route 54 serves as a connector between major transfer points in the ORT system. Those points include:  University of Arkansas (Lot 56)  Northwest Arkansas Mall  NWACC Washington County Campus  Scottsdale Shopping Center  NWACC Main Campus

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 54 is a fairly straight‐forward, bi‐directional express route that operates along I‐ 540. The stops at Northwest Arkansas Mall and NWACC’s Washington County Campus create a degree of out‐of‐direction travel. However, the benefit of connectivity with the rest of the system may outweigh this inconvenience.  Schedule/Span of Service – When NWACC is in session, Route 50 operates Monday through Friday at 60‐minute frequency from approximately 6:40 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. When NWACC is not in session, only half of the trips are operated, leaving headways at approximately 125 minutes. The Route 54 schedule shifts by 25 minutes throughout the day, assumedly to accommodate NWACC’s class schedule as well as running time needs. While this may provide a convenience for students, it creates a burden for those using the service that do not attend the school and try to commit the shifting schedule to memory. This could be alleviated if a consistent clock‐face headway could be maintained while still supporting NWACC’s needs. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 54 has a 125‐minute cycle time, and requires two buses to operate when NWACC is in session and one bus to operate at other times. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 125 minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route.  Route Transfers – Route 54 intersects with Route 41 and 50 as well as Razorback Transit’s Green, Purple and Route 56 at Lot 56. Routes 40 and 47 as well as Razorback Transit’s Red Route intersect with Route 54 at Northwest Arkansas Mall. The stop at NWACC’s Washington County campus offers connections with Routes 43 and 55 and the stop at Scottsdale Shopping Center connects with Routes 44 and 46. Route 46 also meets Route 54 at NWACC’s main campus.

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Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. Comparing September 2009 to September 2010, ridership on Route 54 has grown 189%. Ridership was highest in September 2010 followed by August 2010. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

200 182 180 160 140 119 108 114 120 103 102 100 84 85 78 75 70 80 63 63 60

Average Daily Riders 40 20 0

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 54 are as follows:

 Route 54’s average weekday ridership was 155, which represents 18% of ORT’s daily ridership – the third highest of all ORT routes.  38% of all Route 54 ridership activity occurred at NWACC’s main campus. The next highest stop was the Northwest Arkansas Mall with 24% of all ridership activity. Lot 56 and the stops surrounding NWACC’s Washington County campus accounted for 13% each, followed by Scottsdale Shopping Center with 7% of all ridership activity.  The highest maximum load was 28 passengers and occurred on the 7:00 a.m. northbound segment of the route. Southbound trips during the 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. time periods also performed well with maximum loads of 19 passengers.  Route 54 was on‐time at timepoints 51.1% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Late timepoints outnumbered early timepoints three to one.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 71 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

40 35 30 25 Hour

per 20

Riders 10 5 0

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Northbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 73 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Southbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 74 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Northbound)

70 8

60 Avg. Line Load 7 6 50 Offs

Ons Load 5 40 4

30 Vehicle 3 20 2 Average 10 1

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Southbound)

70 8

60 Avg. Line Load 7 6 50 Offs

Ons Load 5 40 4

30 Vehicle 3 20 2 Average 10 1

Boardings & Alightings 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 75 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Ozark Regional Transit – Route 55 – Springdale Crosstown Route 55 is the newest of ORT’s routes and is the most linear as well. Route 55 Full Service Weekday The service operates between the Bernice Jones Center in Springdale Route Cha ra cte ri sti cs and the Northwest Arkansas Community College’s Washington County Hours of Operation 6:40 a.m. ‐ 6:40 p.m. campus. Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 20/20/‐‐ Cycle Time (min) 20 The majority of Route 55’s service area supports residential uses. Layover Time (min) 0 However, businesses and commercial uses become more prominent Route Statistics along Huntsville Avenue as the route approaches the Bernice Jones Round Trips 34 Center. Daily Revenue-Hours 12 Daily Revenue-Miles 265.2

Peak Buses 1 Route Productivity Boardings 20 Riders/ Rev. Hr. 1.7 Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 0.1 Riders/ Trip 0.6

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 76 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 55 begins at the Bernice Jones Center and exits south onto westbound Emma Avenue. The route then turns north on Park Street and west on Huntsville Avenue to NWACC. After serving NWACC, Route 55 loops through the neighborhood via White Road, Backus Avenue and Gutensohn Road. At Huntsville Avenue, Route 55 returns east to the Bernice Jones Center.

Route 55 serves a variety of residential areas and commercial interests. Major destinations along Route 55 include:  Bernice Jones Center  Jones Trust Center  Community Clinic at St. Francis House  NWACC Washington County Campus  Petra Allied Health

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 55 has very few alignment issues given its straight‐forward, linear configuration. However, navigating the parking aisles at Bernice Jones Center may become problematic, particularly if ORT ever purchases more traditional full‐sized transit buses.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 55 operates Monday through Friday at 20‐minute frequency from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Twice daily, a trip is dropped in order to accommodate bus operator breaks. Weekend fixed‐route service is not provided. However, on‐demand service is available to Route 55 riders on Saturdays when scheduled in advance through ORT.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 55 has a 20‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus to operate. The scheduled round trip travel time is also 20‐minutes. There is no scheduled layover time at any point in the route.  Route Transfers – Route 55 intersects with Route 42 at the Bernice Jones Center and Routes 43 and 54 at NWACC.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 77 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average daily ridership by month from September 2009 through September 2010 is presented in the graph below. However, since Route 55 was only introduced in July 2010, only three months of data can be displayed. Since its introduction, ridership on Route 55 has more than doubled. However, 20 boardings is still a weak start for a route providing 34 round trips daily. Average Daily Ridership (September 2009-September 2010)

20 20

15 13

10 9

Average Daily Riders Daily Average 5

Current Ridership Characteristics

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for Route 55 are as follows:

 Route 55’s average weekday ridership was 21, which represents 2% of ORT’s daily ridership – the third lowest of all ORT routes.  19% of all Route 55 ridership activity occurred at NWACC. The next highest stop was the Huntsville & Westend with 14% of all ridership activity.  The highest maximum load was 3 passengers and occurred during the 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m and 1:00 p.m. hours. Trips during the 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. hours carried no passengers during the survey period.  Route 55 was on‐time at timepoints 98.4% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late), making it the best on‐time performer in the ORT system. Only one instance of early arrival was noted.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 78 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

4 Hour

per 3

2 Riders 1

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Westbound)

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Eastbound)

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Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

9 0.4

8 0.4

7 0.3 Avg. Line Load 6 Load

0.3 Offs 5 0.2 4 Ons Vehicle 0.2 3 2 0.1 Average 1 0.1

Boardings & Alightings 0 0.0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 82 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

4.0 Razorback Transit System Level Analysis

Razorback Transit provides fare‐free fixed‐route and paratransit services on the University of Arkansas campus and to the area surrounding the campus. The service is open to students, faculty, staff and to the general public. Service levels and geographic coverage varies considerably depending on if the University is in‐session. In general, the service plans operated by Razorback Transit are as follows:

 During the Fall and Spring school sessions, Razorback Transit operates 11 routes from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with all but one route meeting at Union Station – Razorback Transit’s transfer hub that is located immediately south of the Student Union building.  During the evenings and on Saturdays when the U of A is in‐session, Razorback Transit operates a “Reduced” schedule with four routes (from approximately 6:00 to 10:30 p.m.).  The “Reduced” schedule is also in effect in the summer on weekdays only (from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).  During Finals Week, Razorback Transit operates a “One Bus” schedule during Finals week, where all routes are in‐service, but with only one bus assigned to each route. Thus, routes that currently have 2 or more buses assigned have reduced service frequencies during Finals week.  Special football shuttle service is also operated on Saturdays when the University of Arkansas has a home football game (Silver and Gold route service).

Figure 4‐1 presents the Full‐Service system and Figure 4‐2 presents the Reduced Route system for Razorback Transit.

4.1 Service Requirements

Service frequencies vary on Razorback Transit routes depending on the route, time of day and service scenario (i.e., full vs. reduced schedule). Tables 4‐1 through 4‐4 present each route’s span of service, frequencies and estimated service statistics for each Razorback Transit service scenario. The weekday full service schedule includes the increased morning service frequency Razorback Transit added this fall to the Tan and Green routes. Estimated annual service statistics for Razorback Transit for 2011/2012 based on these operating plan scenarios are as follows:

 Maximum buses in operation – 16  Annual revenue bus‐hours of service – 33,210  Annual revenue bus‐miles of service – 378,600

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 83 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Figure 4‐1 Razorback Transit Full Schedule Route Alignments

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 84 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Figure 4‐2 Razorback Transit Reduced Schedule Route Alignments

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 85 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Table 4‐1 Razorback Transit Existing Full Service Weekday/Weekday Evening Operating Plan

