Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 7 Report Timeframe & Data... 7 Study Organization... 7 Data Analysis... 7 Public Involvement... 7 Recommendations... 8 I

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2 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 7 Report Timeframe & Data... 7 Study Organization... 7 Data Analysis... 7 Public Involvement... 7 Recommendations... 8 INTRODUCTION TO PASADENA TRANSIT AND PASADENA DIAL-A-RIDE Organizational Structure SECTION 1: PASADENA TRANSIT History System Rebranding Real-Time Arrival Information Technology Funding System Structure Fare Structure and Programs Transfers TAP Fleet and Facilities Fleet Facilities Evaluation of Pasadena Transit Services Service Effectiveness: Ridership Service Effectiveness: Passengers per Hour Service Efficiency: Operating Expense per Hour Cost Effectiveness Agency Comparison Route Profile Analysis Pasadena Transit System Map Route Page 2

3 Route Route 31/ Route Route 51/51s/ Route Existing Conditions: Transit in Pasadena Fixed Route Transit Service Ridership Stop Ridership Line Ridership Bus Overcrowding Metro Gold Line and Regional Connector SECTION 2: DIAL-A-RIDE System Structure Funding Ridership Characteristics Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Membership Card Transition to TAP Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Performance Trends Service Effectiveness: Ridership Service Effectiveness: Passengers per Hour Service Efficiency: Operating Expense per Hour Cost Effectiveness Agency Comparison Collaboration and Outreach Relationship to Access Services SECTION 3: PUBLIC OUTREACH Public Involvement Highlights of Outreach Meeting Comments Pasadena Transit Demographics Survey Feedback Overall Satisfaction Survey Feedback Sunday Service Survey Feedback Trip purpose, transfers, satisfaction by Route Page 3

4 Survey Feedback Optional Comments Pasadena Transit Users Survey Feedback Non transit users Survey Feedback Comments from Non-riders SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT Pasadena Transit Recommendations Dial-A-Ride Recommendations SECTION 5: CONCLUSIONS Page 4

5 Figure 1: Pasadena Transit Logo Figure 2: "Connecting the Dots" Logos Figure 3: Pasadena Transit Bus Wraps Figure 4: BusFinder Figure 5: TAP Card and TAP Validator Figure 6: Pasadena Transit Ridership Figure 7: Pasadena Transit Ridership by Route Figure 8: Map of LA Metro Regional Connector Figure 9: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Trip Purpose Figure 10: Dial-A-Ride to TAP Membership Cards Figure 11: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride tabling at a senior event Figure 12: Pasadena Transit Trip Purpose Figure 13: Satisfaction with Pasadena Transit Figure 14: Satisfaction with Pasadena Transit Service Figure 15: Sunday trip purpose Figure 16: Overall Satisfaction by Route Figure 17: Trip Purpose by Route Figure 18: Transfers by Route Figure 19: Reasons not using public transportation Map 1: Transit Coverage in Pasadena Map 2: Pasadena Transit Average Weekday Boardings by Stop Map 3: All Agency Average Weekday Boardings by Stop Map 4: Average Weekday Ridership in Pasadena - Pasadena Transit Map 5: All Agency Average Weekday Ridership by Line Map 6: Pasadena Transit AM Peak Overcrowding by Segment Map 7: Pasadena Transit PM Peak Overcrowding by Segment Map 8: Dial-A-Ride Service Area Map 9: Dial-A-Ride Typical Monthly Pick-Ups by Address Map 10: City of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Members by Census Block Map 11: Pasadena Transit Commuters Zip Codes Outside of Pasadena Table 1: SRTP Recommendations and Cost Table 2: Pasadena Transit Fare Structure Table 3: Pasadena Transit Ridership Table 4: Pasadena Transit Hours by Route Table 5: PPH - Local Lines Table 6: PPH - Feeder Lines Table 7: Pasadena Transit Operating Cost Per Hour Table 8: Pasadena Transit Cost per Passenger Page 5

6 Table 9: Pasadena Transit Agency Comparison Table 10: Pasadena Transit PPH Table 11: Agency Review - Passenger Based Data Table 12: Summary Table of PPH by Route Table 13: High ridership stops - Pasadena Transit Table 14: High ridership stops - All Agencies Table 15: Daily Boardings by Line - All Agencies Table 16: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Ridership Table 17: Dial-A-Ride PPH Table 18: Dial-A-Ride Cost per Hour Table 19: Dial-A-Ride Cost per Passenger Table 20: Dial-A-Ride Agency Comparison Table 21: SRTP Recommendations and Cost Table 22: Retain Grant Funded Increased Frequency Cost Table 23: Additional Sunday Service Cost Table 24: Increased Weekday Frequency Cost Table 25: Extend Saturday Hours Cost Table 26: Increased Saturday Frequency Cost Table 27: Extend Weekday Hours Cost Table 28: Extend Route 40 Cost Table 29: Dial-A-Ride Recommendation budget Appendix 1: Appendix 2: Appendix 3: Appendix 4: Appendix 5: SRTP Workshop Outreach SRTP Workshop Materials and Agenda SRTP Completed Worksheets Onboard/Online Survey Instrument and Survey Results Boarding and Alighting Data by Route and Stop Page 6

7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Report Timeframe & Data This document outlines the SRTP planning process and the work products that will shape the operating programs and capital projects for the period of 2018 through The evaluation data provided in this report uses the National Transit Database (NTD) for its baseline measurement as well as a point of comparison to Pasadena s peer agencies. Using the most recently published NTD data is the industry standard for transit performance analysis and comparison. As of August 2018, the most recently available NTD published data was through Fiscal Year (FY) There is a two year lag with published NTD data due to the period of time it takes for year-end data collection and submission to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), their evaluation period, and then the final auditing and publishing of the data into the NTD by the FTA. While the most recent available audited and published data in this report is from FY2016 for both Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride, the unaudited data demonstrated a nominal change in ridership in FY2017, with a 1% increase in ridership in both services. Study Organization A Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) is intended to guide short range programming of transit services and outlines future operating programs and capital projects that support the policy goals for local transit services in the City of Pasadena. The SRTP is a management tool to guide ongoing improvements to the City-operated local transit system. The Department of Transportation has developed this SRTP for the Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial- A-Ride service covering the period of 2018 through This major work effort examines the performance of the service, the existing and short-term service deficiencies and needs, and provides: An overview of the existing transit system; An evaluation of Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride existing performance; An assessment of existing unmet needs; Consideration of alternatives to improve system performance and address unmet needs; and A recommended operating and capital plan. Data Analysis The evaluation of existing performance included a route-by-route analysis of weekday and weekend ridership by hour and by stop for Pasadena Transit. Route ridership and stop level data was also analyzed for the other bus services that operate in Pasadena, including those operated by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Foothill Transit, and Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Commuter Express. Data analysis of the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride program is presented as well. In addition, each program s performance has been assessed in comparison to its peer agencies. The results of all of the data analysis were used to confirm the results of the public outreach effort, as well as to develop and prioritize the final recommendations. Public Involvement The SRTP process was designed to encourage stakeholder involvement and include public comments from a number of sources. As part of this effort, a series of public meetings were held and an onboard and online survey was administered. DOT staff also invited participation and input from various City commissions. The feedback from this public outreach effort is the basis for this SRTP and was used to develop and prioritize recommendations for revised and new transit service. Page 7

8 Recommendations The in-depth ridership analysis and public outreach process conducted for this SRTP informed the development of key recommendations for DOT s transit programs. The following are these key recommendations to implement as funding becomes available: Retain Grant Funded Service Implement Sunday Service Increase Weekday Frequency Increase Saturday Frequency Extend Weekday Hours Operate Earlier on Saturday Modify Route 40 to Serve Del Mar Station and South Lake Ave. Retain Grant Funded Dial-A-Ride Service Increase Implement New Dial-A-Ride Technology Each of these recommendations is examined in more detail in this document. Below is a system map of the Pasadena Transit service routes that were analyzed for this SRTP and following is a summary of the recommendations. Page 8

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10 Page 10 Table 1: SRTP Recommendations and Cost

11 INTRODUCTION TO PASADENA TRANSIT AND PASADENA DIAL-A-RIDE The City of Pasadena Department of Transportation Transit Division runs two programs: Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride. Since 1994, Pasadena Transit has been a community circulator serving the City of Pasadena. Today Pasadena Transit provides six local fixed routes which connect Pasadena residents, visitors and workers to key points of interest throughout the city, and also to the regional transportation network including the Metro Gold Line. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is a shared ride, curb-to-curb transportation service for residents who are at least 60 years old or who are under 60 years old with a disability that prevents the use of fixed route bus service. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride provides service to residents of Pasadena, San Marino and the adjacent unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County including Altadena, Kinneola, Chapman Woods, and East San Gabriel. To run these programs effectively, the Department of Transportation s Transit Division has responsibility for implementing and managing the Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride programs. The transit program responsibilities include managing the service contract, program development, service planning, performance monitoring, regulatory and reporting compliance, customer service, outreach, marketing, grants management, transit capital program management, maintaining program records, and actively representing the City s transit programs at the local, regional and state levels, among other responsibilities. Organizational Structure Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride are major program areas of the City s Department of Transportation (DOT) and support one of the City s Guiding Principles that Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without cars. 1 The Department s Transit Division has program responsibility for Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride. The Transit Division includes the following positions: Transit Manager Two (2) planners (senior and associate levels) Management Analyst Program Coordinator Senior Customer Service Representative Two (2) part-time college student interns, filled depending on budget and demand DOT s mission is to achieve the safe, efficient and convenient movement of people and goods within Pasadena, while concurrently ensuring a balance between land use and transportation to maintain a livable community in which cars are not necessary to travel within the city. To achieve this mission the Department is organized into a complementary team designed to execute a variety of diverse, interrelated activities through its Administrative, Complete Streets, Transit, Traffic and Parking Divisions. The identified goals for the Department are the following: 1. Implement the complete streets, safety, and intelligent transportation system strategies. 2. Provide and enhance safe, reliable, seamless and exemplary local transit services in the City of Pasadena and the Dial-A-Ride service area. 3. Enhance the efficiencies of on-street and off-street parking management. 4. Enhance organizational and operational effectiveness and efficiency within the department. The DOT Division Managers report to the Director of Transportation who reports to the City Manager. The City Manager provides oversight and direction to ensure that all departments are responding to City Council goals, applying policy consistently, and planning the services, programs and projects that will ensure Pasadena maintains its status and character as a wonderful and vital community in which to live, work, and play. 1 Pasadena General Plan, Mobility Element, 2015, Guiding Principle #5. Page 11

