in association with… REGION OF NIAGARA Niagara Transit Service Delivery and Governance Strategy Executive Summary Report November 2016 – 16-3664 i Executive Summary Introduction Niagara Region, with a population quickly approaching half a million residents, is part of Canada’s economic, institutional, and cultural heartland. It is composed of 12 municipalities, three main urban centres, and a number of towns, villages, and rural areas. It has significant economic, tourism, and quality of life advantages, but its potential has not yet fully materialized. Dillon Consulting Limited, in association with McNeil Management Services and the Gooderham Group, was retained to assess the existing inter-municipal transit service in Niagara Region and develop potential options for future delivery of inter-municipal transit services for consideration by the Niagara Inter-Municipal Transit Working Group. This included an assessment of options for service design, service delivery and governance, fare integration, fare payment technology and trip planning. A key driver in the study is the adherence to a set of guiding principles adopted by the Niagara Inter- Municipal Transit Working Group prior the initiation of this study. The guiding principles indicate that an effective inter-municipal transit system will be: 1. Customer Driven 2. Explore Unconventional Solutions 3. Integrated 4. Economically Responsible 5. Fair These guiding principles have been used throughout the study to develop and evaluate options for transit governance, service delivery and customer service. Background Inter-municipal transit services have been in place in Niagara Region since the 1990s with the introduction of service between Welland/Niagara Falls and Niagara College. In September 2011, the Regional Municipality of Niagara, the St. Catharines Transit Commission, the City of Niagara Falls, and the City of Welland entered into a pilot project agreement to formalize the provision of inter-municipal transit through the establishment of Niagara Region Transit (NRT). Today, inter-municipal transit service is provided through a combination of Niagara Region Transit and post-secondary link routes. Inter-municipal transit has a number of benefits to the Region and its residents. Notably it: provides cross-boundary mobility (connecting residents that may not have access to an automobile to places of work, school and health services within Niagara Region); supports transit ridership to future GO Train service to Niagara. For many customers the daily commute does not end at a GO station. Integrated public transit solutions are an important part of a multi-modal transportation system that will support daily GO Train service in Niagara; facilitates economic development and investment (addressing unemployment issues in the Region by providing access to jobs in adjacent municipalities). Investment attraction favours region’s which have available land and building inventory, have incentive programs and are well connected with the infrastructure and services required to motivate and attract a desirable workforce. Inter-municipal transit can be a powerful economic-development engine helping to transform the region by attracting people to live and conduct business here. The most Region of Niagara Niagara Transit Service Delivery and Governance Strategy - Executive Summary Report November 2016 – 16-3664 ii competitive regions already have integrated transit systems and continually invest more in public transit. contributes to a high quality of life for Niagara residents (including potential reduction of household income spent on the purchase and operation of automobiles); and While these benefits demonstrate the need for strong inter-municipal transit connections in the Region, ridership on Niagara Region Transit services has been low and has not reached the levels of ridership and cost recovery initially projected. This is in part due to the challenge of providing service in a large, dispersed geographic area as well as the lack of integrated services, with post-secondary routes often duplicating Niagara Region Transit routes. On a positive note, Niagara Region Transit has seen steady year-to-year growth in both ridership and revenue, and public opinion surveys completed have supported the continued operation of inter-municipal transit. The existing pilot will expire in May 2017 and a decision needs to be made regarding the structure and delivery of inter-municipal transit services, including how inter-municipal transit is integrated with post-secondary and local transit within the Region. The recent provincial announcement confirming GO Train service between Hamilton and Niagara Falls by 2023 has added extra impetus to move towards an integrated transit framework. In order to best leverage this valuable service for residents of the Region, a robust transit system connecting residents to the new stations in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Grimsby continues to be required. Review of Existing Services The study began by examining the existing inter-municipal services offered by the various transit systems in the Region and their partners, as well as the Niagara Region Transit. It was found that the post-secondary link connections have a high degree of utilization, but offer limited service on evenings, weekends and summers1. Meanwhile, NRT routes often run on parallel corridors but are under-utilized. There is very little interface and synergy between the two sets of services, and as a result, the network as a whole is prevented from reaching its full potential. There has also been a lot of good work completed to integrate inter-municipal and local transit services and provide a higher standard of customer service for passengers. This includes integration of schedules (to minimize waiting time), fare integration and effective communication between transit operators to address customer service complaints. The rural link routes, which connect communities such as Fort Erie and Port Colborne to the larger urban centres, constitute an important part of the regional network. Despite lower ridership, these services are valued by the local communities and will continue to fulfill crucial transportation needs in an improved future network. Peer Review A peer review was completed to gauge the existing service offering and financial performance of a cumulative Niagara system (combined total of Niagara Region Transit, St. Catharines Transit, Niagara Falls Transit, Welland Transit, Fort Erie Transit, Port Colborne Transit, Niagara-on-the-Lake Transit) relative to other regional transit systems in Canada. Compared its peers, the cumulative Niagara system has less ridership, provides less service hours per capita and has less total investment per capital by municipal governments. From a financial performance perspective, the combined Niagara system has a 1 Note: While post-secondary services are generally reduced during the summer months, Niagara College does contract limited summer service to Welland Transit Region of Niagara Niagara Transit Service Delivery and Governance Strategy - Executive Summary Report November 2016 – 16-3664 iii cost recovery ratio that is higher than comparable systems, primarily due to the higher financial performance of inter-municipal post-secondary routes. It should be noted that Niagara Region’s unique multi-nodal structure (with large rural areas separating urban centres) makes direct comparisons with any of the peer transit agencies difficult. Stakeholder Consultation Stakeholder meetings were held to determine how both transit customers, residents, students and businesses as well as transit operators perceive the systems’ strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Key groups consulted include student unions from the Region's two post-secondary institutions, business community representatives, social service organizations, transit union and driver representatives, transit operators and municipalities outside of the core urban area of Niagara (St. Catharines/Thorold, Niagara Falls, and Welland) that both currently provide and do not have transit service. Their valuable input was used to understand what elements are essential in shaping the future development of an integrated inter-municipal network. Some of the common themes that emerged from the stakeholder meetings were: 1. Extended Service Hours: Stakeholders expressed a strong desire for extended evening and weekend service. Given the strong concentration of service sector employment in Niagara Region, a dependable way to move around the Region outside of traditional 9-5 hours is essential. All stakeholders emphasized that an improved regional transit system would go a long way in attracting employment, retaining students, and improving the quality of life of all residents in Niagara Region. 2. Better Connections and Integration: Stakeholders emphasized the need for a well-integrated, customer-friendly system that puts passenger needs first. In order to increase accessibility throughout the Region and leverage the existing and future GO Transit connections, the system must be viewed as an integrated whole, with a rationalized and robust service offering. Connection points and timings must be improved, and links to Hamilton Street Railway were also identified as being critical. 3. Fair Cost: Stakeholders representing transit customers voiced their insistence that a region-wide consistent fare strategy needs to be developed. As part of this strategy, the fare structure should not unduly punish passengers