Transportation Development Plan Janesville Transit System

Transcription

1 Transportation Development Plan Janesville Transit System Final Report Prepared for City of Janesville Janesville Transit System Janesville Metropolitan Planning Organization Prepared by Urbitran Associates, Inc. In association with Abrams-Cherwony & Associates August 2007

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics...1 Introduction...1 Population Past, Present, and Future...1 Current Population Density...3 Senior Citizen Population...5 Youth Population...6 Income...6 Population below the Poverty Level...10 Zero-Car Households...11 Commuting...12 Employment...14 Major Trip Generators...15 Future Development...17 Conclusion JTS Service Overview...19 Introduction...19 Organization Structure...19 Fixed Route Description...20 Frequency and Span...20 Route Length and Operating Statistics...25 Trippers...26 Fare Structure...27 Paratransit Service...27 Financial Information...28 Capital Resources...29 Historical Trends...32 Service Changes since Previous TDP Public Outreach...35 Introduction...35 Drop-In Sessions...35 Service Area Expansion...35 Expanded Service Days...36 Service Hour Expansion...36 Service Quality...36 Other Comments...36 Summary...37 Stakeholder Interviews...37 Operations...39 Finance...39 Janesville Transit System: General Perceptions...39 Unmet Needs...40 Future Demands...40 Stakeholder Summary Peer Group and Trend Analysis...42 Introduction...42 Performance Comparisons...43 Financial Efficiency...45 Service Effectiveness...45 Cost Effectiveness...47 i

3 Level of Service...49 Service Span...49 Trend Analysis Opinion Surveys...54 Introduction...54 Survey Responses...54 Trip Profile...57 Access to Bus...57 Trip Purpose...58 Completion of Trip...58 Utilize Evening Service...59 Evening Nightside Trip Purpose...60 Fare Payment Options...60 Service Evaluation...61 Service Evaluation...61 Overall Rating of Service...61 JTS Improvement...62 Increase in Use...62 Service Reduction...62 Passenger Profile Travel Characteristics...63 Driver s License...63 Vehicles in Household...63 Extent of Transit Dependency...64 Service Usage...64 Length of Time Riding JTS...65 Riding Habit...65 Passenger Profile Demographics and Socioeconomics...65 Age...65 Gender...66 Income Level...66 Additional Comments...66 Summary Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities...68 Introduction...68 Performance Evaluation...68 Service Coverage...70 Patron Convenience...75 Fiscal Condition...78 Passenger Comfort...80 Summary...81 Route Diagnostics...82 Service Effectiveness...83 Financial Efficiency...85 Cost Effectiveness...87 Route Ranking...89 Time of Day Analysis...90 Route Issues and Opportunities...91 Regular Routes...91 Nightside Routes Beloit-Janesville Express Overall Issues and Opportunities ii

4 7. Recommended Five Year Service Plan Background Service Plan Service Plan: Year 1 (2006) Service Plan: Year 2 (2008) Service Plan: Year 3 (2009) Service Plan: Year 4 (2010) Service Plan: Year 5 (2011) Capital Requirements Financial Plan Miles and Hours of Service Ridership Estimates Farebox Revenue iii

5 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1: JTS: Total Population by Census Block Group...2 Figure 1-2: JTS: Population Density by Census Block Group...4 Figure 1-3: JTS: Percentage of Senior Citizens by Census Block Group...5 Figure 1-4: JTS: Percentage of Youths by Census Block Group...6 Figure 1-5: JTS: Median Household Income by Census Block Group...8 Figure 1-6: JTS: Per Capita Income by Census Block Group...9 Figure 1-7: JTS: Percentage of People Living below the Poverty Level by Census Block Group...10 Figure 1-8: JTS: Percentage of Zero-Car Households by Census Block Group...11 Figure 1-9: JTS: Means of Transportation to Work...12 Figure 1-10: JTS: Percentage of Population using Public Transportation by Census Block Group...13 Figure 1-11: JTS: Major Employers...14 Figure 1-12: JTS: Major Trip Generators...17 Figure 2-1: JTS Staff Organization...19 Figure 2-2: JTS Fixed Route System...23 Figure 2-3: JTS: Nightside Deviated Fixed Route System...24 Figure 2-4: JTS Ridership Trends Figure 5-1: JTS On-Board Survey Form...55 Figure 6-1: JTS Service Coverage: Population Density...71 Figure 6-2: JTS Service Coverage: Percentage of People Living below the Poverty Level...72 Figure 6-3: JTS Service Congruency...73 Figure 6-4: JTS System: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day...91 Figure 6-5: Milton Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day...93 Figure 6-6: Milton Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity...94 Figure 6-7: West Court Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day...95 Figure 6-8: West Court Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity...96 Figure 6-9: Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day...98 Figure 6-10: Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity...99 Figure 6-11: East Milwaukee Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-12: East Milwaukee Street Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-13: East Milwaukee Street Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-14: West State Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-15: West State Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-16: Wright Road Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-17: Wright Road Route: Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-18: Nightside West Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-19: Nightside West Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-20: Nightside West Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-21: Nightside East Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-22: Nightside East Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-23: Nightside East Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-24: Milton Avenue Nightside Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-25: Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-26: Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-27: Beloit-Janesville Express Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Figure 6-28: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Janesville to Beloit): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-29: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Beloit to Janesville): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 6-30: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (northern Janesville loop): Weekday On/Off Activity Figure 7-1: Preliminary First Year Service Plan Figure 7-2: Year 1 Recommended Fixed Route Map iv

6 Figure 7-3: Proposed Milton Ave. Route Figure 7-4: Proposed West Court St. Route Figure 7-5: Year 3 Recommended Fixed Route Map LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1: Population Projections for Rock County and the City of Janesville...3 Table 1-2: Number of Janesville Jobs by Zip Code...15 Table 1-3: JTS: Major Trip Generators...16 Table 2-1: JTS Employee Roster...20 Table 2-2: JTS: Frequency and Span of Service...20 Table 2-3: JTS: Round Trip Route Mileage and Average Operating Speed...25 Table 2-4: JTS Average Daily Hours and Miles...26 Table 2-5:JTS Tripper Routes...26 Table 2-6: JTS Fare Structure...27 Table 2-7: JTS Paratransit Operating Statistics...28 Table 2-8: Operating Expense Summary (2005)...28 Table 2-9: Revenue Summary (2005 Proposed)...29 Table 2-10: JTS Shelter Locations and Routes Served...29 Table 2-11: JTS Bench Locations and Routes Served...30 Table 2-12: JTS: Vehicle Roster...30 Table 2-13: JTS Capital Program...31 Table 2-14: JTS Ridership Trends Table 2-15: JTS Service Trends Table 2-16: JTS Financial Trends Table 3-1: Participating Stakeholders...38 Table 4-4-1: Peer Group Summary (2003)...44 Table 4-4-2: Reporting Format...45 Table 4-4-3: Financial Efficiency...46 Table 4-4-4: Service Effectiveness...46 Table 4-4-5: Cost Effectiveness...48 Table 4-4-6: Level of Service...48 Table 4-4-7: Service Span...50 Table 4-4-8: Trend Analysis ( )...52 Table 5-1: Access to Bus...57 Table 5-2: Route Transferred From...58 Table 5-3: Trip Purpose...58 Table 5-4: Mode to Complete Trip...59 Table 5-5: Route Transferred To...59 Table 5-6: Utilize Evening Service...60 Table 5-7: Nightside Trip Purpose...60 Table 5-8: Type of Fare Payment...60 Table 5-9: Service Evaluation...61 Table 5-10: Overall Rating of Service...61 Table 5-11: Service Improvements...62 Table 5-12: Increase in Use...62 Table 5-13: Service Reduction...63 Table 5-14: Driver s License Availability...63 Table 5-15: Vehicles in Household...63 Table 5-16: Transit Dependency...64 v

7 Table 5-17: Service Usage...64 Table 5-18: Length of Time Riding...65 Table 5-19: Riding Habit...65 Table 5-20: Respondent s Age...66 Table 5-21: Annual Household Income...66 Table 5-22: Additional Comments...67 Table 6-1: Service Standards and JTS Results...69 Table 6-2: JTS Average Operating Speed by Route...76 Table 6-3: JTS On-Time Performance...77 Table 6-4: 2004 Route Level Ridership, Operating Data, Cost and Revenue Estimates...83 Table 6-5: JTS Passengers per Mile by Route...84 Table 6-6: JTS Passengers per Hour by Route...85 Table 6-7: JTS Cost per Mile by Route...86 Table 6-8: JTS Cost per Passenger by Route...87 Table 6-9: JTS Farebox Recovery by Route...89 Table 6-10: JTS Weekday Route Ranking...90 Table 6-11: JTS Saturday Route Ranking...90 Table 6-12: Milton Avenue Route Indicators...92 Table 6-13: West Court Street Route Indicators...94 Table 6-14: Kellogg Avenue Route Indicators...97 Table 6-15: East Milwaukee Street Route Indicators Table 6-16: West State Street Route Indicators Table 6-17: Wright Road Route Indicators Table 6-18: Nightside West Route Indicators Table 6-19: Nightside East Route Indicators Table 6-20: Milton Avenue Nightside Route Indicators Table 6-21: Beloit-Janesville Express Route Indicators Table 7-1: Five Year Service Plan Recommendations Table 7-2: JTS Five Year Financial Plan vi

8 1. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics Introduction The Janesville urban area is located in south-central Wisconsin just north of the Illinois border. The City of Janesville is located in Rock County, approximately 40 miles southeast of Madison, 80 miles southwest of Milwaukee and 110 miles northwest of Chicago. The Janesville metropolitan area comprises the northern half of Rock County. Janesville Transit System (JTS), a department of the local government of the City of Janesville, provides fixed route and paratransit services within the City of Janesville and between Janesville and Beloit. This chapter provides an overview of socioeconomic and land use characteristics, based on data collected from the 2000 United States Census and the Wisconsin Demographic Services Center. Population Past, Present, and Future When looking at the demographics of an area, the current situation as well as the past and projected conditions must be studied. Why changes in transit service were made in the past and how transit needs to change in the future to meet changing demographics and demand can be better understood by looking at the patterns that emerge from such an analysis. The decennial Census provides a snapshot of a region s demographics, which is very useful to understanding the current needs of a population, but does not speak to how the region got to that snapshot or what the future is expected to bring. According to Census 2000 figures, the population of the City of Janesville is 59,498. The population for Rock County is 152,307. Figure 1-1 maps the distribution of the population in and around the City of Janesville by Census 2000 block group. Block groups with the highest population counts are located on the outskirts of Janesville and in the suburban surroundings. However, these block groups are quite large and give a distorted view of population distribution. For a more appropriate look at the dispersion of the population, population density (number of people per square mile) is evaluated in the following section. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 1

9 Figure 1-1: JTS: Total Population by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Population in Janesville has increased recently at a rate higher than the state average. The City of Janesville population increased by 14.1% from and Rock County increased by 9.2%. The Wisconsin state average over the period was an increase of 9.6%. The recent growth is thus focused within Janesville as opposed to other parts of the county. This recent growth is a drastic change from the.06% increase (90 people) that occurred in Rock County from It is also a large change for the City of Janesville, which experienced only 2% growth in population from The growth trend is expected to continue through 2030 for both Rock County and the City of Janesville. In the future, growth in Rock County is expected to result more from migration than Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 2

10 from natural increase. Table 1-1 describes the projected population change for Rock County and the City of Janesville from Table 1-1: Population Projections for Rock County and the City of Janesville Geographic Area Rock County 152, , , , , , ,855 City of Janesville 59,498 62,405 64,535 66,756 68,910 71,096 N/A Source of Data: Wisconsin Demographic Services Center, "Wisconsin 2030" report N/A: Not available Over the period , Rock County does not fall within the 10 fastest growing nor 10 slowest growing counties in Wisconsin. It is expected to grow at an average rate. Between 2000 and 2030, Rock County is expected to grow by 16.8%. From 2000 to 2025, Janesville is anticipated to grow by 19.5%. Current Population Density Population density is another important demographic measure because of its inherent ability to show concentrations of people across a landscape. Densities are very useful for their ability to show concentrations of people but can be misleading due to the composition of the landscape. People do not live in heavily forested areas, in wetlands or in lakes, but the area that is comprised of these types of land cover is not excluded when calculating the land area of the region. The figures presented here are general density figures because they use total land area per political designation, not only habitable land. Overall, Rock County population density is 211 people per square mile. Janesville population is much higher at 2,125 people per square mile. Both the metropolitan area and the City proper have population densities much higher than the Wisconsin average of 99 people per square mile. Figure 1-2 maps the 2000 population density for the Janesville area by block group. Population is heavily concentrated inside the city proper, particularly in the downtown area along and outward from Court Street. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 3

11 Figure 1-2: JTS: Population Density by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census For the younger and older segments of the population, age directly impacts mobility, and thus impacts transit usage. Identifying where these populations are concentrated can indicate areas of potential transit demand. Until the age of 16 youth are ineligible to drive, making them dependent on others or on non-motorized modes, such as walking and biking, for their mobility. Once youth turn 16, limited incomes often restrict their ability to own and maintain a vehicle. Youth and senior populations are discussed in the following sections. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 4

12 Senior Citizen Population Senior citizens tend to locate in the more urban areas, where access to healthcare and activities are readily available. Overall, 13.1% of the population of Wisconsin is over the age of 65. In Rock County and Janesville, the percentages are 12.7% and 12.9%, respectively. Figure 1-3 maps the percentage of individuals over the age of 65 in the Janesville area. Higher concentrations of seniors are found within the city proper than in the outlying areas. Figure 1-3: JTS: Percentage of Senior Citizens by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 5

13 Youth Population Throughout Wisconsin, 25.5% of the population is under the age of 18. The percentages are higher in Rock County (26.5%) and the City of Janesville (26.2%). Figure 1-4 describes where the highest percentages of youth live in the Janesville area. Youths are distributed in smaller pockets than seniors, but are still concentrated inside the city proper. Figure 1-4: JTS: Percentage of Youths by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census The following sections look at socioeconomic characteristics such as income and poverty as well as commuting statistics and employment information. Income Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 6

14 Income determines (in part) the type of transportation that people are able to use to get to work. People with lower incomes are more likely to be in need of public transportation options than people with higher incomes who can afford private transportation. Both household income and individual income are discussed in this section. Median household income describes the average income of households within the study area. For the State of Wisconsin, the median household income is $43,791. Both the Janesville metropolitan area (Rock County) and the City of Janesville have higher than average median household incomes. The City of Janesville has higher household incomes than does greater Rock County. The median household income in Janesville is $45,961. In Rock County, the median household income is $45,517. Figure 1-5 describes the median household income in the Janesville area by block group. Higher incomes are concentrated in eastern Janesville and just outside the city proper in all directions except east and southeast. The lowest household incomes are found downtown along Court Street and in the northern section of the city south of I-90. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 7

15 Figure 1-5: JTS: Median Household Income by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 8

16 Per capita income describes the average income of an individual living in the study area. As with household income, per capita income is higher in Janesville than Rock County. However, only Janesville is higher than the state average. For Wisconsin, the per capita income is $21,271. In Rock County, the per capita income is $20,895. The Janesville per capita income is $22,224. Figure 1-6 maps the distribution of individual incomes in the Janesville area by block group. As with household incomes, individual income is highest in the eastern portion of the city proper and just outside of Janesville. The lowest incomes are found in downtown Janesville south of West Court Street and in the far southern part of the city. Lower incomes are also found south and east of the city proper. Figure 1-6: JTS: Per Capita Income by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 9

