CONNECT MID-HUDSON Transit Study Final Report | January 2021 1 2 CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 2. Service Overview ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1. COVID-19 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2. Public Survey ................................................................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.1. Dutchess County ............................................................................................................................................10 2.2.2. Orange County ................................................................................................................................................11 2.2.3. Ulster County ..................................................................................................................................................11 3. Transit Market Assessment and Gaps Analsysis ..................................................................................................................12 3.1. Population Density .....................................................................................................................................................12 3.2. Employment Density ..................................................................................................................................................14 3.3. Transit Potential .........................................................................................................................................................16 3.4. Microtransit Opportunity Zones .................................................................................................................................18 3.4.1. Areas with Low Transit Potential ...................................................................................................................19 3.4.2. Areas Unserved by Fixed-Route Service ........................................................................................................21 3.4.3. Areas Poorly Served by Fixed-Route Service .................................................................................................23 3.5. Regional Commuting Patterns ...................................................................................................................................26 3.5.1. Regional Gaps Analysis ..................................................................................................................................28 3.5.2. Assessment of Intra-Regional Transit Connections ......................................................................................32 3.6. Congestion and Parking Capacity Constraints ..........................................................................................................37 3.6.1. Congestion Hot-Spots.....................................................................................................................................39 3.6.2. Park-and-Rides with Capacity Constraints ....................................................................................................43 4. Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................45 4.1. Commuter Service Improvements .............................................................................................................................45 4.1.1. Service Monitoring and Oversight .................................................................................................................45 4.1.2. Passenger Information and Mobile Payment................................................................................................49 4.1.3. Congestion Hot Spot Mitigation .....................................................................................................................51 4.1.4. Park-and-Ride Capacity Improvements .........................................................................................................55 4.2. Regional Microtransit Service ....................................................................................................................................60 4.2.1. Turn-key Service Model ..................................................................................................................................61 4.2.2. Service Descriptions and Costs Estimates ...................................................................................................65 4.2.3. Challenges to Implementation ......................................................................................................................78 5. Financial Plan .........................................................................................................................................................................79 5.1. Capital and Operating Cost Overview ........................................................................................................................79 5.1.1. Capital Costs ...................................................................................................................................................79 5.1.2. Operating Costs ..............................................................................................................................................81 5.2. Availability of Funds ...................................................................................................................................................83 5.3. Creating a Regional Funding Framework ..................................................................................................................83 6. Closing Statement ..................................................................................................................................................................84 Appendix A – Online Survey Comments........................................................................................................................................85 Appendix B – Final Set Of Comments ........................................................................................................................................ 119 3 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Mid-Hudson Valley region, consisting of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties, is characterized by its small towns and cities, separated by rural farmland and undeveloped land along the Hudson River Valley. The region is served by a multi-modal transit network, including bus, rail, and ferry services, and its proximity to New York City has historically allowed many residents to commute into the City for work. The region’s transit services are provided by an array of public and private operators, each with its own approach to operating and marketing transit. The Connect Mid-Hudson Transit Study aimed to identify ways to better coordinate and connect existing transit systems internally, between the three study area counties; and externally, between the three-county region and the Albany and New York City metropolitan areas. Key areas of analysis included the effectiveness of intercity coach services; opportunities for new technologies and service models such as app-based microtransit service; capital improvements to alleviate congestion or capacity constraints at park-and-rides and along transit corridors; and a review of service performance and customer satisfaction monitoring. The recommendations phase of this study was conducted in the midst of a global pandemic, which dramatically altered travel and commuting patterns in the study area and throughout the world. While the pandemic created immense hardships for the region, it also created an opportunity to fundamentally rethink all aspects of regional transit service. This document presents recommendations aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of the regional services operating in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties. Key recommendations of the Connect-Mid Hudson Transit Study include the following: ◼ Creation of a Transit Ombudsman – to serve as an advocate and point of contact for the region’s commuters, especially those who rely on publicly-subsidized but privately-operated commuter bus services. ◼ Aggregation of Transit Service Information onto a Single Platform – to simplify trip planning and facilitate future functionality such as mobile fare payment and microtransit/micro-mobility integration. ◼ Capital Improvements – focusing on roadway congestion hot-spots and capacity-constrained park- and-ride lots that impact the efficient operation of regional transit service in the Mid-Hudson Valley. ◼ Introduction of App-Based Microtransit Service – to provide local mobility and regional connections where fixed-route service is either not available or not effective. ◼ Adoption of a Regional Transit Funding Framework – to create a structure for planning and dispensing the region’s unallocated Federal transit funding balance and support the service and capital improvement recommendations. This document consists of four