Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan Update Pioneer Valley Transit Authority Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Overview of PVTA Services ......................................................................................... 2 1.3 Planning Process ........................................................................................................ 2 1.3.1 Review of Transit Services and Market Conditions ......................................... 3 1.3.2 Scenario Planning ........................................................................................... 3 1.3.3 Public Outreach ............................................................................................... 3 1.4 Needs and Recommendations .................................................................................... 4 2. Background and 2020 Context ............................................................................................ 6 2.1 Background ................................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Governor’s Commission on the Future of Transportation ................................ 7 2.1.2 A Vision for the Future of Massachusetts’ Regional Transit Authorities ........... 8 2.1.3 Transportation & Climate Initiative ................................................................... 9 2.2 2020 Context ............................................................................................................. 10 2.2.1 COVID-19 Pandemic ..................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ........ 11 2.3 Plan Considerations .................................................................................................. 11 2.3.1 Transit Demand and Economic Uncertainties ............................................... 11 3. Agency Overview ............................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Transit Agency Background....................................................................................... 13 3.2 Mission ...................................................................................................................... 19 3.3 Vision Statement ....................................................................................................... 19 3.4 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................ 19 4. Transit Service Overview (FY 2015–FY 2019) .................................................................. 21 4.1 Description of Transit Services .................................................................................. 21 4.1.1 Service Characteristics .................................................................................. 31 4.1.2 Service Changes ........................................................................................... 45 4.1.3 Financial ........................................................................................................ 48 4.2 Ridership and Service Operations ............................................................................. 51 4.2.1 Ridership ....................................................................................................... 51 4.2.2 Annual Revenue Hours ................................................................................. 74 4.2.3 Annual Revenue Miles ................................................................................... 75 4.2.4 Annual Operating Cost .................................................................................. 75 4.2.5 Annual Revenue ............................................................................................ 76 4.3 Safety and Security ................................................................................................... 77 4.4 Asset Management ................................................................................................... 79 4.4.1 Facilities ......................................................................................................... 81 4.4.2 Vehicles ......................................................................................................... 83 4.4.3 Technology .................................................................................................... 88 4.5 Policies and Procedures ............................................................................................ 90 4.5.1 Customer Policies .......................................................................................... 90 4.5.2 Service Policies ............................................................................................. 92 4.6 Regional Connections and Other Transportation Providers .................................... 101 4.7 Sustainability Initiatives ........................................................................................... 104 4.8 Fare Rates and Structure ........................................................................................ 106 AECOM ii Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan Update Pioneer Valley Transit Authority 4.8.1 Collection Methods and Media .................................................................... 106 4.8.2 Fare Structure .............................................................................................. 107 4.8.3 Fare Policy ................................................................................................... 109 5. Market Evaluation ............................................................................................................ 110 5.1 Service Area Overview ............................................................................................ 110 5.2 Demographics and Socioeconomics ....................................................................... 110 5.2.1 Population Density ........................................................................................111 5.2.2 Older Populations .........................................................................................111 5.2.3 Youth Population...........................................................................................111 5.2.4 People with Disabilities ................................................................................ 115 5.2.5 Measures of Income .................................................................................... 115 5.2.6 Zero-Vehicle Households ............................................................................ 119 5.2.7 Minority Populations .................................................................................... 119 5.3 Employment ............................................................................................................ 119 5.4 Local and Regional Travel Patterns ........................................................................ 123 5.5 Land Use and Growth ............................................................................................. 123 5.6 Transit Score ........................................................................................................... 126 6. Performance .................................................................................................................... 129 6.1 Current Performance Measurement Practices ........................................................ 129 6.1.1 State and Federal Monitoring Requirements ............................................... 129 6.1.2 Performance Metrics and Targets from MassDOT Memorandum of Understanding ............................................................................................. 131 6.1.3 How PVTA’s Market Has Been Affected by COVID-19 ................................ 138 6.2 Considerations for the Next 5 Years: Moving to a Data-Driven Performance- Focused Decision-making Framework .................................................................... 141 6.2.1 Data ............................................................................................................. 142 6.2.2 Performance Metrics ................................................................................... 142 6.2.3 Service Guidelines ....................................................................................... 143 6.2.4 Public Transparency .................................................................................... 148 7. Transportation Service Needs ......................................................................................... 149 7.1 Needs Identification Process ................................................................................... 149 7.1.1 Review of Previous Studies ......................................................................... 149 7.1.2 Outreach Effort ............................................................................................ 150 7.2 List of Identified Needs ............................................................................................ 163 7.2.1 Existing Fixed Route Needs ........................................................................ 164 7.2.2 Demand Response Needs .........................................................................