Service Frequency Midday/PM Period Cycle Time One-Way Average Weekday Bus Requirements One Start of First/ Total Daily Time Layover % Cycle Distance In-Serv. Rev. Rev. Route # Way? Last Trips Hours Early AM Mid/PM Eve. Trips (Min.) Time Layover Time (Miles) Hours Hrs. Miles Early AM Mid/PM Evening Blue Y 7:03 am-5:50 pm 11.0 10 7 10 n/a 70 15.0 5 25% 20 3.3 18.0 24.9 231.0 2.00 3.00 2.00 0.00 Blue Reduced Y 6:00-10:10 pm 4.0 n/a n/a n/a 30 8 n/a n/a n/a n/a 6.3 2.9 4.0 50.4 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 Gray Y 7:00 am-5:45 pm 11.0 30 30 30 n/a 21 25.0 5 17% 30 6.6 9.2 11.0 138.6 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Brown Y 7:03 am-5:33 pm 10.5 20 20 20 n/a 31 15.0 5 25% 20 2.9 8.0 10.7 89.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Green Y 7:00 am-5:50 pm 11.0 7 7 10 n/a 72 15.0 5 25% 20 2.3 18.5 25.6 165.6 3.00 3.00 2.00 0.00 Green Reduced Y 6:00-10:10 pm 4.0 n/a n/a n/a 30 8 n/a n/a n/a n/a 5.4 3.5 4.0 43.2 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 Purple Y 6:55 am-6:00 pm 11.0 30 30 30 n/a 22 24.0 6 20% 30 6.4 8.8 11.0 140.8 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Red Y 7:00 am-9:10 pm 14.0 60 60 60 60 15 50.0 10 17% 60 14.2 12.5 15.0 213.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 Tan Y 6:55 am-10:10 pm 15.0 15 15 30 30 34 25.0 5 17% 30 7.1 14.6 17.5 241.4 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 Yellow Y 6:56 am-5:46 pm 11.0 16 16 16 n/a 41 14.0 2 13% 16 2.1 9.8 11.2 86.1 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Rte 56 Y 7:00 am-5:40 pm 10.5 20 20 20 n/a 32 13.0 7 35% 20 2.7 6.9 10.7 86.4 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 MH Expr Y 7:04 am-5:38 pm 10.5 16 16 16 n/a 39 14.0 2 13% 16 1.4 9.3 10.7 54.6 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Pomfret Y 7:06 am-6:01 pm 11.0 12 12 12 n/a 55 10.0 2 17% 12 6.0 9.3 11.2 330.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 TOTALS 448 131 167 1,871 15.0 16.0 13.0 4.0

Early = Before 7:30 a.m. AM = 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Mid/PM = 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eve. = After 6:00 p.m.

Table 4‐2 Razorback Transit Existing Reduced Service Saturday Operating Plan

Service Frequency Midday/PM Period Cycle Time One-Way Average Saturday Bus Requirements One Start of First/ Total Daily Time Layover % Cycle Distance In-Serv. Rev. Rev. Route # Way? Last Trips Hours Early AM Mid/PM Eve. Trips (Min.) Time Layover Time (Miles) Hours Hrs. Miles AM Pk Midday PM Pk Evening Blue Y 7:03 am-10:00 pm 15.5 30 30 30 30 31 22.0 8 27% 30 6.3 11.4 15.5 195.3 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 Tan Y 7:10 am-10:00 pm 15.5 30 30 30 30 31 25.0 5 17% 30 7.1 12.9 15.5 220.1 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 Green Y 7:00 am-10:00 pm 15.5 30 30 30 30 31 26.0 4 13% 30 5.4 13.4 15.5 167.4 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 Red Y 7:00 am-9:00 pm 14.0 60 60 60 60 15 50.0 10 17% 60 14.2 12.5 15.0 213.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 TOTALS 108 50 62 796 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0

Early = Before 7:30 a.m. AM = 7:30-9:00 a.m. Mid/PM = 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eve. = After 6:00 p.m.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 86 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Table 4‐3 Razorback Transit Existing Reduced Service Summer Operating Plan

Early = Before 7:30 a.m. AM = 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Mid/PM = 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eve. = After 6:00 p.m.

Table 4‐4 Razorback Transit Existing One Bus per Route/Finals Week Operating Plan

Service Frequency Midday/PM Period Cycle Time One-Way Average Weekday Bus Requirements One Start of First/ Total Daily Time Layover % Cycle Distance In-Serv. Rev. Rev. Route # Way? Last Trips Hours Early AM Mid/PM Eve. Trips (Min.) Time Layover Time (Miles) Hours Hrs. Miles Early AM Mid/PM Evening Blue Y 7:03 am-5:50 pm 11.0 20 20 20 n/a 33 15.0 5 25% 20 3.3 8.5 11.3 108.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Gray Y 7:00 am-5:45 pm 11.0 30 30 30 n/a 21 25.0 5 17% 30 6.6 9.2 11.0 138.6 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Brown Y 7:03 am-5:33 pm 10.5 20 20 20 n/a 31 15.0 5 25% 20 2.9 8.0 10.7 89.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Green Y 7:00 am-5:50 pm 11.0 20 20 20 n/a 33 15.0 5 25% 20 2.3 8.5 11.3 75.9 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Purple Y 6:55 am-6:00 pm 11.0 30 30 30 n/a 22 24.0 6 20% 30 6.4 8.8 11.0 140.8 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Red Y 7:00 am-5:00 pm 10.0 60 60 60 n/a 11 50.0 10 17% 60 14.2 9.2 11.0 156.2 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Tan Y 7:10 am-5:30 pm 10.5 30 30 30 n/a 20 25.0 5 17% 30 7.1 8.8 10.5 142.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Yellow Y 6:56 am-5:46 pm 11.0 16 16 16 n/a 41 14.0 2 13% 16 2.1 9.8 11.2 86.1 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Rte 56 Y 7:00 am-5:40 pm 10.5 20 20 20 n/a 32 13.0 7 35% 20 2.7 6.9 10.7 86.4 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 MH Expr Y 7:04 am-5:38 pm 10.5 16 16 16 n/a 39 14.0 2 13% 16 1.4 9.3 10.7 54.6 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 Pomfret Y 7:06 am-6:01 pm 11.0 12 12 12 n/a 55 10.0 2 17% 12 6.0 9.3 11.2 330.0 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 TOTALS 338 96 121 1,409 11.0 11.0 11.0 0.0

Early = Before 7:30 a.m. AM = 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Mid/PM = 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eve. = After 6:00 p.m.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 87 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

4.2 Historical Ridership Characteristics

Monthly ridership reports from Razorback Transit were graphed to determine ridership trends over the past five years. Figure 4‐3 presents these trends.

Figure 4‐3 System Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

250,000

200,000

FY 10 150,000 FY 09 FY 08 100,000 FY 07

50,000 FY 06

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Annual fixed route ridership averaged 1.2 million from FY 2006 to FY 2009. In FY 2010, annual fixed route ridership increased to over 1.5 million. As shown in the above graph, September usually has the highest ridership in each year.

Daily ridership reports for the past year were also collected from Razorback Transit from August 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010. This data was sorted and summarized to determine general ridership characteristics for each service scenario operated by Razorback Transit. Specifically, ridership was evaluated for the full service scenario during the fall and spring semesters, and for the reduced service scenarios on weekday evenings, Saturdays and in the summer. Ridership during finals week or football Saturdays was not included in this analysis. Tables 4‐5 and 4‐6 present average, minimum and maximum daily ridership by route for these different scenarios. Some general conclusions from this analysis are as follows:

 FY 2009 Fall average ridership was over 9,000, which is slightly higher than Spring average ridership (almost 8,500).  The Green and Blue routes have the highest ridership of all Razorback Transit routes, and account for about one half of all Razorback transit ridership.  Weekday evening ridership averages about 400 passengers, with the Blue Reduced route typically having the highest ridership in the evenings.  Saturday ridership averages about 1,000 riders, with the Red Route having the highest ridership of the four Saturday routes.  In the summer, ridership averages over 1,500 passengers per day.

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Table 4‐5 Razorback Transit FY 2009/FY 2010 Ridership Characteristics During Fall/Spring School Sessions Fall Session Spring Session Route Route Average Min Max Average Min Max

Weekdays Green 2,487 1,112 3,090 2,013 1,306 2,664 Blue 2,261 1,238 3,594 2,098 1,371 2,659 Brown 442 304 563 422 191 609 Pomfret 778 269 1,611 711 115 1,074 Route 56 356 191 475 317 57 405 Yellow/Maple Hill 790 304 2,147 1,218 646 2,005 Tan 684 377 939 574 215 758 Purple 443 0 873 368 188 784 Red 493 240 611 479 314 574 Grey 326 237 392 283 191 359 Total 9,061 4,272 14,295 8,483 4,594 11,891

Weekday Eve's. Green Reduced 110 45 274 89 30 165 Blue Reduced 140 0 231 143 66 212 Tan Reduced 69 28 162 61 13 178 Red Reduced 100 52 212 104 1 175 Total 419 125 879 397 110 730

Saturdays Green Reduced 224 106 349 203 117 269 Blue Reduced 211 87 285 249 104 325 Tan Reduced 143 107 176 148 72 200 Red Reduced 408 100 529 411 99 515 Total 987 400 1,339 1,012 392 1,309

Table 4‐6 Razorback Transit FY 2009/FY 2010 Ridership Characteristics During Summer Summer Route Average Min Max

Green Reduced 389 227 568 Blue Reduced 466 170 667 Tan Reduced 281 156 396 Red Reduced 433 306 538 Total 1,568 859 2,169

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2.3 Current Ridership Characteristics

Razorback Transit provided daily ridership by route for September 2010 for use in this study. This data identifies a total of 234,128 passengers using fixed route services during the month of September (not including Football shuttles). This represents a 12% increase in ridership over September 2009. Table 4‐7 presents average daily ridership during the month of September. The Tan Route has seen a significant increase in ridership. In fact, Razorback Transit has added a morning bus to the Tan Route and to the Green Route to handle large ridership volumes.