12 SECTION 1: PASADENA TRANSIT History Pasadena Transit (formerly Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System or ARTS) services and programs have undergone significant changes since its inception in the early nineties as a single shuttle route serving downtown Pasadena. The system began as Pasadena ARTS in June 1994 with the Downtown Route that connected Old Pasadena, the Civic Center, the Playhouse District and the South Lake Business District. In mid-1996, the Uptown Route was added to provide service to the northwest and eastern areas of the City with connections to the Downtown Route in Old Pasadena. The Uptown Route provided increased transit service to residents in Northwest Pasadena with connections to the Civic Center, the shops on North Lake, and to East Pasadena. It also provided coverage to the high density senior housing on Villa between Los Robles and Lake. In 2001, in anticipation of the opening of the Metro Gold Line opening in 2003, a major goal of the City was to expand and restructure the Pasadena ARTS service so that each of the light rail stations would be served by the City s local transit system. The system that was subsequently developed is largely reminiscent of today s Route 10, Route 20, Route 31/32 and Route 40. In June 2003, Pasadena ARTS was again expanded to add two routes, the Route 51/52 and the Route 60 to provide connections to the Rose Bowl, ArtCenter College of Design, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Hastings Ranch, among other locations. A fare structure was introduced in July 2003 to coincide with the opening of the Gold Line. Three basic fare categories were established: a base fare of 50 cents; a youth fare of 25 cents; and a fare of 25 cents for seniors and individuals who are disabled. The establishment of a base fare of 50 cents enabled the City to enter into interagency transfer agreements that allowed riders from Pasadena ARTS to transfer onto either a Metro or Foothill Transit bus or the Gold Line for an extra 25 cents. In 2009 fares were increased to 75 cents as a base fare, 50 cents for youth, and 35 cents for seniors and individuals who are disabled. In 2010, Pasadena ARTS was forced to implement service cuts, including eliminating Sunday service, to address funding shortfalls due to the economic recession. The result was a ridership decline of 13% over the previous year. In addition, aging vehicles had made the service unreliable and on time performance was in the low 80% s. The City of Pasadena s crucial local transit service was struggling operationally due to a severe reduction in revenue. As a purely locally funded system, the City had few, if any, funding options to address the pressing operational and capital needs that were threatening the sustainability of its local transit network. However, with the support of City Council, and through interdepartmental and interagency collaboration, Pasadena ARTS was able to replace its entire fleet of aging vehicles and implemented other capital and operational improvements which led to a resurgence of the service. Since 2013, ridership rebounded 15% on Pasadena Transit during a time when national and regional ridership trends were on decline. In July 2013, a route modification was made to Route 10 resulting in both westbound and eastbound travel along Colorado Blvd. in the Central District, as well as significantly increased frequency on the popular and heavily used Route 20 (this increase is funded through 2020 by a federal grant). In Fall 2015, another service change was implemented to add frequency to Route 31 in the middle of the day (this increase is also funded through 2020 by a federal grant). In Spring 2017, Pasadena Transit was awarded a federal grant to fund Sunday service for three years beginning in July Page 12

13 System Rebranding In December 2015, the Pasadena ARTS was rebranded to Pasadena Transit. This rebranding was the result of a collaboration with the ArtCenter College of Design. This multi-year process to transform the brand from Pasadena ARTS to Pasadena Transit included the following: A course was established at the ArtCenter that focused solely on brand development for the City s local transit service. Figure 1: Pasadena Transit Logo A panel of branding and marketing experts selected four campaigns for consideration from a dozen campaigns developed in the ArtCenter class. A stakeholder committee was assembled consisting of city officials, transportation and marketing professionals, as well as patrons of the system. An independent third-party performed primary research that included focus groups and online questionnaires to gather input from community members and users of the system with respect to specific brand elements. Based upon the findings a single brand campaign was selected by the stakeholder committee. This brand was presented at several City committee and commission meetings. Pasadena City Council approved the new Pasadena Transit brand and it was officially launched in December The final brand consists of a simple circular logo supported by the tagline Connecting the Dots. Brand elements creatively depict iconic Pasadena locations such as the Colorado Bridge and City Hall. The brand is simplistic and intended to clearly convey that Pasadena Transit connects people to places. Figure 2: "Connecting the Dots" Logos Figure 3: Pasadena Transit Bus Wraps Page 13

14 Real-Time Arrival Information Technology Simultaneously with the unveiling of its new brand, Pasadena Transit launched its real-time arrival information system to the public that allows passengers to track their bus arrival in real-time via a variety of smart phone and web applications and with BusFinders. Initially, 80 BusFinders were installed at key bus stops throughout the City, including stops serving Gold Line stations, major time points, and high demand stops. BusFinders are solar-powered, rugged interactive devices that are affixed to bus stop posts which provide the predicted real-time arrival of buses. With just the push of a button on a BusFinder the real-time information for any buses that are due within the next 45 minutes is displayed on its screen. This new technology was funded by grants through Metro s Call for Projects program, Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equality Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), and local funding. Figure 4: BusFinder Funding Pasadena Transit is primarily funded by the Los Angeles County Local Return Transportation Sales Tax program including Proposition C, Measure M and Measure R. Its other major funding sources include fare revenue; advertising revenue from the City s bus shelter program; additional funding received as a result of the City s participation in the voluntary reporting of NTD data; and funding that is distributed to Pasadena Transit as a Tier 2 Operator, 2 along with Glendale, Burbank, and LADOT. Additionally, over the course of the past several years, DOT has been very successful in securing grant awards that have provided millions of dollars in both capital and some operating funds for the Pasadena Transit system. System Structure Pasadena Transit provides a network of routes that are focused on serving the business districts; the six Gold Line stations in Pasadena as well as the regional transit network as a whole; community centers; large employers and employment corridors; schools, including high schools and colleges; recreation areas; and other key destinations in Pasadena. The system is also intended to connect residential neighborhoods to the business districts and major trip generators. The routes consist of local lines and feeder lines as described below. Local Lines: The three local lines in the system include Route 20, Route 31/32 and Route 40. These are the mainline arterial routes that form the backbone of the bus network. These routes provide connections to the six Gold Line stations. They also provide local service to the City s main attractions such as Old Pasadena, the Civic Center, the Playhouse District, the Lake Avenue business and shopping corridor, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Hastings Ranch shopping and business area, the Rose Bowl, arts and cultural destinations, parks, colleges and universities, and local high schools. Portions of these local lines also serve residential areas with high population density. Feeder Lines: The three feeder lines include Route 10, Route 51/52 and Route 60. These are lines that link low to moderate density residential areas to Gold Line stations, commercial areas, key employment and education locations, regional bus service, and Pasadena Transit local lines. 2 In April 2010, the Metro Board approved the Cities of Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank, along with the City of Los Angeles Community DASH Services (collectively known as Tri-Cities/LADOT ) as Tier 2 Operators to receive Proposition A Growth Over Inflation (GOI) funds. The City of Pasadena, along with the other transit operators, was able to receive this funding because Pasadena Transit provides a significant contribution to the regional transit network. The Tri-Cities/LADOT, individually and together are considered by Metro as regionally significant and have therefore been authorized to receive these funds. Page 14

15 Fare Structure and Programs Since its transition in 2003 from providing a free fare service to charging a base fare of $0.50, there has been one fare increase which was in The current base fare is $0.75, with a youth fare of $0.50 and a fare of $0.35 for seniors and individuals who are disabled. Pasadena Transit Fares Full Fare 75 cents Youth (K-12) 50 cents Senior (60+) 35 cents Disabled 35 cents Pasadena Transit Transfers Transfers Local Free Full/Youth IA* 25 cents Both local and inter-agency transfers are available to Pasadena Transit riders. The Senior/Disabled IA* 10 cents City of Pasadena has inter-agency transfer (IA) agreements with Metro (bus and *Inter-agency Transfer Gold Line) and Foothill Transit. The City also has an agreement with Metro to Table 2: Pasadena Transit Fare Structure participate in the county-wide EZ Transit Pass program. While the City does not issue EZ Transit Passes, passengers can board Pasadena Transit buses free of charge with a valid EZ Transit Pass or any Metrolink fare media. The City also has an agreement with Access Services to allow Access clients to board Pasadena Transit buses for free with a valid Access identification card. The EZ Transit Pass agreement and the Access agreement allow the City to be reimbursed for the fare of the individuals boarding Pasadena Transit buses. In addition, local transfers are provided for free for any riders wanting to transfer between Pasadena Transit routes. They are permitted to transfer onto multiple Pasadena Transit routes within a designated time frame (i.e., currently a two and a half hour period). Currently, Dial-A-Ride members may also board any Pasadena Transit route for free with their Dial-A-Ride membership card. TAP In September 2015, Pasadena Transit began participating in the regional fare collection program known as TAP (Transit Access Pass). A TAP card is a durable plastic card with a smart chip which holds regional and local transit passes, Stored Value or transfers. This program allows transit riders to ride seamlessly across Los Angeles County. Pasadena Transit accepts Stored Value on TAP cards, the EZ Pass on TAP, Access Services boardings via TAP, as well as other special promotional or ongoing programs using TAP cards. TAP boardings are validated on board via a Bus Mobile Validator. Figure 5: TAP Card and TAP Validator Pasadena Dial-A-Ride now also uses TAP for its membership card. In 2017 all existing and new Dial-A-Ride members were transitioned from laminated cardstock membership cards to having their memberships loaded onto TAP cards; thus further facilitating a more seamless use of multiple transit and paratransit systems in Pasadena. These TAP cards can be loaded with stored value to enable customers to only need one card for any of their transit ride types. Page 15