17 Population below the Poverty Level Poverty is defined as an income level for individuals and families below which people are considered to be living in poverty. This section looks at the percentage of the population living below the poverty level. According to Census 2000, 8.7% of Wisconsin s population is living below the poverty level. The situation is slightly better in Rock County and the City of Janesville. In Rock County, 7.3% of the population lives below the poverty level. In Janesville, 6.5% of the population is living below the poverty level. Figure 1-7 describes the distribution of people living in poverty in the Janesville area. Poverty is concentrated in downtown Janesville along Court Street and outside the city proper to the east and southeast. Figure 1-7: JTS: Percentage of People Living below the Poverty Level by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 10

18 Natural and socioeconomic characteristics, such as age and income, are central in determining the location and level of service for bus routes, but other material and behavior characteristics, such as commutation characteristics, are also essential. The next sections deal with the material and behavior characteristics of the people living in the Janesville region. Zero-Car Households Numbers of cars per household is an important statistic to analyze because it describes transit dependence and in turn, transit demand in the region. Zero-car households are considered to be entirely dependent upon alternate transportation sources. Overall, 7.9% of Wisconsin households have no vehicles. The percentage is lower in both Rock County and the city of Janesville. For Rock County, 6.1% of households have no vehicles available. In Janesville, 5.9% of households are zero-car households. Figure 1-8 maps zero-car households in the Janesville area by block group. Zero-car households are heavily concentrated in the center of the Janesville city proper. Figure 1-8: JTS: Percentage of Zero-Car Households by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 11

19 Commuting Census 2000 means of transportation statistics describe how people in the Janesville region get to and from work. Figure 1-9 depicts the mode by which residents in the Janesville region commute. The vast majority (85%) of Janesville area residents drive alone to work. Nine percent carpool, 1% use public transportation and 5% use other modes. Figure 1-9: JTS: Means of Transportation to Work Means of Transportation to Work 1% 5% 9% Drove Alone 85% Carpooled Used Public Transportation Other Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Overall, in Wisconsin, 2% of residents use public transportation. In Janesville, the percentage is 1% and in Rock County, 0.7% of residents use public transportation. This reflects the relative affluence of the community and the lack of alternatives to driving. The statistics on public transportation mode use of the Janesville population who are employed are presented in Figure 1-10 by block group. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 12

20 Figure 1-10: JTS: Percentage of Population using Public Transportation by Census Block Group Source of Data: 2000 United States Census Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 13

21 Employment Employment is a key factor in transportation and transit discussions because the trip to work is the most frequent and most important trip taken by most people. Figure 1-11 maps the locations of major employers in Janesville. Janesville s largest employer is General Motors with 3,900 employees. Other employers with more than 1,000 employees are: Mercy Health Systems (2,370 employees), Janesville Schools (1,400 employees), and Rock County (1,300 employees). The employee totals include all employees, regardless of residence. Figure 1-11: JTS: Major Employers Source of Data: JTS According to the US Census Bureau as of 2000, Rock County has 58,409 jobs. The greatest numbers of these jobs are located in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Janesville itself is Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 14

22 home to 37,674 of the 58,409 jobs in Rock County (65%). Table 1-2 lists the number of jobs located in Janesville by zip code (note: is actually a post office box address.) Table 1-2: Number of Janesville Jobs by Zip Code Zip Code , , ,305 Total 37,674 Source of data: US Census Bureau, North American Industry Classification System Unemployment is also an important characteristic to transit services. People who are compensated for being unemployed by the federal government have to make an active attempt to find employment. In order to go on job interviews and to the state job service on very low incomes, they often have to rely on public transportation. Wisconsin s overall unemployment rate is 3.2%. In Rock County, 3.9% of residents are unemployed, and in Janesville, 3.3% of residents are unemployed, both slightly higher than the state average. Major Trip Generators Major trip generators are locations frequented by a significant number of people, traveling by all modes, within the study area. Common transit generators include shopping centers, industrial parks, major employers, schools and hospitals. These generators must be considered when evaluating transit service for a region. This section identifies and maps major trip generators within the JTS service area. Trip generators are broken into the following categories: government, healthcare, schools, businesses, shopping and entertainment, and activity centers. Table 1-3 lists the generators by category and Figure 1-12 maps the locations of the generators. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 15

23 Table 1-3: JTS: Major Trip Generators Shopping and Entertainment Government Target Youth Sports Complex Post Office K-Mart/Farm & Fleet Palmer Park Motor Vehicle Department Wal-Mart Ice Skating Center Municipal Building Woodmans Lions Beach Courthouse Shop-Ko Rotary Gardens Hedberg Public Library Van Galder Bus Terminal Sunnyside Shopping Center UW - Rock County Rock Theaters Rockport Pool/Peace Park Senior Center Pine Tree Plaza Pic N Save Mega Mart Transfer Center Janesville Mall Blackhawk Shopping Center Police Department Creston Park Mall County Fair Grounds Activity Centers Mercy Health Mall Schools South Wright Road Industrial Park Fairview Mall Marshall Middle School Downtown Janesville Sentry East Craig High School Riverfront, Inc. Healthcare Facilities Parker High School Arrow Park Riverview Clinic Franklin Middle School Rock County Institutions Mercy Hospital Edison Middle School Kandu Industries Mercy East WI Center for Blind/ Vis. Imp. Mercy South UW Rock County Blackhawk Technical College Source of Data: JTS Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 16

24 Figure 1-12: JTS: Major Trip Generators Source of Data: JTS Future Development During the next five years, , a number of commercial, industrial and residential developments will supply varying levels of trip generation from a JTS perspective. The major development during this time will be the construction of a Super Wal-Mart and Sam s Club along with an expected number of periphery businesses on remaining vacant commercial sites in this immediate area. This development will occur on Deerfield Drive on the northeast side of the City north of Interstate 90 and southeast of State Highway 26. Additional commercial and retail development is expected in the City s core retail area on the northeast side near Interstate 90/39. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 17

25 Other potential developments during this time are expected in the City s two newer industrial parks, one on the east side of the City by the Highway 11 and 14 intersection and the other along State Highway 11 west of the interstate on the City s south side. Future development in these areas will provide new job opportunities to the citizens of Janesville and potentially add an increased need for transit use. Additionally, during this time period residential growth is expected to continue at a brisk pace on the north and east portions of the City along the Wright Road Corridor and east of Interstate 90 north of highway 14 (see the 2004 Residential Development and Building Activity Report). Residential development activity growth patterns described in that report, and shown on the attached maps, are also expected to continue in those areas of the City over the next 5 years. Additional areas of residential growth include subdivisions on the far southwest portion of the City, south of Highway 11 and west of the Rock River, on the western end of Court Street, and the western end of Memorial Drive near the City arboretum. None of these residential developments are expected to generate great demands for transit service other than potential school trips as part of the JTS Tripper bus service. Conclusion Janesville is the hub of Rock County. Janesville s population has been growing in the recent past and is expected to continue in the future. Population density is greatest in downtown Janesville, as are the concentrations of seniors and youths, poverty, low household and individual income, zero-car households, the majority of public transportation users, and jobs. Major trip generators are spread out throughout the Janesville city proper, but are concentrated downtown. Socioeconomic and Land Use Characteristics 18

26 2. JTS Service Overview Introduction Janesville Transit System (JTS) provides fixed route and paratransit services in the City of Janesville and between Janesville and Beloit. JTS operates seven fixed routes, six within Janesville and one to Beloit. JTS also provides Nightside service on three deviated fixed routes within Janesville and provides curb-to-curb paratransit service to ADA-eligible passengers who are unable to use the fixed route bus system due to physical or mental disabilities. ADA paratransit service includes all locations within the corporate limits of the City and on its fringes to a distance of ¾ of a mile of a JTS fixed route. This chapter provides an overview of the JTS system. Organization Structure JTS is a department of the City of Janesville. Figure 2-1 presents an organization chart for JTS. Figure 2-1: JTS Staff Organization Assistant City Manager Transit Director (1) Secretary (1) Assistant Transit Director (1) Clerk/Dispatcher (Part-time) (1) Operations Supervisor (vacant) Full Time Drivers (16) *1 Part Time Drivers (6) *2 Maintenance Supervisor (1) Mechanic (2) * as of October 1, filled one held vacant 2. 5 filled one held vacant 3. 2 filled one held vacant Automotive Service Person (3) *3 Part Time Garage Person (3) Bus Custodian (Part Time) JTS Service Overview 19

27 Table 2-1 presents the number of JTS employees by each organizational category. Fixed Route Description Frequency and Span Table 2-1: JTS Employee Roster Labor Classification Full-Time Employees Part-Time Employees Vehicle Operations 16 6 Vehicle Maintenance 6 4 Non-Vehicle Maintenance 0 0 General Administration 3 1 Total by Category Total Employees 36 Employees Source of Data: JTS JTS operates 7 fixed routes, 6 within the City of Janesville and 1 to Beloit. JTS also provides Nightside service on 3 deviated fixed routes within Janesville. Overall span of service is from 6:15 AM until 10:15 PM on weekdays and from 8:45 AM until 6:15 PM on Saturdays. JTS provides extra tripper service to meet special service needs and seasonal demand. Trippers are open to the general public, and the services are described on published schedules. Tripper fares are the same as regular fixed route fares. Half of the regular routes operate on 30-minute headways and half on 60-minute headways. Nightside and Beloit-Janesville Express (BJE) service operate on 60-minute headways. Table 2-2 provides an overview of the frequency and span of service for each of the fixed routes. Table 2-2: JTS: Frequency and Span of Service Route Weekday Saturday Frequency Span Frequency Span Regular Routes West Court Street 30 6:15 AM - 6:15 PM 30 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM Kellogg Avenue 30 6:15 AM - 6:15 PM 30 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM Milton Avenue 30 6:15 AM - 6:15 PM 30 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM East Milwaukee Street 60 6:15 AM - 6:15 PM 60 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM West State Street 60 6:45 AM - 6:15 PM 60 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM Wright Road 60 6:15 AM - 6:15 PM 60 8:45 AM - 6:15 PM Nightside Routes Nightside-West 60 6:15 PM - 10:15 PM N/A N/A Nightside-East 60 6:15 PM - 10:15 PM N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside 60 6:15 PM - 10:15 PM N/A N/A Regional Route Beloit-Janesville Express 60 6:00 AM - 6:15 PM N/A N/A Source of Data: JTS JTS Service Overview 20

28 The 6 regular routes, the Beloit-Janesville Express (BJE), and the Nightside routes operate on a pulse system with pulses occurring at the JTS Downtown Transfer Center on South River Street. A pulse bus system is one in which several bus routes meet at the same point at the same time regularly in order to provide ease of transferring between routes. Three of the regular routes pulse at both quarter past the hour and quarter of the hour and the other three regular routes pulse only at either quarter past the hour or quarter of the hour. Nightside deviated fixed routes all pulse at quarter past the hour. Buses will stop at any intersection along the routes where it is safe to do so, at marked bus stops, as well as at points of interest and major trip generators. Below is a description of each of the regular fixed routes: Milton Avenue This route serves northeast Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and the commercial and retail concentrations along US Highway 14 via Milton Avenue with deviations along the way. Major trip generators served by this route include the Rock County Courthouse, Creston Park Mall, the Janesville Mall, Rock Theatres, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Van Galder Bus Terminal, Woodmans, Shopko, and the Pine Tree Plaza. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 60 minutes. Two buses operate this route on 30-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. East Milwaukee Street This route serves east and northeast Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Janesville Mall via Main, Tyler, Randall, Milwaukee, Randolph, Morningside and Mount Zion. Major trip generators besides the Mall include Craig High School, Village Green Apartments, Rotary Gardens, Janesville Ice Center, Lions Beach, Fairview Mall, Marshall Middle School, and Mercy Clinic East. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 60 minutes, allowing one bus to operate this route on 60-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. Wright Road This route serves east Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Wright Road via Racine, Palmer, Midland, Wright, Ruger, and South Ringold. Major trip generators served by this route include Palmer Park, Midland Road and South Wright Road Industrial Parks, Mercy Clinic East, and Craig High School. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 30 minutes, allowing one bus to operate both this route and the West State route on 60-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. Kellogg Avenue This route serves south Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Kellogg Avenue via Jackson, State, Beloit, Kellogg, Chatham, Pearl, Center, and Rockport. Major trip generators served by this route include Mercy Clinic South, Pick n Save Mega Mart, Blackhawk Shopping Plaza, the South Center Avenue commercial area, Edison Middle School, the Rock County Job Center, and General Motors. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 30 minutes, allowing one bus to operate this route on 30-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. West State Street This route serves southwest Janesville between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Kellogg Avenue via Academy, Center, State, Willard, Conde, Kellogg, South River, South Crosby, and West Court. Major trip generators served by this route include the Janesville Municipal Building and Police Service Building, Cedar Crest Retirement residences and nursing home, Rockport Park and Swimming Pool. The West Court Street retail corridor, Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, UW Rock County. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 30 minutes, allowing one bus to JTS Service Overview 21

29 operate both this route and the Wright Road route on 60-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. West Court Street This route serves west and northwest Janesville between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Waveland Drive via Pearl, West Court, Bond, Waveland, Mineral Point, Grant, Manor, Purvis, Washington, and Franklin. Major trip generators served by this route include Garden Court Apartments, Mercy Hospital and Clinic, Sunnyside Shopping Plaza, Parker High School, Franklin Middle School, Mercy Health Mall, Dean Riverview Clinic, the Janesville Municipal Building and Police Services Building, and the West Court Street retail corridor. Roundtrip travel time on this route is 30 minutes, allowing one bus to operate this route on 30-minute headways on weekdays and Saturdays. Figure 2-2 is a map of the JTS fixed route system. JTS Service Overview 22

30 Figure 2-2: JTS Fixed Route System Source of Data: JTS Nightside service continues approximately the same coverage as the regular routes from 6:15 PM until 10:15 PM on weekdays. The three routes operate on 60-minute headways with one bus each. Below is a description of each of the Nightside routes: Milton Avenue Nightside The route structure is exactly the same as the regular Milton Avenue route. JTS Service Overview 23

31 Nightside East This route is a combination of the East Milwaukee and Wright Road regular routes. Nightside West This route is a combination of the Kellogg Avenue, West State Street, and West Court Street regular routes. Figure 2-3 is a map of the Nightside deviated fixed route system. Figure 2-3: JTS: Nightside Deviated Fixed Route System Source of Data: JTS JTS Service Overview 24

