The Town of Fort Erie Transit Route and Service Plan Phase I and II Final Draft Report

September 1, 2016

Transit Consulting Network 283 Golf Road, Keswick. Ontario L4P 3C8

Town of Fort Erie Project Team

Project Team Kelly Walsh, Director, Infrastructure Services Carla Stout, Transit Program Manager

Transit Consulting Network Project Team

Principal and Project Manager Wally Beck, C.E.T., President, Project Manager

Technical Team Vince Mauceri, Senior Technical Support Béatrice Schmied, Accessibility and AODA Nabil Ghariani, P.Eng., Senior Technical Support Kim Laursen, Technical Support

The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...... 3 1.1 Background ...... 3 1.2 Small Community Transit Environment ...... 3 1.3 Work Plan Overview ...... 4 2. Phase I: Existing Transit Environment ...... 5 2.1 Summary of Background Information ...... 5 2.2 Description of Fort Erie Transit Service...... 7 2.2.1 Communities Served ...... 7 2.2.2 Route and Service Design ...... 8 2.2.3 Bus Stops and Flag Stop Program ...... 8 2.2.4 Fort Erie Transit Integration with Specialized Transit ...... 8 2.2.5 Summary of Fort Erie Transit Service ...... 9 2.3 Transit Report Card and Peer Review ...... 9 2.3.1 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Report Card ...... 9 2.3.2 2014 Fort Erie Transit Peer Review ...... 9 2.3.3 Assessment of Fort Erie Transit Performance ...... 11 2.3.4 Summary of Report Card and Peer Review ...... 15 3. Community Engagement ...... 16 3.1 Stakeholder Meetings ...... 16 3.1.1 Public Stakeholders ...... 16 3.1.2 Council Member Meeting ...... 19 3.1.3 Summary of Stakeholder Consultations...... 21 3.2 On-line Public Transit Survey ...... 21 3.2.1 Respondent Information ...... 21 3.2.2 Transit Dependency ...... 22 3.2.3 Reducing Auto Dependency ...... 23 Summary of Comments ...... 24 4. Phase II: Transit Route and Service Plan ...... 25 4.1 Transit Policy Framework ...... 25 4.1.1 Goals and Objectives ...... 25 4.1.2 Transit Service Standards ...... 26 4.1.3 Transit Service Level Policies ...... 26 4.1.4 Land Use Planning and Transit ...... 27

1 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

4.2 Route and Service Alternatives ...... 31 4.3 Recommended Transit Route Concepts ...... 33 4.3.1 Route East (#1) ...... 34 4.3.2 Route West (#2) ...... 35 4.3.3 Route North (#3) ...... 36 4.4 Five-year Transit Route and Service Plan ...... 37 4.4.1 Transit Priorities ...... 38 4.4.2 Five-year (2017-2021) Transit Service Expansion Plan ...... 38 4.5 Transit Ridership Growth Plan ...... 42 4.5.1 Branding Transit ...... 42 4.5.2 Expanding the Client Base ...... 42 4.5.3 Transit Technology ...... 43 4.5.4 Bus Fare Pricing Strategy ...... 44 4.5.5 Bus Stop Infrastructure ...... 44 4.5.6 Town Site Bus Terminal ...... 45 4.5.7 Increasing Public Transit Services ...... 45 4.5.8 Community Liaison ...... 46 4.6 Five-Year Transit Operating Budget ...... 47 4.6.1 Variable and Fixed Operating Costs ...... 47 4.6.2 Future Transit Ridership and Revenues ...... 47 4.6.3 Future Dedicated Gas Tax ...... 48 4.6.4 Specialized Transit ...... 48 4.6.5 Proposed 2017-2021 Transit Operating Budget ...... 49 4.6.6 Transit Service Plan Summary ...... 50 4.7 Recommendations ...... 51 Appendix A Online Questionnaire

2 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background The Town of Fort Erie wishes to assess transit needs and review its route realignment to improve options for providing transit service. A 2011 study evaluating Fort Erie transit service resulted in numerous changes made based upon the study recommendations. However, community growth, concerns related to on-street accessibility, levels of services in outlying areas, and access to health and human services require a reassessment of the transit route needs. Additionally, the Regional Municipality of Niagara is looking for potential options for delivery of inter-municipal transit services in the Niagara region. The intent is to work in collaboration with the local municipal transit systems, including Fort Erie Transit.

Fort Erie Transit currently offers one conventional fixed route, operating Mondays to Saturdays (except for statutory holidays) which serves six neighborhood areas and operates from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM. Two mid-sized accessible buses accommodate approximately 26 seated and additional standing passengers.

This study’s objectives are to develop a transit service that meets community needs and plan for the bus stop and facilities improvements needed to support that service.

1.2 Small Community Transit Environment Rural and small communities are finding that residents faced with the loss of personal mobility or are unable to afford a car, are increasingly inclined or obliged to move to communities where affordable public transportation exists. Likewise, employers consider the availability of public transportation when making business location decisions. It is also well known that the dramatic decline in small community populations can be directly related to the inability of residents to access essential services. A major factor that makes possible a good quality of life is the availability of affordable public transportation to enable those without access to a private car to access goods, services, jobs, and maximize social connectedness, which is now considered a health-related issue.

The market for transit in small and rural communities – the working poor, people with disabilities, senior citizens, students and youth, people on social assistance, and those that simply want to do without that 2nd or 3rd car are a significant segment of the population whose needs should not be ignored. The viability of policies to maintain the elderly in their homes instead of in long-term care, access to health care, social services, and essential maintenance such as shopping and banking all depend on personal mobility. Community leaders seeking to reverse or stabilize a potential decline in population must consider access to transportation as a key issue affecting the vitality and the financial viability of their community.

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Another key factor that can be considered to support the availability of affordable public transit is the positive financial impact transit can have on a community. For example, the ability to reduce car ownership can have a profound effect on a household’s finances and quality of life. Exhibit 1: CAA 2015 Driving Costs provides the true cost of car ownership using a Camry LE as an example. Exhibit 1: CAA 2015 Driving Costs

For auto owners that drive 16,000 kilometres per year, the total annual cost reported to own and operate a vehicle is $10,127 per year. Arbitrarily applying a factor of 75% to be conservative, this would still equate to $7,600 per year or $630 per month compared to a Fort Erie monthly bus pass at $80, saving residents $550 per month. The savings would likely be spent on local goods and services, improving the quality of life of residents and supporting local businesses.

For those residents that earn little income and are forced to own a vehicle in order to get to and from work, car ownership becomes a financial burden. For example, a person working part-time 24 hours per week with a net income of $10 per hour must work 16 hours per week to own and operate a vehicle; this would consume two-thirds of their earnings. A major car repair expense can be devastating. Those on low fixed incomes face even more challenges. Fortunately, the Town of Fort Erie has a record of financially supporting fixed-route transit; however, only 70% of residents have reasonable access while many employers do not have access to employees based on the existing route and service design.

The modern understanding of public transportation is to see it as a “Family of Services” rather than being limited to the usual fixed route service (Fort Erie Transit) and specialized transit such as FAST. Each member of the “Family of Services” has different strengths and cost levels. Taken together, they support each other to provide, overall, an excellent range of mobility choices as an alternative to the private car.

1.3 Work Plan Overview This study involved three phases: . Phase I: Existing Transit Environment assessed the existing Fort Erie transit environment based on previous background studies and an analysis of how Fort Erie Transit has performed against itself over the previous five years and how it currently performs relative to its peer group. . Phase II: Transit Route and Service Plan culminates with a 5-year route, service plan and budget based on community transit priorities, minimum service standards and best practices to meet the community’s transit priorities . Phase III: Bus Stop and Facility Improvement and Proposal Documentation is an infrastructure program that needs to be in place to enable Fort Erie Transit to move away from a flag stop program to a more safe and efficient transit operation

Key to the successful development of the final report and recommendations was the freedom afforded Transit Consulting Network and the Town’s Transit Program Manager to embrace the reality that there are many challenges that face Fort Erie given its sparse and dispersed population. A ‘made in Fort Erie’ solution that would deviate from the norm when compared to more compact communities would likely be required.

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2. PHASE I: EXISTING TRANSIT ENVIRONMENT

2.1 Summary of Background Information While it is important to develop a 5-year transit service plan based on existing community needs, it is equally important to ensure that past efforts are also reviewed. There are many Town of Fort Erie consultant and staff reports developed since 2002 that deal with public transit needs, including those identified in previous 5-year transit reviews. The past information made available to Transit Consulting Network was reviewed and summarized in a matrix format below as Exhibit 1 – Review of Previous Fort Erie Studies and Reports.

Study Title Brief Synopsis Applicability to study Addresses Public Addresses Lack of Public Transportation Transportation? Cost? 1. Council’s 2015-  Sets out the Town’s overall  Provides strategic  Yes  Yes 2018 Strategic Plan, priorities, goals & Council support for  Seek ways to  Determine alternate adopted into By-law initiatives. transit in Fort Erie, improve and modes of transportation No. 90, 2015, June  Priority B, “Effective, which is important for fund the to ensure access for the 15, 2015. Sustainable Infrastructure,” the development of municipal transit entire community. includes a goal “B5: the 2016 transit study. system.  Measure response to continue to address the  Measure accessibility and mobility need to expand our intra funding. needs of those who do and inter municipal transit.” not own a car.  Leverage GO Transit Niagara initiative to improve linkages to expand inter-municipal transit.

2. Town of Fort Erie  Excellent background  Review of past work  Yes  Yes Transit Staff summary of conventional & and rationale for  Outlined  Recommendations from PowerPoint specialized transit services, acceptance or revenue, costs past consultant Presentation (39 costs, fares, expansion, rejection of previous and subsidy studies/plans in 2002 pages), June 15, ridership, improvements, transit service plan required for the and 2011 have not been 2015. pilot projects, inter improvements is very provision of fully implemented municipal services, AODA helpful for developing existing and primarily due to budget compliance, municipal 2016 study improved transit constraints. transit comparisons with recommendations services for the  Staff recommended new peer municipalities, moving forward. Town. transit study in 2016, challenges in community- conversion of flag stops wide transit coverage and to fixed bus stops with community engagement in proper amenities (pads, transit services from 2002 benches, shelters). to 2015.  Staff to prepare a business plan for 2017 Budget to provide service to underserviced communities and realize past recommendations of previous two transit plans, including new 2016 transit study.

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Study Title Brief Synopsis Applicability to study Addresses Public Addresses Lack of Public Transportation Cost? Transportation? 3. Public  Identified transit service  Recommended service  Yes  Yes Transportation changes & needs for improvements to  Base fare increase to  Improvements (Table Requirements Study, inclusion with subsequent improve mobility $2.50 to support ES.1 in report): better Town of Fort Erie, contracted transit service within the Town. service improvements. route coverage, by Paradigm operator (expired Oct.  Earlier AM service to  Discounted tickets and increased service hours, Consulting, Sept. 2012). North End – Jarvis St. passes implemented. better connections with 2011.  Regular hourly service regional transit service, schedule. discounted fare media.  Accessible service  Recommendations (FAST) expanded should lead to annual weekday hours and ridership increase from Sat. service. 44,500 in 2010 to 56,000 in 2016.  Additional service hours for specialized transit to comply with AODA. 4. Council Report  Town staff undertook a  Useful for monitoring  Yes  Yes – on many issues No. IS-01-10: Results 2009 survey where a total & comparing public  Lack of financial  Suggested service of Transit Open of 68 people attended open attitudes of transit in resources. improvements: routing, Houses & Surveys houses and 41 (26 users + 2009 to this updated frequency, extended Completed by Non- 15 non-users) completed a 2016 transit study. hours, introduce users and Users of survey questionnaire.  Information on type & monthly passes & the Fort Erie Transit  Overall satisfaction with location of service for concession fares and Service, Town of transit, recognizing transit users & non- expanded time period Fort Erie, and challenges of providing users and areas for for transfers. Infrastructure service in a small improvement. Services, Jan. 10, community and given the 2010. economic limitations to expand transit in the Town.

5. Road System  Comprehensive review of,  Good road network  Yes, indirectly  No Master Plan, Town and recommendations for, and physically well  Outlines road  Primarily a road needs of Fort Erie, Delcan, all Town roads related to maintained road improvement and study. Dec. 2009 physical condition, infrastructure financial plan. improvement/upgrade important to support needs and financial transit bus service. impacts. 6. Town of Fort Erie  MTO (Ministry of  Primary goal of this  Yes  Yes Transit System Transportation of Ontario) plan was to encourage  Gas Tax funding is  Outlined the various key Ridership Growth & required this submission in increased transit use critical to the provision challenges facing transit: Asset Management order for the Town to by developing a service and success of public population Plan, Infrastructure continue to receive and be that meets the needs transit service, demographics make-up, Services Dept., 2006 considered for subsidy of residents with few especially in small low density land use funding under the transportation options. communities as Fort patterns, lack of transit Dedicated Gas Tax Funds Erie. service coverage across for Public Transportation  Projected future the Town and budget Program. ridership, cost and constraints.  Proposed a fiscally sound funding requirements  Resulted in an “Action and responsible plan from for existing and Plan” for attracting 2006 to 2012 for the future expanded transit ridership and improving development of a service. both conventional and sustainable transit service specialized transit for the Town. services.

