The Streamlined Public Transit Commute.

Transcription

1 The Streamlined Public Transit Commute. Background Statement As the total U.S. population grows and disperses, traffic congestion begins to affect cities where it once was not a major problem. As the second-fastest growing city in America 1, Austin faces particular challenges. The public transit system is one way to ease traffic and parking issues and deal with air pollution. Austin s transit system is known as Capital Metro and includes both busses and the MetroRail. The bedrock under many parts of Austin, as well as present development, makes an underground metro impossible. In addition to these main services, Capital Metro offers MetroAccess for disabled passengers, van and carpool coordination, cycling programs and more 2. A relatively young metro system, Capital Metro has been serving Austin since It maintains a fleet of 400 busses that serve 2,700 stops and operates on a budget of $193.3 million 3. Approximately 110,900 people board the bus per week, which is about 13 percent of the total Austin area population (842,592, which includes Hays County, Travis County, and Williamson County) 4. However, even this diverse range of services faces challenges serving the Austin community effectively. Problem Statement Like many city bus systems in the U.S., Capital Metro faces difficulties. The following is a list of pain points associated with the current use of the bus system. Attracting riders of higher socioeconomic brackets is difficult. Bus systems in the U.S. face cultural challenges among drivers who own a vehicle and desire reliability and personal space. Some who could easily ride the bus to work, school or recreational destinations simply don t because they perceive the busses as unable to match their schedule or, to a lesser extent, crowded, dirty and for poor populations. The current app does not display real time information. Busses arrive at times that are sometimes vastly different from when the app states they are expected. The QR code scan or text the bus systems also do not appear to display real time information, Busses are not evenly spaced on routes. This results in two busses on the same route arriving at the same time, leaving gaps in service and long wait times. Bus route names are confusing. The current names do not convey quick and easy to understand information to riders. This discourages both regulars and tourists. Bus stop signage is a wasted opportunity. The City of Austin has revamped many bus stops to be more comfortable, but currently no signage is displayed on the cork boards or digital crawlers. 1

2 Once on the bus, desired behavior and crowd dispersal are not readily obvious. Crowds tend to form towards the front of the bus, while seats remain open in the back. This creates a dangerous and uncomfortable environment for all riders, sometimes discouraging future use. Riders must purchase passes frequently and the passes are not made to last. Paper cards get bent in purses and wallets and they don t feed through machines well. Meanwhile, UT students have sturdy plastic cards that last for years. Austin residents must fumble with change or crinkled bills to use the bus, a deterrent in itself as many young people don t carry hard currency. Poor lighting at stops leads to safety concerns and drivers missing passengers. Riders have long wait during evening non-peak hours in the dark, leading some to feel unsafe, especially in areas with higher crime rates. In addition, bus drivers sometimes drive right by passengers who are there waiting simply because they can t see them. Solution Statement Many of these issues could be solved by redesigning the mobile app to encourage more use of the bus. Further steps could be taken overtime to deal with each proposed pain point above. Solution in Detail Redesigning the Mobile App It is absolutely essential to the design of the app that the busses be fitted with GPS trackers capable of delivering real time information. The following is a mockup of the potential app redesign. See video demonstration of the app at The app will feature easy navigation, real time route data, a trip planner, a self-selecting user profile with notifications and a save stop feature, which can either be selected from a list of stops or by scanning QR codes at each stop the rider frequently uses. A profile would not be required, so tourists and visitors would be able to use the app only when in town. 2

3 Renaming the Bus Routes Bus routes currently do not offer riders useful information. I propose cardinal directions be added to the route names and displayed on the busses electronic signage. For example, route 101 runs north and south. The bus heading north would display 101N along with the current route information, N Lamar. Riders would not have to learn anything new but would get more information from signage. Visitors would feel assured they are getting on the bus going the correct direction without having to ask the driver or a resident. 3

4 Spacing the Busses Along Their Routes Drivers are not currently equipped to space themselves evenly between the buses immediately in front of and behind them. This fails to account for the way most people would like to use a bus. For instance, it would be more convenient for many people if they knew their bus would come about every 30 minutes. This would reduce wait times and frustration in conjunction with the app. The picture below shows a simple green or yellow light system that could help drivers maintain even distances and eliminate gaps in service. Since the busses have real time data available, a yellow light would come on signaling a driver to wait at the next stop to maintain even spacing. The green light signals the driver to go as soon as possible. Bus Stop Signage Currently, the new bus stops don t display any signage. The image on the right shows route information on the digital crawler, an enlarged QR code to encourage downloads of the app and a large, colorful poster. Posters could either generate advertising revenue to offset costs of the new GPS system or display information about desired behavior on the bus (i.e. finding a seat if available to avoid crowding, giving up a seat in the front for the elderly or disabled). 4

5 Capital Metro Card Currently, riders can buy paper passes of different value either on the bus or online at These passes are easily lost or wrinkled and rendered unusable. While the paper pass systems are useful for people visiting Austin, residents must use a far inferior system to what UT students use, which includes a sturdy plastic pass that is easily swiped. I propose regular riders be able to obtain a plastic card at transit centers and the DMV. It could be linked to an online account that would allow users to put pre-paid funds on the card for their use. Allowing users to order the card gives Capital Metro another entry point to educate users in the importance of using public transit, suggest tips or encourage employers to offer transit funds to encourage employees to ride the bus. Lighting at Stops Finally, to solve the problems associated with poorly-lit stops without doing a costly renovation, Capital Metro could use a non-electric solution. STARPATH 5 is a glow-in-the-dark material that provides extra light and ambiance to surfaces while adding non-slip benefits. Lighting bus stops with this material is energy efficient and could work well with the personality and unique feel of Austin, potentially acting to create positive associations with the Cap Metro system. Added benefits include safety and visibility for both riders and drivers and increased ease of use for riders with limited sight (it would be very obvious where to stand and how far away the bus stop is at night, 5

6 Similar Existing Solutions ICommute DC displays real time bus data. In addition, the DC metro and bus systems use color codes, rather than numbers, for more accessible route names. Who I Am I'm Eliza and I'm interested digital and real-world user experience, be it an app or a party. I think structurally, but focus on aesthetics. 6

7 Works Cited Test the app on your device: 7