32 The Beloit-Janesville Express route is a joint-venture between JTS, the Beloit Transit System, and a consortium of seven sponsoring agencies which provide the local share funding and account for approximately half of the overall ridership. The BJE provides transfer ability to both of the local systems. The BJE is operated from 6:00 AM until 6:15 PM on weekdays. The BJE operates on 60-minute headways with JTS and BTS each providing one bus for the operation of this route. The route extends as far north as Highway 14 north of Janesville to as far south as the Beloit Transfer Center. Major trip generators served include the Rock County Complex, Arrow Park, JTS Downtown Transfer Center, UW-Rock County, Kandu Industries, Rock County Job Center, Blackhawk Technical College, and the Downtown Beloit transfer center. The BJE is shown in Figure 2-1. Route Length and Operating Statistics The average roundtrip route length for JTS regular routes is approximately miles. Two of the routes (Milton Avenue and East Milwaukee Street) are about double the length of the other routes and have running times of 60 minutes (as opposed to the 30-minute running times for the rest of the regular routes). The average route length for Nightside services is miles, and all routes have running times of 60 minutes. The route length for the BJE is approximately 45.0 miles. Route lengths are presented on Table 2-3, which also presents the average scheduled speed for each route (i.e. route miles divided by scheduled running time). Table 2-3: JTS: Round Trip Route Mileage and Average Operating Speed Route Route Miles Average Speed (MPH) Regular Routes West Court Street Kellogg Avenue Milton Avenue East Milwaukee Street West State Street Wright Road Average Nightside Routes Nightside-West Nightside-East Milton Avenue Nightside Average Regional Route Beloit-Janesville Express Source of Data: JTS operating data On an average weekday, JTS regular route vehicles travel approximately 1,097 miles in 72 hours. Nightside vehicles travel approximately 172 miles in 12 hours, and the BJE bus travels approximately 270 miles in 12 hours. On an average Saturday, JTS regular route vehicles travel approximately 868 miles in 57 hours. Table 2-4 lists average daily service hours and miles for each route for both weekdays and Saturdays. JTS Service Overview 25

33 Route Table 2-4: JTS Average Daily Hours and Miles Daily Revenue Hours Weekday Daily Revenue Miles Daily Revenue Hours Saturday Daily Revenue Miles West Court Street Route Kellogg Avenue Route Milton Avenue Route East Milwaukee Street Route West State Street Route Wright Road Route Regular Route Total Nightside-West N/A N/A Nightside-East N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside 4 52 N/A N/A Nightside Total N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express N/A N/A Weekday Total N/A N/A Source of Data: JTS Trippers JTS provides extra service with tripper routes during the year. Trippers are regularly scheduled, regular fixed route fare services that are described in the public timetables, and are open to the general public. Table 2-5 lists the tripper routes, their origins and destinations, and their scheduled time of origin. Table 2-5:JTS Tripper Routes Tripper Route Origin - Destination Scheduled Origin Time ONTARIO-ALPINE (AM) Janesville Mall - Downtown Transfer Center 7:00 AM WUTHERING HILLS (AM) Pontiac/Randolph - Downtown Transfer Center 7:05 AM NORTHWEST (AM) Janesville Mall - Parker High School 7:10 AM SOUTHWEST (AM) Downtown Transfer Center Edison Middle School/Parker High School 7:15 AM ATWOOD-HOLMES (AM) Downtown Transfer Center - Marshall Middle School 7:15 AM EAST MILWAUKEE SPECIAL (AM) Downtown Transfer Center - Craig H.S./Ringold/Holmes 7:45 AM WEST COURT SPECIAL (AM) Downtown Transfer Center - Parker High School 7:45 AM ARROW PARK (AM) (all year industrial special) Downtown Transfer Center - Arrow Park 8:15 AM WUTHERING HILLS (PM) Downtown Transfer Center Pontiac/Randolph 3:13 PM ATWOOD-HOLMES (PM) Marshall Middle School - Downtown Transfer Center 3:23 PM KELLOGG AVENUE SPECIAL (PM) Edison Middle School - Downtown Transfer Center 3:25 PM SOUTHWEST (PM) Parker High School - Downtown Transfer Center 3:30 PM NORTHWEST (PM) Parker High School - Holiday/Liberty (Janesville Mall) 3:30 PM WEST COURT SPECIAL (PM) Parker High School - Downtown Transfer Center 3:30 PM ONTARIO-ALPINE (PM) Marshall Middle School - Janesville Mall 3:35 PM WRIGHT ROAD SPECIAL (PM) Downtown Transfer Center Wright/Milwaukee 3:45 PM JTS Service Overview 26

34 Fare Structure JTS has a straightforward fare structure for its local routes, as seen in Table 2-6. The base fare for fixed route services is $1.00. The All Around Town pass is available for unlimited rides in one day between the hours of 8:45 AM and 6:15 PM. The 10 ride token pack is available at a discounted rate of $8.00. For frequent riders, a monthly pass is offered by JTS for $ Half fare options are available for each fare type for senior citizens and disabled passengers. Discount tokens and passes can be purchased at several venues throughout Janesville. Passengers can transfer for free between two routes. All routes intersect at the JTS Downtown Transfer Center. The BJE has three fare zones. Rides completely within the originating city are $ The fare to ride between either Beloit or Janesville to any other point outside the city limits as far as Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) is $1.30. The base fare from one city to the other for the BJE is $2.00. Ten-ride passes are also available for the full BJE route and the BJE route only as far as BTC. Half fare options are also available for senior citizens and disabled passengers on the BJE route. BJE passes can also be purchased at several venues in both Janesville and Beloit. Fare Category Cash Table 2-6: JTS Fare Structure All Around Town 10- Tokens Pack Monthly Pass BJE Cash BJE (BTC only) BJE 10-Ride Pass BJE (BTC only) 10-Ride Pass Adults $1.00 $2.00 $8.00 $30.00 $2.00 $1.30 $19.00 $12.00 Seniors/Disabled Persons $0.50 $1.00 $5.00 n/a $1.00 $0.65 $9.50 n/a Source of Data: JTS Paratransit fares will be discussed in the following section. Paratransit Service Paratransit service is provided to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for service usable by individuals who cannot access or use the fixed route accessible bus service by reason of their disability. This service is operated under contract by Rock County Specialized Transit, an agency of the county government which also provides paratransit service in Beloit and general elderly/disabled service throughout Rock County. Customers must obtain certification through an application process with JTS. Reservations for rides must be made the day before transportation is needed. The basic cash fare for paratransit is $2.00 per trip. Evening service for ADA eligible passengers is available through the Nightside service and deviated route operations. Table 2-7 presents 2004 JTS paratransit operating statistics. The equivalent of one full-time vehicle is used in the operation of the paratransit service. JTS Service Overview 27

35 Table 2-7: JTS Paratransit Operating Statistics Category Average Weekday Average Saturday Annual Total Ridership ,314 Peak Vehicles Revenue Hours 7 5 2,001 Revenue Miles ,661 Source of Data: JTS 2004 Financial Information JTS finances are made up of its operating expenses and its revenue sources. The capital program is presented later in this chapter. Operating expenses include vehicle operations including associated personnel costs, which represents the largest portion of operating expenses, costs paid for paratransit operation, vehicle maintenance, non-vehicle maintenance, and general administration costs. Vehicle operations are split into type of service: regular, tripper, and Nightside. Table 2-8 provides an overview of the JTS 2005 actual operating expenses. Regular service makes up the largest single piece of the budget 37%. When all fixed route services are considered together, they comprise 45% of the budget. General administration and maintenance together make up more than half (53%) of the total budget. Paratransit service costs only contribute 1% of the budget. Table 2-8: Operating Expense Summary (2005) Expense Object Class Amount % of Budget General Administration $524,552 23% Maintenance $673,671 30% Regular Service $824,580 37% Tripper Service $77,780 3% Paratransit Service $20,200 1% Nightside Service $113,770 5% Total $2,234, % Table 2-9 provides a summary of 2005 revenue sources. The largest single source of revenue is state assistance 30% of total revenue. Together all types of assistance contribute 82% of the total revenue. Farebox revenue makes up 14% of the total revenue and the BJE Subsidy and Advertising contribute 2% and 1%, respectively. JTS Service Overview 28

36 Capital Resources Table 2-9: Revenue Summary (2005 Proposed) Revenue Source Amount % of Total Revenue Federal Operating Assistance $615,600 28% State Assistance $659,600 30% Local Assistance $536,197 24% Farebox $305,691 14% Advertising $27,825 1% BJE Subsidy $51,600 2% Miscellaneous $2,040 0% Total $2,198, % JTS capital resources include its vehicle fleet, administrative and maintenance base, Transfer Center, bus stop signs, and shelters located throughout Janesville. The JTS administration and maintenance facility is located at 900 North Parker Drive in Janesville. The JTS Downtown Transfer Center is located in the central business district near the courthouse and the public library at 123 South River Street. The Downtown Transfer Center has bays for each of the bus routes (8 bays including the BJE) and one formerly used by Greyhound intercity buses which ceased service in JTS has installed 14 shelters at the locations shown in Table Table 2-10: JTS Shelter Locations and Routes Served Shelter Location Routes Served Garden Court Apt Main St. West Court, BJE Mercy Hospital Mineral Point & Washington West Court Street Riverview Heights North Washington & Greenview West Court Street Sunnyside West Court Street West Court Street, West State Street WSVH Oakhill & State West State Street, BJE Shopko Lexington Drive Milton Avenue UW-Rock Kellogg Ave West State Street, BJE Blackhawk Shopping Center Kellogg Ave Kellogg Avenue, BJE Fairview Harmony & East Milwaukee East Milwaukee Street Mercy Clinic East Wright Road Wright Road Creston Park Milton Ave Milton Avenue Wal-Mart Store proposed off Deerfield Drive Milton Avenue Pine Tree Plaza Deerfield Drive Milton Avenue Pick 'n' Save Lafayette & Conde Kellogg Avenue Source of Data: JTS JTS also has 11 benches at the locations listed in Table JTS Service Overview 29

37 Table 2-11: JTS Bench Locations and Routes Served Bench Location North Washington & Elizabeth Waveland & Mineral Point Black Bridge & Randall Randall & Racine Main & Court Crosby & Court Beloit Ave & Freedom Lane Community Bio-Resources East Milwaukee & Mt. Zion Morningside & Village Court Milton & Kennedy Kellogg & Center Morningside Dr. and Canyon Dr. Routes Served West Court Street West Court Street East Milwaukee Street East Milwaukee Street, Wright Road East Milwaukee Street, Milton Avenue West State Street Kellogg Avenue Wright Road East Milwaukee Street, Wright Road East Milwaukee Street Milton Avenue Kellogg Avenue, BJE East Milwaukee Street Source of Data: JTS JTS operates 26 total vehicles 21 fixed route, 1 paratransit and 4 service vehicles. Table 2-12 provides details on the JTS vehicle roster. Year of manufacture ranges from 1992 to Fixed route buses have a capacity range of passengers. Table 2-12: JTS: Vehicle Roster Number in Fleet Year Make Use Seats/Stands Fixed Route Roster TMC fixed route bus TMC fixed route bus New Flyer fixed route bus New Flyer fixed route bus New Flyer fixed route bus Total Fixed Route vehicles Paratransit Roster GMC paratransit van 8 1 Total Paratransit vehicles Service Vehicle Roster GMC service truck Oldsmobile staff car Chevrolet service truck Chevrolet staff van 7 4 Total Service vehicles 26 TOTAL VEHICLES Source of Data: JTS For 2005, $7,200 in local capital assistance was budgeted and $28,800 in federal capital assistance. The capital plan for 2005 includes the replacement of the 1995 supervisory vehicle ($28,500) and the replacement of 100 bus stop signs ($7,500). JTS Service Overview 30

38 The five-year capital program for is presented in Table This program provides for the replacement of vehicles and other critical components used for the operation of JTS fixed route and paratransit service. The grand total cost for the five-year program is $22,028,000. Table 2-13: JTS Capital Program JANESVILLE AREA MPO Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Transit Projects - in 1,000's of Dollars January - December 2006 Project Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit Systems Operations $669 $715 $924 $2,308 Replacement of Transit System Maintenance Garage (Design and Engineering) $400 $0 $100 $500 Rehabilitation of 4 Buses $400 $0 $100 $500 Purchase/Replace Shop Equipment $8 $0 $2 $10 Capital Repair Parts $24 $0 $6 $30 Replace Passenger Waiting Shelters $53 $0 $13 $66 Replace 1991 Utility Vehicle $36 $0 $9 $ TOTAL $1,590 $715 $1,154 $3,459 January - December 2007 Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit System Operations $703 $751 $970 $2,424 Replace Transit System Operations and Maintenance Facility (construction) $3,700 $0 $925 $4,625 Capital Repair Parts $24 $0 $6 $30 Replace Computer Equipment $6 $0 $2 $ TOTAL $4,433 $751 $1,903 $7,087 January - December 2008 Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit System Operations $743 $794 $1,025 $2,562 Capital Repair Parts $32 $0 $8 $40 Replace Shop Equipment $8 $0 $2 $10 Replace Radio Base Station $40 $0 $10 $50 Purchase and install 100 bus stop signs $7 $0 $2 $ TOTAL $830 $794 $1,047 $2,671 January - December 2009 Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit System Operations $780 $834 $1,076 $2,690 Refurbish Transfer Center (10 year) $80 $0 $20 $100 Capital Repair Parts $32 $0 $8 $40 Replace 1995 Garage Sweeper $24 $0 $6 $30 Replace Computer Equipment $6 0 $2 $ TOTAL $916 $834 $1,110 $2,860 JTS Service Overview 31

39 January - December 2010 Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit System Operations $814 $870 $1,122 $2,806 Replace 2000 Supervisory Vehicle $28 $0 $7 $35 Replace Office Copier/Printer/Fax $5 $0 $1 $6 Capital Repair Parts $32 $0 $8 $40 Replace Shop Equipment $8 $0 $2 $ TOTAL $887 $870 $1,140 $2,897 January - December 2011 Fed State Local Total Janesville Transit System Operations $854 $913 $1,179 $2,946 Replace 1998 Maintenance Shop Truck $48 $0 $12 $60 Capital Repair Parts $32 $0 $8 $40 Purchase and install 100 bus stop signs $7 $0 $2 $ TOTAL $941 $913 $1,201 $3,055 Historical Trends Fed State Local Total GRAND TOTAL $9,596 $4,877 $7,554 $22,028 Source of Data: JTS The historical trend below is based on National Transit Database reports from 1999 to 2003, the last year they were available, and JTS data for Total ridership increased over the period by 7%. Table 2-14 and Figure 2-3 depict the change in both fixed route and paratransit ridership for JTS from Fixed route ridership increased from , decreased from , then began increasing after The greatest change over the period occurred from Paratransit ridership increased from , then decreased from Overall, however, paratransit ridership increased over the period. Table 2-14: JTS Ridership Trends Year Fixed Route Paratransit Total ,496 3, , ,870 3, , ,206 4, , ,509 4, , ,019 3, , ,858 3, ,172 % Change 7.02% 6.15% 7.01% Source of Data: JTS 2004, NTD JTS Service Overview 32

40 Figure 2-4: JTS Ridership Trends Fixed Route Ridership Paratransit Ridership 510,000 4, , , , ,000 4,200 4,000 3, , , , ,000 3,600 3,400 3, , , Source of Data: JTS 2004, NTD During the same period, there was an increase in fixed route service hours and a decrease in the number of paratransit service hours provided. Fixed route revenue miles also increased over the period, while paratransit revenue miles were almost flat. Table 2-15 describes the change in fixed route and paratransit revenue hours and miles from Fixed route vehicles operated in peak service decreased from 15 to 14 over the period and the number of paratransit service vehicles remained the same. Table 2-15: JTS Service Trends Year Revenue Hours Revenue Miles Peak Vehicles Fixed Route Paratransit Fixed Route Paratransit Fixed Route Paratransit ,249 2, ,996 10, ,417 2, ,943 12, ,425 2, ,681 13, ,266 2, ,218 13, ,260 2, ,570 11, ,345 2, ,941 10, % Change 3.88% -4.62% 4.36% 1.62% -6.67% 0.00% Source of Data: JTS 2004, NTD The financial trends from are presented in Table The cost to operate the fixed route system increased by 29% while fixed route farebox revenue followed with an increase of 30%. Farebox revenue data was only available for For paratransit service however, JTS Service Overview 33