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Study Title Brief Synopsis Applicability to study Addresses Public Addresses Lack of Public Transportation Cost? Transportation? 7. Public  Reviewed the transit  Provided a base  Yes  Yes Transportation services paid by the Town improvement plan for  Recommended annual  Recommended Requirements Study, to the contracted operator conventional and transit cost increase of improvements: Final Report, and the accessible service specialized transit $81,000 plus one-time expanded services to Paradigm operated by a not-for-profit services, which was capital cost of $38,000. Garrison & Thompson, Transportation company. especially important increased service hours Solutions Ltd., Dec.  Recommended a transit with MTO gas tax between Fort Erie & 2002 improvement plan for funding introduced in Crystal Beach, vehicle short-term and long-term, 2004. accessibility & marketing including increased funding, improvements and improved marketing of increased service for transit service, bus stop specialized transit. improvements (shelters & benches), and future services to new developments and improvements to specialized services.

2.2 Description of Fort Erie Transit Service Fort Erie Transit currently offers one conventional fixed route, operating Monday through Saturday, serving six neighborhood areas and operates from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM. No Sunday or statutory holiday service is provided. Two mid-sized accessible buses accommodate approximately 26 seated and additional standing passengers. A third bus is provided as a spare, as required, by the contracted service provider, Can-Ar Coach Service. A complete Crystal Beach to Fort Erie roundtrip is scheduled for 2.0 hours, thereby providing hourly service.

2.2.1 Communities Served The bus service connects Crystal Beach to Fort Erie via Ridgeway, Crescent Park, Lakeshore, and Garrison communities, which covers approximately 70% of the Town of Fort Erie’s population. The communities of Thunder Bay and Bridgeburg are in proximity to the existing route; however, residents are not within a reasonable walk distance. The more remote communities of Stevensville, Black Creek and Douglastown are approximately 7 km and 8 km from the existing bus route, respectively. Other communities of the Town of Fort Erie are either rural, estate residential or seasonal (e.g. Sherkston).

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2.2.2 Route and Service Design Although the route is relatively indirect it does so to maximize coverage to the extent possible with its two-hour roundtrip time and hourly service. It cannot be extended further and maintain the hourly service. The prevalent two-way route design (i.e. buses travel in both directions of the street) is a positive feature of the route design since many small communities tend to have long one-way circuitous routes. The route has been in place with little change for approximately 34 years.

The Smart Centre plaza located at Garrison Road and Thompson Road (herein referred to as the Walmart terminal) serves as a terminal, allowing transfers to take place between Fort Erie buses and provide connectivity to Niagara Falls and beyond through the Niagara Region Transit service with seven trips daily Monday through Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. The Walmart terminal splits the one Fort Erie Transit route in two with approximately 1/3 of the route serving areas east of Walmart along more populated roadways than the 2/3 of the route that travels along more rural roadways towards Crystal Beach.

2.2.3 Bus Stops and Flag Stop Program While there are bus stops at major destinations, transit passengers are picked up and dropped off on a request basis – a practice known as ‘flag stop’ when boarding and ‘request stop’ when alighting a bus. Although applicable to rural areas, it is inappropriate for more urban environments where passenger safety and transit system efficiencies must be maximized.

Although a flag stop makes sense along sparsely populated roadways, they do not make sense in more urbanized areas due to the inefficiency of frequent stops. For example, within the Sobey’s plaza, buses sometimes stop three times before reaching the main stop in front of Sobey’s. Multiple stops within a short distance (sometimes within as little as 50 metres), is a cause of many passenger complaints, which were expressed during the community engagement process.

Another issue with the flag stop program and lack of designated bus stops is the absence of branding associated with bus stop signs and shelters, where warranted. The issue of bus stops and bus stop infrastructure is discussed further in this report.

2.2.4 Fort Erie Transit Integration with Specialized Transit Fort Erie Accessible Specialized Transit (FAST) is operated by the Red Cross and funded by the Town of Fort Erie, providing door to door service to those that are mobility impaired and unable to access Fort Erie Transit. Although Fort Erie Transit has wheelchair accessible buses, there is no formal integration between the two whereby an eligible FAST client would board a Fort Erie Transit bus for part of their trip and transfer to FAST to complete their trip.

Integration between specialized transit and conventional transit is growing significantly in Ontario and across Canada given the cost savings that can be realized and the improvement to the quality of life of eligible FAST customers, who could take bus trips dynamically rather than booking days ahead for FAST service. To make it work properly in Fort Erie; however, accessible bus stops and sidewalk infrastructure must be in place. Given the rural roadways and lack of sidewalks throughout Fort Erie, successful integration of the two services face challenges, although some FAST customers could use the conventional transit service for at least some of their trips.

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2.2.5 Summary of Fort Erie Transit Service Fort Erie Transit provides a modest level of bus service that has a steady and captive clientele residing in areas where service is available. The 60-minute frequency can best be described as a community bus service with a good route design that is not accessible to all residents, including those that have no affordable means of travel to access goods and services and jobs. Additional investment will be required to have more comprehensive coverage of the Town of Fort Erie’s communities.

2.3 Transit Report Card and Peer Review The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) has kept records of individual transit systems and their performance across Canada since the 1970’s when transit systems began reporting data annually. The data is summarized in the Canadian Urban Transit Fact Book. This mature database has evolved over the years, is consistent and is designed for industry professionals. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario requires Ontario municipalities that apply for the 2-cent per litre dedicated gas tax funding to report similar statistics as a condition of funding. The Ontario database is managed by CUTA.

The data was analyzed for two purposes: . To measure Fort Erie Transit performance over the 2010-2014 five-year period . To assess how Fort Erie Transit currently (2014) performs in relation to its peer group

2.3.1 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Report Card Exhibit 2: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Performance Data quantifies the change in performance over the five-year period.

Exhibit 2: 2010 – 2014 Fort Erie Transit Report Card

2.3.2 2014 Fort Erie Transit Peer Review Comparisons were made of the various operating, service performance and financial data. Caution should be exercised when assessing peer review statistics since the peer review only provides a high level assessment of transit service levels and costs in other comparable jurisdictions. The peer reviews are also provided to help to understand transit industry statistics reported elsewhere for accountability and to identify the levels of local investment, which tend to drive the decision-making process relative to service quantity.

The criteria guiding the selection of peer review jurisdictions illustrated in Exhibit 2: Fort Erie Transit Peer Review were: . All municipalities across Ontario below 50,000 population that fund public transit services (39) . Eight (8) select municipalities with a population over 15,000 and less than 50,000

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The province-wide peer review is adequate for Fort Erie Transit comparison purposes while the Fort Erie peer group individual transit system data is provided to enable the reader to understand the range in values that exist between transit systems.

Exhibit 3: 2014 Fort Erie Transit Ontario Peer Review Transit system performance metrics across Ontario can vary significantly due to factors such as: . Population density, which is seen to range from 126 persons per sq km of service area in Fort Erie to 2,100 persons per sq km of service area in Orangeville . Local labour costs . Climate and topography, local bus fare policies . High school student transportation policies (yellow school bus versus public transit) . Local financial commitment to transit

It should be noted that there is an anomaly in the Total Operating Revenues and Cost per Hour reported by the Town of Fort Erie. Due to the transit agreement in place with the private operator (i.e. Can-Ar Coach Service), the Total Operating Revenues reported during 2014 only reflects advertising revenues (i.e. $1,013) and does not include $141,747 of transit passenger revenues normally reported separately by transit agencies. This means that Can-Ar Coach is taking the ‘revenue risk’, that is, Can-Ar Coach still charges by a fixed hourly rate regardless of the revenue collected. Based on the 7,394 total hours operated, the passenger revenue collected equates to $19.17 per hour. This would be proportionately lower in 2015 since only $126,158 was collected, equating to $17.06 per hour versus $19.17 in 2014.

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2.3.3 Assessment of Fort Erie Transit Performance 2.3.3.1 Transit Ridership and Services Hours

As can be seen in Exhibits 4 and 5, the amount of service provided increased by 6.1% from 2010 to 2014 in Fort Erie, which can be attributed to the 2 hours of North-end morning service being added in 2012. Transit ridership grew by 9.5%, which outpaced the service added while the service area population remained the same (21,200 residents).

Exhibit 4: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Revenue Hours Exhibit 5: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Ridership

A better measure of quantifying the amount of service provided by the Town of Fort Erie, the Service Hours per Capita measure has been developed in the industry, which is simply the number of annual hours of revenue service divided by the service area population (those that are within 5-minute walk of a bus stop). These have been summarized in Exhibits 6 and 7.

Exhibit 6: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Revenue Hours per Capita Exhibit 7: Ontario Revenue Hours per Capita

On a per capita basis, Fort Erie Transit increased the bus service by a modest 6.1% from 2010 to 2014. The 0.35 service hours per resident served in 2014 is well below the 0.58 hours per resident served in the Ontario peer group in 2014. This represents a significant 36.2% fewer service hours per capita, which points to a local under-commitment to transit when compared to municipalities across Ontario with less than a 50,000 population. In this regard, if the Town of Fort Erie wants to be more competitive with other municipalities in attracting residents and businesses, additional investments in transit service should be considered. Based on similar studies undertaken by Transit Consulting Network, we have learned that residents will relocate from small communities and rural areas without adequate public transit to municipalities that have public transit so that they can have access to critical goods and services since many are unable to drive or cannot afford to drive.

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If Fort Erie increased its service from the existing 0.35 hours per capita based on the existing service area population to the province-wide average of 0.58 hours per capita for the total population of 29,960, Fort Erie would need to add 4,900 hours of bus service, which represents an increase of 66%. To put this into perspective, this would equate to adding two buses added to the service for 8 hours a day Monday through Saturday, bearing in mind this only addresses the 21,200 residents served today. If the entire population of Fort Erie had access to public transit, adding to the ‘population served’, an additional 10,000 hours of service would be required. 2.3.3.2 Fort Erie Transit Efficiency

Transit systems across Canada use the Revenue Passengers per Hour of service statistic as one measure to quantify transit efficiency and to help determine when to increase or modify service. Exhibit 8 and Exhibit 9 illustrate Fort Erie Transit’s efficiency from 2010 to 2014 and in comparison to its peer group, respectively.

Exhibit 8: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Revenue Passengers per Hour Exhibit 9: 2014 Peer Review Passengers per Hour

There was a significant improvement in Fort Erie Transit service efficiency realized from 2010 (5.9 passengers per hour) to 2014 (7.3 passengers per hour). This 24% improvement is considered to be very good; however, Fort Erie Transit does not compare well against the Ontario-wide peer group average efficiency of 19.0 passengers per hour. This can be explained by the minimum levels of bus service provided within Fort Erie but it is primarily due the reality that Fort Erie communities are scattered over a large area. In more urban municipalities for every kilometre of bus route provided, approximately 1,000 residents should be within a reasonable walk distance to the service as a guideline. This will not be possible in the foreseeable future since Fort Erie Transit buses travel along more sparsely populated roadways. Fort Erie’s population density of 126 persons per square kilometre is the least dense of the 8 transit systems shown in Exhibit 2: Fort Erie Transit Peer Review. It is, therefore, reasonable to expect lower service performance going forward compared to more densely populated urban areas of other municipalities. Rather than comparing directly with other municipalities, Fort Erie should continue to focus on maximizing its own performance.

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2.3.3.3 Fort Erie Transit Service Effectiveness

A key measure of a transit system’s effectiveness is how many trips are taken annually based on the population served in a given year. If transit ridership growth exceeds population growth then service is deemed to be more effective and as such, transit becomes a more integral component of urban travel.

Exhibit 10: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Passengers per Capita Exhibit 11: 2014 Ontario Passengers per Capita

Exhibit 10 clearly shows that Fort Erie Transit’s effectiveness has improved by a modest 10% from 2.38 trips per capita based on the service area population in 2010 to 2.55 trips per capita in 2014. It is well below the Ontario peer group average of 10.77 passengers per capita in 2014; however, this is to be expected given the minimal service provided. If service was expanded to new areas of the Town currently not served, it is reasonable to assume that the remaining 8,760 residents (29,960 total population less 21,200 population currently served) would generate at least an additional 22,000 bus trips annually based on 2.55 trips per capita.