Table 4‐7 Razorback Transit September 2010 Average Daily Ridership Fall Session Route Route Average Min Max

Weekdays Green/Green Red'd. 2,929 1,929 3,515 Blue/Blue Red'd. 2,651 2,052 3,055 Brown 516 370 633 Pomfret Express 812 610 1,011 Route 56 485 393 646 Yellow 4800641 Maple Hill Express 197 134 325 Tan/Tan Red'd. 1,245 965 1,522 Purple 587 467 801 Red/Red Red'd. 722 536 874 Grey 406 304 554 Total 11,030 7,760 13,577

Saturdays Green Reduced 255 196 313 Blue Reduced 299 269 328 Tan Reduced 161 160 161 Red Reduced 539 527 551 Total 1,253 1,152 1,353

Razorback Transit bus operators keep track of student vs. non‐student ridership through the use of on‐ board “clickers”. Judgment is used by the bus driver in determining if a rider is a student. For September 2010, non‐student usage on weekday routes was estimated at 15 percent, as shown in Table 4‐8. Non‐student ridership was highest on the Brown and Red routes. These are the two routes that serve major destinations away from campus (downtown Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas Mall area). On weekends, Razorback Transit drivers estimated that 73% of all riders were non‐students. The on‐board survey that was conducted as part of this TDP work effort indicates that about 85 percent of Razorback Transit riders identified themselves as students, consistent with bus driver estimates.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 90 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Table 4‐8 Razorback Transit September 2010 Average Daily Ridership

Route Route Student Non‐Student

Weekdays Green/Green Red'd. 91.5% 8.5% Blue/Blue Red'd. 88.6% 11.4% Brown 44.9% 55.1% Pomfret Express 99.1% 0.9% Route 56 94.8% 5.2% Yellow 97.2% 2.8% Maple Hill Express 96.3% 3.7% Tan/Tan Red'd. 82.0% 18.0% Purple 90.5% 9.5% Red/Red Red'd. 37.1% 62.9% Grey 84.5% 15.5% Total 84.7% 15.3%

Saturdays Green Reduced 24.8% 75.2% Blue Reduced 30.7% 69.3% Tan Reduced 34.0% 66.0% Red Reduced 24.6% 75.4% Total 27.3% 72.7%

4.4 Ridership Productivity Measures

Ridership data from Razorback Transit was used to determine service productivity measures. Specifically, ridership productivity was measured on the basis of riders per revenue bus‐hour, riders per revenue bus‐mile and riders per bus trip. September 2010 ridership data was used to determine current weekday, weekday evening and Saturday productivity measures. Average ridership from this past summer was used to estimate summer productivity measures. Tables 4‐9 and 4‐10 present these measures and rankings. Overall, ridership for Razorback Transit is very productive. Systemwide productivity measures are as follows:

Weekdays Weekday Riders per Bus‐Hour – 66.0 (Sept. 2010) Weekday Riders per Bus‐Mile – 5.9 Weekday Riders per Bus Trip – 24.6 Saturday Saturday Riders per Bus‐Hour – 16.3 (Sept. 2010) Saturday Riders per Bus‐Mile – 1.3 Saturday Riders per Bus Trip – 9.4 Summer Weekday Riders per Bus‐Hour – 35.7 (Summer 2010) Weekday Riders per Bus‐Mile – 2.8 Weekday Riders per Bus Trip – 20.4

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Table 4‐9 Razorback Transit Ridership Productivity During Fall/Spring School Sessions Service Riders/ Riders/ Riders/ Period Route Riders Hour Rank Mile Rank Trip Rank

Weekday Red 580 52.7 5 3.7 8 52.7 2 Blue 2,464 98.6 2 10.7 2 35.2 4 Green 2,801 109.8 1 17.0 1 38.9 3 Tan 1,152 65.8 4 4.8 6 54.9 1 Route 56 485 44.1 8 5.6 4 15.6 9 Yellow 480 43.6 9 5.6 5 11.7 10 Grey 406 36.9 10 2.9 10 19.3 6 Purple 577 50.2 6 4.1 7 26.2 5 Brown 516 46.9 7 5.7 3 16.6 8 Pomfret 812 73.8 3 2.5 11 17.3 7 Maple Hill 197 17.9 11 3.6 9 5.1 11

Weekday Red Red'd. 142 35.5 2 2.5 3 35.5 1 Eve. Blue Red'd. 187 41.6 1 3.7 1 20.8 2 Green Red'd. 128 28.4 3 3.0 2 14.2 3 Tan Red'd. 93 20.7 4 1.5 4 10.3 4

Saturday Red Red'd. 411 27.4 1 1.9 1 27.4 1 Blue Red'd. 249 16.1 2 1.1 3 8.0 2 Green Red'd. 203 13.1 3 1.2 2 6.5 3 Tan Red'd. 148 9.5 4 0.7 4 4.8 4

Table 4‐10 Razorback Transit Ridership Productivity During Summer Riders/ Riders/ Riders/ Route Riders Hour Rank Mile Rank Trip Rank

Red Red'd. 433 39.4 2 2.8 3 39.4 1 Blue Red'd. 466 42.4 1 3.4 1 21.2 2 Green Red'd. 389 35.4 3 3.3 2 17.7 3 Tan Red'd. 281 28.1 4 1.8 4 12.8 4

The Green, Tan and Blue Routes rank very high in riders per bus‐hour and riders per bus‐mile on weekdays when school is in‐session. Productivity measures drop off in the evenings, on Saturdays and in the summer. However, the productivity measures still are solid when compared to typical industry standards. The weakest performing routes appear to be the Maple Hill Express route on weekdays, and the Tan Reduced Route on weekday evenings, Saturdays and during the summer.

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4.5 Ridecheck Survey Results

A weekday ridecheck survey was conducted on September 14, 2010 for all Razorback routes. Passenger boardings and alightings were recorded at every stop, and departure and arrival times were recorded at timepoints. Results from this survey are presented in detail in individual route profiles, presented later in this Technical Memorandum.

The ridecheck counted 9,640 daily boardings. However, ridership counts from Razorback Transit’s bus operators for the days of the ridecheck were 10,811 on the first day of the survey. The ridecheck count is likely low because: a) there were some missed bus trips, including the additional buses operating on the Tan and Green Routes that are not reflected in the schedule; and b) there are times when Razorback Transit buses are operating at crush loads. Thus, ridecheckers likely missed boardings during those times. For purposes of this TDP, ridership totals from Razorback Transit are being used in the analysis of service productivity, and ridecheck survey results are being used to identify time‐of‐day, stop level and segment ridership activity.

Pertinent systemwide ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Blue and Green Route ridership represents about ½ of all daily ridership on Razorback Transit.  Ridership volumes are typically heaviest in the morning hours, as illustrated in Figure 4‐4.  40% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station. Thus, a majority of Razorback Transit riders have Union Station as one end of their transit trip.  12% of all ridership activity occurred at Lot 56.  There were 33 surveyed trips with maximum loads of 40 or more passengers. Another 32 surveyed trips had maximum loads of 30 to 39 passengers. The heaviest maximum load was 69 passengers on the Green Route.

Figure 4‐5 illustrates cumulative ridership activity at all Razorback Transit stops. Stops with the highest ridership activity were:

 Union Station – 40% of all ridership activity  Lot 56 (all stops at Lot 56) – 11.5% of all ridership activity  Pomfret Hall – 3.6% of all ridership activity  Maple and Leverett – 3.5% of all ridership activity  Brough Commons – 3.3% of all ridership activity

Further analysis of ridecheck results are presented in the individual ridecheck profiles in the following section of this Technical Memorandum.

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Figure 4‐4 Razorback Transit System Ridership By Time‐of‐Day

1200

1000

800 Hour

per 600

400 Riders

200

0 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 Hour

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Figure 4‐5 Razorback Transit System Cumulative Ridership At Bus Stops

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5.0 Razorback Transit Route Profiles

The following pages present detailed assessments of route characteristics, strengths and weaknesses for each Razorback Transit fixed route. Each route profile presents the following information:

 A “snapshot” of route service characteristics and productivity measures and a map of land use characteristics along the route alignment;  A description of the existing route alignment;  Key route issues and observations from fieldwork and Razorback Transit route information, including: o Alignment o Schedule/Span of Service o Cycle/ layover times o Route transfers  Historical monthly ridership characteristics over the past five years on a monthly basis;  Current ridership characteristics from the ridecheck survey including: o Observations o Graphs showing boardings by time of day o Maps showing daily ridership at each stop o Graphs showing weekday boardings, alightings, and average line loads by stop and direction

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 96 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback– Red Route

The Red Route operates from Union Station Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Red/ Red Reduced Red Red Reduced Red Reduced Red Reduced to the Northwest Arkansas Mall. This route Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday operates in a loop pattern and includes stops Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m.-5:50 p.m. 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 7:00 a.m.-9:50 p.m. 7:00 a.m.-5:50 p.m. at several major destinations including the Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 60/ 60/ 60 --/ --/ 60 60/ 60 60 Washington Regional Medical Center, Fiesta Cycle Time (min)60606060 Layover Time (min)10101010 Square, Target and Wal‐Mart. Route Statistics Round Trips 11 4 15 11 The Red Route operates year‐round on the Daily Revenue-Hours 11.0 4.0 15.0 11.0 same schedule. Daily Revenue-Miles 156.0 57.0 213.0 156.0 Peak Buses 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Route Productivity Boardings 580 142 411 433 Riders/ Rev. Hr. 52.7 35.5 27.4 39.4 Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 3.7 2.5 1.9 2.8 Riders/ Trip 52.7 35.5 27.4 39.4

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 97 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Red Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels to the Northwest Arkansas Mall on North College Avenue. From Union Station, this route follows North Garland Avenue, Business Highway 71, Futrell Drive, Northhills Blvd., Monte Painter Drive, Wimberly Drive, and Milsap Road to N. College Avenue. The route continues along N. College Avenue to Zion Road, and then travels south on Frontage Road, west on Joyce Blvd., and north on N. College Avenue where it then enters the Northwest Arkansas Mall. The mall stop is located in front of Sears. The Red Route then returns to the University of Arkansas campus via N. Mall Avenue, Shiloh Drive, Gregg Avenue, Appleby Road, N. College Avenue, Sunbridge Drive, Gregg Avenue, Poplar Street and Leverett Avenue. The entire alignment operates as a one‐direction “figure 8” loop, with the loop crossing itself on its return trip to Union station at Gregg Avenue and Business Highway 71.