16 Fleet and Facilities Fleet The Department of Transportation has replaced all Pasadena Transit diesel fuel buses with clean fuel CNG (compressed natural gas) buses. The full transition was completed in FY2014. The Department continues to purchase smaller gasoline fueled vehicles for the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service, including shuttle style cutaways and minivans. At the beginning of this SRTP five year period the total transit fleet is comprised of 29 fixed route buses and 15 paratransit vehicles, as noted below: Fixed route (Pasadena Transit): Four 35-foot low-floor Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses Twenty-one low-floor 32-foot CNG buses Four 25-foot CNG shuttle style cutaways 100% of the fleet is equipped with wheelchair lifts 100% of the fleet is equipped with bicycle racks Paratransit (Pasadena Dial-A-Ride): Thirteen 20-foot shuttle style cutaways (unleaded fuel) Two minivans (unleaded fuel) 100% of the fleet is equipped with wheelchair lifts Facilities The Department of Transportation, including the Transit Division, is currently located in a commercial office building located at 221 E. Walnut Street within walking distance of City Hall. The Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride services are operated under contract by a contractor. The operations and maintenance facility leased and operated by the contractor is located at the southwest corner of North Allen Avenue and Corson Street, south of the 210 freeway, at 303 North Allen Avenue. There are also two remote bus parking areas currently being used for overflow vehicles: one is located within the Pasadena Unified School District service yard located at West Woodbury Road at the northwest end of Pasadena and the other is located at 2180 East Foothill Blvd., with access off of Walnut Street. For both CNG and unleaded fueling services, the City s transit contractor primarily uses the City fueling facilities at the City Yard located in the northwest area of the City at 233 West Mountain Street. Unleaded fueling is also done at the City s Civil Defense Center location off of Eaton Canyon Blvd. When the CNG fueling facility at the City Yard is not available, the transit fleet is fueled at a commercial CNG facility on Foothill Boulevard. The location of the transit operations and maintenance facility that is being used currently and which has historically been leased by the City s transit contractor may no longer be available after the term of the current contract. The City is currently identifying its options moving forward for an operations and maintenance facility, including, but not limited to, use of the City-owned property at 2180 East Foothill Blvd. Page 16

17 Evaluation of Pasadena Transit Services The evaluation data provided in this report uses the National Transit Database (NTD) for its baseline measurement as well as a point of comparison to Pasadena s peer agencies. Using the most recently published NTD data is the industry standard for transit performance analysis and comparison. As of August 2018, the most recently available NTD published data was through FY2016. While the most recent available audited and published data in this report is from FY2016, the unaudited data demonstrated a nominal change in ridership in FY2017, with a 1% increase in ridership. This section of the report evaluates Pasadena Transit performance trends during the previous SRTP period by comparing various indicators for the fiscal years between 2012 and These performance trends have been used to help inform and develop the recommendations for this current SRTP. Service productivity indicators are used by transit agencies to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of service that is provided. These indicators include: Service Effectiveness o Ridership o Passengers per hour Service Efficiency o Operating expense per hour Cost Effectiveness o Cost per passenger o Subsidy per passenger o Farebox recovery Service Effectiveness: Ridership One of the measurements of service effectiveness is the growth or decrease in ridership. Minor fluctuations in ridership is expected; these can be caused by external influences such as weather or traffic impacts from long term construction projects. These minor changes may account for swings in ridership of 1% to 3%. Larger changes may be a result of significant service changes, fuel prices, demographic shifts, major economic changes, etc. Pasadena Transit Ridership FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 1,531,527 1,394,742 1,500,612 1,583,189 1,601,391 Annual Change in Ridership FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY % 7.59% 5.50% 1.15% Table 3: Pasadena Transit Ridership Pasadena Transit ridership decreased in FY2012 and FY2013 (this drop began in FY2011). This drop in ridership is attributed to three main factors: 14% reduction in service in 2010 due to the recession, which included the elimination of Route 70, less frequent service on Route 10, and the elimination of Sunday service. Fare increase. Severe vehicle reliability issues due to the majority of the fleet reaching the end of its useful life. Figure 6: Pasadena Transit Ridership Page 17

18 Ridership began to recover and increase after FY2013. This is attributed to replacing a majority of the vehicles in FY2012 which improved the reliability of the fleet and the additional service that was funded on Route 20 in FY2014. This additional service was funded through a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant that provided a 24 minute frequency all day. This increase in service resulted in an 11% jump in ridership on Route 20 and an 8% ridership increase systemwide. Further gains occurred in FY2015 with a 7% increase of service primarily on Route 10 that was funded through an additional funding source from Metro (i.e., Proposition A Growth Over Inflation Funds provided to Tier 2 Eligible Operators). Finally, the increase of another 2% in service funded through an additional JARC grant, contributed to gains in ridership, primarily on Route 31/32 in FY2016. Pasadena Transit had over 1.6 million boardings in FY2016, which is a 1.15% increase over the previous fiscal year and a 6.7% increase over FY2014 (an increase of over 100,000 boardings). Figure 7: Pasadena Transit Ridership by Route Pasadena Transit ridership increases occurred even as many regional transportation providers had steep declines in ridership over the previous two fiscal years. Capital investment in purchasing new vehicles and real-time arrival information technology is believed to be a significant factor in this ridership growth. Furthermore, some of this increase is linked to the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension which further improved Pasadena s accessibility via public transit. Overall, the changes in ridership since FY2014 indicate that Pasadena Transit is benefitting from the combined investment in public transportation by both the City of Pasadena and Metro, resulting in strong local transit growth during a period of turbulence in public transportation regionally and nationwide. System-wide ridership is a useful tool to examine ridership trends; however, looking at ridership by route provides a greater level of detail. There is a corresponding increase in both service hours and ridership on Routes 10 and 20. Figure 7 compares ridership by route from FY2012 to FY2016 and Table 4 shows the number of hours operated on each route during the same period. Other routes, such as Route 40, which did not have an increase in service, have not had a significant increase in ridership. When looking at ridership numbers at the route level it is important to consider key operating factors and how they relate to ridership demand, such as the span of service, days of the week it operates, total hours of daily service, trip generators, etc. For example, on the weekdays, the Route 20 which operates from approximately 6am until 8pm, at one of the highest frequencies in the system, serving the highest density residential and commercial corridors of the City, has significantly higher ridership than the Route 60 which only operates during the rush hours, has a much lower frequency, and serves one of the least dense areas of the City. Page 18

19 Service Effectiveness: Passengers per Hour One measure of service effectiveness is the number of passengers carried per service hour. This provides a means to compare and contrast one route to another. The Department of Transportation has established two standards of measurement for Pasadena Transit, one for local lines and one for feeder lines. Pasadena Transit Hours by Route & Fiscal Year FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 Route 10 8,070 7,987 7,991 12,023 11,862 Route 20 17,469 17,220 23,156 23,156 23,266 Route 31/32 9,738 9,655 9,678 9,681 10,961 Route 40 9,237 9,175 9,198 9,204 9,095 Route 51/52 5,586 5,544 5,387 5,379 5,426 Route 60 2,326 2,279 2,376 2,375 2,406 Total System 52,427 51,860 57,783 61,819 63,016 Table 4: Pasadena Transit Hours by Route Local lines (Routes 20, 31/32, 40) connect high density neighborhood areas to diverse community destination centers such as commercial corridors, business districts, shopping centers, schools, community centers, and Metro Gold Line stations. The feeder lines (Routes 10, 51/52, 60) provide links between business districts or link low density residential neighborhoods to the Central District or the Gold Line. The goal is for local lines to carry a minimum of 26 passengers an hour and for feeder lines to carry at least 10 passengers an hour. Based on the area they serve, local lines are expected to have higher passenger boardings per revenue hour (PPH) than feeder lines. Tables 5 and 6 show the PPH totals for the two types of lines in FY2012 through FY2016. The PPH on local lines decreased slightly, while the feeder lines experienced growth. Both categories have passenger per hour rates that are substantially higher than the standard, which indicate productivity is high but also show that more service is needed. The Pasadena Transit local lines typically meet or exceed the 26 PPH standard. Passengers per hour on Route 20 decreased with the addition of JARC-funded service in FY2014 but still stayed well above the local line standard. Route 20 is the system s most-traveled route and carries about half of the entire system ridership. Furthermore, Route 31/32 maintained a PPH above 26 even as the JARC-funded service expansion was implemented in FY2016. However, Route 40 has suffered from loss of ridership and dropped below the local line standard in the past four fiscal years. Staff is aggressively working to target the cause for the loss of ridership on this route and will work to implement potential recommendations. Two of the Pasadena Transit feeder lines, Routes 10 and 51/52 consistently exceed the standard of 10 PPH. In FY2014 Route 10 was modified to shift its eastbound service that used to operate on Green Passengers Per Hour (PPH) Local Line Standard: 26 Route 20 Route 31/32 Route 40 FY FY FY FY FY Table 5: PPH - Local Lines Passengers Per Hour (PPH) Feeder Line Standard: 10 Route 10 Route 51/52 Route 60 FY FY FY FY FY Table 6: PPH - Feeder Lines Street onto Colorado Blvd. and then in FY2015 service frequency was increased from 25 to 17 minutes by the addition of another bus on the route. As a result, the Route 10 has experienced both an overall increase in ridership as well as increase in productivity, as shown by a nearly 30% increase in PPH since FY2013. In the Fall of 2012 the ArtCenter began running its own free private shuttle between the south and north campuses, which mirrored a good portion of the Route 51/52 which was designed to provide a public transit connection between the ArtCenter s two campuses. Though this feeder route still managed to maintain a PPH that was above the standard, it did experience a steady drop in ridership on the Route 51/52 until FY2016 when it began to see an increase in boardings Page 19

20 again per schedule modifications that were implemented to better meet demand. This uptick in ridership on the Route 51/52 continued after the opening of the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Azusa in March Route 60 did not yet meet the feeder line PPH standard; however, this line only operates in the morning and late afternoon peak travel times and has been steadily increasing in ridership every year. The Route 60 provides service coverage to the low density northeast area of the City where there are few transit alternatives. This route also experienced an increase in demand after the opening of the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Azusa in March Operating Costs Per Hour Contract Fuel/Admin Total FY12 $59.79 $11.61 $71.40 FY13 $61.79 $5.90 $67.69 FY14 $65.27 $8.62 $73.89 FY15 $59.92 $7.51 $67.43 FY16 $61.72 $9.83 $71.55 Table 7: Pasadena Transit Operating Cost Per Hour Service Efficiency: Operating Expense per Hour Operating costs per hour is an indicator of how efficiently a transit service is operated. This total includes the City s base hourly rate of contracting services, as well as fuel and administrative expenses, per a standard regulatory formula used by all transit agencies that are required to, or that voluntarily participate in, the National Transit Database (NTD) reporting. This data in the NTD is used as a point of comparison to Pasadena s peer agencies. Per hour rates fluctuate year-over-year as a result of changes to annual contract rates, fuel costs, and administrative costs. Cost Per Passenger Revenue Cost Per Passenger Per Passenger Subsidy Per Passenger Farebox Return FY12 $2.55 $0.38 $ % FY13 $2.52 $0.41 $ % FY14 $2.84 $0.44 $ % FY15 $2.63 $0.49 $ % FY16 $2.82 $0.46 $ % Table 8: Pasadena Transit Cost per Passenger Cost Effectiveness The cost effectiveness of a transit service can be evaluated by looking at what it costs per passenger to operate the service; how much revenue is collected for each passenger trip; and finally, how much the transit agency has to subsidize each passenger trip. The offset of fare revenue to the operating cost is referred to as the transit system s farebox recovery. Table 8 provides a look at the per passenger cost for Pasadena Transit service for the five review years (FY2012 to FY2016). Page 20