Further, by linking all communities within Fort Erie with bus service, more destinations would be available to current transit customers who would likely, over time, use transit more frequently while attracting new customers to the service. 2.3.3.4 Fort Erie Transit Financial Indicators

A key metric that transit systems use to track financial performance is the direct cost per hour of service. This can vary significantly between transit systems due to differences in operating environments. A more important comparison would be to look at individual transit system performance over time to identify trends while a peer group comparison provides an opportunity to determine whether or not a transit system is in line with the norm.

Exhibit 12: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Cost per Hour Exhibit 13: 2014 Ontario Cost per Hour

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Exhibit 12 shows that the hourly cost of service increased by 28% from 2010 to 2014. This can be attributed to the change in contractors used (“Dunn the Mover” prior to 2012 and Can-Ar since 2012). The increase in the contract costs of service was driven by AODA legislation and new fleet requirements. In comparison to the Ontario-wide cost per hour of $84.44 for municipalities with less than 50,000 population (Exhibit 13), it appears that the Town of Fort Erie compares well; however, there is an anomaly.

As mentioned earlier, Can-Ar Coach is taking the ‘revenue risk’ and as such, provides a low hourly cost to provide service since Can-Ar Coach keeps the fares collected. Based on the 7,394 total hours operated in 2014, the passenger revenue collected equated to $19.17 per hour. Although not an ideal cost comparator, if the hourly revenue collected were reflected in the hourly cost, it would equate to an hourly cost of $86.09, which is in line with the Ontario average of $84.77 per hour. A municipality’s commitment to transit is reflected by the quality of the transit service (e.g. service reliability) and the quantity of the transit service provided (e.g. hours of service per capita), which is dictated by the financial resources made available. The municipal operating contribution per capita is a measure of the local municipal investment that is calculated using net transit costs (total direct operating costs less revenues) divided by the total population, which contributes to transit through the general tax base.

Exhibit 14: 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Net Cost per Capita Exhibit 15: 2014 Peer Review Net Cost per Capita

As shown in Exhibit 14 the Town of Fort Erie municipal contribution on a per capita basis to support Fort Erie Transit and the cross-boundary service to Niagara Falls increased by 44% from 2010 ($16.23 per capita) to 2014 ($23.54 per capita); this approximates the Ontario peer group as illustrated in Exhibit 15. Unfortunately, if one considers the net cost based on the total population (Exhibit 16), Fort Erie contributes $5.28 per capita less (30%) than the Ontario municipalities with less than 50,000 population. This would equate to approximately $160,000 (+40%) per year in added net costs.

Exhibit 16: 2014 Peer Review Net Cost per Capita by Total Population

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2.3.4 Summary of Report Card and Peer Review Caution should be taken when comparing Fort Erie Transit directly with individual transit systems since the service area and challenges of the communities served are unique. Although the performance of Fort Erie Transit is well below the Ontario-wide performance of municipalities under 50,000 population, this is to be expected to continue given the rural nature of the town and the distances that buses need to travel to connect communities. However, over time the Town of Fort Erie can improve upon its own performance and transit system effectiveness in terms of attracting more customers to the service.

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3. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The community engagement process consisted of undertaking focussed stakeholder meetings, followed by a community-wide online public transit survey, to ensure all residents had an opportunity to provide input. Hard copies of the surveys were also made available for residents that were unable to fill out the questionnaire online. The stakeholder meetings and surveys were designed to help prioritize transit investments based on industry best practices in route and service design.

3.1 Stakeholder Meetings

The stakeholder consultations consisted of informal roundtable meetings presenting all participants with an opportunity to be involved in very frank discussions, which would go a long way to successful study completion. Transit Consulting Network provided an overview of the study and the desired study outcomes along with best practices in similar municipalities within transit systems across Ontario. This information provided the participants with background relative to the role that transit can play to better enable them to provide meaningful input based on their own perspectives. The discussions enabled TCN to more fully understand community needs from a cross-section of interest groups.

TCN facilitated five stakeholder meetings: . #1: Bus Operator with 34 years’ experience in Fort Erie; Can-Ar Coach management (April 28) . #2: Senior Town Staff (April 28, 2016) . #3: General Public (June 1) preceded by on-bus discussions with passengers on May 31 . #4: Social Service Agencies (June 1) – 7 agency representatives . #5: Council Members (June 1) – 3 present

Each participant was provided with an agenda and a draft of specific issues that they could consider and discuss openly, with an opportunity to add any other related topics, issues and opportunities. The discussions are summarized in two sections:

. Stakeholder Meeting : #1 through #4 to understand the issues and opportunities from those that provide or use public transit or will benefit more if public transit was able to better serve their needs . Stakeholder Meeting #5 Council Members where Transit Consulting Network provided a formal presentation of the 2010-2014 Transit Report Card and 2014 Transit Peer Review results, followed by a verbal summary of previous stakeholder discussions.

3.1.1 Public Stakeholders Route Coverage . There are several neighbourhoods that are spread out in the Town of Fort Erie, which is unique when compared to other municipalities with a similar population . The route coverage in the Fort Erie communities currently served is considered to be adequate since the route has been in place with minor modifications over the last 34 years . Route will need to be modified when the new high school is constructed across from Town Hall, which will impact the existing bus travel way; however, a route deviation could be considered to coincide with school start and end times (referred to as a ‘school special’ trip)

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. Not all employment lands are served by transit (e.g. along Gilmore Road between Petit and Thompson, Eagle Street at Winger Road in Stevensville, etc.) . Extending service to accommodate areas not served today cannot be accomplished with existing bus complement . Retirement community in Black Creek should be accommodated; many seniors would be served . Consideration can be given to transferring FAST customers to Fort Erie Transit; however, bus stop infrastructure does not currently meet AODA requirements . Suggested that consideration of transfers can be reduced . Service to existing seniors centres and seniors destinations should not be compromised in any route change that is recommended . Social service agencies such as the food banks, employment bus routes or in very close proximity . Coordination / connection is needed with Niagara Regional Transit . Targeted areas that were mentioned included employment areas, shopping, medical appointments, YMCA, library, festivals and events, farmer’s market, beaches and connections to other transit and trains to Toronto . Jarvis, Central, Ridgeway, and Crystal Beach were specifically noted “…I have to walk half an hour to . Although an important transfer point to transit service to catch it (bus).” Niagara Falls, the Smart Centre (Walmart) bus terminal is not ideal as a main hub since it is not central to the route network (i.e. Fort Erie leg is much shorter than the Crystal Beach leg of the route); it was suggested that the Municipal Centre would be preferred . Stevensville is asking for service, but lacks the population for feasible service - a dial-a-ride or brokered service was suggested

Service Reliability (Schedule Adherence) . Service is considered to be unreliable with existing travel times provided . Built-in bus layovers at Smart Centre (Walmart) are needed to enable buses to depart as scheduled; however, this practice does not enable bus operators to take needed breaks since buses are generally behind schedule . Schedule adherence problems are primarily attributed to the flag stop practice, which forces bus operators to pick up and drop off customers far more frequently than having fixed bus stop locations along a route

Frequency of Service . More frequent service is needed to get employees to and from work in a more timely manner (i.e. half hour service)

Span of Service . Having hourly service commence at 6:30am and second bus at 7:00am does not accommodate 7:00am work start and end times. Buses need to start sufficiently early enough to accommodate the 7am industrial shift times, especially if routes are redesigned to serve them

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. Although some transit customers can get to work for later start times, many are unable to return home by transit especially those that work shifts outside regular work day business hours (e.g. 9am-5pm) . Longer service hours are required to better accommodate retail shifts (e.g. Walmart) “Later bus service for the town for people . Off-peak service to accommodate seniors in that work later in the evening maybe have communities not served today would be helpful buses run from 5:30 am to 10:00 pm.” . Sunday service is needed, especially to accommodate those that work in the tourist and retail industry . It is recognized that if service hours are expanded on Fort Erie Transit then FAST service hours must be expanded with at least one vehicle as well to meet AODA requirements, that is, FAST must operate during the same days and hours as conventional transit as a minimum

Social Service Needs . Job training and social agencies are located outside of Fort Erie . Transportation allotment for Ontario Works clients is $250 per month; however, $165 is needed for a regional transit pass (Port Colborne, Niagara Falls, Welland, St. Catharines) that does not include Fort Erie; the balance is needed for other expenses, leaving no allowance to use Fort Erie Transit . Many job opportunities within Fort Erie and throughout Niagara Region (most work in Niagara Falls tourist industry) “We moved here partly because are not accessible to Fort Erie residents that do not have of transit service. I will need it access to an automobile or adequate bus service when I am too old to drive.” . Newcomers to Canada coming to Fort Erie are leaving or are not locating in Fort Erie due to the lack of public transit service . Transit ends too early to accommodate volunteers . Difficult to retain Fort Erie residents who cannot drive due to lack of affordable access to goods and services and jobs . Lack of frequent service prevents stop overs (e.g. dropping off child for daycare then waiting 40 minutes for next bus to carry on journey to work) . Safe bus stops are preferred over flag stop practice due to safety concerns . A Fort Erie Transit partnership with Ontario Works was successful in the past - why not other partnerships?

Bus Stop Infrastructure . No sidewalks in industrial areas . Bus stop infrastructure is inadequate to accommodate the transition from flag stop to fixed bus stops . Bus stop infrastructure will range from the installation of a bus stop sign and post only through to a fully equipped “…other than a couple of spots, I bus stop with sign post, landing pad with a link to an have no idea where the bus adjacent sidewalk, shelter, bench, and transit information stops are or the pickup times.” . The transition from flag stop to fixed bus stops should recognize that some bus travelways should remain to be flag stop due to the lack of housing

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along some portions of routes (i.e. Dominion Road, potential Stevensville/ Douglastown and Black Creek ) . It is recognized that providing on-street accessibility features will enable FAST customers the option of taking Fort Erie Transit at least some of the time . Priority should be given to enhanced bus stop infrastructure at hubs, key residential areas (e.g. senior’s centres, apartment buildings, etc.) and key destinations (medical facilities, other institutions, shopping centres, etc.)

Fares  Exact fare is inconvenient for riders - promote other options (smart cards/ transfers/ passes)  Want transfers that allow riders to pop into a store for a moment before continuing the trip

Other Topics . Simplify the Fort Erie Transit GPS App and Google Trip Planning; (Fort Erie may be able to benefit from the work being undertaken by Niagara Region) . Fort Erie Active Transportation committee (FEAT) wants to help “…you will not attract or keep these vital people if the promote and participate in transit Town continues down the road of centralizing services service evolution without providing transit to support those decisions.” . Use of inaccessible replacement bus (steps) is too frequent . Shared ride taxi services would be acceptable if service quality was available and costs were reasonable (e.g. hourly based versus metred rates); there is no taxi company in Fort Erie and taxis are licensed by Niagara Region . 62% of the unemployed/ under employed residents stay in Fort Erie . Many have incomes below the poverty line . Very few choices for transit customers . Potential investments are being made in three key areas – Fort Erie Racetrack, CMS and the Marina along Niagara Parkway – which will require access to/ for employees that reside in Fort Erie . There is a ‘grey’ market that is not being served, made up of individuals that cannot access Fort Erie Transit nor are eligible to use FAST service. Consideration can be given to a two-tier eligibility for FAST service with priority given to existing FAST registrants and secondary eligibility given to non-FAST customers that reside in areas not served adequately or at all by Fort Erie Transit

3.1.2 Council Member Meeting Transit Consulting Network (TCN) met with three members of Council, namely, Kim Zanko (Ward 3), Stephen Passero (Ward 2) and Marina Butler (Ward 4). The meeting opened up with a PowerPoint presentation of the transit industry in general, the various transit markets in Fort Erie, a report on Fort Erie Transit performance over the 2010-2014 period, and a peer review to better understand how Fort Erie Transit compares to other municipalities that have transit and serve a population of less than 50,000. Following the presentation, TCN provided an overview of the issues and concerns expressed in the previous transit focus groups and the Consultant’s experience riding the buses.

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The issues and opportunities discussed with previous Transit stakeholders such as those noted above, were communicated to the members of Council.

