By Nicholas Miller
I’d like to start out this post by saying that I’ve had very good experiences on the NFTA. The buses were timely. I can check the schedule through Google Maps on my smartphone. The MetroRail is fast and actually goes to quite a few of the destinations I care about – UB South, the Darwin Martin House, Downtown, Allentown, and it’s not too far of walk from much of Elmwood, if you’re not in a rush. There’s also decent airport bus service. However, there are some very simple things that the NFTA could do to improve their service. Here are my thoughts.
Reduce the Number of Bus Stops
This may strike a lot of people as counter-productive. Who would want to walk farther to get to the bus? Well, I would. I would gladly walk an additional block (or two) if it means the bus will come more frequently and get me to my destination more quickly. Nearly a quarter of an average bus’s service time is spent as dwell time. That’s the time a bus spends picking up riders and dropping off passengers. Another quarter of the time is spent at stop lights and fighting traffic (for instance, trying to merge into traffic after pulling over at each stop). For comparison, a subway may only dwell for 15 seconds at each stop, which represents a miniscule percentage of its service time and there are no traffic delays. I’ve made a few illustrations to show how the number of stops affects service quality. First is a typical bus route:
It takes three buses on the above route to maintain 15 minute headways (the time between buses). The overall route takes 45 minutes to complete in one direction. Let’s reduce the number of stops by one third and see what happens:
By reducing the number of stops, the route can be completed ten minutes faster. There’s less pulling in and out of traffic, and having fewer stops cuts down on the bus pulling over separately to exclusively collect riders and exclusively let passengers off. The overall time savings means the route can actually lose one of the buses and maintain nearly the same headway. The rider has to walk a block or so farther to get to a stop, but they save up to 10 minutes on their overall trip, and again, the bus comes nearly as frequently as before. The Transit Authority gets to save by having fewer vehicles operating at once, which means fewer drivers and less vehicle wear and tear. If the transit agency is only looking to increase transit quality and not for cost savings, the next option is even better:
Here the headway has been reduced to 12 minutes and the overall ride has again been reduced by 10 minutes. Riders get greater frequency and a faster ride with very little cost to the transit agency.
Rather than cutting routes to save money, I would suggest that the NFTA consider cutting stops. It not only saves money, but it can actually improve the quality of the service and thereby attract more riders. Of course, stops are very political. Everyone wants a bus stop right in front of their home and place of work, but everyone also wants fast, thorough, and effective service. The NFTA should make the case that reducing stops is good for everyone overall. It improves the quality of the service and makes it more cost-effective.
Improve Bus Stops
The NFTA would do well to improve their bus stops, not just for sake of rider comfort but to improve the cost-effectiveness of providing transit. A well-designed stop can further reduce dwell time and traffic delays. Here are some simple ideas:
Bus Bump-outs: Bump-outs allow for more space for stops, which allows for better designed stops with greater permanence and comfort. However, more importantly, they prevent the bus from having to pull in and out of traffic, which saves time. Faster buses means you need fewer buses which equals cost savings. Will it inconvenience drivers in that lane? Yep. Maybe they’ll consider riding the bus because of it. Every year a road gets repaved somewhere. The NFTA should work closely with the state and different municipalities to integrate bus bump-outs into road maintenance. In the immediate term, steel or even wooden platforms could serve as temporary bus bump-outs.
Level-boarding: This would be a long-term goal. Over time, the NFTA should purchase buses that allow for level boarding. Level boarding will also involve creating bus stops that are slightly elevated. Level boarding is more convenient, particularly for riders who use wheelchairs. It also saves time and time is money.
Off-board Fare Collection: Riders should pay for the bus before they get on the bus. Why? Because it saves time and time is money. If there’s space (see bus bump-outs), bus stops can require payment before entering and be designed to only enable those within the station to board the bus.
Bus Tracking: All stops should have a simple digital display that tells me when I can expect the next bus. Why? Because it’s the 21st century. At the very least, all stops should have a printed schedule posted. This doesn’t save money or speed the bus up, but it does make the transit experience less stressful and attract ridership.
Improve Buses
Electric Buses: Very few transit authorities make use of trolleybuses or trackless trollies. Those are the buses that run off of overhead wires. They’re mostly used in hillier locales like San Francisco or Seattle because they allow for greater power to get up hills. Dayton, Ohio – which is quite flat – also happens to make use of electric buses. Electric buses are quieter and last longer (read: cheaper in the long run). Electricity also happens to be cheaper than gas. The NFTA would do well to consider electrifying many of its routes.
Better Buses: Over time, the NFTA is going to fully replace its bus fleet. As it does so, it should keep in mind purchasing buses that reinforce a sleek and attractive brand. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Washington D.C. all have attractive, sleek buses that people would be happy to ride. There’s no reason that a bus can’t have the sleekness and quality of design that we expect from streetcars or light rail vehicles.
Respect the Customer
Every driver and transit worker should be engaged in providing excellent customer service. Sure, public transit is subsidized and many riders don’t have a choice. However, many riders do have a choice and everyone deserves to be treated with respect. It’s also important to retain riders who may eventually have the means for other transportation options. Every single rider should be treated with the utmost politeness and friendliness. Vehicles and stations need to be kept clean and inviting. Every customer matters.
I should pay a compliment here to the driver I had the other day on the 24 from the airport. She was polite and happily answered questions about which routes to take to get to different destinations. Simple things like this make a big difference in how people regard the service. Again, every customer matters.
Conclusion
There are a lot of simple things that can be done to make taking the bus easier, faster and more enjoyable. Incidentally, many of these solutions would also allow the NFTA to save money and generate revenue. The NFTA needs to be surgical with how it chooses to control costs and make the service sustainable. These solutions attack the problem on many fronts while staying true to current riders and improving the service in ways that can attract discretionary riders.