The Red Route serves student‐oriented housing and student‐oriented commercial uses along Garland Avenue and larger commercial businesses at its northern end. Major destinations along the Red Route include:  Garland/Wedington/North commercial area  U of A Agri‐Park  Washington Regional Medical Center  Washington County Health Department  Northwest Arkansas Mall  Wal‐Mart  Target  Fiesta Square

The Red Route operates a full schedule when school is in session – from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. In the summer and during holidays, the Red Route operates the same alignment as described above, but with a reduced schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Red Route operates as a large “figure 8” loop. There is no two‐direction service on any portion of the alignment. Thus, riders are often taken out‐of‐direction. There are also no stops along the northern portion of Garland Avenue.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Red Route operates at 60‐minute frequency on weekdays and Saturdays throughout the year. Evening service is provided during the Fall and Spring semesters. The last trip is at 5:00 p.m. on other days.  Cycle/Layover Times –The Red route has a 60‐minute cycle time, thus requires one bus for operation. There are 10 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station and 3 minutes of scheduled layover time at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, which totals to 22 percent of the cycle time. This is sufficient layover time to accommodate schedule delays and traffic congestion.  Route Transfers – Passengers on the Red Route can connect to ORT’s Route 40 and Route 57 at the Northwest Arkansas Mall. The Red route is scheduled to arrive at the NWA Mall at 20 after each hour. ORT’s Route 40 arrives at the mall at 30 after the hour (both directions). Thus, there is a 10‐ minute transfer time from the Red Route to ORT’s Route 40. However, there is a 50‐minute transfer time from ORT’s Route 40 to the Red Route. The Red Route also intersects with ORT’s Route 40 at Fiesta Square and on Sunbridge. The Red Route shares stops with the Blue, Grey and Tan Routes

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 98 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

along portions of Garland and Leverett Avenues. Other transfer opportunities are available at Union Station.

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Red Route annual ridership has increased 65 percent over this five year period. Monthly ridership is typically highest in October and lowest in July. There is also a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

14,000

12,000

10,000 FY 10 8,000 FY 09

6,000 FY 08 FY 07 4,000 FY 06 2,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

A weekday ridecheck survey was conducted in September 2010 for all Razorback routes. Passenger boardings and alightings were recorded at every stop, and departure and arrival times were recorded at timepoints. Results from this survey are presented over the following pages:

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Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Red route weekday ridership was 549 passengers, which represents 5.7 percent of the daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey.  Evening ridership (after 6:00 p.m.) was 142 riders, which represents 26% of daily Red Route ridership. This also represents 26% of Razorback Transit’s evening ridership (riders after 6:00 p.m.).  About 35% of all ridership activity occurs at Union Station, the largest stop on the route.  Other stops with high ridership activity include: 1. Northwest Arkansas Mall, 2. Wal‐Mart at Mall Avenue and Joyce Blvd., 3. Oak Plaza 4. Chestnut Apartments 5. Fiesta Square  Non‐Union Station ridership activity is generally highest along stops between the NWA Mall and Fiesta Square. Stops in this segment account for 55% of the non‐Union Station ridership activity.  The maximum observed load was 32 passengers and occurred on the 1:00 p.m. trip. Maximum loads were fairly consistent, ranging from 15 to 32 riders, and averaging 22 riders.  In general, line loads tend to build towards Union Station in the morning, and diminish from Union Station in the afternoon. Line loads are more evenly distributed on the evening trips.  The Red Route was on‐time at timepoints 77% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All of the trips that were not on‐time at a timepoint were late, with the latest trip being 10 minutes behind. Most of the on‐time performance problems occurred on the return trip to Union Station.

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Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity

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Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

250 18 16 200 14 12

Av g . Li ne Lo a d Load 150 10 Offs 8 Vehicle 100 Ons 6 4

50 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 2 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 103 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Blue Route The Blue Route operates as one‐direction Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Blue/ Blue Reduced Blue Blue Reduced Blue Reduced Blue Reduced loop via Garland Avenue, Melmar Avenue Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday Leverett Avenue, and Maple Street. This Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 7:03 a.m.-5:52 p.m. 6:00 p.m.-10:32 p.m. 7:03 a.m-10:22 p.m. 7:03 a.m-5:52 p.m route serves several student‐oriented Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 7/ 10/ -- --/ --/ 30 30 30 housing complexes and commercial Cycle Time (min) 21/ 20 30 30 30 Layover Time (min) 6-5 8 8 8 businesses. Route Statistics Round Trips 70 9 31 22 The Blue Route also operates a “Reduced” Daily Revenue-Hours 25.0 4.5 15.5 11.0 schedule in the evenings, Saturdays, and n Daily Revenue-Miles 231.0 50.0 220.0 139.0 Pea k Buses 3 .0 1 .0 1 .0 1 .0 the summer/holiday period. The reduced Route Productivity Boardings 2464 187 249 466 schedule reflects extended routing to cover Riders/ Rev. Hr. 98.6 41.6 16.1 42.4 portions of the Grey Route’s alignment. Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 10.7 3.7 1.1 3.4 Riders/ Trip 35.2 20.8 8.0 21.2

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 104 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Blue Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels north on Garland Avenue, east on Melmar Avenue, and south on Leverett Avenue, back to Maple Street.

The Blue Route serves several student apartment complexes and commercial businesses. Major destinations along the Blue Route include:  Garland Avenue parking garage  Oak Plaza/Harp’s  Deldonn Apartments  Maria H Apartments  Creekside North Apartments  Noble Oaks Apartments  Colonial Arms Apartments  Creekside South Apartments

The Blue Route operates when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:50 p.m.).

A “Blue Reduced” Route operates on weekday evenings, Saturdays, and during the Summer/holiday period. The Blue Reduced includes an extension of the alignment north to Garland/Drake Avenue to cover portions of the Grey route alignment. The Blue Reduced schedule operates until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, and operates from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays. During the Summer/holiday season, the Blue Reduced route operates from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Blue Route does have a large one‐direction loop that begins at Garland Avenue and Maple Street. However, the loop is only four blocks wide, and the Blue Route’s alignment is short, thus minimizing out‐of‐direction travel time. For time periods when the Blue Reduced schedule is operating, the out‐of‐direction impact is more substantial. For example a passenger riding from Union Station to Colonial Arms Apartments must ride north all the way to Garland/Drake before the bus makes its return trip to Colonial Arms Apartments.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Blue Route operates at 7‐minute frequencies on weekday mornings until 9:20 a.m. when school is in‐session. It then operates at 10‐minute frequencies until 6:00 p.m. The Blue Reduced schedule operates at 30‐minute frequencies during all time periods (weekday evenings, Saturdays and Summer/Holiday period). Evening service is not provided during the Summer/Holiday period.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Blue Route has a 15‐minute cycle time, and requires three buses for a.m. peak operation and two buses for all other time periods. The scheduled round trip travel time is 15 minutes. There is typically 6 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station in the a.m. peak period (i.e., a 21‐minute cycle time) and 5 minutes of layover during other time periods (i.e., a 20‐ minute cycle time). The Blue Reduced Route has a 30‐minute cycle time with 22 minutes of scheduled travel time and 8 minutes of layover (i.e., one bus).

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 105 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

 Route Transfers – The Blue Route shares stops with the Red, Grey and Tan routes along portions of Garland Avenue, and with the Red Route along Leverett Avenue. Other transfer opportunities are available at Union Station.

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Blue Route ridership has grown 13 percent over the past five years. As with the other routes, Blue Route ridership is highest in September, and there is a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months. During the summer months, ridership on the Blue Reduced route averages 10,000 passengers per month.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

60,000

50,000

40,000 FY 10 FY 09 30,000 FY 08 20,000 FY 07 FY 06 10,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

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Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Blue Route are as follows:

 Blue Route weekday ridership was 2,234, which represents 24.2 percent of the daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey (note – there were two missed Blue Route trips in the ridecheck survey). Blue Route ridership is just slightly below Green Route ridership. The Blue and Green Routes combined represent almost ½ of all counted Razorback Transit ridership.  44% of all Blue Route ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Thus, most riders on the Blue Route are beginning or ending their trip at Union Station.  All stops along the Blue Route alignment had high ridership activity with 200 or more boardings and alightings per day. The highest ridership stop (not including Union Station) was at Leverett & Melmar (365 boardings and alightings a day).  There were 15 trips with maximum loads over 40 passengers. The highest maximum load was 62 passengers and occurred on the 7:57 a.m. trip.  The average daily maximum load was 27 passengers per trip.  The Blue Route was on‐time at timepoints 86 percent of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All of the on‐time performance problems were associated with late‐arriving buses.

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Blue Reduced Route are as follows:

 Blue Reduced Route ridership was 187 passengers, which represents 1.9% of daily ridership. This also represents 34% of Razorback Transit’s total evening ridership (trips after 6:00 p.m.) and is Razorback Transit’s highest ridership route in the evenings.  45% of all Blue Reduced Route ridership occurred at Union Station.  There were only four riders that rode on the Blue Reduced alignment to alight at a stop north of Melmar Drive.  The highest ridership stop was at Oak Plaza. Ridecheck data also suggests that a significant number of evening riders are riding the full alignment to get back to stops at Leverett & Memlar, Creekside North Apartments and Noble Oak Apartments.  There were no on‐time performance problems on the Blue Reduced Route.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 107 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day (Blue Route)

300

250

200 Hour

per 150

100 Riders

Hour

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day (Blue Reduced Route)

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Blue Route)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 109 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Blue Reduced Route)

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Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Blue Route)

1200 20 18 1000 16 14 800 Load Avg . Li ne Loa d 12 600 Offs 10 Vehicle Ons 8 400 6

4 Average 200 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 2 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Blue Reduced Route)

160 18

140 Avg . Li ne Loa d 16

120 Offs 14 Ons 12 100 Load

10 80 8 Vehicle 60 6 40 4 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 20 2 0 0

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Razorback Transit – Green Route The Green Route operates as one‐direction Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Green/ Green Reduced Green Green Reduced Green Reduced Green Reduced loop via Garland Avenue, California Blvd., Lot Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday 56, Razorback Road and Maple Street. This Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m.-6:05 p.m. 6:00 p.m.-10:34 p.m. 7:00 a.m-10:24 p.m. 7:00 a.m-5:54 p.m route serves University of Arkansas buildings Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 10/ 10/ -- --/ --/ 30 30 30 and dormitories. Cycle Time (min) 20 30 30 30 Layover Time (min)5666 The Green Route also operates a “Reduced” Route Statistics Round Trips 72 9 31 22 schedule in the evenings, Saturdays, and in Daily Revenue-Hours 25.5 4.5 15.5 11.0 the Summer/holiday period. The reduced Daily Revenue-Miles 165.0 43.0 167.0 119.0 Peak Buses 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 schedule reflects extended routing to cover Route Productivity Boardings 2801 128 203 389 portions of the Brown and Yellow Route’s Riders/ Rev. Hr. 109.8 28.4 13.1 35.4 alignments. Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 17.0 3.0 1.2 3.3 Riders/ Trip 38.9 14.2 6.5 17.7

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 112 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Green Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels south on Garland Avenue to Stadium Drive and continues along Garland Avenue to Lot 56. There are two stops at Lot 56. The Green Route then turns north on Razorback Road and east on Maple Street, back to Garland Avenue.