Relative to service area coverage, the following areas were identified by Council members: . The mobile homes in Douglastown where many seniors reside (e.g. Black Creek) . Industrial area in Stevensville (Eagle/ Winger) . Industrial area along Gilmore in Fort Erie (Petit to Thompson) . Canadian Motor Speedway along Sunset @ Bowen . Proposed Marina along Niagara Boulevard . GFESS High School site

A high-level consensus was reached for moving forward with an action plan, as follows: . To be more competitive in attracting businesses and attracting/retaining residents, service must be expanded as much as possible to the 30% of the population that are without transit . Access to jobs by those who are under-employed or not employed should be one of the priorities . Low-cost forms of service delivery could be considered . Better service for employment start and end times is important, which translates to better meeting early industrial start times and later retail/ tourist industry employment times . Consideration given to a terminal location where Greyhound /Coach buses/Casino & Track(s) shuttles and the Niagara Regional Transit can connect with Fort Erie Transit . More frequent service to accommodate stop overs would be a good idea (e.g. 30 minute service in morning and afternoon peak periods . Sunday service is needed to accommodate both work and other trip purposes . Both the hours of service and level of transit investment on a per capita basis compared to other Ontario municipalities is a concern . The dispersed communities and low density of the Town of Fort Erie will require an even higher level of investment in order to have a level of transit service that is competitive with other communities . Quality of life should trump meeting minimum population density guidelines such as the number of residents that are needed per kilometre of bus route (e.g. 1,000 residents per 1.0 kilometre of bus route) since this will not be the case for many years if at all . The doubling of service or more overnight may be reasonable to expect in the service plan . Eligible FAST clients should be encouraged to use Fort Erie Transit . Although transit ‘cannot be all things to all people’ every effort should be made to improve service and expand to areas not currently served . The regional transit study underway could result in expanding opportunities to link Fort Erie Transit to other towns and cities in Niagara Region . Fixed bus stops versus the flag stop practice is supported, recognizing that the rural areas should probably remain flag stop . Bus stops need to be accessible as well as linked to sidewalks . Concern was expressed over the onsite access to Sobey’s and Smart Centre (Walmart) (i.e. transit in parking lots)

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. Service to seniors centres, medical facilities, and shopping areas are priorities and must have accessible bus stops . The 5-year service plan should reflect the long-term requirements of the Fort Erie community

3.1.3 Summary of Stakeholder Consultations The public consultations confirmed there was a range of common concerns among the participants, most notably pointing to a need to expand hours of operation and coverage within the Town of Fort Erie. Also, given that many services and employment opportunities are located in larger neighbouring municipalities, there is a need to improve affordable public transit connectivity to other destinations in the Niagara Region. This market is not being met adequately today.

The concerns of the public stakeholder consultations pointed to the need to increase local investments in public transit in both service delivery and bus stop infrastructure. The data in the peer review findings that were communicated to the Council Member group provided participants with a high-level understanding of the quantity of service required and the dollars needed. A key message heard and backed-up by data was that the transit service in its current form is appreciated by existing captive transit customers; however, a latent demand exists for markets that are not being served today and new markets that will need to be met as industry and tourism investments continue within the Town and the Region.

There is no question that transit plays - and will continue to play - a role in attracting residents and businesses to the community; however, in order to be more competitive with other municipalities, the transit service will need to be expanded to connect all communities within Fort Erie. This expansion can take the form of increasing service hours to existing routes or adding limited or intermittent buses to serve the latent demand in areas not served today.

3.2 On-line Public Transit Survey Stakeholder consultations provide extensive and quality insight to community needs; however, the relatively small groups do not allow for input on a community-wide basis. To round off the community engagement process, an online survey was hosted on the Town of Fort Erie municipal website while hard copies of the survey were distributed on buses. It should be noted that the summary of the answers are not representative of the Town’s demographics, rather, they summarize only the responses of those that filled out the questionnaire.

The questionnaire (see Appendix A: Online Questionnaire) was posted on the Towns’ website from Monday June 20 through Friday July 8. There were 279 respondents - 70% female and 30% male. Key survey results are discussed in this section while full results were provided to the Town of Fort Erie in a separate document.

3.2.1 Respondent Information Respondent information is summarized by the on-line survey question:

A significant number of the respondents were seniors 65 and over (12.7%) while future seniors, the 45 to 64 age cohort, was the largest at 43.5%.

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This indicates there will be a growing need to accommodate far more seniors in the future.

There was a split between those that were employed full time and all other groups with 22.5% that are under-employed or unemployed. Affordable access to employment for this latter group is critical since forced car ownership eats up a large portion of their disposable income which, in turn, impacts their ability to purchase local goods and services. The lower the household income, the lower the auto ownership – a surrogate of income.

Although the online survey is not a true representation of the population, the fact that one- third of the respondents reported a household income less than $35,000 is significant. Affordable public transit can play an important role for those in the lower income ranges, especially residents that are forced to own one or more vehicle in order to access employment, as an example.

3.2.2 Transit Dependency The following summaries address the respondents’ ability to drive, car ownership levels, and income.

Of those that responded, one out of four do not have a driver’s license, representing the group that are most dependent on transit or relying on friends and family to get around.

Over one quarter of the respondents identified Fort Erie Transit and FAST as a one of three primary methods of travel. This high representation can be attributed to the fact that Fort Erie bus operators advised their regular transit customers of the on- line survey, in combination with other Town of Fort Erie notifications.

Of the respondents, 15.7% reported they do not have a vehicle while 31% had only one. Those without a vehicle represent the captive market for transit. The next biggest market would be the households with one vehicle. Assuming the vehicle in a single car household is used to get to and from work, a good transit service can provide access to

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goods and services for family members during the day such as a stay at home parent, students, seniors, etc. 3.2.3 Reducing Auto Dependency In order to increase the role public transit can play in a community, transit must be accessible. More than half the respondents reported being more than a 5-minute (450 metre) walk to bus service. As a guideline, 95% of residents in an urbanized community should not be more than 5 minute walk to a bus stop. This clearly indicates that Fort Erie Transit cannot compete with the automobile. It is interesting to note that that some transit customers would walk up to a half-hour to get to bus service in order to get to work. During inclement weather, this would be challenging; however, there is no other affordable option for many in the community. They have no choice if they want to participate in the labour force.

A separate question was asked of those that did not identify Fort Erie Transit as a mode of travel in the last year. Almost 60% of the respondents reported in the negative. It is this group that represents the largest market potential for Fort Erie Transit and it is this group that probably does not have reasonable access to transit service.

For multiple vehicle households, a good transit service could negate the need for that 2nd or 3rd car thereby increasing a household’s disposable income since auto ownership represents the second highest family expense.

Interestingly, a significant number - three-quarters of the respondents - indicated they would use transit for some, most or all of their trips if it were available. ‘Available’ implies transit is within a reasonable walk distance and it operates at the times needed.

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Summary of Comments The respondents were given an opportunity to provide open ended comments. A total of 144 comments have been listed in the order they were received and have been supplied in a separate document for future reference.

The comments received covered many key subjects and mirrored the comments received during the Transit Focus Groups. Some comments were received from residents that may not intend to use the service but have pointed out the need to have affordable transit for people they do know. Overall, the comments received were supportive of the need to provide public transit access to jobs, “It is not just low income services, medical facilities, retail centres, and accommodate people who want transit.” students. Further, many comments pointed out the lack of service in in many Fort Erie communities, the need to expand hours of operation and desire to add Sunday service. These community expectations are in line with the 2002, 2006 and 2011 reports submitted to the Province and the Town of Fort Erie Council.

The comments in conjunction with survey results ensured the Town of Fort had undertaken due diligence in seeking public input and reaching consensus with respect to meeting transit priorities to the extent possible when developing the appropriate route and service design.

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4. PHASE II: TRANSIT ROUTE AND SERVICE PLAN

The findings and opinions derived from the assessment of Fort Erie Transit and the extensive community engagement process have provided the study with the information needed to develop a 5-year Transit Service Plan that reflects community priorities and Transit Consulting Network’s (TCN) knowledge of best practices. First and foremost is the need to develop a transit policy framework on which to base recommendations.

4.1 Transit Policy Framework Transit policy drives the decision-making process by providing transit management and political decision-makers with the tools needed to support service recommendations and to maximize transit growth opportunities while maintaining cost effectiveness. Setting policies early also drives the planning process and clarifies, for example, whether service changes should be designed to expand the system and target new riders, or whether existing funding levels should be reallocated to better serve existing customers. It is important to ensure that the policies reflect input from all stakeholders, including both transit users and non-transit users.

The policy framework consists of: . Goals and Objectives provide general policy direction for the community . Service Standards assist in determining where service will be provided, when service will be provided, and how it will be provided.

4.1.1 Goals and Objectives Through the consensus-building process that the consultant team advocated throughout the study, TCN developed a number of goals and objectives based on the vision and mission statement developed by the study team.

Vision Statement The preferred future of public transportation in the Town of Fort Erie: “Fort Erie Transit will provide a local and affordable public transportation system that is supported by residents and the business community.”

Mission Statement The purpose of Fort Erie Transit: “To provide safe, efficient and environmentally friendly public transportation services that support the economic vitality, growth, environmental sustainability, and health of the community.”

To support the transit vision, a number of goals and objectives were developed.

Service Goals To provide a public transportation system as a viable alternative to the automobile in the Town of Fort Erie . Improve the quality of life of residents who do not have access to an automobile . Improve pedestrian access to transit service

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. Meet the travel demand generated by various target markets in the employment, academic, commercial, medical, and service industries

System-wide Performance Goals Transit performance targets have been established for the next 5 years: . Effectiveness: To increase transit use by 30 percent – from 2.22 to 3.2 trips per capita by 2021 . Efficiency: To increase service utilization use by 20 percent from 7.3 to 8.8 passengers per hour of service by 2021

The performance targets identified can be adjusted, as required, and are designed to be slightly out of reach to ensure continuous improvement is sought; this helps to ensure ridership growth initiatives are balanced with fiscal responsibility. It should also be noted that routes will differ in their performance level. Low performing routes (below performance goals) are needed to feed into the better performing routes.

Service Area Objective Fort Erie Transit should provide service that connects all communities of the Town of Fort Erie to each other and to other Niagara Region municipalities.

Service Objective The minimum frequency of service and span of service provided shall be adequate to meet the various target markets within the community.

4.1.2 Transit Service Standards The goals and objectives provide a general policy direction for the Town to follow with respect to the provision of Transit service. Transit service standards are needed to guide Fort Erie in determining when transit service will be provided, how often it will be provided and how it will be provided through: . A framework for making rational decisions on the level and quality of service in the community . Increased public awareness of the philosophy of service and growth for Fort Erie Transit . A strong commitment by Council to maintain service standards within the context of balancing social and environmental objectives with fiscal responsibility . A high degree of acceptance for Transit expenditures since the decision-making process will be perceived as fair

4.1.3 Transit Service Level Policies Recognizing fiscal restraint and the need for an expanded and sustainable public transportation system, there must be a balance between providing a desirable high level of service and affordability. The service level policies have been designed, within reason, to enable residents that are captive to transit to expect a minimum level of service.

Minimum Bus Service Hours and frequency – Southern Communities of the Town of Fort Erie Southern communities are defined as Bridgeburg, Fort Erie, Garrison, Lakeshore, Crescent Park, Thunder Bay, Ridgeway, and Crystal Beach. A minimum 60-minute frequency of conventional transit service shall be provided: . 6:00am – 10:30pm weekdays . 7:00am – 7:30pm Saturdays . 8:00am – 6:30pm Sundays

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Minimum Service Hours and Frequency – Northern Communities of the Town of Fort Erie Northern communities are defined as Douglastown, Black Creek, and Stevensville while the more southerly community of Oakhill Forest would be served along Garrison Road by default. Monday through Sunday off-peak service shall be provided for 4 or more trips per day connecting Douglastown and Stevensville to Fort Erie Transit fixed route service. The service would not accommodate work trips in the peak hours unless an additional bus was purchased and off-peak service was replaced with peak service.

Alternative forms of service delivery such as fixed-route taxis or using FAST could be considered. It should be noted that timed transfers to regional transit service would not be accommodated until Niagara Regional Transit service is re-established in May 2017.

4.1.4 Land Use Planning and Transit Consideration for transit service early in the community planning process is essential. During the preliminary planning stages, determinations are made on the arterial and collector road layout, population densities and the location of schools, shopping centres, institutions, and recreational facilities. Through the submission of draft plans of subdivisions, decisions are then made with respect to the exact alignment of local and collector roads, lot plans and sidewalk/ walkway locations. It is during both these stages of community design that an efficient and effective transit service should be considered.

Arterial transit routes offer a more attractive service because they are more direct (faster) and cost- effective than transit routes along slower internal collector roads and residential streets. However, transit service along collector roads is necessary in many cases since arterial roads are often spaced too far apart to accommodate acceptable transit walk distance requirements. When designing for new residential developments, maximum transit route coverage at minimal cost must be viewed as a priority, not unlike other services the Town provides.