21 Agency Comparison To evaluate Pasadena Transit, a comparison has been made with a cohort group of the local Los Angeles County community transit agencies which are generally smaller in size and scope than the regional operators. As does Pasadena, these agencies voluntarily submit their annual operating statistics to be included in the NTD in order to receive additional funding to help subsidize their service. A majority of these agencies were also used for comparison in the last SRTP; these are community-based, local transit feeder services in the Los Angeles County area. The comparative data is for Fiscal Year 2016, which was the most recent year audited data was available from the NTD when the analysis for this report was conducted. Table 9 provides an operating profile for each agency, indicating the number of buses that are operated on a typical day of service, the number of hours operated annually and the annual operating cost per hour. Pasadena s cost per hour of $71.55 is less than the cohort s group average of $ This shows that Pasadena Transit is operating efficiently in comparison to its cohort of other local providers in the region. Table 10 provides a comparison of passengers per hour based on the number of annual passenger trips divided by the number of hours operated. Pasadena s PPH rate of is highest in the cohort and over ten passengers per hour higher than the average of 15.03; this again shows that Pasadena Transit is above average in terms of service effectiveness. Costs based on passenger trips is shown in Table 11. The cost per passenger for each system relies on the performance of each operator in generating ridership while maintaining low operating costs. The subsidy per trip depends on the number of passengers, the established fare, and the average fare paid by each rider. The greater the number of discounts given to various fare categories, i.e., youth, seniors, etc., the lower the average fare is in relation to the base fare. Farebox recovery represents the amount of operating costs recovered from passenger fares. Pasadena Transit s performance in these three areas of comparison demonstrates that it provides a very cost-effective service. In its cohort, Pasadena Transit had the lowest cost per passenger, lowest subsidy per trip, and highest farebox recovery. Agency Review Operating Profile Fiscal Year 2016 Table 9: Pasadena Transit Agency Comparison Cost Per Hour Agency Buses Hours Baldwin Park 6 16,366 $57.65 Burbank 14 26,533 $64.95 Carson 7 28,602 $76.26 Cerritos 5 13,246 $89.31 El Monte 7 25,734 $71.11 Glendale 28 79,806 $81.50 Palos Verdes 21 18,570 $96.62 PASADENA 19 63,016 $71.55 Average $76.12 Agency Review Passenger Per Hour Fiscal Year 2016 Passenger Agency Per Hour Baldwin Park 8.54 Burbank 9.63 Carson Cerritos El Monte Glendale Palos Verdes 8.23 PASADENA Average Table 10: Pasadena Transit PPH Agency Review Passenger Based Data Fiscal Year 2016 Agency Cost Per Passenger Subsidy Per Trip Farebox Recovery Ratio Baldwin Park $6.75 $ % Burbank $6.74 $ % Carson $7.07 $ % Cerritos $8.02 $ % El Monte $3.01 $ % Glendale $3.56 $ % Palos Verdes $11.74 $ % PASADENA $2.82 $ % Average $6.21 $ % Page 21 Table 11: Agency Review - Passenger Based Data

22 Route Profile Analysis This section contains route profiles of each individual route. The profiles include the following information: A map of each route Description of route Quick facts regarding operating hours and population served 2013 SRTP Goals and Progress Weekday and weekend productivity by hour Boardings by stop Each route profile includes a section on productivity which shows a ratio of actual boardings per hour to target boardings per hour. Local routes have a target of 26 boardings per hour and feeder routes have a target of 10 boardings per hour. Below is a guide to reading the productivity charts: The table below provides a performance summary for each route. Following the table is more detailed information for each route. Route PPH Goal Weekday Performance Route Exceeds goal between 11 a.m. 3 p.m. on weekdays, acceptable performance for the rest of the day. Route Exceeds goal by nearly double all day; peak service, which is nearly the entire service day when based on demand (i.e., 6 a.m. 5 p.m.), is a strong candidate for a significant increase in service Route 31/32 26 Route 31 exceeds goal between 11 a.m. 4 p.m. Route 32 performs adequately throughout the day, but exceeds the goal in the 3 p.m. hour Route Meets goal during 7 a.m. hour and 3 p.m. hour. Low performance after 6 p.m. Route 51/52 10 Route 51 exceeds goal between 7 a.m. 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. 4 p.m. Route 52 performs adequately. Route Performs adequately most of the day, low performance in the early a.m. and final p.m. trips of the day Table 12: Summary Table of PPH by Route Weekend Performance (Saturday) Meets goal between 1 p.m. 5 p.m., acceptable performance the rest of the day Exceeds goal between 11 a.m. 5 p.m., acceptable performance the rest of the day Performs adequately most of the day except in the last two hours of service Performs adequately most of the day, low performance after 6 p.m. Performs adequately most of the day, low performance in the early morning and after 4 p.m. Does not run on the weekend. Page 22

23 Page 23 Pasadena Transit System Map

24 Page 24 Route 10

25 Route 10, Allen Station to Old Pasadena via Pasadena City College Route 10 operates primarily along Colorado Blvd. on the west end of the route providing direct service connections to the Central District. The eastern portion of the route operates on Del Mar and Allen. Route 10 serves Old Pasadena, the Civic Center, Playhouse and South Lake Business Districts, Caltech, Pasadena City College and the Allen Gold Line Station SRTP Goals and Progress The 2013 Short Range Transit Plan recommended a frequency of 15 minutes for Route 10. At the time, the frequency was 25 minutes and has since been decreased to 18 minutes. The increase in frequency has resulted in significant ridership gains for the route. There was a 50% increase in service which resulted in a 68% increase in ridership; this is typically not the case. Productivity As a feeder route, Route 10 has a goal of 10 passengers per hour. Overall, the route meets or exceeds the passenger per hour goal throughout most of the day. Boarding and Alighting Highlights Primary boarding and alighting location is Allen/Corson, just south of the Metro Gold Line Allen Station. Boardings and alightings are also strong in Old Pasadena, particularly Colorado/Fair Oaks and Colorado/Raymond. Other popular stops include Lake/Del Mar, Allen/Colorado and Del Mar/Lake. Route 10 Quick Facts Feeder route linking Old Pasadena, Civic Center, Playhouse, and South Lake areas to the Gold Line Operates weekday 6 a.m. 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. 8 p.m. and, as of July 2018, Sunday 8 a.m. 5 p.m. 18 minute frequency Serves 17,889 people and 41,660 jobs within ¼ mile of service 10.9% of households within ¼ mile are zero vehicle households Carries about 10% of total Pasadena Transit ridership *Weekend is Saturday data Page 25

26 Page 26 Route 20

27 Route 20, Northwest Pasadena to Central Pasadena via Fair Oaks and Lake Route 20 provides a 2-way loop along the Fair Oaks and Lake corridors. The Fair Oaks corridor extends from Woodbury in the north to Glenarm in the south. The Lake corridor extends from Woodbury in the north to California in the south. The Fair Oaks section serves key community destinations such as the Jackie Robinson Center and Park, Old Pasadena, the Pasadena Senior Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and Blair High School, as well as the Memorial Park, Del Mar and Fillmore Gold Line Stations. The Lake section serves the North Lake and South Lake business areas, the Playhouse District, and the Lake Gold Line Station. Route 20 Quick Facts Local line linking high density residential to numerous community destinations and to four Gold Line stations Operates weekday 6 a.m. 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. 8 p.m. and, as of July 2018, Sunday 8 a.m. 5 p.m. 22 minute weekday frequency 31 minute weekend frequency Serves 49,879 people and 57,357 jobs within ¼ mile of service 13.5% of households within ¼ mile are zero vehicle households Carries about 52% of total Pasadena Transit ridership 2013 SRTP Goals and Progress The 2013 Short Range Transit Plan recommended a frequency of 20 minutes for Route 20. The route previously had a frequency of 25 minutes during the peak and 30 minutes off peak. During the last five years, service was added to have a 22 minute weekday frequency all day. This increased frequency resulted in a 34% increase in service and a 22% increase in ridership. This service increase was largely funded through a Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Federal grant which expires in Productivity As a local route, Route 20 has a goal of 26 passengers per hour. The route significantly exceeds the goal throughout most of the day every day that it operates. Not only does its productivity exceed the goal, but Route 20 experiences significant overloads during peak hours. Boarding and Alighting Highlights Primary boarding and alighting locations are also heavy transfer points, including stops near Gold Line stations: Fair Oaks/Woodbury, Fair Oaks/Washington, Raymond/Holly, Lake/Colorado, Lake/Maple, Lake/Corson and Lake/Washington. Boardings and alightings are also strong along the portion that serves Orange Grove and Marengo. *Weekend is Saturday data Page 27

28 Page 28 Route 31/32

29 Route 31/32, Northwest Pasadena to Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station via Washington Route 31/32 covers the Washington corridor between Lincoln and Altadena Drive. The route is branched at Altadena Drive with the Route 31 serving south Altadena Drive and Foothill and the Route 32 branch serving north Altadena Drive, New York Drive and Sierra Madre Villa. The two branches terminate at the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station. The routes serve John Muir and Pasadena High Schools, Jackie Robinson Center and Park, North Lake, the Washington Blvd. corridor, the New York Drive business park, and the Hastings Ranch shopping and business area SRTP Goals and Progress The 2013 Short Range Transit Plan recommended a combined frequency of 20 minutes for Route 31/32 along the route west of Altadena Drive. The route previously had a frequency of 25 minutes during the peak and 33 minutes off peak. During the last five years, service was added to bring the route to a 24 Quick Facts Local line linking high density residential to community destinations and to the Gold Line Operates weekday 6 a.m. 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. 8 p.m. and, as of July 2018, Sunday 8 a.m. 5 p.m. 30 minute combined frequency along Washington and Fair Oaks where the routes overlap; 60 minute weekday frequency where the routes do not overlap Rt 31/32 serves 32,963 people and 12,318 jobs within ¼ mile of service 9.5% households within ¼ of service are zero vehicle households Carries about 19% of total Pasadena Transit ridership minute combined frequency all day west of Altadena Drive where both Routes 31 and 32 overlap. This increased frequency is largely funded through a Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Federal grant through Productivity As a local route, Route 31/32 has a goal of 26 passengers per hour. Route 31/32 performs adequately to this threshold with an average of 27 passengers per hour overall. In addition, Route 31/32 periodically experiences capacity issues during peak hours. Boarding and Alighting Highlights Primary boarding and alighting location is at the Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa Station. Boardings are also strong along Washington particularly between Fair Oaks and Los Robles and at Lake, as well as at Lincoln/ Woodbury. Boardings and alightings along the 32 deviation on New York Drive are exceptionally low. Page 29 *Weekend is Saturday data *Weekend is Saturday data