41 the financial picture is not as consistent over the period. The cost to operate the paratransit system increased by 76% from 1999 to 2004 but the farebox revenue far exceeded the change and increased by 209% (between ). Year Table 2-16: JTS Financial Trends Modal Cost Farebox Revenue Fixed Route Paratransit Fixed Route Paratransit 1999 $1,627,824 $16,506 N/A N/A 2000 $1,747,698 $16,871 $250,614 $2, $1,881,925 $15,480 $328,477 $2, $1,957,424 $28,005 $319,462 $2, $2,004,337 $45,762 $320,046 $7, $2,102,459 $29,036 $325,925 $6,628 % Change 29.16% 75.91% 30.05% % Source of Data: JTS 2004, NTD Service Changes since Previous TDP The majority of recommendations made in the previous TDP for JTS were implemented following the 1999 study, including the following: Wright Road route was revised and shortened, and running time was reduced from 60 to 30 minutes. West State route headway was reduced from 30 to 60 minutes. Wright Road and West State routes were paired, reducing JTS in-city vehicle requirement from 7 to 6 buses. Pairing of Wright Road and West State routes also allowed Saturday vehicle requirements to drop from 7 to 6 buses. East Milwaukee route was modified to become fully bi-directional, adding service to the Village Green/Morningside Drive area on the inbound segment in the process. The Beloit-Janesville Express was expanded to hourly service on weekdays, along with an extension of the route to the Rock County complex. Evening service was inaugurated with three buses operating the Nightside service. Service included three route deviation services with 60 minute running times operating from 6:15 PM to 10:15 PM each weekday. JTS Service Overview 34

42 3. Public Outreach Introduction The Janesville Transit System Transit Development Plan includes an extensive community participation program designed to elicit input from members of the general public, current users of the system, community leaders, key policy decision makers and other transportation stakeholders in Janesville. This chapter reports on two aspects of the program, the stakeholder meetings held in June and July 2005, and two public drop-in sessions held July 14 th, 2005 at the Janesville Mall and the Downtown Transfer Center. Other efforts to be conducted and reported on in subsequent chapters include discussions from the steering committee for the project, information from employees including the driving staff, and data from the on-board surveys distributed early in the study process. Drop-In Sessions A drop-in session is a session where the public talks directly to the consultant team on a oneon-one basis and offers suggestions for improvements or comments on the system. The two drop-in sessions for this study were held on July 14th at the Janesville Mall and JTS Downtown Transfer Center. Together, the two sessions produced comments from more than 35 individuals. Comments from the meetings are grouped into several categories for this summary, as follows: Service Area Expansion Extended Service Hours Extended Days of Service Quality of Service Other Comments Service Area Expansion Within the City of Janesville, JTS covers every major activity center/area of the municipality and all notable traffic generators. JTS customers recognize this and during the drop-in sessions typically noted that there were no areas in the City that they needed to access but were unable. Similarly, the connection to Beloit via the Beloit-Janesville Express (BJE) service was praised as a valuable service. One area of service expansion identified was service to Milton, mentioned by several passengers in the same context as the BJE. Few customers saw a significant need for JTS to create connections to Madison or points farther south than Beloit, noting the existence of services such as those run by the local operator Van Galder. Public Outreach 35

43 Expanded Service Days Sunday service for regular route service in Janesville was a concern for many customers who were satisfied with the existing services but needed transportation on Sundays and did not have alternative options. Implemented since the last TDP, the JTS Nightside service on weekday evenings was well received by customers who wished or needed to travel after 6:15 P.M. Some passengers who offered comments at the drop-in sessions suggested operating the Nightside routes on Sundays. Similarly, adding Saturday service to the BJE was a comment voiced by a number of customers. This was primarily in the context of employment trips, for which the BJE is used frequently during the week. Service Hour Expansion Just as adding Saturday service was a request voiced by a number of BJE riders, expanding the service hours of this route was also a recurring point during drop-in sessions. The BJE is particularly popular as an employment route, and many riders felt that earlier service in the mornings was necessary, as was later evening service, to meet the schedules required by their jobs. Appreciation was expressed for the expansion of BJE service to regular hourly runs, and additional frequency did not appear to be as great a concern as the earlier and later buses. As for regular JTS routes, the span of service was generally deemed acceptable. Many riders praised the creation of the Nightside routes, which operate until 10:15 P.M. on weeknights and allow for deviated route service upon request. Service Quality Overall, passengers were very satisfied with the service provided by JTS. Of the riders who mentioned service quality all but one were happy with JTS, citing timely service, wellmaintained buses, and courteous staff as positive aspects of the system. One complaint noted a bus driver who was insensitive to the rider s disabilities, but otherwise passengers were complimentary of JTS staff. Other Comments There were a number of other comments as well pertaining to specific issues: Bicycle racks should be installed on all buses. Buses on the West State Street route should enter the Meadowview Mobile Home Park. Route deviation service should be available on shorter notice than the day before. (This is inaccurate route deviation service is available 1 hour before riding) The Milton Avenue Nightside service should be run with two buses just as during the day. The Ultra Max monthly pass is considered a good value. Could use service to Rock County facilities on Saturdays. Public Outreach 36

44 The inbound/outbound meet for Milton Ave. buses at the mall works well. Removal of service on Randolph Road and Pontiac Drive means the East Milwaukee Street route is too difficult to access. (Note this is the result of shortening the Wright Road route) The JTS Downtown Transfer Center facility is very nice. Non-riders asked to comment on the service at the Janesville Mall drop-in session typically had little to say. To the vast majority of those who own their own vehicles, transit service is neither a necessity nor a discretionary choice. In this case, JTS had neither a positive nor a negative image. A typical response was one of general ambivalence, or acknowledging that the service must be useful for those who need it, but is a non-issue for those who don t. Summary The interest in expanded service hours and adding service on Sundays appears almost universal among those who rely on the bus for their transportation, particularly for employment-related trips. Passengers also recognize that the Janesville area is growing, and that connections will likely become more important with other nearby communities such as Milton. Aside from providing more options and availability of service, most of those who offered their comments during the drop-in sessions were appreciative of the system, recognized the quality of JTS operations, and had few complaints other than minor, occasional inconveniences. Stakeholder Interviews Extensive one-on one interviews (in some cases the consulting team met with multiple individuals) were conducted with various community leaders, policy makers, and decision makers throughout the Janesville area who have a vested interest in both the future of the community as well as in the mobility of Janesville area residents. The consultant team conducted interviews over the course of four days, including two-day periods June and July The list of participants interviewed is included in Table 3-1. The meetings lasted up to one hour, during which the open discussion focused on such topics as the quality of and services provided by the current JTS system, the transportation needs of the community and/or the clientele/residents represented by the individual being interviewed, the perceived future transportation needs of the community, and what significant changes, if any, have occurred since the implementation of the 1999 Transit Plan recommendations. All of the interviews were conducted with the understanding that the comments by individuals would be kept in confidence by the consulting team and only used to create a summary of findings based on the inputs from all participants. Public Outreach 37

45 Table 3-1: Participating Stakeholders June-July, 2005 Name Position Affiliation Steve Sheiffer City Manager City of Janesville Tom Rogers Assistant City Mgr./Dir. of Planning City of Janesville Doug Venable Director of Economic Development City of Janesville Joyce Lubben Director Rock County Specialized Transportation Steve Skelly Supervisor Rock County Specialized Transportation Tom Wellnitz Councilmember Janesville City Council George Brunner Councilmember Janesville City Council Thomas Brien Councilmember Janesville City Council Martin Monson Principal Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped David Hyde Educator Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped Colleen Dunphy Trainer Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped Bonnie Davis Recreation Director City of Janesville Jodi Settersten-Coyer General Manager Janesville Mall Cari Susen Marketing Director Janesville Mall Jackie Wood Old Towne Mall Seth Lentz Director of Operations Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board Michael Pierick Assistant Dean for Admin. Services U. of Wisconsin Rock County Kathy Schumacher Director/Coordinator Mercy-In-Motion Stephan Van Galder President Van Galder Bus Company Scott Angus Editor The Janesville Gazette Thomas Perry Director Rock County Developmental Disabilities Board Joyce Musil-Condon Executive Director Kandu Industries John Benberg Director Janesville Boys & Girls Club Public Outreach 38

46 Operations Overall, stakeholders interviewed during the June and July sessions were complimentary of the JTS service and the system s operations. Many of the participants interviewed work with populations that rely on JTS to reach employment or educational destinations each day. In these cases the service was considered reliable, yet the subject of expanding service hours on local routes and on the BJE, as well as providing BJE service on Saturdays and local service on Sundays, was a recurring theme. All believed that the geographic coverage of the system was quite good and that no major trip generators or residential areas were completely without service in Janesville. Other relatively minor, yet still relevant concerns were voiced, including: Importance of drivers calling out key stops along the route. Bottlenecks along Milton Avenue and at railroad crossings on the Kellogg Ave. route. Braille lettering is appreciated but needs proof-reading. Hours for the All Around Town Pass (1 day pass) should be extended earlier than 8:45am. Finance While few disagree with the potential benefit to JTS riders that would come from extended service hours on local and BJE services, some stakeholders expressed concerns about the city s ability to pay for these services in light of tightening budgets across all other departments. Janesville, along with other Wisconsin cities, is facing a period of conservative spending in anticipation of a property tax levy freeze at the state level that could limit the local budget. Stakeholders also noted that staff cuts have been necessary in nearly all city departments except JTS, which is considered to be as lean a department as it can be with regard to staffing and costs. Some stakeholders raised the issue of a fare increase to help offset system costs. Janesville Transit System: General Perceptions The majority of the stakeholders had high praise for the JTS system. It was widely agreed that the geographic service coverage is thorough, buses are clean and well maintained, and the drivers and staff are courteous, particularly to riders with handicaps or special needs. The transit system is considered an important public service, particularly for those who do not have access to their own vehicles for either shopping or work-related trips. At the same time, the substantial use of JTS buses for school tripper services was seen by some as a positive way to balance out perceptions of JTS as a service only for the transit-dependent. As one interviewee put it, the image of JTS is that of the last resort. Nonetheless, the fact that much of JTS service operates below the radar in the press and political circles said to some stakeholders that the system was functioning well. In other words, no news is often good news when it comes to transit. Conversely, some of those interviewed Public Outreach 39

47 indicated that although it has done well in the past, JTS needs to continue to market its services (particularly Nightside) more effectively in a bid to attract new riders. Tapping into organizations with shifting populations, such as the Rock County campus of University of Wisconsin, should be an ongoing effort. Unmet Needs The stakeholder discussions also identified a series of unmet needs related to individual population groups and/or specific programmatic needs among those with whom we spoke. Other unmet needs, pertaining to both JTS and the Janesville transportation network as a whole, include the following: The absence of viable taxi services in Janesville highlights the need for adequate evening and weekend service from the transit system. The Hispanic population in Rock County has grown tremendously since 1997 and may represent a growing market for JTS. While medical and healthcare-related trips were not identified as an overly pressing issue in relation to JTS services, it became apparent through several interviews that coordination is generally limited between JTS and local hospitals or healthcare providers. Apart from the county-wide paratransit service operated by Rock County Specialized Transit, local transit in Janesville is not considered a primary option for medical trips. While not a problem, per se, JTS may benefit from exploring partnership opportunities with some healthcare providers, or more direct communication between those currently paying for transportation of their patients and JTS could reveal potential for new coordination. Future Demands A number of stakeholders shared the belief that as the City of Janesville grows geographically, JTS must grow as well to meet changing needs. Anticipated developments such as the Super Wal-Mart complex north of the city will have a major impact on transit in the coming years, requiring some planned extension of the a route such as the current Milton Avenue service. Additionally, while most of the city s commercial development follows the Milton Avenue corridor, major residential development is expected in the southern half of the city. Combined growth to the north and east towards Milton, as well as to the south in residential areas, will begin to stretch JTS service area and will require planning for either expanded services or a suitable modification of the existing route network. Typically as transit systems reach a certain size, efficiencies must be gained by moving away from the downtown pulse system and recreating services in more of a grid pattern. To date, JTS customers and stakeholders alike have expressed comfort and satisfaction with the pulse system, praising in particular the design of the Downtown Transfer Center. In limited cases, some stakeholders did note frustration with long trip times across town, factoring in the transfer and loop design of most JTS routes. In general, however, this was not a frequent complaint. Public Outreach 40

48 Stakeholder Summary The JTS system is considered a valuable service by and for the City of Janesville by all stakeholders interviewed. The extent to which different populations and clienteles rely on the system varies, as does the resulting sense of necessity for current and expanded services. Many of the comments received from stakeholders who use the system or work with a clientele that depends on transit conveyed a positive image of JTS as a public service, but also focused on a need to expand its services and build upon additions made since the previous TDP. In this sense, the city s policy makers will play the most important role in determining if any enhanced service is possible in light of municipal budget constraints. These individuals should participate fully in the development of the operating and financial plan which will emerge from this study to ensure that the community s interests are met without undue financial burden, translating recommendations into reality during the next five years. Public Outreach 41

49 4. Peer Group and Trend Analysis Introduction This chapter presents a peer and trend analysis, comparing the Janesville Transit System (JTS) to similar systems. The two peer groups a nationwide peer analysis and a Wisconsin peer group were developed originally for the 1999 TDP. They are used again for this analysis, to provide both continuity and a trend analysis since the previous study. Data for the peer analysis was obtained from the 2003 National Transit Database (NTD) summary reports, the last full year for which data was available for all the peer systems. The trend analysis compares these 2003 statistics against those derived from the 1997 NTD reports and reported in the 1999 TDP. Six nationwide peer systems were selected for the 1999 TDP based on geography and system characteristics. Criteria included service area population, climate, vehicle miles and hours of service provided, and number of peak vehicles. Although JTS served the smallest service area, all the selected systems provided a similar level of fixed-route bus service and all were located in northern climates. The following six systems comprised the nationwide peer group: Pueblo Transportation Company/CityBus (CO) City of Bangor/The Bus (ME) Battle Creek Transit (MI) Muskegon Area Transit System (MI) Great Falls Transit District (MT) City of Greeley/The Bus (CO) These six systems were retained for the current nationwide peer analysis. The selected Wisconsin peers were fixed-route systems that were similar to JTS in terms of service area population and level of service. The following six peer systems were identified for the 1999 TDP: City of Beloit Transit System Eau Claire Transit System Wausau Area Transit System Oshkosh Transit System LaCrosse Municipal Transit Utility Waukesha Transit System Utility/Metro Although these six cities have been used for in-state peer comparisons in the past, there are significant differences that should be noted even as the group, with one exception, is used herein. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 42