Following the development of community master plans are two planning phases that should address public transit needs – the Secondary Plan and the Draft Plan of Subdivision as summarized in the following:

. Determine basic location and orientation of transit routes . Determine a street system and walkway layout, which attempts to accommodate efficient transit service along the arterial and collector road system . Determine location of activity centres (schools, shopping facilities and medium to high density residential areas) along transit routes . Determination of mobility hubs and transfer facilities to maximize integration of modes and reduce overall transit travel times . Co-ordinate location of bus stops with design of intersections and walkways in order to minimize walk distances, provide for reasonable bus stop spacing, and provide for safe pedestrian routes; and . Locating walkways which would serve as many purposes as possible (i.e. access to bus stops, schools, shopping, parks, and trail links)

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During discussions with Mr. Chris Millar, Neighbourhood Planner, Town of Fort Erie, efforts have been in place to ensure transit is considered in development designs. This is a proactive step that recognizes transit as an integral component in Fort Erie’s urban growth.

When developing bus routes, best practices are applied to route design, walk distances to bus stops, the locating of bus stops, and bus stop accessibility.

4.1.4.1 Acceptable Transit Route Design

There are various ways of arranging transit routes to provide service. Best practices have been introduced relative to route design principles that provide for: . Reasonable walk distances to bus service for residents . Directness of travel by bus . Fast yet safe travel speeds and reliable schedules The guidelines can be applied when re-designing bus routes and used for land use planning purposes to help ensure transit requirements are being met during periods of urban growth. Applying the guidelines consistently provides transparency and objectivity when determining where bus routes will be placed.

Transit Travelways: Transit routes should be provided along arterial and collector roads, which have reasonable through access rather than on crescents or cul-de-sacs to the extent possible. A 9.0 metre pavement width is the minimum for transit routes. Exceptions can be made where no reasonable alternative is available to provide for acceptable walk distances to residential dwellings and businesses.

One-way Transit Loops: Provision should be made to minimize the length of one-way transit loops. One-way loops longer than 2.0 km are unacceptable. One-way transit routes provide for transit service on one side of the street only and will typically be found in residential areas to minimize vehicle requirements and where two-way service may not be warranted. If the loop needs to be extended further to serve additional development, the ability to travel only one-way inhibits transit use.

Bus Route Design Speeds: Safe travel speeds are needed to ensure buses can maintain their schedule and be designed such that people can get from A to B in the quickest and safest manner possible. An average design travel speed of approximately 18-22km/h should be in place in urban environments while higher speeds can be applied to roadways with higher speed limits and little development. Fort Erie Transit’s average speed was reported at 31.4 km/h in 2014, which is attributed to the mix of urban and rural travelways with most of the rural travel in place along sparsely populated Dominion Road.

Bus Route Lengths and Population Density: Road layouts in residential developments should be designed such that transit routes require a maximum of 1.0 kilometre of transit route per 1,000 residents served. Since the Town of Fort Erie encompasses several communities and small urban centres in a large area (168 sq.km.) that are linked by transit via sparsely populated roadways, it is impossible to meet this requirement. However, it is suggested by TCN that the route lengths within the various urban communities meet the 1,000 residents per kilometre of bus route to the extent possible.

Given the sparse population along rural roadways that connect Town of Fort Erie communities, including communities not yet provided with transit service, it should be recognized that industry-wide transit route performance standards (e.g. minimum passengers carried per hour of service) and financial standards (e.g. cost recoveries through the farebox) met by other Ontario municipalities should not

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apply to Fort Erie. The Transit Route Improvement Plan should, therefore, focus on quality of life for residents that have no other affordable means of travel through meeting minimum route frequencies and span of service by day of week; this removes the focus on financial performance. On the financial side; however, Town of Fort Erie transit staff must continue to at least maximize the return on every transit dollar spent and continue to quantify progress of Fort Erie Transit over time in terms of a ‘made in Fort Erie’ Transit Report Card.

As an example, the distances to existing Fort Erie transit services from communities not served such as Stevensville (2011 population: 1,185) and Black Creek/Douglastown (2011 population: 1,330), the relative cost to extend comparable conventional transit services enjoyed by existing neighbourhoods served by transit would be relatively prohibitive given the low demand. Consideration should, therefore, be given to other service options that would result in at least some service being provided.

4.1.4.2 Walk Distance to Bus Service

Industry-wide guidelines used to help design or redesign bus services ensures there is a reasonable walk distance to bus service as follows: . 95% of dwelling units should be within a 450metre walk distance of an existing or future bus stop . 70% of dwelling units should be within a 300 metre walk distance of a bus stop. The 450m walk distance equates to an approximate 5 minute walk time to a bus stop for most people (walking 4km/h). . All multiple housing units should be within a 300m walk distance of an existing or future bus stop. . Special needs housing, high density employment, shopping, medical, and institutional development should be within a 150 m walk distance of a bus stop.

The 450m standard is considered a realistic goal. If a more stringent standard than 450m is chosen, this may result in improved coverage being required in existing residential areas but at a higher cost. Under most circumstances, residents of multiple housing units tend to be more captive as transit customers and should be located closer to transit service.

4.1.4.3 Bus Stop Locations and Design

Once bus routes are designed or existing routes modified, the following strategies should be applied to bus stop locations and bus stop design: . The location of bus stops should be coordinated with the design of walkways, intersections and development in order to minimize walk distances and provide for reasonable bus stop spacing. Ideally, bus stops should be located at walkways and intersections as well as being in proximity to high density residential complexes and major shopping facilities in order to minimize walk distances for most people. Other factors used to determine bus stop locations and reasonable spacing are demand, road type, pedestrian safety, and public requests. . In industrial areas, sidewalks should be provided along at least one side of the street. Industrial areas are considered to be ‘hostile’ pedestrian environments due to higher volumes of truck traffic; however, it is important that employees are provided with safe pedestrian access from bus stops to their places of employment, particularly during winter weather conditions.

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Walkways, for the purpose of transit connections, must be constructed out of a material which can be maintained year-round. Responsibility for the maintenance of these walkways must be allocated to the appropriate department. . Bus stops and bus stop amenities must meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements. Meeting AODA requirements will enable some Fort Erie Accessible Specialized Transit (FAST) customers to use Fort Erie Transit for at least some of their trips. Based on 2014 CUTA statistics, it cost the Fort Erie taxpayer an average of $32.46 per FAST per customer trip in 2014 while the average cost to subsidize a Fort Erie Transit customer was $11.68 per trip.

4.1.4.4 Trade-offs

Since the types of residential community design varies significantly from high density apartment complexes to low density estate type development, all design objectives may not be met in all cases. Trade-offs may be necessary from time to time in view of other design considerations.

In order to provide some flexibility in the guidelines, the following recommendations should also be considered: . That land use/transit coordination is a necessary and valuable goal recognizing that, in the implementation of the transit subdivision design guidelines, trade-offs may exist in some instances with other planning, engineering and environmental considerations. . That secondary plans and draft plans of subdivisions recommended by staff shall reflect efforts used in trying to achieve the transit guidelines stated herein. . The Town of Fort Erie should initially inform the development industry of the proposed guidelines as set out in this report. It is suggested that the Planning and Development Services in conjunction with Infrastructure Services staff be responsible for informing developers and their representatives on an ongoing basis.

The key factor is that at the outset of community design, it is known whether or not the design guidelines have been met with every effort made to attain them. It is likely that existing and planned subdivisions which do not meet all of the guidelines would receive a lower level of transit service (e.g. peak period only) than more transit-oriented subdivisions which meet or exceed the design objectives.

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4.2 Route and Service Alternatives There are a number of transit route and service concepts that were considered for the Town of Fort Erie that are described below and how they would fit into the 2017-2021 Route and Service Plan.

Conventional Transit The current fixed route service design, which has been in place with little change in the last 34 years, is the backbone of Fort Erie Transit and has many benefits. Travel is direct for the most part and the route and service is well understood by regular customers. Unfortunately, service reaches only 70% of the population while some captive transit customers have to walk well in excess of reasonable distance guidelines. Another concern is the lack of branding that is attributed to the lack of bus stop infrastructure due to the flag stop program in place. A more community-wide awareness is needed for existing and future residents of the town; bus stops are a key marketing and branding tool.

Since the existing fixed route conventional transit service represents best practices route design principles and is well known to the regular transit customers, it is prudent to: . Continue with the route travelways to the extent possible . Increase fixed route transit service coverage to areas currently not served in the southern communities of Fort Erie . Install bus stop infrastructure in urbanized areas and eliminate flag stop service in these areas . Continue with the flag stop program in only the rural travelways . Ensure that connections can be made with inter-municipal transit services

Recommendation: To be considered for southern communities of the Town of Fort Erie for implementation in 2017.

For the northern communities of Fort Erie (e.g. Douglastown/ Black Creek and Stevensville), it is relatively costly to provide the same level of service as the southern communities; however, low cost alternatives do exist such as community bus service, fixed route shared-ride taxis and fixed flex-route or off-peak service discussed in the foregoing.

Community Bus A community bus typically, but not necessarily, is a small- to medium-sized vehicle that is accessible and able to arrive close to locations that generate or attract a larger portion of seniors such as seniors’ residences, shopping centres, recreation, social, and medical facilities. Stay at home parents and children are another off-peak market served by community buses. Service frequencies tend to be hourly or even every two hours, and usually operate at off-peak periods. Sometimes a community bus service replaces a conventional route either completely, or during off-peak hours.

Recommendation: To be considered further for service to Douglastown/ Black Creek and Stevensville

Fixed Flex-route Concept A Fixed-flex route service combines some of the advantages of fixed route (predictable service, low cost per passenger) with those of door-to-door services such as FAST. A fixed-flex route bus would follow a normal scheduled route but have the ability to deviate off the route and return to the route within 5 minutes to continue their trip.

Fixed-flex route service would provide curb-to-curb service to some FAST registrants at no additional cost or at a marginal cost, in most cases. This reduces demand for FAST and also helps establish the

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pattern of FAST passengers to travel dynamically by using a scheduled transit service. The service; however, is not a replacement for all FAST customers since many will require the more personalized door-to-door customer service due to their disability.

A fixed flex-route can be employed along both arterial and collector roads similar to conventional transit and a community bus route. The vehicle can deviate from the established route to pick up and drop off FAST registrants, seniors with limited mobility, and others. Route deviations for pick-ups must be requested in advance, either through dispatch or by phoning the vehicle directly, if permitted. Deviations for drop-offs may be requested in advance, but can also be requested on-board and accommodated if the driver has sufficient time to do so.

Given the need to have a reliable schedule at stops and route-end points, it is necessary to set limits to both the number and the distance of deviations.

Recommendation: To be considered in the future for the more rural northern communities of Douglastown/ Black Creek and Stevensville as a potential option to community bus service. Other existing areas currently served would continue with fixed-route conventional transit service.

Fixed-route Shared-ride Taxi Where demand is low, a smaller vehicle contracted to the taxi industry offers a low cost option to residential areas that are too distant from existing fixed route transit services. A large accessible van or small bus can be used. The significant benefits are lower cost, extended reach for transit, and the ability to establish the pattern of catching a transit vehicle at a designated stop at a scheduled time – a skill that is necessary in order for people to use public transit. Taxis would travel along a set route and schedule and customers would board at designated bus stops, similar to conventional fixed-route transit.

Taxis could be used in a number of ways: . Feeder services from remote communities to link up with Fort Erie Transit at a designated bus stop or bus terminal area . A fixed schedule or fixed flex-route schedule . As a feeder service to employment areas not adequately served by public transit

Contracted taxi service providers would be compensated based on a negotiated hourly rate. The Town of Fort Erie might undertake to offer a minimum revenue guarantee in the contract tender, if deemed necessary to secure good quality bids.

Shared-ride taxis are used in conjunction with bus service as an interim solution until bus service is warranted. No dedicated dispatch service is required for this option. Since taxis would not offer a door- to-door service and is being shared, the service is not viewed as competing with regular taxis.

Recommendation: To be considered in the future for rural communities as a potential option to community bus or late night bus service. Taxis used in this option would need to accommodate mobility devices – an AODA requirement.

Dial-a-Ride Dial-a-Ride Service is a demand-response door-to-door service whereby residents call into a dispatch centre or driver cell phone to request service. A small bus is then sent to pick them up. For regular trips (i.e. daily, weekly, etc.), service can be arranged on a reservation basis so that the customer is not required to continuously call. Service can be completely in response to requests, or can be structured to operate on a frequency basis (e.g. every hour). In that case, the requester is given the next available

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time the vehicle can arrive to pick him or her up, and an approximate arrival time at destination. Similar to a fixed route shared-ride taxi, a Dial-A-Ride customers would be able to transfer to a bus route, if necessary, to complete a trip. On the return trip, the process is the same where the customer is also required to call and request the trip.