30 Page 30 Route 40

31 Route 40, Sierra Madre Villa Station to Old Pasadena via Hastings Ranch and Villa Route 40 serves the Orange Grove and Villa corridors between the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station on the east and the Memorial Park Gold Line Station and Old Pasadena on the west, as well as the Allen Gold Line Station midway through the route. The route serves Villa Parke Center, Victory Park, Jefferson Park, senior housing facilities along Villa, Old Pasadena, the Pasadena Senior Center, Civic Center, and the Hastings Ranch shopping and business area. This route also has a high demand from Pasadena High School and Marshall Fundamental School students SRTP Goals and Progress The 2013 SRTP recommended a new route along Orange Grove, which would allow for the restructuring of Route 40. The plan recommended that Route 40 travel on Allen between Villa and Walnut; using Walnut and Foothill to travel east to Sierra Madre Villa Station. The Route 40 continues running along its current alignment, as no new routes have been implemented along Orange Grove due to operational efficiencies and budgetary constraints. There was, however, a modification to the route to provide a closer connection to the Allen Gold Line Station and a portion of the Hastings Ranch shopping area. Route 40 Quick Facts Local line linking high density residential to community destinations and to the Gold Line Operates weekday 6 a.m. 7:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. 8 p.m. and, as of July 2018, Sunday 8 a.m. 5 p.m. 24 minute peak and 30 minute off peak weekday frequency 30 minute weekend frequency Serves 26,617 people and 31,438 jobs within ¼ mile of service 13.2% of households in ¼ mile of service are zero vehicle households Carries approximately 13% of total Pasadena Transit ridership Productivity As a local route, Route 40 has a goal of 26 passengers per hour. Route 40 generally runs just under the goal, and at times exceeds this threshold. Route 40 periodically experiences capacity issues during peak hours. Boarding and Alighting Highlights The highest boarding and alighting stop is at Los Robles/Villa, which is adjacent to a number of senior living facilities and close to a community center. Boardings are also high at the Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa Station, Villa/Lake and Orange Grove/Sunnyslope and Sierra Madre Blvd. *Weekend is Saturday data Page 31

32 Page 32 Route 51/51s/52

33 Route 51/52, South Raymond to Art Center and JPL via Old Pasadena and Rose Bowl Route 51/52 feeds the Memorial Park, Del Mar and Fillmore Gold Line Stations. It provides a connection to both ArtCenter College of Design s north and south campuses. The 52 leg of the route links the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the north and the Linda Vista community with Old Pasadena and South Raymond. Route 51/52 also provides service to the Rose Bowl area, Pasadena Senior Center, Memorial Park, Central Park, and Huntington Memorial Hospital. This route operates Monday through Friday, with service to JPL only in the morning and afternoon peak periods. Off peak service is approximately every hour. The schedule for this route has also been developed to help meet some of the demand from Blair High School. Weekend service, which is a higher frequency abbreviated route, provides a connection between Old Pasadena and the Memorial Park Gold Line station to the Rose Bowl SRTP Goals and Progress The 2013 SRTP recommended a new route to provide a direct link between JPL, the Memorial Park Gold Line Station and Caltech which would replace Route 52. This recommendation has not been implemented. However, during the 2013 SRTP process, feedback was received to have a connection to the Rose Bowl on weekends. The route was modified to run on Saturday between the Rose Bowl and Old Pasadena. In addition, due to the overloads experienced during the morning and peak on Route 20, the Route 51/52 schedule was modified to help meet some of the demand at the Arroyo Parkway/Glenarm intersection traveling to and from Northwest Pasadena, primarily serving Blair High School students. Productivity As a feeder route, Route 51/52 has a goal of 10 passengers per hour. Route 51/52 meets this goal and at times exceeds this threshold, including experiencing capacity issues during peak hours. Boarding and Alighting Highlights Most of the boarding and alighting activity for this route happens at Raymond/Holly and Raymond/Union, a heavy transfer location for the Gold Line Memorial Park Station. Boardings and alightings are also strong at the ArtCenter North Campus and Raymond/Glenarm. Route 51/52 Quick Facts Feeder route linking low density residential to community destinations and the Gold Line Operates weekdays 6 a.m. 8 p.m. Half-hour peak frequency; hourly frequency off-peak Route 52 has four trips during the peak 16,344 people and 33,858 jobs within ¼ mile of service 14.1% households within ¼ mile of service are zero vehicle households Carries approximately 4% of total Pasadena Transit ridership Route 51 Sat/Sun Quick Facts Provides a connection between Memorial Park Station and the Rose Bowl area Operates Saturday 7:30 a.m. 8 p.m.; as of July 2018, Sunday 8 a.m. 5 p.m. Frequency is 22 minutes on Sat/Sun *Weekend is Saturday data Page 33

34 Page 34 Route 60

35 Route 60, Pasadena City College to Sierra Madre via Hastings Ranch and Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station Route 60 feeds the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station. On the northeast end, the route serves the Hasting Ranch and Sierra Madre/Michillinda area, including La Salle High School, Pasadena City College Community Education Center and Hastings Ranch Shopping Center. On the west end, the route serves Pasadena City College s main campus, the Del Mar corridor between Bonnie and Madre St., and provides direct service to the Pasadena Community Urgent Care and Ability First on Del Mar. This route operates Monday through Friday with morning and afternoon peak service only SRTP Goals and Progress There were no goals for Route 60 stated in the 2013 SRTP. Route 60 Quick Facts Feeder route linking low density residential to the Gold Line Operates weekday 6 a.m. 10:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Every minutes 14,070 people and 10,650 jobs within ¼ mile of service 4.9% households within ¼ mile of service are zero vehicle households Carries approximately 1% of total Pasadena Transit ridership Productivity As a feeder route, Route 60 has a goal of 10 passengers per hour. Passengers per hour on this route has continued to increase year over year, steadily approaching the goal. There was an increase in ridership following the opening of the Gold Line Foothill Extension. The first two a.m. trips as well as the last a.m. trip are particularly low performers. Boarding and Alighting Highlights The primary location for boardings and alightings is at the Metro Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa Station. Boardings are also strong at Sierra Madre/Michillinda across from La Salle High School and at Bonnie/Colorado where there is a connection to Pasadena City College. Page 35

36 Existing Conditions: Transit in Pasadena Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride provide complementary service to the regional fixed route and paratransit services that are operated in Pasadena. Metro, Foothill Transit and LADOT Commuter Express operate fixed route transit and/or rail services in Pasadena, while Access Services provides regional paratransit service. The relationship between Pasadena Transit and other services is examined in this section of the report. Fixed Route Transit Service Pasadena is fortunate to have a wealth of public transit service that provides residents, visitors and people who work in Pasadena access to a robust public transit network. This transit network is an important part of the City s goal to encourage non-auto travel and promote one of the key transportation policies that Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without cars. A vibrant transit network also supports the City s Green City initiatives to extend transit opportunities to all areas of the City. The Department of Transportation has worked to develop and support a strong relationship with transit agencies that provide service in the City. This has included coordination of service route planning; the establishment of bus stops; and passenger transfer agreements. Additionally, the Department has worked with both Metro and Foothill Transit to implement their respective bus priority signal systems. The following is a summary of the different public transit options in Pasadena operated by other agencies, including the Gold Line and eighteen bus lines: Agency Type of Service Lines Type of Service Metro Light Rail Gold Line Connects Azusa to East Los Angeles via Pasadena and Downtown Los Angeles. There are six stations in Pasadena. Metro Bus: Local 177, 686, 687 Local routes operating primarily in Altadena and Pasadena. Metro Bus: Regional 180, 181, 256, 258, 260, 264, 266, 267, 268 Regional routes connecting Pasadena to surrounding cities and the region. Metro Bus: Express 487, 501 One route connects Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles and one route connects Pasadena to North Hollywood. Metro Bus: Rapid 762, 780 One Rapid line operates on Colorado Blvd. with an eastern terminus at Pasadena City College and a western terminus at Washington/Fairfax in Los Angeles. The other Rapid line has service on Fair Oaks Ave. with its northern terminus at Colorado Blvd. and a southern terminus at the Artesia Blue Line Station. Foothill Bus: Regional 187 Connects Pasadena to the eastern San Gabriel Valley. Transit LADOT Commuter Express Bus: Express 549 Operates between the San Fernando Valley, with stops in the Burbank Media District and Glendale before entering Pasadena via the 134 Freeway at Walnut. This line serves the Parson s complex, the Civic Center area, the South Lake Ave. business district, and the Metro Gold Line Lake Station. Page 36

37 The City s extensive coverage of fixed route transit services can be seen in Map 1: Transit Coverage in Pasadena. To assess transit coverage in Pasadena, this map shows the area within walking distance, or walkshed, of bus stops and Metro Gold Line stations. The walking distance used is one-quarter (¼) mile (i.e., 5 minute walk) to a bus stop or half-mile (½) mile (i.e., 10 minute walk) to a Gold Line station. As shown, most areas of Pasadena have access to bus service within a ¼ mile. Service is more limited in lower density residential neighborhoods in the western and northeast portions of Pasadena. Where transit lines do exist in these areas ridership is typically low. Page 37