The Green Route serves Brough Commons, Pomfret Hall, Lot 56, the Outdoor Track Stadium and Razorback Stadium. The Green Route operates when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:50 p.m.).

A “Green Reduced” Route operates on weekday evenings, Saturdays, and during the Summer/holiday period. The Green Reduced Route reflects an expanded alignment that follows portions of the Brown Route alignment via Maple Street, West Avenue, Lafayette Street, Block Avenue, Center Street, Harmon Avenue and Dirkson Street back to Garland Avenue. It then picks up the regular Green Route alignment to Lot 56 and to Razorback Road. Instead of turning east on Maple Street, the Green Reduced Route alignment is extended north to Cleveland Street to pick up a portion of the Yellow Route alignment. The Green Reduced schedule operates until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, and operates from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays. During the Summer/holiday season, the Green Reduced route operates from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Green Route is one‐direction loop service, but it is a very short loop, thus minimizing out‐of‐direction travel time. For time periods when the Green Reduced schedule is operating, the out‐of‐direction impact is more substantial. For example a passenger riding from Union Station to Lot 56 must ride all the way to downtown Fayetteville before the bus makes its return trip to Lot 56.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Green Route operates at 10‐minute frequency on weekdays during the Fall and Spring sessions. The Green Reduced schedule operates at 30‐minute frequency during all time periods (weekday evenings, Saturdays and Summer/holiday period). Evening service is not provided during the Summer/holiday period.  Cycle/Layover Times –The Green Route has a 20‐minute cycle time and requires two buses for operation. The scheduled round trip travel time is 15 minutes. There are 5 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station. The Green Reduced Route has a 30‐minute cycle time with 24 minutes of scheduled travel time and 6 minutes of layover (i.e., one bus).

 Route Transfers – The Green Route shares stops with the Purple and Lot 56 routes. Riders on the Green Route can connect to ORT’s Route 54 at Lot 56. All other Razorback transfer opportunities are available at Union Station.

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Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Green Route ridership has grown 13 percent over the past five years. As with the other routes, Green Route ridership is highest in September, and there is a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months. During the Summer months, ridership on the Green Reduced route averages 8,000 passengers per month.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

70,000

60,000

50,000 FY 10 40,000 FY 09

30,000 FY 08 FY 07 20,000 FY 06 10,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 114 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

It is important to note that Razorback Transit added a third bus to the Green Route this Fall in response to heavy ridership volumes. The additional bus only operates in the morning. The ridecheck did not include a count of passengers on this third bus. Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Green Route are as follows:

 Green Route ridership was 2,345, which represents 24.3 percent of daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey. This was the highest ridership route of all Razorback Routes. The Green and Blue Routes combined account for almost half of all Razorback Transit daily ridership. Once again, this total does not include ridership on the third bus that has been added to the Green route during the morning.  44% of all Green Route ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Thus, most riders on the Green Route are beginning or ending their trip at Union Station.  Of the remaining (non‐Union Station) ridership, 72% is associated with the two Lot 56 stops (1,892 boardings and alightings). All stops along the Green Route alignment had high ridership activity with 200 or more boardings and alightings per day.  There were 17 trips with maximum loads over 40 passengers. The highest maximum load was 69 passengers and occurred on the 10:30 a.m. trip. Bus trips with high load factors occurred throughout the day.  The average daily maximum load was 30 passengers per trip (the highest average maximum load of all Razorback Transit routes).  The Green Route was on‐time at timepoints only 60 percent of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Most of the on‐time performance problems were associated with early‐arriving buses (buses that were 2 to 5 minutes early).

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Green Reduced Route are as follows:

 Green Reduced Route ridership was 128 passengers, which represents 1.3% of daily ridership that was counted from the ridecheck survey. This also represents 23% of Razorback Transit’s evening ridership (boardings after 6:00 p.m.).  34% of all Green Reduced Route ridership occurred at Union Station. Thus, there is significant on‐off ridership activity that is not associated with Union Station.  The highest ridership stop was Lot 56. Ridecheck data also suggests that a significant number of evening riders are riding the full alignment from the U of A central campus to get back to Lot 56.  There was minimal ridership at Reid and Holz Halls (served by the Yellow route during the day).  30% of Green Reduced trips were on‐time at timepoints. All of the on‐time performance problems were associated with buses arriving 2‐6 minutes early.

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Weekday Boardings by Time of Day (Green Route)

350

300

250 Hour 200 per 150

Riders 100

Hour

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day (Green Reduced Route)

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Green Route)

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Weekday Ridership Activity (Green Reduced Route)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 118 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Green Route)

70 10 9 60 8 50 Avg . Li ne Loa d 7 Load 6 40 Offs 5 Ons

30 Vehicle 4 20 3

2 Average 10 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 1 0 0

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads (Green Reduced Route)

1400 25

1200 20 1000 Load

Avg . Li ne Loa d 800 15 Offs

600 Vehicle Ons 10 400

5 Average 200 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings

0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 119 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Tan Route The Tan Route operates from Union Station Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Tan/ Tan Reduced Tan Tan Reduced Tan Reduced Tan Reduced to Wedington Drive, west of I‐540. There is Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday a mid‐route alignment split, with outbound Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 6:55 a.m.-5:45 p.m. 6:00 p.m.-10:35 p.m. 7:10 a.m-10:25 p.m. 7:10 a.m-5:55 p.m trips operating on Wedington and inbound Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 30/ 30/ -- --/ --/ 30 30 30 trips operating on Porter, Deane and Mt. Cycle Time (min) 30 30 30 30 Layover Time (min)5555 Comfort Road. This route serves several Route Statistics apartment complexes that house students. Round Trips 21 9 31 22 Daily Revenue-Hours 17.5 4.5 15.5 10.0 The Tan Route operates year‐round. Daily Revenue-Miles 241.0 62.0 220.0 156.0 Peak Buses 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Saturday and weekday evening service is Route Productivity Boardings 1152 93 148 281 provided during the Fall and Spring sessions. Riders/ Rev. Hr. 65.8 20.7 9.5 28.1 Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 4.8 1.5 0.7 1.8 Riders/ Trip 54.9 10.3 4.8 12.8

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 120 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Tan Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels on Wedington Drive, west of I‐540. From Union station, this route follows North Garland Avenue, Wedington Drive, and then makes a loop via Marvin Avenue, Shiloh Drive, Persimmon Street and Betty Jo Drive, back to Wedington Drive. The return route alignment deviates to Porter Drive, Deane Street, Lewis Avenue, Mt. Comfort Road and Garland Avenue.

The Tan Route serves student‐oriented housing and student‐oriented commercial uses along Wedington Drive. Major destinations along the Tan Route include:  Maple Manor Apartments  Chamberland Square  Corner Stone Apartments  Washington Plaza Apartments  Garden Park Apartments  Harp’s Grocery Store

The Tan Route operates a full schedule when school is in session – from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. In the Summer and during holidays, the Tan Route operates the same alignment as described above, but with a reduced schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Tan Route has a split alignment mid‐route, with outbound trips following Wedington Drive and inbound trips following Porter Rd, Deane St. and Mt. Comfort Road. The Grey Route also operates along this portion of the Tan Route’s alignment, with both routes operating in the inbound direction only. Thus, riders with an origin or destination on this split portion of the alignment can be taken out‐of‐direction. A large student‐oriented apartment complex recently opened on Persimmon Drive, just west of the Tan Route’s alignment, which is likely generating substantial student ridership on this route. There has also been significant development on Wedington Drive, west of Betty Jo Drive that is not served by the Tan Route.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Tan Route operates at 30‐minute frequency on weekdays and Saturdays when school is in‐session, and includes evening service. When school is not in session, this route operates at 30‐minute service, but only Monday through Friday until 6:00 p.m. Some heavy (standing) loads were observed in the ridecheck survey in the a.m. period.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Tan Route has a 30‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 5 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station. As noted later in this route profile, the Tan Route did have significant on‐time performance problems in the afternoon period.  Route Transfers – The Tan Route shares stops with the Grey Route on Mt. Comfort Road, and also with the Red and Blue Routes on portions of Garland Avenue. Other transfer opportunities are at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 121 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Tan Route annual ridership has increased 26 percent over this five year period. Monthly ridership is typically highest in October and lowest in July. There is also a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months. During the Summer months, Tan Reduced Route ridership averages 6,000 rides per month.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

18,000 16,000 14,000

12,000 FY 10 10,000 FY 09 8,000 FY 08 6,000 FY 07 4,000 FY 06 2,000 0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 122 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

