METRO SERVICE CHANGE LINE 577 EXPRESS: A TALE OF TWO BUS LINES

METRO SERVICE CHANGE LINE 577 EXPRESS: A TALE OF TWO BUS LINES

METRO SERVICE TO RIO HONDO COLLEGE LINE 270 LINE 577 El Monte Rio Hondo College 2

BACKGROUND Overcrowding problems identified on Line 270 at Rio Hondo college last fall; Experimental route change implemented on Line 577 in December to address problem; Public hearings held in February 2014 by GWC & SGV Councils to obtain public input on experiment; Service Councils approved permanent route change at March 2014 meeting; Future progress reports on both lines requested by Councils. 3

LINE 270 LOADING PROBLEM OCTOBER 2013 LINE 270 Dir Along At Max Load On Off N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 38 292 140 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 44 160 239 Total Line Ridership: 3533 Total 452 379 Before MARCH 2013 Dir Along At Max Load On Off N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 32 216 97 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 38 113 186 Total Line Ridership: 3283 Total 329 283 Before 4

LINE 577 - MODIFIED DECEMBER 2013 OCTOBER 2013 Dir Along At Max Load On Off N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 19** No Stop S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 26** No Stop Total Line Ridership: 914 MARCH 2013 Dir Along At Max Load On Off N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 19** No Stop S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 19** No Stop Total Line Ridership: 788 Before Before Asterisk denotes rider loads departing El Monte and Norwalk Stations 5

ON-BOARD COMPARISON: POST CHANGE LINE 270 LINE 577 MARCH 2014 MARCH 2014 Dir Along At Max Load On Off Dir Along At Max Load On Off AFTER N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 29 226 105 N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 21 63 61 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 32 135 123 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 22 56 35 Total Line Ridership: 3187 Total 361 228 Total Line Ridership: 970 Total 119 96 AFTER FEBRUARY 2014 FEBRUARY 2014 Dir Along At Max Load On Off Dir Along At Max Load On Off AFTER N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 34 240 123 N WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 20 64 54 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 40 152 204 S WORKMAN MILL COLLEGE 24 52 33 Total Line Ridership: 3252 Total 392 327 Total Line Ridership: 951 Total 116 87 AFTER Note: Spring Break March 24-28. Ridership counts adjusted to reflect missing data. In addition, February counts adjusted to reflect Presidents Day (Lincoln & Washington). 6

RIDERSHIP SHIFT AVERAGE WEEKDAY BOARDINGS AT RIO HONDO COLLEGE TIME PERIOD LINE 270 LINE 577 COMBINED AVERAGE BOARDINGS AVERAGE BOARDINGS TOTAL BOARDINGS PRE--CHANGE OCTOBER 2013 452 N/A 452 POST CHANGE MARCH 2014 361 119 480 NET CHANGE -91 119 28 7

QUESTIONS RAISED BY GATEWAY CITIES & SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COUNCILS 1) How many passengers now board at the college? 2) How much time does it take to operate the new route? 3) Was the frequency of service changed to offset any added running time? 4) What impact has this change had on express riders? 5) Do riders to Rio Hondo need to pay an express fare to ride? 6) Do express riders receive a reduced fare if the route change increased their travel time? 8

STAFF RESPONSE TO COUNCIL QUESTIONS 1) How many passengers now board Line 577 at the college? Approximately 119 boardings occur each weekday at the college. This number is expected to grow. 2) How much time does it take to operate the new route? The route change by itself has added only 1-2 minutes to the running time, which was reallocated from excess layover. Road construction activities in the area, however, have subsequently added 2-3 extra minutes in the southbound direction. One additional revenue hour was added to the June schedule to offset the construction and ensure adequate recovery time. 3) Was the frequency of service changed to offset any added running time? No. The frequency of Line 577 was not changed and continues to operate about every 40-45 minutes. 9

STAFF RESPONSE TO COUNCIL QUESTIONS 4) What impact has this change had on express riders? Minimal impact as only a few extra minutes of travel time were added to affected 577 trips. This can be mitigated somewhat by the speed advantage provided by HOV travel on the freeway. 5) Do riders traveling to or from Rio Hondo College need to pay an express fare to ride? Students ride for no additional charge with a valid Go Rio TAP Card or Metro Student Pass. Regular riders pay the base fare and one or two freeway increments, depending upon the distance traveled. 6) Do express riders receive a reduced fare if the route change has increased their travel time? No. Express fares are based not on travel time savings, but rather on the amount of freeway travel. Lines like 577 operate via freeway for most of their route. They are faster and make fewer stops. The net increase in travel time is minimal and limited to selected trips as not all are impacted. 10

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? 11