50 Three of them LaCrosse, Oshkosh, and Eau Claire have large university populations in comparison to Janesville. Also, the Waukesha system has grown substantially since 1997 and is no longer comparable to the other peer systems. Accordingly, Waukesha was dropped from the current analysis, leaving a Wisconsin peer group of five systems. Table 4-1 presents an overview of the nationwide and Wisconsin peers for Summary information includes service area population, revenue miles, revenue hours, peak vehicles, unlinked passengers, operating cost, and farebox revenue. Statistics include bus service only; demand response services are not included in this analysis. Performance Comparisons Several indicators were used to assess the performance of the Janesville Transit System in relation to other systems. These performance indicators measure and relate the three key factors in bus service delivery input, output, and consumption which are defined as follows: Service input statistics Service input reflects the resources a system needs to produce a specific level of bus service. This analysis used system operating costs as the measure of service input. Service output statistics Service output is the quantity of service produced by the system, including vehicle revenue hours, vehicle revenue miles, peak vehicles, and service span. Service consumption statistics Service consumption measures the amount of service that the riding public uses. This analysis used unlinked passenger trips and farebox revenues to represent service consumption. These statistics were used to generate a series of performance indicators measuring efficiency, effectiveness, and service availability. Financial efficiency measures the cost to produce a unit of service. This analysis used three indicators of financial efficiency cost per mile, cost per hour, and cost per peak vehicle. Service effectiveness measures the amount of service consumed per unit of service provided. This analysis used three indicators of service effectiveness passengers per mile, passengers per hour, and passengers per peak vehicle. Cost effectiveness links the previous two measures by assessing how well resources are used to produce trips and how well fare revenue covers the cost of those trips. This analysis used two indicators of cost effectiveness cost per passenger and farebox recovery. Level of service measures the amount of service provided for the service area population. This analysis used four indicators of service availability miles per capita, hours per capita, peak vehicles per 10,000 people, and passengers per capita. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 43

51 System/Location Service Area Population Table 4-4-1: Peer Group Summary (2003) Vehicle Revenue Miles Vehicle Revenue Hours Peak Vehicles Operating Expenses Farebox Revenue Unlinked Trips Nationwide Peers Pueblo Transportation Company/CityBus (CO) 103, ,390 36, $ 2,940,641 $ 453,235 1,192,643 City of Bangor/ The Bus (ME) 55, ,981 28, $ 1,034,738 $ 333, ,998 Battle Creek Transit (MI) 83, ,947 29, $ 2,242,305 $ 276, ,685 Muskegon Area Transit System (MI) 154, ,350 33, $ 2,149,264 $ 198, ,231 Great Falls Transit District (MT) 64, ,369 33, $ 1,759,637 $ 156, ,980 City of Greeley/The Bus (CO) 93, ,470 26, $ 1,402,513 $ 195, ,106 Group Average 92, ,418 31, $ 1,921,516 $ 269, ,441 Janesville Transit System 61, ,570 29, $ 2,004,337 $ 320, ,019 State Peers City of Beloit Transit System 35, ,699 18,329 9 $ 1,349,559 $ 153, ,987 Eau Claire Transit System 69, ,957 53, $ 2,791,178 $ 471,698 1,129,386 Wausau Area Transit System 45, ,501 37, $ 2,432,306 $ 328, ,188 Oshkosh Transit System 64, ,478 38, $ 2,277,064 $ 257, ,098 LaCrosse Municipal Transit Utility 65, ,475 55, $ 3,211,142 $ 345, ,923 Group Average 56, ,622 40, $ 2,412,250 $ 311, ,316 Janesville Transit System 61, ,570 29, $ 2,004,337 $ 320, ,019 Note: Service area for Muskegon Area Transit System is urbanized area only. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 44

52 This analysis compared the performance of JTS with the group of national peers and Wisconsin peers. The findings were presented in a standard format, as illustrated in Table 4-2. Peer group performance JTS performance Table 4-4-2: Reporting Format Best value Worst value Average value Value Percent difference from peer group average Rank within group (where 1 is best) Financial Efficiency Financial efficiency measures the cost to produce a unit of service. This analysis used three indicators of financial efficiency cost per mile, cost per hour, and cost per peak vehicle. Generally, JTS was in the mid-range for financial efficiency based on these statistics (see Table 4-3). Cost per revenue mile was only 3.2% more expensive for JTS to provide than for the nationwide group, but 7.2% more expensive than the Wisconsin peers. This placed JTS fourth of seven among the national peers but fifth of six for the Wisconsin peers. In terms of cost per revenue hour, JTS service was 14.0% more expensive to provide than the nationwide peers and 11.7% more expensive than the Wisconsin peers. This ranked JTS fifth among seven national peers and fifth among six state peers. JTS realized sizeable efficiencies in terms of cost per peak vehicle. Costs were 14.4% lower than the nationwide peer group and 12.9% lower than the Wisconsin systems. Accordingly, JTS ranked fourth of seven among national peer systems and second of six among Wisconsin operators. This ranking did not show any correlation with the number of peak vehicles in service. With 14 peak vehicles, JTS was tied for first among the seven national peers and ranked fourth of six among the Wisconsin peer systems. Overall, JTS excelled in terms of cost per peak vehicle and was comparable to its national and statewide counterparts in terms of cost per mile. The system lagged behind the nationwide and Wisconsin peers in terms of cost per hour. Service Effectiveness Service effectiveness measures the amount of service consumed per unit of service provided. This analysis used three indicators of service effectiveness passengers per mile, passengers per hour, and passengers per peak vehicle. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 45

53 Table 4-4-3: Financial Efficiency Cost per Revenue Mile Cost per Revenue Hour Cost per Peak Vehicle National State National State National State Best $ 2.24 $ 3.48 $ $ $ 103,474 $ 121,615 Worst $ 5.57 $ 4.61 $ $ $ 245,053 $ 200,696 Group Average $ 4.29 $ 4.13 $ $ $ 167,338 $ 164,374 JTS $ 4.43 $ 4.43 $ $ $ 143,167 $ 143,167 Difference 3.2% 7.2% 14.0% 11.7% -14.4% -12.9% Rank 4 of 7 5 of 6 5 of 7 5 of 6 4 of 7 2 of 6 Passengers per Revenue Mile Table 4-4-4: Service Effectiveness Passengers per Revenue Hour Passengers per Peak Vehicle National State National State National State Best ,387 70,587 Worst ,402 31,554 Group Average ,935 53,419 JTS ,073 34,073 Difference -19% -19% -12% -15% -34% -36% Rank 6 of 7 5 of 6 4 of 7 5 of 6 6 of 7 5 of 6 Peer Group and Trend Analysis 46

54 JTS lagged behind the average values for all indicators in this category and ranked toward the bottom for most categories, when compared both to the nationwide peer systems and to the Wisconsin systems (see Table 4-4). With 1.05 passengers per revenue mile, JTS carried about 19% fewer passengers than the national or state average of JTS ranked sixth of seven among the nationwide peers and fifth of six among the statewide systems. JTS performed slightly better when comparing passengers per revenue hour. The system carried passengers per revenue hour, about 11.6% lower than the nationwide peer average and 15.1% lower than the Wisconsin peer average. As a result, JTS ranked in the mid-range among national peers, at fourth of seven, but stayed toward the bottom among Wisconsin systems, ranking fifth of six. These low measures of service effectiveness again may reflect the availability of Nightside service. JTS lagged further behind both peer groups for passengers per peak vehicle. With just over 34,000 passengers per peak vehicle, JTS carried 34.4% fewer passengers than the nationwide peer average and 36.2% fewer than the statewide peer average. JTS ranked sixth of seven among the national group and fifth of six among with Wisconsin group. This ranking reflects the combination of fairly low system ridership with a high-to-moderate number of peak vehicles. Cost Effectiveness Cost effectiveness assesses how well resources are used to produce trips and how well fare revenue covers the cost of those trips. This analysis used three indicators of cost effectiveness. Cost per passenger measures the ratio of total cost to provide JTS bus service in relation to the number of trips provided. Farebox recovery the percent of operating costs that passenger fares cover is influenced by a number of factors. In addition to operating costs and overall ridership, local fare policy sets the base fare level and determines the availability of discounts. JTS registered $4.20 in operating costs per passenger. This was about 19% higher than the national peer group, and the system ranked fifth of seven. JTS fared worse among its Wisconsin peers. Cost per passenger was 28% higher than the state peer group, and the system ranked fifth out of six (see Table 4-5). Offsetting these higher costs, JTS realized an average $0.67 in revenue per passenger. This was about 42% higher than the national peer group and 63% higher than the statewide peer group. Accordingly, JTS ranked first among both sets of peers. Fare revenues covered about 16% of costs for JTS. This was about 4% higher than the national peer average and 25% higher than the Wisconsin peer average. As a result, JTS ranked second with both groups of peers. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 47

55 Table 4-4-5: Cost Effectiveness Cost per Passenger Revenue per Passenger Farebox Recovery National State National State National State Best $ 1.87 $ 2.47 $ 0.60 $ % 17% Worst $ 5.44 $ 4.75 $ 0.31 $ % 11% Group Average $ 3.54 $ 3.29 $ 0.47 $ % 13% JTS $ 4.20 $ 4.20 $ 0.67 $ % 16% Difference 19% 28% 42% 63% 4% 25% Rank 5 of 7 5 of 6 1 of 7 1 of 6 2 of 7 2 of 6 Table 4-4-6: Level of Service Revenue Miles per Capita Revenue Hours per Capita Passengers per Capita Peak Vehicles per 10K National State National State National State National State Best Worst Group Average JTS Difference 39% -30% 28% -33% 11% -43% 66% -16% Rank 2 of 7 6 of 6 3 of 7 6 of 6 3 of 7 5 of 6 1 of 7 5 of 6 Peer Group and Trend Analysis 48

56 Clearly, JTS has been able to use revenues to partially offset its higher-than-average unit costs. This may reflect the premium fares that JTS collects for the Beloit-Janesville Express. Level of Service Level of service measures the amount of service provided in relation to the service area population. This analysis used four indicators of service availability miles per capita, hours per capita, passengers per capita, and peak vehicles per 10,000 people. In terms of service per capita, JTS performed well in relation to the national peers but lagged well behind the Wisconsin peer systems (see Table 4-6). JTS provided 7.4 revenue miles of service per capita, almost 39% above the average for the nationwide peer group and second highest in the group of seven. At the same time, this indicator was nearly 30% below the average for the Wisconsin peers, and JTS ranked last among the six Wisconsin peers. Similarly, in terms of revenue hours of service per capita, JTS was 28% higher than the national peers (ranking third of seven) and 33% lower than the state peers (ranking sixth of six). With 2.29 peak vehicles per capita, JTS ranked first among the national peers but fifth out of the six Wisconsin peer systems. Consequently, this indicator was excellent in relation to the national systems 67% higher than the group average but at the same time 16% lower than the statewide peers. Measuring passengers per capita shows the relationship between system ridership and community size. JTS was 11% above the average in relation to its nationwide peers, scoring third of seven. JTS did not fare as well among its statewide peers, ranking fifth of six with 43% less service per capita than the average. This reflects the combination of lower ridership and a smaller community. Generally, this analysis suggests that JTS has matched service to its market fairly well, especially in comparison to its national peers, but there may be some areas of unmet need that the system can tap into in the future. Service Span Service span refers to the number of hours that revenue service operates daily. With 16 hours of service available each weekday, JTS was first among the national peer group, with 26% more service (see Table 4-7). JTS was about average in comparison to its Wisconsin peers. The system provided about 11% more service than the average, ranking third of six systems. JTS provided 9.5 hours of service on Saturdays, about average among the national and statewide peer systems. This indicator was about 3% lower than the national average and 7% lower than the statewide average. JTS ranked fourth with both groups. JTS did not provide Sunday service, which was consistent with most of the peers. Only one of the national peers and one of the statewide peers offered service on Sundays. Peer Group and Trend Analysis 49

57 Table 4-4-7: Service Span Weekday Saturday Sunday National State National State National State Best 13:30 17:42 12:30 12:00 8:20 10:00 Worst 11:30 12:00 8:00 8:00 N/A 0:00 Group Average 12:41 14:28 9:44 10:10 N/A N/A JTS 16:00 16:00 9:30 9:30 0:00 0:00 Difference 26% 11% -2% -7% N/A N/A Rank 1 of 7 3 of 6 4 of 7 4 of 6 N/A N/A Peer Group and Trend Analysis 50

58 Trend Analysis Comparisons were made between 1997 and 2003 to examine trends since the previous TDP 1. Overall, JTS contained costs effectively during a period of decreasing ridership (see Table 4-8), increasing fare revenue and adding and expanding services such as the Nightside routes and hourly trips on the Beloit-Janesville Express at the same time. Generally, JTS grew more slowly than its peers during this period, particularly in comparison to the national systems. Service area population grew only 4.2%, while the average growth was 13.3% among the national peers and 7.1% among the Wisconsin systems. Service output was comparable to the national peers but lagged slightly behind the state systems. For JTS, revenue miles and revenue hours grew 5.9% and 4.6%, respectively. While the national peer systems showed similar rates of growth, at 4.5% and 5.3%, the Wisconsin peers experienced an increase of 12.1% in vehicle miles and 6.4% in vehicle hours. Also of note, the number of peak vehicles decreased for JTS (from 17 to 14), but remained stable for the national and statewide peers. Total ridership decreased by 3.8% for JTS between 1997 and In contrast, the national and statewide peers showed increases of 17.8% and 7.5%, respectively. Costs went up across the board for all groups. Increases in cost per revenue mile and revenue hour were consistent with the national and statewide peers, but peak vehicle costs jumped 64.2% for JTS between 1997 and In contrast, these costs increased by 49.8% for the national systems and 37.3% for the state systems. The larger increase for JTS most likely reflects the impact of spreading growing operating expenses over fewer peak vehicles. Significantly, JTS showed a 12.3% increase in farebox revenues. This was a smaller increase than the national peers (18.7%), but much better than statewide systems where farebox revenues decreased by 14.5%. This may reflect the dramatic increase in service for the Beloit- Janesville Express and its use by patrons paying for rides between zones. Passengers per peak vehicle increased 16.8% for JTS, which may reflect the reduction in peak vehicles in service. The national peers showed a 22.9% increase in this statistic, but the Wisconsin peers only registered a 9.0% increase. JTS outpaced its peers in revenue per passenger, showing an increase of 16.8%. In contrast, revenues per passenger stayed almost flat for the national peers (0.8%) and decreased for the state peers (-20.5%). And, while farebox recovery decreased for all groups, JTS kept pace with the national peers and showed half the decline compared with the Wisconsin peers (a 16.9% drop versus a 36.9% drop). 1 Waukesha was included in the Wisconsin peer averages for 1997 but was dropped from the analysis for Peer Group and Trend Analysis 51

59 Table 4-4-8: Trend Analysis ( ) JTS National Peers State Peers Change Change Change Service Area Population 58,639 61, % 81,478 92, % 52,297 56, % Vehicle Revenue Miles 427, , % 424, , % 532, , % Vehicle Revenue Hours 27,964 29, % 29,895 31, % 38,360 40, % Peak Vehicles % % % Operating Expenses $ 1,482,453 $ 2,004, % $ 1,338,514 $ 1,921, % $ 1,780,303 $ 2,412, % Farebox Revenue $ 284,925 $ 320, % $ 226,687 $ 269, % $ 364,214 $ 311, % Unlinked Trips 495, , % 502, , % 742, , % Cost Efficiency Cost per Revenue Mile $ 3.47 $ % $ 3.15 $ % $ 3.35 $ % Cost per Revenue Hour $ $ % $ $ % $ $ % Cost per Peak Vehicle $ 87,203 $ 143, % $ 111,543 $ 167, % $ 118,687 $ 162, % Service Effectiveness Passengers per Revenue Mile % % % Passengers per Revenue Hour % % % Passengers per Peak Vehicle 29,166 34, % 41,846 51, % 49,486 53, % Cost Effectiveness Cost per Passenger $ 2.99 $ % $ 2.67 $ % $ 2.40 $ % Revenue per Passenger $ 0.57 $ % $ 0.45 $ % $ 0.49 $ % Farebox Recovery 19.2% 16.0% -16.9% 16.9% 14.0% -17.3% 20.5% 12.9% -36.9% Level of Service Revenue Miles per Capita % % % Revenue Hours per Capita % % % Passengers per Capita % % % Peak Vehicles per 10K % % % Peer Group and Trend Analysis 52