It is important to note that Razorback Transit added a second bus to the Tan Route during the Fall Semester in response to heavy ridership volumes. This extra bus only operates in the mornings. The ridecheck did not include a count of passengers on this second bus. Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Tan Route weekday ridership was 783 passengers, which represents 8.1% of the daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey (note – there were two missed Tan Route trips in the ridecheck survey). Once again, this total does not include ridership on the second bus that has been added to the Tan Route during the morning.  Evening ridership (after 6:00 p.m.) was 94 riders, which represents 12% of daily Tan Route ridership. This also represents 17% of Razorback Transit’s total evening ridership (trips after 6:00 p.m.).  About 45% of all ridership activity occurs at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Thus, most riders on the Tan route are either beginning or ending their trip at Union Station, with few riders making trips that do not include a stop at Union Station.  Other stops with high ridership activity include 1. Mt. Comfort & Garland (Harp’s) 2. Chamberland Square Apartments 3. Betty Jo & Jewel 4. Corner Stone Apartments 5. Garden Park Apartments 6. Maple Manor Apartments 7. Persimmon and Betty Jo  Approximately 37% of the non‐Union Station ridership activity occurs at stops west of I‐540.  Another 46% of the non‐Union Station ridership occurs along Porter, Deane, Lewis and Mt. Comfort Road.  The maximum observed load was 58 passengers and occurred on the 8:50 a.m. trip. There was also a maximum of 50 passengers on the 7:20 a.m. trip. All other loads were below seated capacity. Line loads on a.m. trips averaged 35 passengers per trip. Average line loads diminished later in the day.  The Tan Route was on‐time at timepoints 60% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Most of the trips that were not on‐time at a timepoint were late, with the latest trip being 23‐ minutes behind.  Most of the on‐time performance problems occurred on afternoon and early evening trips – between 2:30 and 8:30 p.m. (i.e., when there is only one bus on the Tan route). It is possible the on‐ board surveyor got off‐track on time checks during this time period, thus distorting on‐time performance measurements.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 123 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 124 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 125 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

450 18

400 Avg . Li ne Loa d 16

350 Offs 14

300 Ons 12 Load

250 10 200 8 Vehicle

150 6 100 4 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 50 2 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 126 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Grey Route Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday The Grey Route operates primarily along the Grey Route Garland Avenue Corridor from Union Station Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday Route Characteristics to Drake Avenue. This route serves several Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m.-6:10 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 30/ 30/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a apartment complexes that house students Cycle Time (min) 30 n/a n/a n/a and the University of Arkansas Food Science Layover Time (min) 5 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route Statistics Department. Round Trips 21 n/a n/a n/a Daily Revenue-Hours 11.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a The Grey Route operates only during the Fall Daily Revenue-Miles 139.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a and Spring school sessions. In the evenings Peak Buses 1.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route Productivity and in the Summer/holiday period, portions Boardings 406 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Rev. Hr. 36.9 n/ a n/ a n/ a of the Grey Route are covered by the Blue Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 2.9 n/ a n/ a n/ a Reduced Route alignment. Riders/ Trip 19.3 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 127 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Grey Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels north on Garland Avenue to Knapp Street. This route then makes a loop via Garland Avenue, Drake Avenue, McConnell Road and Knapp Street, with a deviation to the Food Science Building. On the inbound trip, the Grey route deviates to Deane Street, Lewis Avenue, and Mt. Comfort Road. Thus, the Grey Route has a mid‐route split alignment.

The Grey Route serves student‐oriented housing and student‐oriented commercial uses along Garland Avenue and University‐related facilities north of Knapp Street. Major destinations along the Grey Route include:  Oak Plaza and Harp’s Grocery Store on Garland Avenue  Crafton Place Apartments  U of A Food Science Building  Fair Park Apartments  Archeology Survey Building  Garden Park Apartments

The Grey Route operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. In the evenings when the U of A is in‐session, the Blue Reduced Route provides service over much of the Grey Route’s alignment. The Blue Reduced Route also provides coverage of the Grey Route alignment during the Summer and holiday season.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Grey Route has a split alignment mid‐route, with outbound trips following Garland Avenue and inbound trips following Deane Street, Lewis Avenue and Mt. Comfort Road. Thus, riders with an origin or destination on this split portion of the alignment can be taken out‐of‐direction. It is worth noting that the Tan Route also provides inbound service along Lewis Avenue and Mt. Comfort Road.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Grey Route operates at 30‐minute frequency on weekdays until 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the Summer and holiday season.  Cycle/Layover Times –The Grey Route has a 30‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 5 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.  Route Transfers – The Grey Route shares stops with the Blue and Red Routes along portions of Garland Avenue and with the Tan Route along Lewis Avenue and Mt. Comfort Road. Other transfer opportunities are available at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 128 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Grey Route annual ridership has increased 19 percent over this five‐year period. Monthly ridership is typically highest in September. There is also a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months and the Grey Route is not operating.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

8000

7000

6000

5000 FY 10 FY 09 4000 FY 08 3000 FY 07 2000 FY 06 1000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 129 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Grey Route ridership was 439 riders, which represents 4.6% of daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey (note – there was one missed Grey Route trip in the ridecheck survey).  42% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Most riders on the Grey Route are either beginning or ending their trip at Union Station, with few riders making trips that do not include a stop at Union Station.  Other stops with high ridership activity include 1. Mt. Comfort & Garland (Harp’s/Oak Plaza) 2. Fair Park Apartments 3. Food Science Building 4. Garden Park Apartments 5. Washington Plaza  Ridership builds on the Grey Route beginning at Garden Park Apartments.  The maximum observed load was 59 passengers and occurred on the 7:35 a.m. trip. There were also two trips with maximum loads of 23 passengers. All other trips had maximum loads in the teens or single digits.  The trip with a maximum load of 59 passengers had 34 passengers get on the bus at Garden Park Apartments and at the Harps stop.  The Grey Route was on‐time at timepoints only 40 percent of the time (defined as 1‐minute early to 5‐minutes late). All of the trips that were not on‐time at a timepoint were late, with the latest trip being 13 minutes late. One half of trips not on‐time at timepoints were just over 5 minutes late (i.e., 6‐7 minute).

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 130 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 131 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

250 14

Avg . Li ne Loa d 12 200 Offs 10

Ons Load 150 8

6 Vehicle 100 4

50 Average 2 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings

0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 132 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Brown Route The Brown Route operates as a one direction Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Brown Route loop and connects the central portion of the Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday University of Arkansas campus with Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 7:03 a.m.-5:48 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a downtown Fayetteville. This route serves Fr equency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 20/ 20/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a downtown Fayetteville, the Walton Arts Cycle Time (min) 20 n/ a n/ a n/ a Layover Time (min) 5 n/ a n/ a n/ a Center and the Dickson Street commercial Route Statistics area. Round Tr ips 31 n/ a n/ a n/ a Daily Revenue-Hours 11.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a The Brown Route operates only during the Daily Revenue-Miles 90.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Pea k Buses 1 .0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Fall and Spring school sessions. In the Route Productivity Boardings 516 n/ a n/ a n/ a evenings and in the Summer/holiday period, Riders/ Rev. Hr. 46.9 n/ a n/ a n/ a portions of the Brown Route are covered by Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 5.7 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Trip 16.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a the Green Reduced Route alignment.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 133 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Brown Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels north on Garland Avenue, east on Maple Street, south on West Avenue and west on Lafayette Street to Highland Street. The route then completes the loop via Highlands street, Dickson Street, Church Avenue, Center Street, West Avenue and Dickson Street, back to Garland Avenue and Union Station. Service is provided in the clockwise direction only.

The Brown Route serves the Town Square area of Fayetteville, the Walton Arts Center and the commercial area along Dickson Street. The Brown Route also travels within one block of College Avenue and the Fayetteville Public Library (located at School Avenue and Mountain Street. In addition, this route serves several university buildings along Maple Street and Dickson Street.

The Brown Route operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:33 p.m.). The Green Reduced Route provides coverage of most of the Brown Route alignment during the evenings, Saturdays and the Summer/holiday period.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Brown Route operates as a one‐direction loop, thus creating out‐of‐direction travel for passengers making short trips (e.g., Union Station to Maple Street/West Avenue. However, the loop is fairly small, thus out‐of‐direction travel time is not substantial.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Brown Route operates at 20‐minute frequency on weekdays until about 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, Saturdays or the Summer and holiday period. The Green Reduced Route provides service during these time periods.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Brown route has a 20‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 5 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.  Route Transfers – Connections between the Brown Route and ORT Routes 40 and 41 are possible at Hillcrest Towers, located at Center Street and School Avenue. Other transfer opportunities are at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 134 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Brown Route annual ridership has decreased 24 percent over this five‐year period. Brown Route ridership was quite high in FY 2006 and 2007, then decreased significantly in FY 2008. Ridership has been building since 2008, for the Brown route has seen an 11% increase in ridership over the past two years. As was noted with other routes, there is a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months and the Brown Route is not operating.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

16000

14000

12000

10000 FY 10 FY 09 8000 FY 08 6000 FY 07 4000 FY 06 2000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 135 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Brown Route ridership was 492 passengers, which represents 5.1% of daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey.  35% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. When compared to other Razorback routes, the Brown Route has a higher number of riders that get on and off the route without one of those stops being at Union Station.  Other stops with high ridership activity include 1. Center Street & School Avenue 2. Central United Methodist Church parking deck 3. Highland & Dickson  The maximum observed load was 36 passengers and occurred on the 12:23 p.m. trip. All other maximum loads were less than 20 passengers per trip.  The trip with a maximum load of 36 passengers had 27 passengers get on the bus at Highland & Dickson.  The Brown Route was on‐time at timepoints 97 percent of the time (defined as 1‐minute early to 5‐ minutes late). This was the best on‐time performance of all Razorback Transit day routes.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 136 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 137 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

200 10 180 9 160 8 140 7 Avg . Li ne Loa d Load 120 6 Offs 100 5

Ons Vehicle 80 4 60 3

40 2 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 20 1 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 138 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Purple Route The Purple Route operates bi‐directionally Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Purple Route along Razorback Road, and then makes a Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday one‐direction loop beginning at MLK Blvd. Route Characteri sti cs Hours of Operation 6:55 a.m.-6:24 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a This route serves Lot 56, U of A athletic Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 30/ 30/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a facilities south of MLK, various hotels and Cycle Time (min) 30 n/ a n/ a n/ a Layover Time (min) 6 n/ a n/ a n/ a commercial businesses and several student Route Stati sti cs apartment complexes. Round Trips 22 n/ a n/ a n/ a Daily Revenue-Hours 11.5 n/a n/a n/a Daily Revenue-Miles 141.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a The Purple Route operates only during the Peak Buses 1.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Fall and Spring school sessions. No service Route Productivity Boardings 577 n/ a n/ a n/ a is provided along this route in the evenings Riders/ Rev. Hr. 50.2 n/ a n/ a n/ a or in the Summer/holiday period. Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 4.1 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Trip 26.2 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 139 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Purple Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels north on Garland Avenue, west on Maple Street and south on Razorback Road. This route crosses MLK Blvd. and makes a large one‐direction loop via Razorback Road, 15th Street, 18th Street, Futrall Drive, Stone Street, Sang Avenue and MLK Blvd., back to Razorback Road. The inbound trip includes a stop at Lot 56.