38 Page 38 Map 1: Transit Coverage in Pasadena

39 Ridership Ridership is the foremost measure of demand for transit. In this report, ridership was analyzed at the stop and route level for both Pasadena Transit and all agencies operating within Pasadena. The data utilized was average weekday boardings for FY2016. Stop Ridership Table 13 and 14 show ridership by stop for Pasadena Transit and all agencies combined, including Metro, Foothill Transit and LADOT Commuter Express Route 549. Key stop level ridership findings at the ten highest used stops for Pasadena Transit are summarized as follows: The two stops with the highest ridership for Pasadena Transit serve the Metro Gold Line. Of the remaining eight stops, five are located in Northwest Pasadena, a historically disadvantaged community of Pasadena. Ten stops with highest weekday boardings - Pasadena Transit Bus Stop Routes served by stop Table 13: High ridership stops - Pasadena Transit Avg. weekday boardings Sierra Madre Villa Station 31/32, 40, NB Raymond/Holly 20, 51/ NB Fair Oaks/Woodbury SB Lake/Washington SB Fair Oaks/Woodbury 20, 31/32 90 NB Lake/Colorado SB Fair Oaks/Tremont 20, 31/32 84 SB Fair Oaks/Washington SB Allen/Corson NB Lake/Del Mar 10, Ten stops with highest weekday boardings - All Agencies % of total boardings Bus Stop that are Pasadena Transit Avg. weekday boardings Sierra Madre Villa Station 24% 810 WB Colorado/Hill 0% 598 The key stop level ridership findings at the ten highest used stops for all agencies combined are as follows: SB Fair Oaks/Colorado WB Colorado/Lake WB Colorado/Fair Oaks 0% 7% 1% NB Fair Oaks/Colorado 0% 267 The stop in Pasadena with highest boardings, Sierra Madre Villa (SMV) Station, WB Colorado/Los Robles SB Lake/Washington 3% 44% is the highest for all agencies and Pasadena EB Colorado/Fair Oaks 14% 234 Transit. NB Lake/Colorado 42% 216 Four stops of the highest used stops are located at the intersection of Fair Table 14: High ridership stops - All Agencies Oaks/Colorado, a high demand transfer point and destination in Old Pasadena. The busiest corridors for travel are along Fair Oaks Avenue and Lake Avenue. Maps 2 and 3 on the next pages show system-wide boardings by stop for Pasadena Transit and for all agencies, respectively. These maps further illustrate ridership patterns in the City. Page 39

40 Page 40 Map 2: Pasadena Transit Average Weekday Boardings by Stop

41 Page 41 Map 3: All Agency Average Weekday Boardings by Stop

42 Line Ridership This section illustrates bus ridership by line in Pasadena for Pasadena Transit and for all agencies combined. Key line ridership findings are: Pasadena Transit Route 20 has the most boardings made in Pasadena of all the bus lines from the various agencies that operate in Pasadena. This route travels on two of the busiest corridors in the City, providing service along Fair Oaks Avenue and Lake Avenue, linking Northwest Pasadena to central Pasadena and connects with four of the six Metro Gold Line stations in the City. The Metro Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa Station is the busiest transit hub in Pasadena with five bus bays at the ground level of its parking structure, each serving multiple bus lines including, Pasadena Transit Routes 31/32, 40, and 60; and Metro Lines 181, 264/267, and 268. Table 15 shows average weekday ridership by line in the City of Pasadena. Pasadena Transit Route 20 is the busiest line in Pasadena. This route makes a loop travelling along Fair Oaks Avenue and Lake Avenue, linking Northwest Pasadena to central Pasadena and the Metro Gold Line. Metro Lines 180 and 260 each share one of the north/south corridors that Pasadena Transit 20 serves. Agency Route Daily boardings in Pasadena Pasadena Transit Metro 180/ Metro Metro 264/ Metro 686/ Foothill Transit Metro Pasadena Transit 31/ Metro Pasadena Transit Metro Metro Pasadena Transit Metro Metro Metro Metro Pasadena Transit 51/ Metro Commuter Express Pasadena Transit Table 15: Daily Boardings by Line - All Agencies The maps on the following two pages show the information in the table in map form; the first map shows only Pasadena Transit routes, while the second map shows routes from all the agencies in Pasadena. Page 42

43 Page 43 Map 4: Average Weekday Ridership in Pasadena - Pasadena Transit

44 Page 44 Map 5: All Agency Average Weekday Ridership by Line

45 Bus Overcrowding Based on a majority of the Pasadena Transit fleet, overcrowding is defined as a load of 30 or more riders on a bus when factoring in seated passengers, passengers in wheelchairs, and standees 3. Several Pasadena Transit routes experience severe daily overcrowding during the weekday AM and PM peak periods of up to 42 or more passengers. During these peak periods, customers waiting at bus stops oftentimes may need to be passed by full buses and have to wait for another bus that has room for them to board. The following maps show corridors that experienced overcrowding during the AM and PM hours. The time period for each map is: AM hours: 7 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PM hours: 2 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Key findings are summarized below: AM and PM load factors mirror each other and direction of travel is opposite as expected. In the AM peak hours, travel is heavier travelling from Northwest Pasadena to the Central District and the Gold Line. Heavily travelled corridors include Washington served by Route 31/32 travelling east, Fair Oaks and Lake served by Route 20 travelling south, and Villa to Orange Grove served by Route 40 travelling east. The reverse patterns occur in the PM peak period. Travel is heavier on some corridors in the AM than in the PM. The corridors that are consistently busy in the PM are Lake and Fair Oaks served by Route 20 travelling north and Washington served by route 31/32 travelling west. Midday loads are heavy travelling in both directions along many of the same corridors including Fair Oaks travelling north and south, Lake travelling north and south, Orange Grove travelling east and west and Washington travelling west. Much of Pasadena Transit s travel patterns are into the Central District from Northwest Pasadena in the AM, and back to Northwest Pasadena in the PM. Route 31/32 and Route 40 overloads are mainly caused by youth travelling to and from middle or high school. Route 20 overloads are due a combination of both commuters and youth. Stops serving Old Pasadena and Northwest Pasadena are among the most heavily used passengers is based on a ratio of 1.5 passengers to every seat assuming all wheelchair securement locations are in use. Page 45

46 Page 46 Map 6: Pasadena Transit AM Peak Overcrowding by Segment

47 Page 47 Map 7: Pasadena Transit PM Peak Overcrowding by Segment

48 Metro Gold Line and Regional Connector There are six Gold Line stations in Pasadena which serve major activity centers in the City. The Pasadena Transit system has been structured to provide local transit service to the Gold Line by providing connections at each of the six stations with the goal of providing seamless transportation between the Gold Line and local businesses, commercial corridors, residential areas, colleges and universities, other institutional buildings, recreational and cultural destinations, etc. Pasadena Transit serves as a primary local feeder to the Gold Line stations. The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa was opened on March 5, 2016 which added eleven miles and six stops east of Pasadena on the Gold Line. Pasadena Transit has experienced changes to its ridership that are attributed to the Gold Line expanding to the east. In particular, there was an increase in connections to routes that connect at both the Sierra Madre Villa and Memorial Park Stations that occurred after the opening of the Foothill Extension. Also, there was a drop in transfers between Foothill Transit and Pasadena Transit buses; this corresponds to the drop in ridership Foothill Transit experienced on their Line 690 that essentially mirrored the Foothill Extension; this route was subsequently cancelled by Foothill Transit. Metro is currently constructing the Regional Connector, a 1.9 mile underground light rail system planned for 2021 that will connect the Metro Gold Line to the 7 th Street/Metro Center Station in downtown Los Angeles. Currently, if passengers are travelling between Pasadena and sections of downtown, Long Beach, Santa Monica or mid-city Los Angeles, two transfers are required which adds additional travel time. However, when the Regional Connector opens, only one transfer will be required. Metro estimates that the opening of the Regional Connector will increase ridership on all connecting rail lines by 7% to 10% which includes the Gold Line. It is anticipated that Pasadena Transit will experience a corresponding increase in demand. Figure 8: Map of LA Metro Regional Connector Source: Page 48

49 SECTION 2: DIAL-A-RIDE Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is a shared curb-to-curb transportation service for senior and disabled residents in a 36-square mile area that includes Pasadena, San Marino, and the unincorporated areas of Altadena, Kinneloa, Chapman Woods, and East San Gabriel. Residents in this service area are eligible to become a Dial-A-Ride member if they are at least 60 years old or have a disability that prevents them from being able to use regular fixed route transit services. Map 8 shows the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service area. System Structure The service can be used for any trip type within the service area and costs only $0.75 for a oneway ride. Members are also able to bring guests for an additional $0.75. Personal care attendants may ride for free. Members call in advance to schedule their trips; reservations are taken between one and five days beforehand. The service operates seven days a week, except on certain holidays. Service hours Monday through Friday are from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and Sundays from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Map 8: Dial-A-Ride Service Area As a shared ride service, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is intended to pick up and drop off multiple customers along routes that are developed on a demand basis (i.e., based on the requested location, time of day, numbers of customers, mobility needs, etc.), with the goal of maximizing cost efficiencies while still providing a reasonable time frame within which someone can expect to be transported to their scheduled destination accordingly. Since this is not an uninterrupted direct, point-to-point service, clients are instructed to factor in both the 20-minute pick-up window and a potential 40-minute ride time when scheduling a pick-up time. Therefore, clients must allow for a minimum of 60 minutes oneway travel time. A curb-to-curb service means that clients are asked to meet the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride vehicle on the sidewalk of the exact location they have stated when making their reservation. The drivers have a 3-minute waiting period before they must leave to the next scheduled trip. Funding Pasadena Dial-A-Ride has been serving Pasadena residents since In 1989, the City of San Marino contracted with the City of Pasadena to provide its Dial-A-Ride services to San Marino residents. In 1990, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works entered into a contract with Pasadena to begin providing its Dial-A-Ride service to residents of the unincorporated areas of Kinneloa and East San Gabriel. In 1993, L.A. County expanded this service agreement to include Altadena. Together, the three agencies, with Pasadena as the lead, participate in a Metro incentive program that provides special Page 49

50 funding to encourage service coordination. These funds are used by Pasadena to offset administrative costs for the program. Proposition A of the Los Angeles County Local Return Transportation Sales Tax program primarily funds Pasadena Dial-A-Ride. Another major funding source for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride includes funds received for participating in Metro s Incentive Grant Program for Subregional Paratransit Services per the service agreements Pasadena has with San Marino and with Los Angeles County to serve their unincorporated areas of Altadena, Kinneloa, Chapman Woods, and East San Gabriel. Additional funds are also provided by San Marino and Los Angeles County as direct reimbursement for the trips provided to their residents. Additionally, over the course of the past several years, DOT has been very successful in securing grant awards that have resulted in a full fleet replacement, expansion vehicles, and some operating funds. The Pasadena Dial-A-Ride program is also partially funded by its fare revenue. Ridership Characteristics Pasadena Dial-A-Ride typically picks up on average about 6,200 passengers a month. Map 9 provides a geographic representation of a typical month of Dial-A-Ride pick-ups. Major destinations include medical areas, such as the Huntington-affiliated medical offices and a number of dialysis centers; community centers, such as the Pasadena and Altadena Senior Centers, Villa Parke, and Victory Park; vocational centers for disabled adults, such as Ability First; recreational areas, such as the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center; and various religious/church locations. There are over 7,500 certified Pasadena Dial-A-Ride members; of these, the active users generally fluctuate between about 4,500 to 5,000 regular or occasional riders. Approximately 90% of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride users are seniors, with about one-fifth indicating they have a mobility impairment or disability of some type. Passengers with a disability who are under 60 years old make up about 10% of the clients. Approximately 13% of all clients use a wheelchair. Figure 9 shows the different trips by category that members take on Dial- A-Ride. Medical trips are the most common trip type comprising over one-third of all trips scheduled, followed by trips to senior and community centers, for shopping, and to attend church-related activities. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride also provides a significant number of trips that are both social and recreational. Figure 9 also shows that more than half of all trips are for social, recreational or worship activities. Figure 9: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Trip Purpose Page 50