60 JTS showed a decline in passengers per capita, reflecting the combination of ridership loss and a slow-growing service area. The state peers also showed almost no change in this measure and the national peers registered only 3.9% growth in passengers per capita. Finally, while all three groups registered a decline in peak vehicles per 10,000 people, JTS showed the largest loss at 21.0%. This again reflects the decline in peak vehicle availability combined with low population growth. Overall, JTS appears to have contained costs effectively during the past several years, even while adding new service in specialized markets. Although NTD figures were not available for system comparisons beyond 2003, JTS reported a ridership increase of 8.3% for Peer Group and Trend Analysis 53

61 5. Opinion Surveys Introduction A survey of JTS fixed route passengers was undertaken during May 2005 as part of the public participation program. Both weekday and Saturday riders were surveyed and every rider was offered a survey form. A total of 638 surveys were completed by JTS riders over the survey period, with approximately 72% from weekday riders and 28% Saturday riders. The major responses are presented below. The results are shown for combined weekday and Saturday respondents. Survey Responses The responses to the JTS rider survey by question are presented below by broad category. First, questions regarding the trip being taken when the survey form was handed to the passenger are discussed. These questions include origin and destination, how the bus was accessed, the purpose of the trip, and how the fare was paid. Next, questions regarding the opinion of the passenger towards the JTS service are discussed. These questions are overall ratings of the service and questions regarding improvements JTS could make to the service. Finally, passenger characteristics are discussed first travel characteristics, then demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Travel characteristics are items such as whether or not a driver s license is held, how many vehicles there are in the household, how often the passenger uses JTS service, and extent of transit dependency. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics include age, gender, and income. Please note that the gender and income questions were specified as optional on the survey form. Survey respondents were also given a phone number to call with additional comments at the end of the survey form. JTS received several additional comments some repeatedly. These additional comments are discussed after the written responses to the survey form. The survey form is presented in Figure 5-1. Opinion Surveys 54

62 Figure 5-1: JTS On-Board Survey Form Opinion Surveys 55

63 Opinion Surveys 56

64 Trip Profile Access to Bus Riders were asked to identify how they got to the bus they were riding. They were given several choices from which to select their response. One possible response was walked, which if selected, the rider was asked to list number of blocks they had to walk. Responses are presented in Table 5-1. The chart breaks down the group of riders who walk to the bus by the length of their walk and provides the percentage for the subgroup. As the table shows, approximately 69% of JTS riders walk to the bus stop to access their bus. Of this group, nearly 66% of riders who walk to the bus, walked only two blocks or less to access JTS service. This represents a relatively short walking distance for this group of JTS riders. Additionally, almost 22% of the riders who walked to the bus they were on had to walk four blocks or more. This is a relatively small percentage of the users and indicates extensive coverage of bus routes throughout the City. Access by automobile and other means was minimal. Table 5-1: Access to Bus Response Percentage of Responses Another Bus 10.3 Walked 69.1 Subgroup Walked less than 1 block 10.9 Walked 1 blocks 34.7 Walked 2 blocks 20.0 Walked 3 blocks 12.5 Walked 4 or more blocks 21.9 Subtotal Automobile 1.3 Other 2.8 Total A total of 10.3% of riders indicated that they accessed the bus they were on by transferring from another JTS bus. Those riders who transferred from another JTS bus were asked to identify the route from which they transferred. Table 5-2 provides the results for the weekday routes with the highest transfer activity and indicates the number of people and the percentage of total transfers. As the chart shows, the West Court Street and Milton Avenue Routes were by far the routes from which most riders transferred to arrive on the route in which they were surveyed. Opinion Surveys 57

65 Response Table 5-2: Route Transferred From Number of People Percentage of Total Transfers West Court Street Milton Avenue Beloit-Janesville Express East Milwaukee Street State Street Kellogg Avenue Trip Purpose Riders were asked to identify the purpose of the trip they were making that day. Table 5-3 shows that work is the most common trip purpose on weekdays on the JTS and comprises about 27% of the weekday riders. School is the second most common weekday trip purpose among JTS riders representing 22.5% of the trips. With the exception of medical trips, a significant number of riders use JTS for other uses, such as Personal Business (17.2%), Other (17.7%), and Shopping (13.2%). Completion of Trip Table 5-3: Trip Purpose Response Percentage of Responses Work 26.6 School 22.5 Personal Business 17.2 Shopping 13.2 Medical 2.8 Other 17.7 Total Riders were asked to identify how they would complete their trip after leaving the bus. They were given several choices from which to select their response. As in the above question regarding accessing the bus, one possible response was walk, which if selected, the rider was asked to list number of blocks. Responses are listed in Table 5-4. The chart shows that approximately 57% of JTS riders walk to their final destination after they leave the JTS bus. This is less than the 69.1% of riders who walk to access the bus. The distance that JTS riders walk to complete their trip is similar to the distance walked to access the bus. Approximately 75.5% of those who walk to their final destination walk two blocks or less to complete their trip. Further, only 13.1% walk four or more blocks. Again, these relatively short walking distances demonstrate the extensive coverage of the JTS route structure. Opinion Surveys 58

66 Table 5-4: Mode to Complete Trip Response Percentage of Responses Another Bus 37.8 Walked 56.5 Subgroup Walked less than 1 block 16.4 Walked 1 blocks 34.6 Walked 2 blocks 24.5 Walked 3 blocks 11.5 Walked 4 or more blocks 13.0 Subtotal Automobile 1.1 Other 4.6 Total The number of people that used another bus to complete their trip is nearly 38% compared to about 10% that used a bus to get to the bus that they received a survey card on. This result indicates that the JTS has an overall transfer rate of about 24%, which is a normal transfer rate for a bus system that operates a pulse system from a downtown transit center. Those riders who transferred to another JTS bus were asked to identify the route that they transferred to. Table 5-5 provides the results for the routes with the highest transfer activity and indicates the number of people and the percentage of total transfers. As the chart shows, the highest percentage of riders transferred to the Milton Avenue (32%) and Kellogg Avenue (19.2%) routes to complete their trip. Utilize Evening Service Table 5-5: Route Transferred To Response Number of People Percentage of Total Transfers Milton Avenue Kellogg Avenue East Milwaukee Street West Court Street Wright Road Nightside West Beloit-Janesville-Express West State Street Riders were asked to indicate how often they use the Nightside service that JTS has been providing since September As shown in Table 5-6, 43% of the survey respondents indicated that they use the JTS evening service at least two times per week. Approximately 18.4% of the users never use the service. Opinion Surveys 59

67 Evening Nightside Trip Purpose Table 5-6: Utilize Evening Service Response Percentage of Responses Two or more days each week 43.0 Occasionally, between once a week and once a month 27.8 Once a month or less 10.8 Never use the service 18.4 Total Riders were then asked to indicate the purpose of the trip they were making on the JTS evening service. As shown in the Table 5-7, Shopping received the highest response rate (27%), which was followed by Work (20.4%) and Social Activities (20%). Fare Payment Options Table 5-7: Nightside Trip Purpose Response Percentage of Responses Shopping 27 Work 20.4 Social Activities 20 Entertainment 14.2 Personal Business/Medical 11.8 School 6.6 Total The survey also asked the respondents how they paid for the bus trip they were currently making. The majority of users (60.7 %) paid for their fare with either cash or an Ultra MAX monthly pass. Table 5-8 lists the response rates. Table 5-8: Type of Fare Payment Response Percentage of Responses Transfer 4.3 $1.00 cash 40.1 MAX 10 token cent cash 3.7 Special MAX token 2.8 Ultra MAX monthly pass 20.6 Youth token (Copper Colored) 3.2 All around town pass-regular 4.3 All around town pass-special 5.8 Beloit-Janesville Express-cash 0.7 Beloit-Janesville Express-pass 2.4 Total Opinion Surveys 60

68 Service Evaluation Service Evaluation Riders were asked to rate the performance of JTS in different categories. As shown in Table 5-9, riders were generally satisfied with the service provided by JTS. The majority of riders strongly agreed or agreed with the questions asked. The three categories that scored the highest amongst the respondents were courteous drivers, easy transfers, and convenient and easy-to-understand fares. Approximately 65% of the survey respondents strongly agreed that these areas of JTS service exist. There was only one area (availability) where more than five percent of the respondents disagreed with an aspect of JTS service. Table 5-9: Service Evaluation Rating - All Figures in Percentage (%) Category Strongly Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Agree Disagree TOTAL Dependable service Available Reasonable fare Courteous drivers Reasonable travel time Not long walk to bus Dropped off close to destination Buses usually on time Transfers are easy Drivers operate safely Buses are clean Easy maps & schedules Fares easy to understand & convenient Overall Rating of Service Riders were asked to rate the overall service provided by JTS. As shown in Table 5-10, the majority of riders are very satisfied with the service. Over half of the riders rated the JTS service as very good and 37.2% rated the service as good. Table 5-10: Overall Rating of Service Response Percentage of Responses Very good 56.0 Good 37.2 Neither good or bad 5.8 Bad 0.4 Very bad 0.6 Total Opinion Surveys 61

69 JTS Improvement Riders were asked to list the single most important improvement they would like to see JTS accomplish based on 10 possible areas as seen in Table As the table shows, the three highest response rates were related to JTS providing more Saturday service. A combined 53.2% of the survey respondents want later service on Saturdays (32.4%), earlier Saturday service (10.8%), and Beloit-Janesville Express Service on Saturdays (10%). Increase in Use Table 5-11: Service Improvements Response Percentage of Responses Buses operate on time 3.8 Better transfer connections 3.2 Route maps & schedules that are easier to understand 3.8 Designated bus stops 2.8 Later hours on Saturdays 32.4 Earlier hours on weekdays 6.6 Beloit-Janesville Express service on Saturdays 10.0 Service to unserved areas (please specify where) 4.3 Earlier hours on Saturdays 10.8 Other (please specify) 22.3 Total Riders were asked whether their use of JTS service would increase if the suggested improvements were made. As shown in Table 5-12, the overwhelming majority of survey respondents (88.1%) answered yes. Service Reduction Table 5-12: Increase in Use Response Percentage of Responses Yes 88.1 No 11.9 Total Riders of JTS service were asked to make recommendations for reduction of service if it were necessary. As shown in Table 5-13, almost 30% of the survey respondents recommend a substantial fare increase to maintain existing service. Approximately 21% selected eliminating the least productive route and 15.1% wanted to eliminate the special route for students. Opinion Surveys 62

70 Table 5-13: Service Reduction Response Percentage of Responses Substantial fare increase ($0.50 or more per ride) to maintain existing service 29.5 Eliminate the least productive route 21.3 Eliminate special route for students 15.1 Less frequent service on Saturdays and mid-day on weekdays 8.5 Eliminate evening bus service 7.1 Eliminate Saturday service 6.4 Other 12.1 Total Passenger Profile Travel Characteristics Driver s License The survey requested information on the availability of a driver s license. As seen in Table 5-14, only about 21% of the survey respondents do not have a driver s license. Vehicles in Household Table 5-14: Driver s License Availability Response Percentage of Responses Yes 79.1 No 20.9 Total This next question requested information on the number of vehicles owned by the respondent s household. As seen in Table 5-15, many of the rider s households (45.3%) do not own an automobile, and another 21.2% own only one. This indicates that 66.5% of the households of JTS riders have no more than one car, which implies a transit dependent population. Table 5-15: Vehicles in Household Response Percentage of Responses None 45.3 One 21.2 Two 18.8 Three or More 14.7 Total Opinion Surveys 63

71 Extent of Transit Dependency The next question related to the dependency of JTS riders on transit service. Riders were asked to indicate whether they could have made their trip if transit service were not available. Only 6.6% of the riders surveyed indicated that they could have made the trip without JTS. Most of the riders (73.2%) stated that they could not have made the trip without JTS. The remaining 19.8% said they could have made the trip, but with inconvenience to others. Therefore, it could be concluded that at least 73.2% of JTS riders could be considered transit dependent, which is consistent with above question regarding vehicle ownership. The next question asked how the rider would have made the trip if bus service were not available. As shown in Table 5-16, just over one quarter of the surveyed riders indicated that they would have obtained a ride from a friend. Another 34.4% would have walked. For 20.7% of the users, JTS was the only means to complete their trip. Service Usage Table 5-16: Transit Dependency Response Percentage of Responses Ride with a friend 26.1 Walk 34.4 Would not make the trip 20.7 Taxi 7.3 Other 11.5 Total The next question asked how many trips the passenger makes on JTS services in a week. Table 5-17 shows that more than half of the riders surveyed ride JTS on a frequent basis. Approximately 53% of the users travel six or more times a week. Only 12.5% make one trip or less per week. This frequent usage is consistent with the findings that work and school are the most frequent trip purposes and that the ridership is generally transit dependent. Table 5-17: Service Usage Response Percentage of Responses 1 or Less to 5 Times to 9 Times or More 34.8 Total Opinion Surveys 64

72 Length of Time Riding JTS The next question asked how long the passenger has been riding JTS buses. As shown in Table 5-18, about 58% of the users surveyed have been riding for six years or more. This is a significant number of long time riders. However, there is a large number (21.3%) of riders that have been riding for less than one year. This indicates that transit ridership in the JTS area is not stable and experiences significant turnover; some people stop riding while others become new riders. This emphasizes the need to continually provide public information on transit services and market the service to attract new riders. Riding Habit Table 5-18: Length of Time Riding Response Percentage of Responses Less than a year to 5 years to 9 years years or more 39.7 Total Riders were asked how often they are riding JTS compared to last year. As seen in Table 5-19, 48.8% said they were riding more now than last year, while only 9.8% said less. The remainder indicated that they are riding about the same amount. Table 5-19: Riding Habit Response Percentage of Responses More 48.8 Less 9.8 About the Same 41.4 Total Passenger Profile Demographics and Socioeconomics Age As seen in Table 5-20, there is no single majority age group of bus users. The highest category is the 25 to 64 year age group which represents 48.7% of the total riders surveyed. The senior citizen segment accounts for 5.8% of the riders surveyed. This group generally comprises a much larger segment of the typical transit ridership. This lower than expected figure may be explained by the fact that many elderly riders may only use the service once a week or less and may not have been surveyed. What this result shows is that on any given day, 5.8% of the riders will be elderly but this age group may make up a bigger percentage of those who use JTS. Opinion Surveys 65

73 Table 5-20: Respondent s Age Response Percentage of Responses Under to to to and Over 5.8 Total Gender About 56% of JTS users surveyed are female and about 44% are male. This is reflective of past findings which indicate that the JTS ridership make-up is mostly female. Income Level Riders were asked to note their total family income. This question was optional. For those that did respond, Table 5-21 summarizes the results and compares the results to the overall City of Janesville population. There are several major findings from this information. First, the riders have total family incomes similar to the overall City population income levels in the middle income ranges of $10,000 to $50,000; 52.9% for JTS riders versus 48.7% for the City of Janesville. The difference occurs where the total family income levels of riders are under $10,000 which is 41.9% compared to 5.6% for the City overall. Also, the City has more of its population in the higher income levels, more than $50,000, than those in the rider survey % City compared to 5.2% JTS riders. This further demonstrates the strong transit dependency of JTS riders. Additional Comments Table 5-21: Annual Household Income Response Percentage of City of Janesville Responses Percentages Under $10, $10,000 to $19, $20,000 to $34, $35,000 to $ $50, Over $50, Total At the end of the survey, riders were given the opportunity to provide additional comments or suggestions regarding JTS services by dialing a telephone and speaking directly with an employee at JTS. Many riders provided additional comments or suggestions. Table 5-22 lists the comments and suggestions that were identified by three or more people. As seen in the chart, Sunday service was by far the most frequently cited comment by the riders. More evening service and Lower fares were the next two most often noted comments. Opinion Surveys 66