The Purple Route serves several student apartment complexes, U of A athletic facilities and commercial businesses. Major destinations along the Purple Route include:  Bud Walton Arena  Stadium Apartments  Baum Stadium  Randal Tyson Track Center  Crowne Apartments  Southern View Apartments  Markham Hill Apartments  Lot 56

The Purple Route operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 6:00 p.m.). There is no service along the Purple Route during the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday season.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Purple Route has a large one‐direction loop that begins at Razorback Road and MLK Blvd. This creates out‐of‐direction travel for passengers.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Purple Route operates at 30‐minute frequency on weekdays until about 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday season.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Purple Route has a 30‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 6 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.  Route Transfers – Connections between the Purple Route and ORT Route 54 are possible at Lot 56. The Purple Route shares some stops with Route 56, the Green and Yellow routes. Other transfer opportunities are possible at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 140 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. The Purple Route began operation in FY 2008. There were 38,800 riders in FY 2008, 59,200 riders in FY 2009 and 62,400 riders in FY 2010. Ridership is highest in September for all 3 years. As was noted with other routes, there is a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐break for portions of those months and the Purple Route is not operating.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

12,000

10,000

8,000

FY 10 6,000 FY 09 4,000 FY 08

2,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 141 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Purple Route weekday ridership was 456 riders, which represents 4.7% of the daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey.  49% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Nearly all riders on the Purple Route are beginning or ending their trip at Union Station.  Other stops with high ridership activity include 1. Crowne Apartments 2. Southern View Apartments  There were only 24 boardings and alightings at Lot 56.  There were two trips with maximum loads over 30 passengers. The 3:40 p.m. trip had a maximum load of 37 passengers. The 7:20 trip had a maximum load of 35 passengers.  The average daily maximum load was 17 passengers per trip.  The Purple Route was on‐time at timepoints 88% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Most of the on‐time performance problems were associated with being 2 or 3 minutes early.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 142 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 143 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

250 12

10 200

Avg . Li ne Loa d 8 Load 150 Offs 6 Ons Vehicle 100 4

50 Average 2 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings

0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 144 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Yellow Route The Yellow Route operates as a one‐direction Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday loop via Garland Avenue, Meadow Street, Yellow Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday Razorback Road and Cleveland Street. This Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 6:56 a.m.-6:00 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a route serves various University of Arkansas Fr equency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 16/ 16/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a buildings and dormitories. Cycle Time (min) 16 n/ a n/ a n/ a Layover Time (min) 2 n/ a n/ a n/ a The Yellow Route operates only during the Route Statistics Round Trips 41 n/ a n/ a n/ a Fall and Spring school sessions. The Green Daily Revenue- Hour s 11.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Reduced Route provides comparable Daily Revenue-Miles 86.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Pea k Buses 1 .0 n/ a n/ a n/ a coverage for the Yellow Route on weekday Route Productivity Boardings 480 n/ a n/ a n/ a evenings, Saturdays and in the Riders/ Rev. Hr. 43.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a Summer/holiday period. Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 5.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Trip 11.7 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 145 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Yellow Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels south on Garland Avenue to Stadium Drive, then west on Meadow Street, north on Razorback Road and east on Cleveland Street, back to Garland Avenue. This route remains on‐campus and serves Brough Commons, Pomfret Hall, the Outdoor Track Stadium, Razorback Stadium, Reid Hall, Maple Hill, Hotz Hall and the Walker Health Center.

The Yellow Route operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:46 p.m.). All stops but one (the HPER Building stop) is served by the Green Reduced Route during the evenings, on Saturdays and during the Summer and holiday period.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Yellow Route operates as a one‐direction loop. Routing is fairly short, thus minimizing out‐of‐direction travel time for passengers. However, passengers travelling from Reid, Maple Hill and Hotz Halls must ride all the way around the loop to return to these dormitories. The Maple Hill Express route, however, does provide direct service back to the dormitories.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Yellow Route operates at 16‐minute frequency on weekdays until about 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday season. The Green Reduced Route provides service along most of the Yellow Route alignment during these time periods.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Yellow Route has an 18‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 2 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.  Route Transfers – The Yellow Route shares stops with the Green and Pomfret Routes at some locations. Transfers with other routes are possible at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 146 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership by month for the past four fiscal years is presented in the figure below. The Yellow route began operation in FY 2007. This route was previously called the Maple Hill Route until the start of the FY 2010/2011 school year. The following graph presents combined Yellow Route and Maple Hill Express Route ridership. Ridership has more than doubled over the past four years. Unlike other Razorback routes, these routes saw their highest ridership in the Spring semester in FY 2010 (other routes tend have highest ridership levels in September).

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

30,000

25,000

20,000 FY 10 15,000 FY 09 FY 08 10,000 FY 07

5,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 147 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Yellow Route weekday ridership was 463 passengers, which represents 4.8% of the daily Razorback ridership that was counted during the ridecheck survey (note – there were two missed Yellow Route trips in the ridecheck survey).  29% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Thus, a significant number of riders are using the Yellow Route for purposes other than traveling to and from Union Station.  Other stops with high ridership activity include: 1. Brough Commons 2. Pomfret Hall 3. The Maple Hall area dormitories  There were no trips with standing loads. Only two trips had a maximum load of 20 or more passengers. The average daily maximum load was 10 passengers per trip.  The Yellow Route was on‐time at timepoints 57% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). It is important to note, however, that most of the trips recorded as being not on‐time were in the afternoon. It appears that the bus might have gotten off‐schedule on two specific trips (the 3:06 and 4:42 trips) to the point where the bus missed a scheduled trip (i.e., the bus was more than 16‐ minutes late – the Yellow Route’s frequency). Subsequent trips were then actually operating on‐ schedule, but still recorded by the ridecheck surveyor as still being off‐schedule. When adjusting for this possible occurrence, the Yellow Route’s on‐time performance improves to 80 percent.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 148 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 149 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

250 4

Avg . Li ne Loa d 3.5 200 Offs 3 Ons 2.5 Load 150 2 Vehicle 100 1.5

50 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 0.5

0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 150 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Maple Hill Express The Maple Hill Route operates as a direct Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Maple Hill Express shuttle route between Union Station and the Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday dormitories on Cleveland Street (Reid Hall, Route Characteri sti cs Hours of Operation 7:04 a.m.-5:52 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a Maple Hill and Hotz Hall). Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 16/ 16/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a Cycle Time (min) 16 n/ a n/ a n/ a The Maple HIll Route operates only during Layover Time (min) 2 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route Stati sti cs the Fall and Spring school sessions. The Round Trips 39 n/ a n/ a n/ a Green Reduced Route provides comparable Daily Revenue-Hours 11.0 n/a n/a n/a coverage for the Maple Hill Route on Daily Revenue-Miles 55.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Peak Buses 1.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a weekday evenings, Saturdays and in the Route Productivity Boardings 197 n/ a n/ a n/ a Summer/holiday period. Riders/ Rev. Hr. 17.9 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 3.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Tr ip 5.1 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 151 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Maple Hill Express Route begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels north on Garland Avenue and west on Cleveland Street to the dormitories on Cleveland Street. U of A buildings served by this route include:  Reid Hall  Maple Hill  Hotz Hall  Garland Avenue parking garage  Northwest Quad  Pat Walker Health Center

The Maple Hill Express Route operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:38 p.m.). All stops are also served by the Green Reduced Route during the evenings, on Saturdays and during the Summer and holiday period.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Maple Hill Express Route provides direct two‐direction service to the Cleveland Street dormitories. This provides more of an “express” route to the Yellow Route for students making a return trip to the dormitories.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Maple Hill Express Route operates at 16‐minute frequencies on weekdays until about 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday season. The Green Reduced Route provides service along most of the Yellow Route alignment during these time periods.  Cycle/Layover Times – The Maple Hill Express Route has an 18‐minute cycle time, thus requires one bus for operation. There are 2 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.  Route Transfers – The Maple Hill Express Route shares stops with other Razorback Transit routes along Garland Avenue, and with the Yellow Route at the Maple Hill dormitories. Transfers with other routes are possible at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 152 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Historically, Maple Hill Express ridership has been included in Yellow route ridership totals (the Yellow Route was previously called the Maple Hill Route). Thus, historical data on the Maple Hill Express is not available. The following graph presents combined Yellow Route and Maple Hill Express Route monthly ridership. Ridership has more than doubled the past four years for these two routes. Further, the Yellow/Maple Hill Express Routes have higher ridership totals in the Spring, which is different from other Razorback Transit routes.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2007 through FY 2010)