51 Page 51 Map 9: Dial-A-Ride Typical Monthly Pick-Ups by Address

52 Certified Pasadena Dial-A-Ride members are dispersed throughout the overall service area; however, the heaviest concentration of members is in Northwest Pasadena and Central Pasadena, where there is a higher density of senior and assisted living facilities. Map 10 shows Dial-A-Ride members by census block. Map 10: City of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Members by Census Block Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Membership Card Transition to TAP In an effort to streamline the application process for new and renewing Pasadena Dial-A-Ride memberships and to make it easier for members to use any public transit options in Pasadena more seamlessly, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride transitioned in 2016 to using the Transit Access Pass (TAP) Reduced Fare card either the Senior, Disabled or Access Services TAP card as its membership card. TAP cards enable more seamless and convenient boarding for senior and disabled passengers using public transportation in Pasadena, thereby, encouraging these individuals to feel more comfortable and confident in taking advantage of the transit options available to them. Also, because Pasadena Dial-A-Ride members are able to board Pasadena Transit using a TAP based pass, it is easier for bus operators to quickly identify whether or not someone boarding for free has an active or inactive Pasadena Dial-A-Ride membership. Figure 10: Dial-A-Ride to TAP Membership Cards Page 52

53 Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Performance Trends The evaluation data provided in this report uses the National Transit Database (NTD) for its baseline measurement as well as a point of comparison to Pasadena s peer agencies. Using the most recently published NTD data is the industry standard for transit performance analysis and comparison. As of August 2018, the most recently available NTD published data was through FY2016. While the most recent available audited and published data in this report is from FY2016, the unaudited data demonstrated a nominal change in ridership in FY2017, with a 1% increase in ridership. This section of the report evaluates Pasadena Dial-A-Ride performance trends during the previous SRTP period by comparing various indicators for the fiscal years between 2012 and These performance trends have been used to help inform and develop the recommendations for this current SRTP. Service productivity indicators are used by transit agencies to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of service that is provided. These indicators include: Service Effectiveness o Ridership o Passengers per hour Service Efficiency o Operating expense per hour Cost Effectiveness o Cost per passenger o Subsidy per passenger o Farebox recovery Service Effectiveness: Ridership One of the measurements of service effectiveness is the growth or decrease in ridership. Minor fluctuations in ridership is expected; these can be caused by external influences such as weather or special events for senior/disabled populations. These minor changes may account for swings in ridership of 1% to 3%. Larger changes may be a Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Ridership result of significant service changes, fuel prices, demographic shifts, major economic changes, etc. Table 16 shows Pasadena Dial-A-Ride ridership for the five year period of FY2012 through FY2016. There was an overall increase of over 4% over this five year period, with fluctuations both up and down in the intervening years. FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY ,283 66,315 70,172 77,583 74,343 Table 16: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Ridership Service Effectiveness: Passengers per Hour One measure of service effectiveness is the number of passengers carried per service hour. The Department of Transportation has adopted a standard of 3.5 passengers an hour to strive for, as established by Metro for demand response Passengers Per Hour FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY Table 17: Dial-A-Ride PPH Page 53

54 programs such as Pasadena Dial-A-Ride to work towards. As can be seen in Table 17, Pasadena Dial-A- Ride was able to meet this goal in FY2012 and FY2015 and FY2016. Service Efficiency: Operating Expense per Hour Operating costs per hour is an indicator of how Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Cost Per Hour efficiently a transit service is operated. This total FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 $ $ $ $ includes the City s base hourly rate for it contracted services, as well as fuel and administrative expenses, Table 18: Dial-A-Ride Cost per Hour per a standard regulatory formula used by all transit agencies that are required to or that voluntarily participate in the NTD reporting. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride s operating expense per hour for the past five fiscal years is provided in Table 18 which shows that over the five period the cost per hour went up by less than 1% (i.e., about ½ percent), with fluctuations up and down in the intervening years. $ Cost Effectiveness Cost effectiveness of a transit service can be evaluated by looking at what it costs per passenger to operate the service; how much revenue is collected for each passenger trip; and finally, how much the transit agency has to subsidize each passenger trip. The offset of fare revenue to the operating cost is referred to as the transit system s farebox recovery. Table 19 provides a look at the per passenger cost for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service for the five review years (FY2012 to FY2016). Agency Comparison To evaluate the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service, a comparison for FY2016 has been made with a cohort group of other Los Angeles County Dial-A-Ride providers. These agencies also participate voluntarily to submit to Metro their annual operating statistics to be included in the NTD in order to receive additional funding to help subsidize their service. A majority of these agencies identified in Table 20 were also used for comparison in the last SRTP; these are communitybased, local demand response services in the Los Angeles County area. The average cost per hour for the cohort agencies is $ At an hourly cost of $79.18, Pasadena operates below the average. The average subsidy per passenger for these agencies is $ Pasadena s subsidy per passenger of $20.55 is much lower than the average and indicates that it is doing well in this Cost Per Passenger Revenue Cost Per Subsidy Per Farebox Per Passenger Trip Return Passenger FY12 $22.07 $0.62 $ % FY13 $22.81 $0.59 $ % FY14 $23.12 $0.58 $ % FY15 $19.01 $0.61 $ % FY16 $21.26 $0.71 $ % Table 19: Dial-A-Ride Cost per Passenger Fiscal Year 2016 Agency Comparison Agency Cost per Hour Subsidy per Passenger Passengers per Hour El Monte $ $ Glendale $91.84 $ Gardena $92.75 $ Inglewood $85.76 $ Pasadena $79.18 $ Pomona Valley $84.09 $ West Hollywood $67.01 $ Whittier $57.00 $ Average $84.29 $ Table 20: Dial-A-Ride Agency Comparison Page 54

55 area. Metro s standard for passenger per hour is 3.5; Pasadena meets this standard as do three of the other eight peer agencies. Collaboration and Outreach The Dial-A-Ride program has developed a network of relationships and partnerships that has resulted in the provision of transportation that helps support and enhance public, non-profit, and private programs serving the most economically disadvantaged and vulnerable area residents, including the City of Pasadena s Adaptive Recreation Program at Victory Park, the senior programs run by the Jackie Robinson Center (JRC) and Villa Parke, Pasadena Senior Center, Altadena Senior Center, and numerous senior and/or assisted living facilities and centers. Consistent, collaborative outreach efforts with these entities to promote group trips have yielded terrific benefits. Through these group rides, participants are able to enjoy social outings with their peers at very low or no cost (i.e., many of the programs cover the cost of their trip), these program entities (public, non-profit, and private) are able to use Dial-A-Ride as a reliable and affordable transportation mode for organized outings and events, and the Dial-A-Ride program gains even more efficiencies in the delivery of its services. Figure 11: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride tabling at a senior event The City of Pasadena has been engaged in outreach on a regular basis to inform the senior and disabled communities regarding public transportation services available to them. Examples include presentations on transportation options at events such as the annual Conference on Healthy Aging; presentations to senior and/or disabled groups at the Pasadena Senior Center, Jackie Robinson Center, Villa Parke, and Victory Park; and sharing information at community events. Ongoing outreach efforts also include the promotion of group rides, from which the capacity and scheduling of the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride vehicle trips are maximized to attain greater operational and cost efficiencies. Examples of regularly scheduled group rides include recurring daily and weekly trips for groups of developmentally disabled adults who participate in group activities organized by the City s Adaptive Recreation Program or who are active Ability First participants; a program to provide free transportation to the Foothill Unity Center Food Bank to pick up free food; established monthly shopping trips to Target for local seniors; and daily adult day care group trips from a local senior living facility. There are also special single organized group rides that are put together on a regular basis, such as transporting a large group of senior women to the Women s Health Conference in Pasadena, a group trip to the Huntington Library, taking a large group on buses to see Christmas light displays, or a trip to a play at the Pasadena Playhouse, among numerous others. Relationship to Access Services In the City of Pasadena there are two paratransit service providers, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride and Access Services. Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically, vans or mini-buses are used to provide this paratransit service; however, shared taxis are also used (i.e., by Access Services, not Pasadena Dial-A-Ride). Pasadena Dial-A- Page 55

56 Ride utilizes small mini-buses (i.e., shuttle-style cutaways) and minivans to provide service while Access Services uses both vans and taxis. Access Services provides service to individuals who meet eligibility under the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) criteria. Access Services is a public entity that serves as the Los Angeles County Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) and administers the Los Angeles County s Federal Coordinated Paratransit Plan ( Plan ) on behalf of the County s 45 public fixed route operators (including Pasadena Transit). Pursuant to the Plan, Access Services facilitates the provision of complementary ADA paratransit services to certain persons with disabilities as required by the Federal Government (42 U.S.C. S12143). Complementary ADA paratransit is a federally mandated civil right for persons with disabilities who cannot ride the accessible public fixed route buses and trains. As required by Federal regulations, Access Services is available for any ADA paratransit eligible individual for any purpose and to or from any location within ¾ of a mile of any fixed route bus operated by the Los Angeles County public fixed route bus operators (including Pasadena Transit) and within ¾ of a mile around Metro Rail stations during the hours the systems are operational. The City s participation in Access Services keeps the Pasadena Transit service compliant with Federal ADA regulations. Access Services operates seven days a week, 24 hours of the day in most areas of Los Angeles County. It is a shared ride service that is curb-to-curb. Fares are distance-based and range from $2.75 to $3.50 for each one-way trip within the Los Angeles Basin. While Access Services is available only to ADA paratransit eligible individuals, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is available to seniors (60 years of age or older) and to individuals with disabilities. Some Pasadena Dial-A- Ride clients are also clients of Access Services. The availability of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride for these individuals allows them to travel in Pasadena at the much lower cost of 75 cents for each one-way trip. The Department of Transportation also participates with Access Services in a program to allow their clients to ride on the Pasadena Transit buses by simply showing their membership identification when they board a Pasadena Transit bus. This provides Access Services clients with another low cost travel option; in turn, Access Services reimburses Pasadena Transit for the fare cost. Page 56