Dial-a-Ride Service is generally used in place of bus service in areas where population is sparse and demand for service is low. The need to request each trip and wait for the next available time can make it less convenient for the customer; however, this is offset by the convenience of door-to-door service, especially important during inclement weather. Given the relatively high cost and inconvenience, other options should be considered.

Recommendation: Not to be considered further for rural communities

Specialized Transit Specialized Transit service can be used as a demand-responsive alternative for those that are not eligible for specialized transit to help fill vehicles being used where capacity exists. A two-tier eligibility program would give priority to registered eligible customers while those that are ineligible would be able to book if seating is available. The service would be limited to communities within the Town of Fort Erie without any other option of public transit travel.

The practice of integrating conventional transit with specialized transit is practiced in many municipalities whereby specialized transit customers are transported to bus service to complete a trip and vice versa. This saves money and helps integrate the mobility impaired with the community at large. More information and analysis is out of scope for this study and will be required in order to consider this option further.

Recommendation: To be considered in the future through consultation with FAST

4.3 Recommended Transit Route Concepts The recommended route design developed by the study team was based on community priorities, the proposed transit policy framework and best practices. Also very important to the route and service design was the input of the front line bus operators who have up to 34 years of driving experience with Fort Erie Transit. To obtain the information required, bus operators played an important role in pinpointing suggested ‘must have’ bus stop locations that were critical in the route design process.

Given the different distances covered by the existing bus route leg (i.e. Smart Centre (Walmart) to Crystal Beach and Smart Centre (Walmart) to Fort Erie) and in consultation with Town of Fort Erie staff, it was determined that a bus transfer area or terminal would be best located in proximity to the Town of Fort Erie Municipal Centre – more geographically central for the route network and schedule design. The Smart Centre (Walmart) plaza would continue to act as a timed transfer point for connections with inter-municipal transit services until such time as the post-pilot Niagara Regional Transit service routes and schedules were finalized (May 2017).

To guide the design of the new route the existing route was partitioned into two separate route legs that would be equidistant. In terms of route frequencies, especially during the peak period, it was determined that the boardings that occur east of the Town site to Fort Erie were far greater than that west of the Town site to Crystal Beach. To quantify this, bus operators recorded total daily bus boardings from the July 26 through August 8, 2016.

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Boardings were recorded for each numbered bus location - 1 to 17 for the east and 17 to 25 for the west. The average weekly boardings for the two-week summer period are illustrated in Exhibit 17: Average Weekly Fort Erie Transit Boardings.

Between Town site and Fort Erie 822 per week = 70% of total

Between Town site and Crystal Beach 342 per week = 30% of total

Exhibit 17: Average Weekly Fort Erie Transit Boardings

Based on the findings, the study team concluded that a higher level of service would be warranted by east of the Town site than to the west.

The study team’s preferred concept consists of three routes: . Route East (Route #1) – conventional transit service . Route West (Route #2) – conventional transit service . Route North (Route #3) – community bus service

4.3.1 Route East (#1) The proposed Route East travel way closely follows the existing Fort Erie route between the area of Garrison Road near the Town municipal site and Fort Erie but has been expanded to include the Bridgeburg neighbourhood, Garrison Road and Fort Erie employment lands not currently served. With the exception of the Smart Centre (Walmart) plaza, the bus does not deviate onto other properties such

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as the International Gateway Plaza (Sobey’s) located at Garrison Rd. and Concession Rd. where pedestrian-vehicle and vehicle-vehicle safety conflicts are a concern given the narrow travel way. The walk distance to Garrison Rd. is well within established guidelines.

Route East (1A): Route East (1B): clockwise counter clockwise

Town Hall/ Garrison Town Hall/ Garrison Right on Garrison Right on Garrison Left on Spears Right on Daytona Left on Bertie Right on Orchard Right on Petit Right on Crescent Right on Gilmore Right on Phillips Left on Thompson Left on Daytona Right on Phipps Left on Dominion Left on Crooks Left on Helena Right on Bowen Right on Albany Right on Central Left in Legion Way Left on Catherine Left on Garrison Right on Niagara Pkwy Right into Walmart Right on Bertie Left on Thompson Left on Thompson Right on Bertie Right into Walmart Left on Niagara Pkwy Left on Garrison Left on Catherine Right on Legion Way Right on Central Right on Albany Left on Bowen Left on Helena Left on Crooks Right on Dominion Right on Phipps, Right on Daytona Left on Thompson Right on Phillips Right on Gilmore Left on Crescent Left on Petit Left on Orchard Left on Bertie Right on Daytona Right on Spears Left on Garrison Right on Garrison Town Hall/ Garrison Left into Town Hall Town Hall/ Garrison

Two buses would travel in a two-way loop, providing hourly service in each direction, which combines for a 30-minute service during the peak and 60-minute service in the off-peak. The 28.9 km route has been streamlined to improve schedule adherence and service reliability. The average speed of 28.9 km/h is less than the transit system average of 31.5 km/h, which has been difficult to maintain. Eliminating the flag stop grogram in urbanized areas will also help buses maintain schedule adherence further.

Alternating Route East buses is designed to integrate with Route West to minimize transfer requirements.

4.3.2 Route West (#2) The proposed Route West travels from the terminal at the Town municipal site area to Crystal Beach via Ridgeway in one direction and Thunder Bay in a second direction. A two-way loop to Crystal Beach begins at the intersection of Dominion Rd. and Bernard Ave. The proposed route provides improved coverage of Crystal Beach and better access to service for residents in Thunder Bay.

The 29.2 km route is similar in distance to Route East (28.9km) and as such, route design speeds for both routes would be similar.

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Since Route West would travel along larger portions if sparsely populated travelways, it can be safely assumed that actual travel speeds would be higher than Route East. To help balance the actual travel speeds, the two routes can be inter-lined -– much like they are today.

Route West (2A): Route West (2B): counter clockwise clockwise

Town Hall/ Garrison Town Hall/ Garrison Right on Buffalo Right on Buffalo Left on Phillips Left on Phillips Right on Daytona Right on Daytona Left on Dominion Right on Dominion Left on Bernard Left on Gorham Right on Thunder Bay Left on Disher Left on Ridge S Right on Ridge N Right on Mathewson Right on Farr Left on Ridgeway Left on Ridgeway Right on Erie Right on Rebstock Right on Lakewood Left on Lakewood Right on Rebstock Left on Erie Left on Ridgeway Left on Ridgeway Right on Farr Right on Mathewson Left on Ridge N Left on Ridge S Left on Disher Right on Thunder Bay Right on Gorham Left on Bernard Right on Dominion Right on Dominion Left on Daytona Left on Daytona Left on Phillips Left on Phillips Left on Garrison Right on Buffalo Town Hall/ Garrison Left on Garrison Town Hall/ Garrison

One Route West bus would be needed for service in 2017, providing service every two hours in each direction for a combined frequency of 60 minutes in the Crystal Beach area; this is the current level of service today. The 30.0 km route provides for an average speed of 30.0 km/h, which is slightly less than the transit system average of 31.5 km/h. Since approximately 50% of the route is on a rural travel way, the average speed is considered reasonable. Route West would be designed to integrate with Route East to eliminate the need to transfer and to balance the travel speeds, which is how the service is designed to operate today.

4.3.3 Route North (#3) The proposed Route North provides for an off-peak community bus service, which would provide one bus travelling from Douglastown/ Black Creek to the Smart Centre (Walmart) plaza via Stevensville, Oakhill Forest and the Town municipal site bus terminal in the morning. The bus would then travel in the opposite direction from Smart Centre (Walmart) in the afternoon. This off-peak service allows one of the Route East buses coming off service in the off-peak when Route East goes from 30-minute peak service to 60-minute off-peak service.

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The 37 km one-way trip distance could be completed within 45 minutes for an average travel speed of 50 km/h, which is considered reasonable given that over half the route travel way is along the QEW and rural roads. In order to keep costs at a minimum, the schedule would be developed in consultation with the service provider, Can-Ar Coach, to accommodate bus operator schedules to allow for breaks and minimize deadhead times (i.e. out of service to and from the garage). For example, when the Route East bus comes out of service in the morning, off-peak service would begin in Douglastown/ Black Creek after a bus operator morning break. The bus would operate for approximately 2 hours (e.g. 10 am to noon). In the afternoon, the bus could then begin service in the opposite direction at 1:00pm then terminate at approximately 3 pm before it begins service on Route East.

It should be noted that Route North service will need to be monitored closely to assess performance and potential for other lower-cost service options such as fixed-route shared-ride taxis or a fixed flex-route community bus that could also be used to accommodate FAST customers.

4.4 Five-year Transit Route and Service Plan

The 5-year Transit Service Plan is guided by the following service expansion strategy.

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4.4.1 Transit Priorities

4.4.1.1 Expansion of Service within the Town of Fort Erie

Transit service shall be expanded to provide service to residential communities within the Town of Fort Erie in 2017. Service will also be expanded to all employment areas that can be served through route redesign with consideration given to maintaining easy to remember schedules (e.g. every 30, 40 or 60 minutes).

4.4.1.2 Span of Service

Conventional Fixed Route Transit: As a minimum, fixed-route conventional transit service would need to accommodate employees that begin work shifts at 7am and businesses that end at 6pm, enabling employees to travel by bus to get home. Since the Town of Fort Erie is a tourist destination and stores are open, Sunday service will be required.

Community Bus: As a minimum, service will be provided during the weekday off-peak period.

4.4.1.3 Frequency of Service

A minimum hourly frequency will be applied to all conventional transit fixed-route service routes while community bus service in the more remote communities could be every 2 hours.

4.4.1.4 Service Quantity

As a guide, the annual service hours in 2017 will be based on the existing 0.35 service hours per capita enjoyed by the existing 21,200 residents then applied to the total population of 29,960. This would increase the service hours from approximately 7,400 today to 10,500 hours per year, representing an increase of 42% or 3,100 hours on an annualized basis.

2018 through 2021 The annual service hours will increase on a per capita basis to slightly exceed that of the Ontario-wide peer group (population of less than 50,000) average by 2021 (0.58 service hours per capita) given the longer distances needed to serve residents and businesses.

4.4.1.5 Summary

If the Town of Fort Erie is to compete with other Ontario municipalities, the Town must not only have a good roadway network for those that can afford private automobiles (the higher income cohorts), the Town must also have affordable public transportation for those that do not have access to an automobile (lower income cohort). The current level of transit service hour and level of municipal investment provided on a per capita basis today in the Town of Fort Erie reduces the Town’s economic competitiveness and mitigates the Towns ability to expand its tax base.

4.4.2 Five-year (2017-2021) Transit Service Expansion Plan The following is a high-level description of the existing service and hours of operation and the service expansion plan commencing August 1, 2017.

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The recommended budgeted hours of service by year and the service hours per capita based on the total Town of Fort Erie 2015 population (29,960) are summarized as follows: . Existing: 7,400 hours (0.25 hours per capita) . 2017: 8,433 hours (0.28 hours per capita) . 2018: 11,915 hours (0.38 hours per capita) . 2019: 15,925 hours (0.47 hours per capita) . 2020: 18,089 (0.56 hours per capita) . 2021: 18,750 (0.58 hours per capita)

The proposed increase in service hours from 7,400 today to 18,750 by 2021 is significant; however, the Town of Fort Erie and businesses have recently invested and continue to invest significantly in planned tourist industries, which requires access to employees while under-employed residents require affordable access to jobs. Further, as the population continues to age, more seniors will not be able to drive and will require affordable access to goods and services.

4.4.2.1 Current Fort Erie Transit Service

Description: One bus route with transfers at Smart Centre (Walmart) plaza Bus hours: . Bus 1: 6:30am-6:30pm Monday through Saturday (12 hours/ day) . Bus 2: 7:00am-7:30pm Monday through Saturday (12.5 hours/ day) . Total 24.5 hours of service per day . 302 days per year (no Sunday or statutory holiday service)

Annual service hours: 7,400

4.4.2.2 Proposed Versus Final Routes and Schedules

The proposed routes would be subject to minor modifications prior to implementation to reflect additional input and test runs that would need to take place. In this regard, the routing proposed is designed to avoid traffic bottlenecks and serve all existing and new priority destinations. Scheduled start and end times may also be modified for similar reasons and to ensure that transfers can also be timed to enable Fort Erie Transit buses meet with inter-municipal buses at the Smart Centre (Walmart) terminal or, if feasible, at the Town Hall bus terminal.