74 Table 5-22: Additional Comments Response Number of People Sunday service 90 More evening service 12 Lower fares 7 Summary Key findings from the rider survey include the fact that the JTS ridership base is disproportionately female and is comprised of a lower income level when compared to the population of the City of Janesville overall. Most passengers walk to get to their bus or to complete their trip while about 24% transfer to or from another bus. Also, while work received the most responses in terms of trip purpose, JTS riders use the system for many other purposes. Many riders have been using the bus service for 10 years or more, although there is a large group of new riders that have been riding for less than one year. The results of the survey also indicate an overall level of favorable satisfaction among riders with various attributes of JTS service. About three-quarters of the ridership base can be considered transit dependent, and rely on JTS services for their mobility needs. Riders also identified increased Saturday service as their highest service improvement priority. Additional comments provided by the riders at the end of the survey also reflected a significant desire to see JTS begin providing Sunday service. While customers are anxious for additional service, the severe financial constraints under which the City finds itself make any increase highly unlikely in the short-term and possible only long-term if additional revenue sources are found. Opinion Surveys 67

75 6. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities Introduction Previous chapters provided an overview of the environment in which Janesville Transit System (JTS) operates, the service provided by JTS, and public outreach process. This chapter presents an analysis and evaluation of the JTS fixed routes, identifying the issues and strengths of each route. This memorandum is divided into three parts -- performance evaluation, route diagnostics, and issues and opportunities. Performance Evaluation Evaluating the JTS system against a set of service standards or goals is the first step in the evaluation process. The process allows one to deal with a variety of issues related to the quality and quantity of bus service. This section presents proposed service standards and lists JTS performance for each standard. This provides initial guidance for the development of service strategies. It should be noted that viewing any system with regard to a set of standards or goals requires an understanding of local conditions as well as the trade-offs associated with providing service. As an example, in some cases, it will be acceptable to be below the target; e.g., while it is desirable to provide 30-minute peak service on all routes, doing so on routes in less productive areas might mean not meeting the standards for fiscal condition. The analysis discusses these issues and the competing requirements of providing extensive coverage and frequent service while meeting the needs to maintain cost effectiveness and stay within a limited budget. It will identify where standards should be met and where standards should be used as goals for JTS to use in planning future service changes. JTS has operated under a set of service standards, reviewed and adopted by the City Council and MPO Policy Board, since These standards have been reviewed and updated with each succeeding TDP to better reflect the operating and financial conditions and expectations of senior city management and elected policy makers at that time. The standards and goals shown in this section represent another incremental update. Table 6-1 provides a summary of proposed standards/goals, and the results for JTS based on the data collected for this project, which are discussed below. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 68

76 Availability Frequency Span Table 6-1: Service Standards and JTS Results Category Standard JTS Result Service Coverage -Residential areas -Major activity centers -30-minute peak local routes, 60 intercity -60-minute off-peak -60-minute inter-city routes -6 AM to 6 PM all routes -6 PM to 10 PM selected services -Most residential areas in Janesville covered -Major activity centers covered -Some major employers not served -Wright Rd., West State St., and East Milwaukee St. do not meet peak standard -Weekday service begins at 6:15 AM -All other span standards met or exceeded Directness -Maximum 30% of passengers transfer -Meets standard (18.2%) Patron Convenience Speed -Regular routes are not to exceed 15 MPH -Evening routes are not to exceed 20 MPH -Intercity routes are not to exceed 25 MPH Loading Bus Stop Spacing Dependability -50% standees for short periods acceptable by city standard -5 to 7 stops per mile in core (every other block) -Fringe 4 to 5 per mile, as needed based on land uses -No missed trips -95% on-time service (0 to 5 minutes late) -No trips leaving early -Four of six regular routes exceed 15 mph - All nightside routes meet standard -BJE averages 22.5 mph -Meets standard -Exceeds standard with stops at any safe street corner -No missed trips observed -95% of trips on-time Road Call Ratio -4,000 to 6,000 miles per road call -10,324 miles per road call Fiscal Condition Fare Structure -Qualitative criteria -Meets criteria for simplicity, equity, convenience -Modest revenue generation Farebox Recovery Productivity (Pass./Hr.) Waiting Shelters -Significantly alter routes less than 60% of category average (14.4 % daytime locals, 6% nightside, 11% BJE) -Review and modify routes between 60% and 80% average -Significantly alter routes less than 60% of category average (17.6 daytime locals, 8.1 nightside, 11.2 BJE) -Review and modify routes between 60% and 80% of category average -25 or more boardings Passenger Comfort Bus Stop Signs -Denote JTS and route -Meets standard Revenue Equipment -Clean and good condition -Meets standard Public Information -Timetable, maps, advertising -Meets standard - West State is slightly below 80 percent (11.2 vs percent). -All other routes are above 80 percent of category averages -West State Street falls below 80 percent of category average - All other routes are above 80 percent of category averages -Review and discuss Janesville Mall and Waveland/Mineral Point stops for shelter needs Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 69

77 Service Coverage This broad category covers standards for availability, frequency, span, and directness. Availability One of the key decisions in providing transit is determining where service should be provided and the spacing of bus routes. Service coverage and congruency analyses provide a baseline evaluation of JTS service availability. Service coverage analysis looks at JTS routes and their relationship to areas of high population density and poverty status and service congruency analysis looks at JTS routes and their relationship to the locations of major trip generators. Transit service coverage is defined as the area one-quarter of a mile from fixed route service. This distance represents a reasonable measure of how far transit patrons can be expected to walk to access service. If patrons cannot perform this walk or access the bus with a standard mobility device, they are considered as potential candidates for ADA paratransit service. JTS fixed route service covers the major population centers in Janesville completely. Figure 6-1 shows a map of JTS service coverage with regard to population density. The mapping shows very good coverage for all of the moderate and high density areas of the city, with less or no coverage in low and modest density areas and areas where transit dependency is considered to be low, such as high-end residential areas; particularly the newer housing developments on the north and east sides of the city beyond I-90 and the northwest part of the city. In some cases school tripper service, operated as defined by Federal Transit Administration policies, is provided in these areas for secondary school students to serve that portion of the transit dependent market, while regular route service is not provided as the adult population there has not demonstrated significant transit dependency. ADA paratransit service is provided at all locations within the City limits, including fringe areas and islands between the required ¾ mile coverage adjacent to the fixed routes, to serve that particular transit-dependent population. Not providing regular transit service to these areas of the community appears to match the need for transit against the public investment in the service, and allows JTS to concentrate its limited resources where the need for service is most significant. By serving the student population and persons with disabilities in these areas, e.g., those who are perceived as needing transit service, JTS has been able to maintain a high level of public support in all areas of the city. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 70

78 Figure 6-1: JTS Service Coverage: Population Density Source of Data: 2000 United States Census, JTS Another way to look at service coverage is to evaluate how high poverty areas, which typically generate transit ridership, are served by fixed route service. Figure 6-2 shows JTS fixed routes compared to areas of high poverty. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 71

79 Figure 6-2: JTS Service Coverage: Percentage of People Living below the Poverty Level Source of Data: 2000 United States Census, JTS Only two high poverty locations are not currently served by JTS fixed routes. The first is a small core area along the south side of Rockport Road and west of Center Avenue, which is surrounded by bus routes along the principal arteries in the area, and which is still less than ½ mile to these routes. The second is a large swath of low density land located only partially within the city limits, which has a very small residential population, most of whom reside outside the city limits, and are thus outside the normal JTS service area. Service congruency is an analysis of service based on the trip generators that have been identified throughout the study process. Common transit generators include shopping centers, Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 72

80 industrial parks, major employers, schools and hospitals. JTS fixed routes currently serve nearly all of the major educational, medical and commercial trip generators in the Janesville region. Figure 6-3: JTS Service Congruency Source of Data: JTS While JTS serves almost all of the City s major employers, notable exceptions include several employers located in an area on the south side just south of Kellogg Avenue and east of Beloit Avenue, which has experienced growth over the past 10 years and is targeted for future industrial development. Also, another industrial park on the east side off Highway 11/14, and the area north and west of I-90 and Milton Avenue receive no service, potentially limiting accessibility for transit dependent job seekers. The Youth Sports Complex is also not served by JTS fixed Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 73

81 routes, possibly limiting accessibility to youth sports activities for some transportation disadvantaged youth. Finally, additional commercial and retail development outside the ¼ mile buffer on the north side of I-90/US-14 will require reworking service on the northside of Janesville as current routes are at their coverage limits. Frequency For a city of Janesville s size, the goal for headway/frequency for local routes is 30 minutes during weekday peak periods, and 60 minutes during off-peak periods and Saturdays. Intercity headways should be one hour at all times during weekdays. All of these standards and guidelines for headways have to be balanced against the resources of the system and utilization of the routes, such as service on the heavily-traveled Milton Avenue commercial corridor, to ensure a proper balance between service expenditures and ridership productivity and farebox recovery. Tripper services should be operated on an as needed basis. Half of the JTS regular routes meet the 30 minute peak standard, but the East Milwaukee Street, West State Street, and Wright Road routes do not, as they are provided only hourly during peak periods with the exception of a few trippers during the school year. The BJE route meets the intercity standard following its expansion in Note, however, that substantial parts of the West State Street route in particular provide half hour service because of overlaps with the BJE and West Court Street routes, whose schedules are designed to provide service on the opposing half hour to West State Street. This reasoning was used as justification for reducing the service level on this route as a cost-saving measure in This pattern also impacts ridership statistics for West State Street, as will be seen later, with some potential West State ridership clearly diverted onto the other two routes. Similarly, the retail/commercial and healthcare concentration at the East Point area is provided with 30 minute service to the Transfer Center by the overlapping of the East Milwaukee and Wright Road routes in this area. Route headways are always examined in concert with the trip generation and the potential of each route to balance ridership and resource utilization to achieve productivities and unit costs that are within acceptable bounds for the system; and, as noted, with an eye to providing 30 minute service along appropriate sections of a 60 minute route by judiciously overlapping services. Span The duration of service needs to consider both need/demand and the availability of funds. The minimum standard for JTS for regular route service should be 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (12 hours) on weekdays, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturdays. Trippers once again should be provided as needed. With the addition of Nightside services during the week, JTS exceeds the 12-hour span standard for weekdays, although its first pulse is not until 6:15 AM and service runs until 6:15 PM. While survey results have indicated some desire for earlier weekday service for early morning work trips in fact, many years ago service began at 5:15 AM but was reduced as a cost saving measure as a result of low utilization -- the current hours may not require an adjustment. Saturday hours exceed the standard, with service operating from 8:45 AM to 6:15 PM, with Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 74

82 some expressed desire for later hours on Saturday evenings to match the weekday Nightside service. Directness The identified standard for directness for this project is the percentage of transfers being made by bus riders. For a pulse system with radial routes, transferring is usually high, and a standard of 30 percent (transfer trips/revenue trips) is the maximum rate for transferring. Based on data from the 2005 JTS statistics, the overall transfer rate on JTS buses was 18.2%, which meets the standard. The 2005 on-board survey had a higher rate of 24 percent, but this was still within the standard of 30 percent. Patron Convenience This category includes standards for operating speed, loading, bus stop spacing, dependability, and road call ratio. Operating Speed There are a set of standards associated with the operating speed of the routes. These standards allow for the identification of routes that may be too long for the running time allotted, or may be running slowly and unreliably due to congestion. As such they are also indicators of safety, as routes that are too long require drivers to speed to keep on schedule; and reliability, since very slow routes may create problems with on-time performance and transfers, particularly in a pulse system. The standards shown on Table 6-1 were as follows: Regular routes should not exceed 15 MPH Evening routes should not exceed 20 MPH Intercity routes should not exceed 25 MPH As a rule, JTS routes have always been planned to operate at or near the established maximums in the name of maximizing efficiency by covering as much territory with as few vehicles and drivers as possible. Table 6-2 shows estimated operating speeds by route, based upon vehicle miles and hours or service provided by JTS. As the table indicates, four of the routes Kellogg Avenue, East Milwaukee Street, West State Street, an Wright Road -- exceed the 15 mph standard, although only one, Wright Road, exceeds by greater than 2 mph. The operating speeds have to be looked at in conjunction with an understanding of the streets being used, surrounding activities, et al before definitive statements can be made regarding which routes are problems and which are not. However, in general, it appears that the JTS network is stretched to its limits and that travel speeds and running times need to be reviewed as the plan is developed. Wright Road can operate at a higher speed, for example, due to long sections of running with fewer stops on Wright Road and Ruger Avenue, which both operate at higher speeds in general. Milton Avenue, conversely, operates on more congested roadways, has many turns to go in and out of Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 75

83 shopping centers, and incurs a lot of signal delay time. This route, too, has to be reexamined to ensure that it can maintain reliable running speeds. Nightside routes and the BJE appear to operate more consistently within the guidelines, which allow for faster speeds based upon operating conditions, including lighter evening traffic and time allowance for route deviations, fewer evening stops, and the higher operating speeds and less frequent stops on the arterial streets and rural highways used by the BJE. Loading Table 6-2: JTS Average Operating Speed by Route Route Average Speed (MPH) Regular Routes West Court Street Kellogg Avenue Milton Avenue East Milwaukee Street West State Street Wright Road Average Nightside Routes Nightside-West Nightside-East Milton Avenue Nightside Average Regional Route Beloit-Janesville Express Source of Data: Calculation from JTS annual operating data The pulse system is designed to allow the maximum number of people the opportunity to easily transfer between routes, and to allow trips in the system to be made with not more than one transfer. Passengers should be seated except for short periods of time associated with peak load periods, during which time there should be no more than 50 percent of the passengers standing, and only for a limited time. JTS meets this standard, based upon the on/off counts and load factors. To accommodate heavier loads on school tripper routes, the City has adopted a policy of allowing up to 1.5 times the seated capacity of a bus on its routes. Passenger loadings are monitored by JTS management to ensure that they stay within authorized levels. At the same time, while there is no minimum load factor in the standards, e.g. loads should not fall below a given number of riders. Observations of the ridership by trip indicate that there are significant portions of the day when peak loads rarely exceed 10 passengers on some routes, which is an indicator of an over-supply of service to these routes for selected time periods. The route by route studies later in this chapter discuss these conditions in detail to determine which routes, if any, may require less service than is presently being provided. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 76