57 SECTION 3: PUBLIC OUTREACH Public Involvement The public outreach process for the Short Range Transit Plan included holding a series of seven public meetings and conducting on board surveys, as well as an online survey. In addition to notifications posted on all of Pasadena s public transit fleet, the Transit Division website, and on the Pasadena DOT Twitter, an outreach video and editorial piece was also published by Pasadena Now that was posted on their website and Facebook page. The feedback provided during this process has been incorporated into the Draft SRTP. City Council members and their representatives, various City Commissions, including the Transportation Advisory Commission, Accessibility and Disability Commission, Northwest Commission, Recreation and Parks Commission, Environmental Advisory Commission, Human Services Commission, and the Senior Commission, were invited to participate in the public meetings. In addition, the Old Pasadena Management District, Playhouse District, South Lake Business Association, Chamber of Commerce, as well as representatives from the Pasadena Transportation Management Association (e.g., Art Center, JPL, Caltech, etc.), were invited to participate in the survey and public meetings. DOT staff members held a total of seven stakeholder meetings: Five general meetings One meeting focusing on seniors/persons with disabilities One youth meeting The initial SRTP public outreach meetings included the following: 1. Tuesday, March 28, 2017 Villa Parke Community Center 2. Saturday, April 1, 2017 Victory Park Recreation Center 3. Tuesday, April 4, 2017 Jackie Robinson Community Center 4. Wednesday, April 5, 2017 Fair Oaks Plaza Community Room (youth focused) 5. Saturday, April 8, 2017 Villa Parke Community Center (senior focused) Subsequent to these meetings and the surveys that were conducted, staff presented the Draft Recommendations and received additional feedback at several City Commission meetings. This included presentations to the Transportation Advisory Commission, Accessibility and Disability Commission, Northwest Commission, Recreation and Parks Commission, and the Senior Commission. DOT also held the following two additional general public meetings to present these recommendations and invite public comment: 6. Saturday, September 23, 2017 Villa Parke Community Center 7. Tuesday, September 26, 2017 City Hall Banners were posted on all Pasadena Transit and Dial-A-Ride vehicles advertising the meetings and survey, as well as on the Transit Division website and on the Pasadena DOT Twitter. The outreach video and editorial piece that was developed by Pasadena Now and posted on their website and Facebook page had over 3,300 views and directed over 1,000 people to the DOT survey website. Page 57

58 Participants in the public meetings and surveys provided feedback on the following areas: Demographic information Transit usage information Feedback on Pasadena Transit service o Service effectiveness o Service efficiency Service gaps Preferences for additional service/changes to the system DOT staff also: Reviewed Customer Feedback o Requests and comments from customers made to Transit staff; o Bus operator comments; and o Results from a survey conducted on the City s website. The public outreach feedback helped inform the basis for the SRTP recommendations for revised and new transit service. Highlights of Outreach Meeting Comments Below is a general recap of comments received during the outreach meetings. Service Modifications o Increase weekday frequency especially during peak morning and evening hours between 7-8 am and 5-6 pm, respectively o Add Sunday service o Extend weekday operating hours to 10 pm o Line 40 needs to be more frequent at peak times 7am-8am and 5pm-6pm o Saturday service should start earlier Route Modifications o Provide a connection to South Lake via Route 40 o Extend service to Altadena o Provide more transit service on north/south corridors o Extend service further south on Rosemead Boulevard Youth Comments o More service is needed on Routes 20, 31/32, 40 and 51 frequency and hours o Modify Route 31/32 and 40 to stop closer to Marshall Fundamental o Extend service to help provide transportation to schools in Altadena o There are issues that occur with disruptive and/or unruly passengers on the buses o Additional protections are desired along the pedestrian path from the Route 51 stops on Raymond/Glenarm to Blair High School, which requires crossing the Gold Line tracks Additional Suggestions o Decrease travel time to provide faster service across town o Increase outreach to better inform the community regarding the City s transit services Page 58

59 o o Need to address conflicts that occur when passengers board with carts and/or other belongings that impede accessibility; consider how to better accommodate carts, etc. For Dial-A-Ride, provide more flexibility by using smaller vehicles. Pasadena Transit Demographics Pasadena Transit conducted an extensive onboard and online survey of Pasadena Transit riders and nonriders. All surveys were administered and available in both English and Spanish. 628 total responses were collected; 303 were collected onboard buses. The onboard survey results are within 95% confidence (+/- 5%) based on the average daily boardings. The survey results show that: 85% of Pasadena Transit riders live in Pasadena and Altadena; the remaining live in the surrounding cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, West Covina, Covina, Downtown Los Angeles, etc. Map 11, on the next page shows, where passengers are traveling from outside of Pasadena. 58% of riders are female. 49.4% are aged % are employed, and 24.5% are students. Regarding income, 36% reported making less than $11,999 per year (excluding students), while 22% reported making $50,000 or more. 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 80.75% of Pasadena Transit users have smart phones. 40% of Pasadena Transit users also use Uber, Lyft or some other ridesharing application. When broken down by income level, only 35% of those in the lowest income Figure 12: Pasadena Transit Trip Purpose bracket use a ridesharing service, while 67% in the upper income bracket use a ridesharing service. Pasadena Transit riders also use Metro bus/rail and Foothill Transit, and they use the Pasadena Transit system to travel to work, school and, to a lesser extent, shopping. 78.5% of riders do not have access to a car. % of responses Page 59

60 Page 60 Map 11: Pasadena Transit Commuters Zip Codes Outside of Pasadena

61 Shopping Recreation Work School Other I wouldn t use the bus on Survey Feedback Overall Satisfaction Overall, the survey feedback from Pasadena Transit riders was positive. 88% ranked their overall satisfaction with Pasadena Transit as excellent or good and 85% rated customer service of bus drivers in the same categories. In terms of feedback regarding service, the answers varied depending on weekday or Saturday. When asked how often the bus runs meets their needs during the week, 81% rated excellent or good and when asked about the hours the bus runs, 73% responded excellent or good. When asked the same question regarding Saturday service, regarding how often the bus runs 54% responded excellent or good and regarding the hours the bus runs 49% stated excellent or good. These ratings exclude any answers that stated no opinion. Between 25%-26% of respondents stated no opinion regarding Saturday service indicating that they do not ride the bus on Saturday. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % 90.00% 80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% How often the bus runs on weekdays How often the bus runs on Saturday Figure 13: Satisfaction with Pasadena Transit Hours the bus runs on weekdays (span of service) Figure 14: Satisfaction with Pasadena Transit Service Hours the bus runs on Saturday (span of service) Excellent Good Fair Poor No Opinion Excellent Good Fair Poor No Opinion In summary, respondents were slightly more satisfied with frequency over hours for both weekday and Saturday service. However, ratings were much lower for Saturday service. Conclusions: Between hours and frequency, hours should be extended on both weekdays and Saturdays before frequency. Weekend has lower ratings than weekday for both hours and frequency. Survey Feedback Sunday Service 83% of respondents indicated that they would use Sunday service for a variety of purposes. The most popular use for Sunday service was for shopping with over 50% of respondents stating this would be their trip purpose. 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % of responses Figure 15: Sunday trip purpose Page 61

62 Survey Feedback Trip purpose, transfers, satisfaction by Route The following section discusses satisfaction ratings, trip purpose and transfer rates by route. Sample sizes for Routes 51/52 and 60 were very small, and are not included in the breakdown by route below: Route 10 had the highest percentage of trips for work and recreation, the highest transfer rate and the highest excellent rating. Route 40 had the highest percentage of passengers travelling to school, the lowest transfer rate and the second highest number of excellent ratings. Route 20 had the second most people travelling to work after Route 10, less people transferring than Routes 10 and 31/32 but had the highest overall satisfaction (good and excellent). Finally, Route 31/32 had the lowest percentage of shopping trips, while the other three routes had nearly the same breakout for shopping. Route 31/32 also had more people going to school than 10 or 20, but it also had a higher transfer rate than Route 20. Route 31/32 had the lowest excellent ratings, and the highest fair ratings for overall satisfaction. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Route 10 Route 20 Route 31/32 Route 40 Route 10 Route 20 Route 31/32 Route 40 Will transfer to bus/train Survey Feedback Optional Comments Figure 18: Transfers by Route At the conclusion of the survey, respondents had the option to add their own open ended comments. The comments are summarized below and separated into Pasadena Transit user and nonuser categories. 0% Route 10 Route 20 Route 31/32 Route 40 Figure 16: Overall Satisfaction by Route Figure 17: Trip Purpose by Route Excellent Good Fair Poor No Opinion Medical Recreation School Shopping Work Other Page 62

63 Pasadena Transit Users There were 250 individual optional comments received by Pasadena Transit riders. Individual comments were categorized and some comments addressed multiple categories. Overall satisfaction o 44% of comments expressed satisfaction with the service (convenient, reliable, etc.) and customer service. o 11% liked that Pasadena was affordable and/or offered free local transfers and discounted interagency transfers Service Modifications o 17% of comments requested Sunday service o 16% requested increased frequency o 11% would like earlier Saturday hours o 7% requested later weekday hours Route Modifications Similar Requests by Multiple Respondents o Extend service into Altadena north of Woodbury to at least Altadena Drive o Extend service along Orange Grove Blvd. o Modify Route 31/32 so that it runs both directions on Woodbury and Lincoln Survey Feedback Non transit users There were 71 respondents who indicated that they have not used any type of public transportation. As shown in Figure 19, most indicated that they would rather drive than take public transportation. Individual comments also indicated an opportunity for outreach regarding how to use the system. Survey Feedback Comments from Non-riders Comments from individuals who have in the past used transit but do not currently, included the following: 13% would rather walk or ride bikes than use transit for local trips Figure 19: Reasons not using public transportation 12.2% don t use transit because they don t know where it goes or how to use it. 20.4% said that transit doesn t go where they need it to go or it s too slow 5.1% said that they didn t have proper fare or wanted an easier way to pay These comments further indicated an opportunity for outreach regarding how to use the system. I don t know how to use the bus I d rather drive Inconvenient Page 63

64 SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT Pasadena Transit Recommendations The public outreach that was conducted, the ridership analysis, and the survey results were all used to inform the development of the recommendations described in this section. To implement the recommendations identified in this SRTP, $4,250,000 in annual operating funds as well as $3,600,000 in capital funds would need to be identified. The operating funds would support 52,770 in additional revenue service hours and the capital funds would provide six additional buses 4, including the required spare ratio. As discussed in the public outreach section, these recommendations were presented to several City Commissions and at two general meetings with general support for all recommendations. Below is a summary table of the operating and capital costs required to implement the recommendations, followed by detailed information for each recommendation, including a cost breakdown. 4 Based on the FY19 cost to purchase a 35-foot CNG bus Page 64

65 Page 65 Table 21: SRTP Recommendations and Cost