30,000

25,000

20,000 FY 10 15,000 FY 09 FY 08 10,000 FY 07

5,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 153 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Maple Hill Express weekday ridership was 249 passengers, which represents 2.6% of daily Razorback ridership that was counted from the ridecheck survey.  47% of all ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Thus, nearly all riders are travelling directly to/from Union Station.  75% of the non Union Station ridership activity is occurring at the Maple Hill dormitories.  The highest observed maximum load was 19 passengers. There were only six trips with maximum loads in the teens. All other trips had loads in the single digits. The average daily maximum load was 5 passengers per trip.  The Maple Hill Express Route was on‐time at timepoints only 51 percent of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All of the on‐time performance problems were associated with early‐arriving trips, with trips often arriving 2 to 4 minutes early at timepoints.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 154 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 155 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

160 4

140 3.5

120 3

100 2.5 Load Avg . Li ne Loa d

80 Offs 2 Vehicle 60 Ons 1.5

40 1 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 20 0.5

0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 156 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback Transit – Pomfret Express The Pomfret Express Route operates as one‐ Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Pomfret Express direction loop via Garland Avenue, Stadium Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday Drive, Meadow Street, Razorback Road and Route Characteri sti cs Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a Maple Street. This route serves University of Frequency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 12/ 12/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a Arkansas buildings and dormitories. Cycle Time (min) 12 n/ a n/ a n/ a Layover Time (min) 2 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route Stati sti cs The Pomfret Express operates only during the Round Trips 47 n/ a n/ a n/ a Daily Revenue-Hours 11.0 n/a n/a n/a Fall and Spring school sessions. The Green Reduced Route provides comparable Daily Revenue-Miles 330.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Peak Buses 1.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a coverage for the Pomfret Express on Route Productivity Boardings 812 n/ a n/ a n/ a weekday evenings, Saturdays and in the Riders/ Rev. Hr. 73.8 n/ a n/ a n/ a Summer/holiday period. Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 2.5 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Trip 17.3 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 157 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment The Pomfret Express begins at Union Station on the University of Arkansas campus and travels south on Garland Avenue to Stadium Drive and continues along Meadow Street, north on Razorback Road and east on Maple Street, back to Garland Avenue. This is the same alignment as the Yellow Route, with the exception that this route operates on Maple Street instead of Cleveland Street.

The Pomfret Express serves Brough Commons, Pomfret Hall, the HPER Building, the Outdoor Track Stadium and Razorback Stadium. The Pomfret Express Route operates when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:50 p.m.). All stops but one (the HPER Building stop) is served by the Green Reduced Route during the evenings, on Saturdays and during the Summer and holiday period.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – The Green Route is one‐direction loop service, but it is a very short loop, thus minimizing out‐of‐direction travel time. Routing for the Pomfret Express is very similar to the Yellow Route, with the exception of not serving the dormitories on Cleveland Street.  Schedule/Span of Service – The Pomfret Express Route operates at about 12‐minute frequencies on weekdays during the Fall and Spring sessions. Since the route is so short (10‐minute round trip time), there is no published schedule for this route. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday periods. The Green Reduced Route provides service along most of the Pomfret Express Route alignment during these time periods.  Cycle/Layover Times –The Pomfret Express has a 12‐minute cycle time, and requires one bus for operation. The scheduled round trip travel time is 12 minutes. There are 2 minutes of scheduled layover time at Union Station.

 Route Transfers – The Pomfret Express shares stops with the Green and Yellow Routes at some locations. Transfer opportunities with other routes are possible at Union Station.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 158 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Pomfret Express Route ridership was highest in FY 2006. Since FY 2007, however, Pomfret Express ridership has grown 18%. As with the other routes, Pomfret Express Route ridership is highest in September, and there is a significant drop in ridership in December and January, when the University of Arkansas is on‐ break for portions of those months and the Pomfret Express is not operating.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

25,000

20,000

FY 10 15,000 FY 09 FY 08 10,000 FY 07 FY 06 5,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 159 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data for the Pomfret Express Route are as follows:

 Pomfret Express Route ridership was 737, which represents 7.6% of counted daily Razorback ridership data (note – there was one missed Pomfret Express Route trip in the ridecheck survey).  75% of all Pomfret Express Route ridership activity occurred at Union Station, by far the largest stop on the route. Students appear to be getting on the bus at Brough Commons and Pomfret Hall to ride to Union Station. But, they don’t appear to be making as many return trips from Union Station.  Brough Commons and Pomfret Hall are the highest non‐Union Station ridership stops.  There was one trip with a maximum load of 58 passengers (the 8:06 a.m. trip). All other loads were below 40 passengers. The average daily maximum passenger load was 14 passengers per trip  The Pomfret Express Route was on‐time at timepoints 66% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). Most of the on‐time performance problems were associated with early‐arriving buses. There was a period of time in the morning (from about 10 a.m. to noon) where trips were recorded as being 15 minutes or more early (on a route with a 12‐minute cycle time). It is likely the ridecheck surveyor got off‐track in his/her recording of time at scheduled timepoints. When taking this possible occurrence into account, this route’s on‐time performance improves to 70 percent.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 160 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity (Southbound)

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 161 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

500 12 450 10 400 Avg . Li ne Loa d 350 Offs 8 Load 300 Ons 250 6 Vehicle 200 4 150

100 Average 2 Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 50 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 162 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Razorback – Route 56 The Route 56 operates as a one‐direction Fall/ Spring Sessions Summer/ Holiday Route 56 loop from Lot 56 to the central campus of the Weekday Wkdy Ev e. Sa turda y Weekday University of Arkansas. This is the only Route Characteristics Hours of Operation 7:00 a.m.-5:53 p.m. n/ a n/ a n/ a Razorback Transit route that does not Fr equency (Pk/ Mid/ Eve) 20/ 20/ -- n/ a n/ a n/ a provide service to Union Station. Cycle Time (min) 20 n/ a n/ a n/ a Layover Time (min) 7 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route Statistics Route 56 operates only during the Fall and Round Trips 31 n/ a n/ a n/ a Spring school sessions. The Green Reduced Daily Revenue- Hour s 11.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Route provides service back to Lot 56 on Daily Revenue-Miles 86.0 n/ a n/ a n/ a Pea k Buses 1 .0 n/ a n/ a n/ a weekday evenings, Saturdays and in the Route Productivity Boardings 485 n/ a n/ a n/ a Summer/holiday period. Riders/ Rev. Hr. 44.1 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Rev.-Mi. 5.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a Riders/ Trip 15.6 n/ a n/ a n/ a

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 163 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Description of Existing Alignment Route 56 begins at Lot 56 and follows Razorback Road, Meadow Street, Stadium Drive, California Blvd., Harmon, Dickson Street, Duncan, Hill Avenue and MLK Jr. Blvd., back to Lot 56. In addition to serving Lot 56, this route serves Lots 55 and 57, Pomfret Hall and the Harmon Parking Deck.

Route 56 operates only when the University of Arkansas is in‐session during the Fall and Spring – from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (the last scheduled trip departs Union Station at 5:46 p.m.). The Green Reduced Route provides service from Dickson Street back to Lot 56 during the evenings, on Saturdays and during the Summer and holiday period.

Key Route Issues and Observations  Alignment – Route 56 operates as a one‐direction loop. Routing is fairly short, thus minimizing out‐ of‐direction travel time for passengers. This is also the only Razorback Transit route that does not provide service to Union Station.  Schedule/Span of Service – Route 56 operates at 20‐minute frequency on weekdays until about 6:00 p.m. when school is in‐session. As noted earlier, this route does not operate in the evenings, on Saturdays or during the Summer and holiday season. The Green Reduced Route provides service to Lot 56 during these time periods.  Cycle/Layover Times – Route 56 has a 23‐minute cycle time, thus requiring one bus for operation. There are 7 minutes of scheduled layover time at Lot 56.  Route Transfers – Connections to the Purple and Green Routes and to ORT’s Route 54 are possible at Lot 56 and along Razorback Road. Transfers are also possible to the Brown Route on Dickson Road and to the Yellow and Pomfret Routes on Meadow Street.

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 164 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Historical Ridership Characteristics

Average monthly ridership for the past five fiscal years is presented in the figure below. Route 56 ridership has decreased 29% since FY 2006. Ridership has varied significantly on this route over the past five years, and ridership was the lowest in FY 2009. The FY 2010 ridership is 35% higher than it was in FY 2009. Like other Razorback Transit routes, this route’s highest ridership levels are typically in September.

Monthly Ridership (FY 2006 through FY 2010)

14,000

12,000

10,000 FY 10 8,000 FY 09

6,000 FY 08 FY 07 4,000 FY 06 2,000

0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Current Ridership Characteristics

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 165 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Pertinent ridership characteristics observed from the ridecheck survey data are as follows:

 Route 56’s weekday ridership was 478 passengers, which represents 5.0% of the daily Razorback ridership that was recorded during the ridecheck survey.  51% of all ridership activity occurred at Lot 56 stops. Thus, many riders are using Route 56 for purposes other than traveling to and from Lot 56.  Other stops with high ridership activity include: 1. The Harmon Avenue parking garage 2. The Bell Engineering Building 3. MLK & Hill  There were no trips with standing loads. The highest maximum load was 36 passengers on the 9:10 a.m. trip. Several trips had maximum loads of 20 or more passengers. The average daily maximum load was 13 passengers per trip.  Route 56 was on‐time at timepoints 81% of the time (defined as 1 minute early to 5 minutes late). All of the on‐time performance problems were associated with late‐arriving trips, with late trips ranging from 6 to 10 minutes late.

Weekday Boardings by Time of Day

140 120 100 Hour

80 per

Riders 40 20 0

Hour

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 166 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership Activity

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 167 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010

Weekday Ridership by Stop and Average Line Loads

250 10 Avg . Li ne Loa d 9 200 Offs 8

Ons 7 Load 150 6 5 Vehicle 100 4 3

50 2 Average

Boardings & AlightingsBoardings 1 0 0

Technical Memorandum 5: Page 168 Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan Existing Service Evaluation October 2010