With respect to service to Stevensville and Douglastown/ Black Creek, it is suggested that off-peak service initially be provided by using a bus that is coming off peak service from the base system. If Council opts to have peak service, it will be necessary to purchase an additional vehicle, bearing in mind that a small to medium-sized bus will cost $200,000 or more to purchase and a conventional transit bus would cost over $500,000. The strategy is to start small (i.e. ‘walk before you run’) then grow service to remote communities as demand warrants and as budgets allow staff to do so. Low-cost alternative forms of service delivery can be considered and were discussed in Section 4.2 Route and Service Alternatives.

In summary, the proposed service hours and budgets are sufficiently flexible going forward.

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4.4.2.3 Proposed 2017 Service

The existing service will remain in effect until September 30, 2017. On October 1, 2017 the following improvements are recommended: . New route system that will require a third bus . Service expanded to provide better coverage . The main bus terminal will be located on or in proximity to the Town municipal site . Buses start earlier and end later to better accommodate businesses . Route East will have 30-minute peak period service in the peak and 60- minute in the off-peak . Bus 3 coming off Route East peak service will serve Route North A total of 8,433 hours is estimated for 2017, representing an increase of 1,033 hours or 14% over the existing contracted 7,400 annual service hours. The 0.28 hours of service per capita (total population) remains well below the Ontario-wide peer group average of 0.58 hours per capita.

4.4.2.4 Proposed 2018 Service

The following improvements are recommended to take effect August 1, 2018: . The peak period Route East bus will provide off-peak weekday service to Douglastown/ Black Creek, Stevensville and Oakhill Forest (Route North) . Sunday service will be introduced to Route East and Route West

A total of 11,915 hours of service is proposed for 2018, representing an increase of 3,482 hours or 41% over 2017. Although significant, the 0.38 hours of service per capita remains well below the Ontario peer group average (0.58 service hours per capita).

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4.4.2.5 Proposed 2019 Service

The following improvements are recommended to take effect August 1, 2019: . 30-minute all day service introduced on Route West to match Route East, requiring a fourth bus for the two routes . Route East and Route West would be fully interlined in a two-way figure 8; this will eliminate the need to transfer between the two routes in many cases . Service will be extended to 11:00pm to accommodate retail sector employees and customers

A total of 14,770 hours of service is proposed for 2019, representing an increase of 2,855 hours or 24% over 2018. Although significant, the 0.47 hours of service per capita remains below the Ontario peer group average (0.58 service hours per capita).

4.4.2.6 Proposed 2020 Service

The following improvements are recommended to take effect August 1, 2020: . Additional 1 hour of service added to Route Bus 5 would be needed in the transit system and could be used for peak service, if required (e.g. to accommodate high school students)

A total of 18,089 hours of service is proposed for 2020, representing an increase of 2,164 hours or 13.6% over 2019. The 0.56 hours of service per capita approximates the Ontario peer group average.

4.4.2.7 Proposed 2021 Service

The service in 2021 remains unchanged over 2020 but is in effect for the full year; the budgeted service hours will increase by a nominal 3.7%. At this point, Fort Erie Transit will provide 0.58 hours of service per capita in line with the peer group average.

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4.5 Transit Ridership Growth Plan Expanding route coverage within the Town of Fort Erie while increasing the annual transit service hours from 7,400 today to 18,750 within 5 years is a significant transit ridership growth strategy. Residents will have better access to jobs while businesses will have a larger pool of both employees and customers that currently do not have affordable access. Equally important is that the increased investment in transit enhances the quality of life of existing and future residents that have no other affordable means of travel.

The following addresses specific strategies to maximize the effectiveness of the service expansion.

4.5.1 Branding Transit By simply eliminating the flag stop program in urbanized areas and adding bus stop signs and other bus stop infrastructure to the transit system, Fort Erie Transit will be more recognizable by far more residents than the few that use the system today.

4.5.2 Expanding the Client Base With an expanded transit system and hours of operation, Fort Erie Transit is in a better position to target specific markets, which are discussed in the following.

High School Students The Town of Fort Erie would be in a position to provide an alternative to yellow school bus transportation for high school students, which is proven to be effective elsewhere in Ontario. If schedules are designed appropriately, buses could be used to transport students by transit thereby filling seats and increasing revenues. High school student bus passes can be purchased by the school board; this would add new revenue to the Fort Erie Transit system. Equally important, high school students – the future market for transit – would be exposed to the benefits of transit and would have free use of transit for after school activities and part time jobs.

At the same time, school boards may be able to save in the cost of some of their school bus trips. Although potential savings realized by the school boards does not affect the municipal budget, the opportunity to save money is realized by the municipal taxpayer.

An alternative to using Fort Erie Transit to and from school, is the availability of a deep discount after school ‘activity pass’ that allows unlimited travel after school hours and on weekends; however, Fort Erie Transit would need to expand the hours of operation to allow for students to benefit from this strategy.

Social Service Clients The Ministry of Social Services provides a $250 monthly allotment for Ontario Works and ODSP clients to travel for job-related programs; however, $165 is needed for a regional transit pass (Port Colborne, Niagara Falls, Welland, St. Catharines), leaving only $85 for other transportation-specific expenses. Since the Social Service programs in Niagara Region are primarily offered outside of the Town of Fort Erie, the added $80 cost of a Fort Erie monthly pass is cost prohibitive. One solution would be to expand the regional transit pass program to include Fort Erie Transit at no additional cost to the Social Services client – at least initially. Over time, transit use can be tracked and quantified thereby enabling the Town of Fort Erie to negotiate a share of the regional transit pass revenue.

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4.5.3 Transit Technology A number of small transit systems in Ontario such as Midland, Penetang, Bradford West Gwillimbury and Chatham utilize low-cost fare collection technology that is integrated with GPS. The technology is considered a transit ridership growth strategy by the Province of Ontario given its ease of use and eliminating the need for exact cash fare. By integrating with GPS, the Town of Fort Erie will be able to track transit use by bus stop, direction and time period (by trip, by hour, time of day, week, month, and annually). Knowing bus stop boarding activities will help identify priorities for transit shelter enhancements such as benches and shelters.

Other benefits of the smart cards include: . Eliminates fare evasion . Reduced boarding times Driver Console . Tracking of smart card use through embedded serial numbers . Flexibility in fare pricing (i.e. to the one cent level, if required) Smart Card Reader . Ease of implementing fare Farebox changes

A critical benefit of an integrated smart card-GPS system is that the Town of Fort Erie will not only be able to monitor bus stop activities, schedule adherence performance data would be also be provided. This would provide the information needed to adjust schedules, as required and provide the Town of Fort Erie with the ability to monitor the performance of the service provider (i.e. Can-Ar Coach). Since cloud-based software is used, there is no ongoing requirement for a server or support required from Fort Erie IT staff.

With GPS-equipped buses, the opportunity for the public to track buses on-line at home or outside with their smart phones or personal device assistants (PDA) will enable them to reduce their wait time at buses and ensure that buses are not missed. This is important during inclement weather conditions when buses could be behind schedule.

Next Stop Announcements The Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act (AODA) requires that all transit systems must announce their approach to the next bus stop to assist the visually impaired. The audio technology can be twinned with interior digital signs to assist the hearing impaired. The next stop announcement can be integrated with the smart card system technology. This AODA requirement is scheduled to be in effect on January 1, 2017. At the time of writing, no options are available through the Operator to provide this level of service nor have any budgets been presented to Council to allocate for this expense.

On-board Security Cameras Transit systems across Canada have installed security cameras on buses as a deterrent and for liability purposes. More important, transit customers and bus operators will feel more secure while travelling especially in the more remote areas of the community during evening periods.

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4.5.4 Bus Fare Pricing Strategy Bus fare pricing can be designed to target specific markets to encourage transit use. The current cash fare is as follows: . $2.50 cash fare (given the distances travelled, $2.50 is a bargain) . 5-strip ticket is $11.25 ($2.25 per fare; 10% discount) . 10-strip ticket is $21.00 ($2.10 per fare; 16% discount) . Monthly pass is $80.00 ($2.00 per fare based on using service 5 days per week; 20% discount) . Children under 5 ride for free

With improvements made to the transit system, it would be reasonable to support an increase in the base cash fare. People are willing to pay for better service as a rule.

Two-hour Transfer A fare strategy that can may be considered to increase transit use and revenues is to offer at least a 20% discount to the cash fare for tickets and passes and this would involve increasing the cash fare, which is usually paid by infrequent transit customers. For example, if the cash fare is $3.00, a 25% ticket discount would provide for a bus fare of $2.25 per ticket. Although this is slightly higher than the 10-ticket discount price of $2.10, it can be coupled with a time transfer policy that would allow a transit customer to travel on any bus in any direction within a two-hour period from the time the passenger boarded the bus.

One example of the benefit of the 2-hour transfer time is that a customer can board a bus in Crystal Beach and shop at Smart Centre (Walmart) then board the next bus within 2 hours to Fort Erie or even return home. Only one fare would be required. When introduced in Kitchener-Waterloo in 1986, which was one of the first transit systems in Ontario to do so, the strategy was found to be revenue neutral and resulted in increased transit use. The ‘free’ transfer was designed for 1) the single parent who had to drop off their child at daycare then resumed travel to work on the next bus and 2) the stay at home parent who needed to go to a store with their pre-school child during the day and shop for essentials rather than wait for the family car at the end of the work day.

High School Activity Pass With expanded hours of operation, the high school activities monthly pass can be made available to students to use after school should they remain to participate in after school hours activities or travel to their part time job. For example, a deep discount of $20 per month would provide for very inexpensive travel when bus capacity is available (e.g. evenings and weekends). The pass would also benefit parents who do not have to pick up high school youth after school.

Smart Cards A smart card system with a myriad of payment options built in (day pass, family pass, etc.) would greatly help in providing numerous fare payment options, eliminate fare disputes, and make transit more convenient.

4.5.5 Bus Stop Infrastructure Bus stops will provide the branding needed to increase the profile of Fort Erie Transit as mentioned previously. Amenities such as bus stop pads (concrete or asphalt), benches and shelters are also needed and the demand by residents will increase as the flag stop program is phased out in the urbanized areas.

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Based on the consulting team’s municipal experience, the demand for bus shelters will likely be a top three request once transit service levels have improved. It will, therefore, be important that the Town of Fort Erie maintain an ongoing bus stop installation and replacement program in the capital budget.

Bus stop infrastructure will be dealt with in more detail in a separate report to be incorporated into this plan.

4.5.6 Town Site Bus Terminal The existing terminal at Smart Centre (Walmart) serves a good purpose; however, there will be a number of challenges should up to four buses or more need to be accommodated at one time. These challenges may be overcome by working with the Smart Centre (Walmart). Although an important location in terms of where people want to go to shop or transfer to regional transit bus connections, the location is not central to the new Fort Erie Transit service. Although the existing terminal would continue to be accessed by Fort Erie Transit buses to accommodate transfers to Niagara Falls, consideration could be given to locating the Niagara Falls bus to a new Town Site terminal.

The benefits of the Town Site bus terminal are: . Central to the Fort Erie Transit routes . Ease of Garrison Road access and egress for buses . Across from new Greater Fort Erie Senior Secondary School . Town Hall/ Leisureplex/ YMCA services and buildings are key destinations . Good bus circulation for bus access and egress . Availability of public washrooms during all service hours . Municipality owned and controlled location . Significantly improves the image of Fort Erie Transit

In terms of amenities, it is suggested that the Town Site bus terminal house a large heated and accessible shelter as a passenger waiting area. A more detailed assessment of the site should be undertaken relative to vehicle movements and bus parking area to accommodate transfers. It is also suggested that the Town of Fort Erie consider using Fort Erie Transit buses for travel to Niagara Falls given the lower hourly cost for the service and the potential ability to serve Stevensville and Douglastown/ Black Creek.

4.5.7 Increasing Public Transit Services Expanding the reach of transit and increasing service hours will have the largest impact in growing transit use within the Town of Fort Erie. Since many goods, services and employment opportunities are outside of the Town of Fort Erie, it is reasonable to assume that transit use on the Niagara Falls bus will grow as well; however, the span of service (hours of operation) will need to be increased. This is being considered in the Niagara Region’s regional transit study, which was underway during the writing of this report.

Expanding service as recommended will better address existing needs of residents that have no choice. For residents that are fortunate to own a car or multiple cars – the largest transit market potential - the change from auto to transit will not occur overnight; it will take time. As a newly branded transit system becomes more visible, the hours of operation are expanded and more communities are served, a choice will emerge. Some households will not need that 2nd or 3rd auto and they may choose to reduce car

45 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

ownership immediately or when a car needs replacement.

4.5.8 Community Liaison Bus operators are the front-line public liaison for Fort Erie Transit and based on community feedback and observations of the consulting team, they do an excellent job relative to customer service. On the other hand, incidents such as late bus complaints and requests to extend service are beyond the control of the bus operator and require other levels of assistance.

Schedule information and complaints are now handled by Can-Ar Coach staff directly and forwarded or escalated (depending on the incident) to the Town of Fort Erie Transit Program Manager, herein referred to as TPM (Transit Program Manager). Other public inquiries such as requests for service are also handled by Can-Ar Coach; however, the town’s TPM can also receive requests directly or through Council inquiries. A nominal 15% of the Transit Program Manager’s salary is allocated to conventional transit.

Transit administration is relatively new to the Town of Fort Erie and in earlier years, allocating 15% of the Transit Program Manager’s salary to conventional transit may have been reasonable; however, the level of expertise required and the amount of time dedicated to addressing transit issues has increased significantly and will continue to do so as a result of: . Significant increases in transit service provided (i.e. more passengers means increased incidents) . More communities served equates to the need for additional community outreach . Addressing AODA issues . Working with school boards to transport some students to and from school to reduce yellow school bus costs, regardless of what government jurisdiction benefits; this recognizes there is only one taxpayer . Conventional transit and specialized transit are becoming more integrated . Increased liaison with local businesses and social service agencies . Protecting Town of Fort Erie interests in a regionalized or more integrated transit network with other Niagara Region municipalities . Transit-specific technologies will be playing a greater role . Transit planning technical expertise will increasingly be relied upon . Expanding service to competitive levels with other municipalities will require significant budget increases and as such, more staff accountability will be sought . Attendance at transit workshops to keep on top of industry best practices should be encouraged . Provincial and Federal transit funding for small and rural communities is increasing and as such, a more dedicated transit staff member will be needed to assess opportunities for enhanced funding (e.g. expanding bus stop infrastructure) . Performance-based transit operating agreements are not uncommon and require a higher level of administration overall, sophistication and negotiating skills . Seeking low-cost service alternatives to reduce costs is an ongoing requirement to minimize the impact to the Town of Fort Erie taxpayer

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In the opinion of the consultant team a more realistic time requirement for a staff member dedicated to public transportation in the Town of Fort Erie would be in the 50% to 60% range almost immediately should council support the proposed 5-year Transit Route and Service Plan in whole or in part.

4.6 Five-Year Transit Operating Budget 4.6.1 Variable and Fixed Operating Costs For budget forecasting purposes, the following will be assumed: . The 2015 hourly cost ($52.04) paid to Can-Ar Coach will be applied to the variable cost of on- street operations for the 2017-2021 period . The 2015 fixed General and Administration Expenses of $129,755 will be in place for all years with the flowing exceptions: o Based on Section 4.5.7 Community Liaison, Transit Program Manager portion of salary and benefits would increase as follows: . $13,826 in 2015 (15% of salary and benefits) . $15,000 in 2017 . $30,000 in 2018 . $50,000 in 2019-2021 (approximately 50% of salary and benefits) o In 2017, enhanced marketing costs of $5,000 per year will be added to accommodate enhanced community outreach o In 2017, bus stop maintenance will be added to the budget to accommodate snow removal, etc. . Cross-boundary Services cost assumed to remain constant; however, this is subject to the Niagara Regional Transit system plan that is scheduled to be completed by May 2017 . Other – Program Support estimated at $150,000 from 2017 to 2021 is subject to further review and confirmation by Town of Fort Erie since actual costs will vary based on the percentage of total tax dollars spent on transit in relation to the total municipal tax dollars expended in a given year. Fort Erie Transit accounts for 4% of total municipal tax dollars. . Advertising revenues received in 2015 will be estimated for 2017 . Beginning in 2018, bus bench advertising would be introduced. It will be assumed that 10 bus advertising benches will each produce $70 per month of net revenue in 2018 and an additional 5 benches per year after added until 2021

4.6.2 Future Transit Ridership and Revenues In 2015, Fort Erie Transit carried 47,558 revenue passengers while the cross boundary buses served by Niagara Falls Transit carried 8,805 passengers for a total of 56,363 passengers. It is reasonable to assume that as service within the Town of Fort Erie increases, so will the number of passengers using the Niagara Transit cross boundary service that, in turn, will increase the cross boundary revenues received; this will reduce the net cost accordingly if service to Niagara Falls remains unchanged.

The proposed transit performance goal is to increase Fort Erie Transit use of 2.55 passengers per capita of the existing service area population of 21,200 reported in 2014; however, based on the total population of 29,960 there were 1.80 trips per capita. A goal has been set to increase transit use to 3.1

47 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

passengers per capita for the total area population of 32,680 by 2021. In this regard, Fort Erie Transit’s local service carried 47,558 passengers in 2015 (1.60 passengers per total population). The goal is to more than double transit use to 100,000 passengers by 2021.

The following ridership estimates are recommended for budgeting purposes subject to implementation of the proposed transit service expansion plan. . 2016: 1.58 trips per capita (total population 29,960 for total ridership of 48,000 . 2017: 1.80 trips per capita (total population of 31,030) for total ridership of 55,584 . 2018: 2.00 trips per capita (total population 31,300) for total ridership of 62,600 . 2019: 2.50 trips per capita (total population 31,700) for total ridership of 79,250 . 2020: 2.80 trips per capita (total population 32,200) for total ridership of 90,160 . 2021: 3.10 trips per capita (total population 32,680) for total ridership of 101,308

In order to estimate the additional revenues generated, it has been assumed that the additional transit ridership estimated will have an average fare of $2.00. This approach is suggested in light of the revenue risk taken by the contractor, which is reflected in the low hourly cost of service.

4.6.3 Future Dedicated Gas Tax The Province of Ontario allocates 2 cents of every litre of gas sold in Ontario to municipalities throughout Ontario that financially support public transportation (conventional transit and specialized transit). When allocating the revenues to municipalities, 30% of the local gas tax is based on the local population as a percentage of all municipal populations that support transit. The remaining 70% allocated is based on transit ridership levels. With a modestly growing municipality such as in the case with the Town of Fort Erie, transit ridership growth higher than the provincial average becomes more critical.

In 2015, the Town of Fort Erie received dedicated gas tax funding of $114,644 for conventional transit. It is difficult to determine what gas tax funding will be made available in the future since market conditions have a significant bearing. However, given the potential doubling of transit use by 2021, a nominal amount has been allocated to reflect increases in service as follows for budgeting purposes: . 2017: $120,000 . 2018: $125,000 . 2019: $135,000 . 2020: $145,000 . 2021: $150,000

4.6.4 Specialized Transit In order to meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the service hours of Fort Erie Accessible Transit (FAST) must be expanded to match that of the Fort Erie Transit days and hours of operation. FAST is currently available from 6:30am to 7:30pm Monday through Saturday. FAST service hours would need to be progressively increased as follows: . October 1, 2017: o Weekdays: start at 5:15am instead of 6:30am (unlikely need) and end at 8:00pm (added 30 minutes) – total of 1.75 hours per weekday o Saturdays: start 15 minutes earlier, end 30 minutes later – total of 0.75 hours per Sat.

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. August 1, 2018: o Sunday service introduced at 11.5 hours per day (7:15am – 7:00pm) . August 1, 2019 and thereafter: o Increased weekdays by 3 hours to 11:00pm By August 1, 2019 FAST hours of operation would increase over existing service by 4.75 hours per weekday, 0.75 hours per Saturday and 11.5 hours on Sundays. On an annualized basis, this would equate to a specialized transit vehicle being available by an additional 1,834 hours per year. Given the increase in the aging population, the additional hours of FAST service availability will help accommodate the anticipated growth in demand.

4.6.5 Proposed 2017-2021 Transit Operating Budget The proposed 2017-2021 transit operating budget as illustrated in Exhibit 18 is driven by the quantity of service increased from 0.25 hours per capita based on total population to 0.63 hours per capita in 2021.

49 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

Exhibit 18: 2017-2021 Proposed Fort Erie Transit Operating Budget

4.6.6 Transit Service Plan Summary In summary, the service increase is proposed to more than double by 2021; however, the service hours provided on a per capita basis would be in line with the 2014 Ontario-wide peer group. Given that the Town of Fort Erie communities are dispersed over a large area, the service hours are considered to be modest.

The Town of Fort Erie has been presented with a budget that reflects community expectations and best practices. The reality is that Council will need to deal with the doubling of the municipal contribution by 2021 in order to address Council’s 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, which was adopted into by-law on June 15, 2015. Specifically, the plan addressed alternative modes of transportation to ensure access to the entire community, addressing the needs of those that do not own a car and to improve linkages to expand inter-municipal transit.

50 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II

4.7 Recommendations It is recommended that the Town of Fort Erie: 1. Approve, in principle, the 2017-2021 Transit Route and Service Plan Report Phase I and II prepared by Transit Consulting Network; and 2. Direct staff to prepare budgets and forecasts for 2017 and beyond reflecting the service plan as approved in principle; and 3. Direct staff to undertake Study Phase III Bus Stop and Facility Improvement Plan based on the route concepts developed.

Going forward, Town of Fort Erie staff will need to expand its efforts to engage the community – local residents, businesses, social service agencies, school boards, and other Niagara Region transit systems – to maximize the return on every transit dollar through partnerships and developing lower-cost opportunities to serve residents. Monitoring of the expanded transit system will, therefore, prove to be a necessary element to maximize accountability to Council and to recommend change in the future.

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APPENDIX A Online Questionnaire

Town of Fort Erie Transit Study This survey is for the residents of the Town of Fort Erie. We are undertaking a study to determine the future of public transportation in the area. To assist us, we would like you to fill in this survey whether or not you use Fort Erie Transit.

Your input is important to the outcome of the study. This survey should take under 10 minutes. You can fill out the form online by going to www.forterie.ca or you can complete this form and hand into the Town of Fort Erie or fax your filled out questionnaire to 905-871-6411 to the attention of Carla Stout, Town of Fort Erie on or before Friday, June 30, 2016. The answers to this survey are protected by the Canadian Privacy Act.

1. Please indicate what area of the Town you live in? a) North End / Bridgeburg b) South End c) Lakeshore/ Garrison Village d) Crescent Park e) Thunder Bay/ Oakhill Forest f) Ridgeway g) Crystal Beach h) Stevensville/ Snyder/ Douglastown/ Black Creek i) Other (specify)______

2. What is your gender? ______

3. What is your age? (Circle one) a) Up to 17 years b) 18-24 years c) 25-44 years d) 45-64 years e) 65-74 years f) 75 years and older years

4. Which of the following describes your status? (circle all that apply) a. Employed full time b. Employed part time c. Unemployed d. Home maker e. Retired f. Student (up to Grade 8) g. High school student h. University, college or vocational school student

5. Do you have a driver’s licence? a) If Yes, go to Question 6. b) If No i. Does a physical, sensory, or other impairment prevent you from operating a vehicle? 1. Yes 2. No

6. How do you normally travel within Fort Erie? (select up to 3) a) Auto as a driver b) Auto as a passenger c) Fort Erie Transit d) FAST (Fort Erie Accessible Transit) e) Taxi f) Bike g) Walk h) Other

7. How many persons live in your household? (Circle one) a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 e) 5 f) 6 or more

8. How many autos are at your household? (Circle one) a) none b) 1 c) 2 d) 3 e) 4 or more

9. How close is the nearest Fort Erie Transit bus route to your home? (circle one) a) Under a 5 minute walk b) 5 to 10 minute walk c) 11 to 20 minute walk d) 21 to 30 minute walk d) More than a 30 minute walk e) Do not know

10. Have you used Fort Erie Transit service in the past year? a) If Yes i. What are the top three (3) destinations (areas of the Town) you normally travel to by Fort Erie Transit ______

ii. What are the top three (3) improvements you would like to see to increase your use of Fort Erie Transit service? ______b) If No i. If public transit is provided where and when you need it, what statement best applies below? 1. I will consider using Fort Erie Transit for some of my trips 2. I will consider using Fort Erie Transit for most of my trips 3. I will consider using Fort Erie Transit for all of my trips 4. I would not use Fort Erie Transit even if it is available to me ii. If bus service was provided where and when you need it, our household would consider giving up our automobile or at least one of our automobiles in the future: 1. Yes 2. No 3. Not applicable; I do not own a car

11. What additional comments or opinions do you have about Fort Erie Transit? ______12. What social media do you use most (circle up to 3): a) Facebook b) Twitter c) YouTube d) Snapchat e) Yelp f) Instagram g) Other (Specify______h) Do not use social media

13. What is your total annual household income? (Circle one) a) Under $20,000 b) $20,000 and over c) $35,000 and over d) $50,000 and over Thank you for your co-operation! e) $75,000 and over f) $100,000 and over g) $150,000 and over h) Do not know/ no response