84 Bus Stop Spacing The spacing of stops should balance patron convenience and speed of operation. The core standard calls for a stop every other block, while in fringe areas stops can be as far apart as.2 to.25 miles (4 to 5 per mile), based on need. Field observations and analysis of bus stop location lists for JTS routes indicate that the stop placements in Janesville meet this standard. For customer convenience and as an incentive to ride, Janesville still allows flagging of buses at any street corner. While providing an attractive benefit, this practice can slow operations, be a safety hazard for other vehicles, and should generally be avoided. Dependability Riders require dependable service, defined as service that arrives on time and gets them to their destination on time, particularly if they are going to work, to school, or to an appointment. The standard should be two-fold: percent of all trips should be operated (e.g., no missed trips), and 95.0 percent of the trips should run on-time (e.g., not more than 5 minutes late). Finally, no trip should run ahead of schedule at any point along a route. During field observations, JTS operated on-time with no missed trips. Overall, 95% of the JTS time points were reached on-time throughout the day. Solid on-time performance is achieved using the above average operating speeds logged during this study. Given the environment in which the buses operate, the high speeds may allow the buses to operate safely or may cause the unsafe operation of the buses. The travel time and speed issue, as noted, will be discussed further during the planning process. The route with the most off-schedule time points was Nightside West, which is generally also the route with the most route deviations of the three evening routes. Table 6-3 provides a list of on-time performance by route. Table 6-3: JTS On-Time Performance Route % On-Time (0-5 minutes) West Court Street Route 100% Kellogg Avenue Route 99% Milton Avenue Route 100% East Milwaukee Street Route 93% West State Street Route 100% Wright Road Route 100% Nightside-West 75% Nightside-East 90% Milton Avenue Nightside 100% Beloit-Janesville Express 96% Average 95% Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 77

85 Road Call Ratio This is a measure of dependability and quality for the customer, as the fewer the road calls, the fewer times customers are inconvenienced. JTS performs exceptionally well in this category, exceeding the standard by over 100 percent. Fiscal Condition These standards assess the financial situation, the use of the JTS system, and the relationship of service used to the amount of service provided. While there are any number of possible criteria that can be used to define fiscal condition, many of which will be studied in detail in the route diagnostics, for the purpose of defining general standards and overall condition, three were selected: fare structure, farebox recovery, and productivity. Fare Structure The fare structure should meet qualitative considerations set by City policy. It should be simple to understand, offer convenience to the user, and generate reasonable revenues for the system, when compared to local taxpayer support of the system throughout the City s General Fund, and revenue recovery ratio of peer systems in and out of Wisconsin with similar operating circumstances. With regard to equity issues, the fare policy offers a number of discounts based either upon age or disability, or upon the use of a variety of media. Free transfers should be provided so that those needing to use two buses for a trip are not penalized. JTS fare structure meets these standards and all JTS routes are priced using a $1.00 base fare, with appropriate adjustments made for longer trips on the BJE. One issue that should be resolved concerns bus drivers handling money and selling fare media, a practice that should be stopped for several reasons, the two main ones being the safety and security of the driver and the money on board the bus, and the impact that the policy has on travel times, which are very tight. Experience indicates that while the effect of change-making and fare sales on the buses on travel times, operational safety and schedule-keeping is an issue, JTS has had very few and very minor experiences with pilferage from driver change and ticket funds, and no criminal activity associated with drivers carrying change and fare media on the buses over decades of experience. When Nightside service was initiated in 2000, the perceived greater threat of criminal activity in the evening hours prompted JTS to enact an exact fare policy for that service, which has proved successful. That policy is enabled by having a staff person present at the Transfer Center to sell fare media and make change in the evening, something that is not done during the day. If JTS were to move to an exact fare policy all day, JTS would need to identify how it would be implemented, e.g. if there would be a staff person or automated dispersers at the transfer center to make change and sell passes and tokens, if there would be additional outlets for pass and token sales, etc. The potential costs and the loss of customer convenience would ultimately be weighed against the operational issues of schedule keeping and the expectations of the riding public in making such a decision. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 78

86 Farebox Recovery The standards for individual routes relate to the system average as well as the average for each category of service. Deviations from the standard identify routes that require different levels of analysis and change. Routes achieving less than 60 percent of the category average should be studied and significantly altered. Routes falling between 60 and 80 percent of the category average need to be carefully reviewed and possibly modified. And routes that exceed 80 percent, particularly those which might exceed the average, may need adjustments as well to increase service. The system s overall average for farebox recovery as a percentage of expenses, without trippers, is 11 percent; with trippers, the farebox recovery for the system is closer to 15 percent, an indication of the strong performance of the tripper route network as well as its importance to the overall viability of the JTS program. There has been a downward trend since 1997, but this was also experienced by the JTS peers, as described in Chapter 4. The current system average (e.g., with trippers) of 14.4 percent is well within keeping with the JTS peers current experience as well. The downward trend industry wide is a function of escalating operating costs which have exceeded the systems ability to increase fares accordingly without damaging consequences, and financial constraints imposed on the industry in the last five years by decreasing state funding and freezes on local revenue generation. In the case of JTS, some of the drop is also attributable to the introduction of Nightside service and an expanded BJE, both of which was expected to be more expensive to operate with correspondingly lower expectations for productivity and farebox recovery. Because of the issues described above, it is critical to assess the farebox recovery of each element of the system separately against its own standards. The daytime local route network has a 14 percent farebox recovery ratio, and only the West State Street route falls below 80 percent of that number, at 11.2 versus 11.5 percent. Two routes stand out West Court Street and Kellogg Avenue --- while the next three are solid East Milwaukee Street, Milton Avenue, Wright Road. Note that Milton Avenue accrues the highest fares but, with two buses operating, also has the highest operating cost in the system, which explains its performance on this statistic. On Saturdays, the daytime local routes are the only ones in operation, and achieve about an 11 percent farebox recovery, which is a reasonable level of performance. There is a bit more spacing from top to bottom on this factor on Saturdays, and in this case Wright Road is doing poorly at only 6 percent. West State Street is marginal at 9 percent. On the other hand, West Court Street, Kellogg Avenue, and East Milwaukee Street are all around the average of 11 percent, and Milton Avenue is at 16 percent on Saturdays, which clearly is a strong shopping day benefiting that route the most. The Nightside service has an average farebox recovery of 6 percent, just under half of that of the daytime routes. This follows closely the expectation that evening routes do about half that of daytime routes in terms of ridership productivity, which translates to about the same rate for farebox recovery. None of the Nightside routes fall below 80 percent of the average, ranging Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 79

87 from 5 to 7 percent, with the Milton Avenue trunk route doing the best and the two neighborhood routes doing about equal shares. The Beloit Janesville Express service has a weekday farebox recovery rate of 11 percent. While the route has solid ridership and revenues and meets many community needs, the length of the route makes it more expensive to operate than all but the Milton Avenue Route, resulting a farebox recovery rate lower than the regular daytime route average. Improvement on this statistic requires either or both of the following additional ridership or an increase in the zone fares charged for multi-jurisdictional trips which are longer an more expensive to provide. This is a policy issue to be addressed later in the project. Productivity Similar to farebox recovery, the route by route standard relates individual route performance to the performance of the category of each route. In 2004, JTS carried 13.8 passengers per vehicle hour on weekdays for all services excluding trippers, and 15.8 with trippers included; and 13.4 passengers per vehicle hour on Saturdays when only the six regular routes are provided. Individually, the daytime local routes achieved 17.6 passengers/hour, the Nightside services 8.1, and the BJE (Trippers, which operate only at peak times and generally with full or nearly full loads, achieved about 38 passengers per hour). At these levels, the only weekday regular route that is not achieving at least 80 percent is West State Street, and all of the other daytime, Nightside, and BJE services are above that level. The three outstanding performers on this statistic are West Court Street (21.4), Kellogg Avenue (19.7), and East Milwaukee Street (18.3). Milton Avenue does a solid 16.5 passengers per hour, carrying a very high ridership even as it requires more resources than the others. Passenger Comfort Passenger comfort standards pertain to the passenger environment that JTS provides. These standards examine the placement and condition of shelters and bus stop signs, the comfort and condition of the revenue equipment, and the quality of public information. Waiting Shelters The standard for waiting shelters for a system of this size is to place one at any location having 25 or more daily boardings, generally spread throughout the day (e.g., not 25 boardings for a single load and no boardings for the remaining part of the day). Under this standard, JTS has 14 shelters supplemented by 12 outdoor benches in generally appropriate locations except for the facilities in the following locations: Waveland/Mineral Point, Edison Middle School, Janesville Mall (although the inside of the mall serves as a de facto shelter), and Shopko, where passengers can also wait just inside the doors. JTS has adopted a policy of not placing passenger shelters at or near schools (with the exception of the two colleges in the service area), where passenger boardings tend to be grouped near school dismissal times; and to avoid shelters becoming a public nuisance as a hang-out for truants and smokers, and the subject of excessive vandalism. A bench is provided at the Waveland and Mineral Point site, which is the closest bus stop to one of the high schools, but even that has been subjected to abuse over the years. Discussions with Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 80

88 the management of the Janesville Mall in particular have revealed no problems with transit customers using mall areas near the bus stop as a waiting area. Bus Stop Signs The standard for bus stop signs is to denote the name of the system and the route/routes served. JTS has approximately 250 signs which exceed the standard and identify the JTS system, route number and name, contact information, and whether or not the stop is also a Nightside stop. Stops at timing points also include the time after each hour when the bus is scheduled to arrive. Intermediate bus stop times might benefit the riding public and should be discussed during the project. The biggest issue that should be resolved concerns flagging of buses where there are no bus stop signs. As mentioned earlier, this is a practice that is increasingly being dropped by operators in similar settings as a safety and travel time savings measure. While JTS would do well to adopt more stringent policies on bus stop locations, again the factors of customer convenience and perceptions of public service by citizens and policy makers need to be considered as well. Revenue Equipment General examination of the buses condition and cleanliness indicate that the system is exceptional in providing equipment for its services. Recently, the system purchased four later model used buses to replace several year old tripper buses in the fleet. JTS received eight (8) new low-floor buses in 2006 which allowed the system to retire the last of its 1979 vehicles and all but the best of its buses. Plans are to purchase up to 4 used/rehabilitated buses in 2007 to replace the last of the models. Public Information The public maps and timetables are easy to read and provide the public with the necessary information, and there are editions in large print as well for the visually impaired. JTS has published a companion to its regular route map and the Beloit-Janesville Express route map in Spanish to address the needs of an increasing Hispanic population in its service area. Transit information is available on the City website as well, with route maps and information able to be downloaded and printed from that site. JTS has a high visibility in the community and a solid image, based upon discussions with stakeholders and the public. Summary Overall, JTS meets or exceeds the proposed standards as set in the opening of this section, and the indications are that there are only a few changes to consider that might improve overall performance. These indications are studied in more detail in subsequent sections of this paper, which deal with individual route performance. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 81

89 Route Diagnostics Five important data sets were collected or calculated from JTS 2004 records to create the database and calculations for the route diagnostics: ridership statistics, revenue hours, revenue miles, operating cost, and farebox revenue. These statistical data are shown in Table 6-4. JTS keeps detailed records on annual linked trips by route. These data were coupled with ridership statistics by route for nine Saturdays in April and May 2005 to develop a breakdown of the ridership totals for weekdays and Saturdays. To develop unlinked trip statistics, which are the most comparable to industry statistics, peer numbers et al, the systems average transfer rate was used to factor linked trips up to unlinked trips for each route. Annual Revenue Hours and Miles were developed from JTS data for weekdays and Saturdays based on operating schedules and the number of operating days for each, factored for each route. The operating cost for each route was developed from 2004 financial data provided by JTS, which had two parts operating costs directly associated with regular routes, Nightside services, the BJE, or trippers; and overall operating, maintenance, and administrative costs that needed to be allocated to each type of service. The allocation was based on the number of hours each service provides. In the end, the hourly cost of providing trippers was the lowest, at $48.40, regular routes including the BJE cost $62.12 per hour, and the highest costs were attributed to Nightside services at $ Revenues were provided by using average fare data calculated for each type of service based on JTS 2004 ridership and revenue data. The data from the on/off surveys were used to develop typical profiles of ridership activity by location for each route, and ridership by time of day for each route, for weekdays and Saturdays for regular routes and weekdays for all others. The 2004 data in Table 6-4 do not include statistics for the tripper program, which is not being evaluated in this project. However, tripper numbers were referenced earlier to provide a larger understanding of the overall system performance statistics and the strong positive impact tripper services have on performance. In this section, the routes are evaluated only against comparable routes in the network, e.g. daytime regular routes are compared only to other daytime regular routes, Nightside routes to Nightside routes, and BJE independently. Finally, the data for the Beloit-Janesville Express includes Beloit Transit System (BTS) data for its half of the Beloit- Janesville Express operation, so that the total BJE performance is included in the overall view of the network. At the same time, the BTS and JTS bus performances are both shown independently, as this study for the most part only impacts on JTS operations. Finally, as discussed above, passenger trips used in the analyses are unlinked passenger trips, which include transfers. The transfer rate of 18.2 percent was provided by JTS from its operating data. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 82

90 Route Table 6-4: 2004 Route Level Ridership, Operating Data, Cost and Revenue Estimates 2004 Ridership Linked Trips 2004 Ridership Unlinked Trips 2004 Revenue Hours 2004 Revenue Miles 2004 Operating Cost 2004 Farebox Revenue Weekday West Court Street Route 53,937 65,997 3,084 44,410 $191,572 $33,131 Kellogg Avenue Route 49,741 60,863 3,084 51,810 $191,572 $30,553 Milton Avenue Route* 83, ,048 6,168 80,184 $383,143 $51,228 East Milwaukee Street Route 46,134 56,450 3,084 49,961 $191,572 $28,338 West State Street Route 16,849 20,616 1,542 25,289 $95,786 $10,349 Wright Road Route 20,299 24,838 1,542 30,223 $95,786 $12,469 Regular Route Total 270, ,812 18, ,877 $1,149,429 $166,068 Nightside-West 6,291 7,698 1,028 15,728 $75,376 $3,864 Nightside-East 5,826 7,129 1,028 15,112 $75,376 $3,579 Milton Avenue Nightside 8,393 10,270 1,028 13,364 $75,376 $5,155 Nightside Total 20,510 25,096 3,084 44,204 $226,129 $12,598 Beloit-Janesville Express JTS 27,154 33,226 3,084 63,510 $259,202 $28,022 Beloit-Janesville Express BTS 29,182 35,707 3,084 63,510 $259,202 $29,216 Beloit-Janesville Express Total 56,336 68,933 6, ,020 $518,404 $57,238 Weekday Total 347, ,841 27, ,101 $1,893,962 $235,904 Saturday West Court Street Route 5,916 7, ,976 $30,127 $3,634 Kellogg Avenue Route 5,508 6, ,140 $30,127 $3,383 Milton Avenue Route 15,300 18, ,597 $60,192 $9,398 East Milwaukee Street Route 5,610 6, ,849 $30,065 $3,446 West State Street Route 2,193 2, ,182 $15,033 $1,347 Wright Road Route 1,377 1, ,498 $15,033 $846 Saturday Total 35,904 43,932 2,907 44,242 $180,577 $22,054 *Two buses Service Effectiveness Service effectiveness describes the amount of service utilized per unit of transit service provided. Service effectiveness is measured based on two indicators, passengers per mile and passengers per hour. While both passengers per mile and passengers per hour are presented, only passengers per hour is included in the route scoring and ranking presented at the end of the route diagnostics section to avoid duplication. Passengers per Mile The passenger per mile figures and rankings are presented in Table 6-5 for both weekdays and Saturdays. This indicator measures the number of passengers carried each day by each route versus the number of miles per day the route operates. Passengers per mile for the system average 0.87 on weekdays and Saturdays. On weekdays, the number of regular route passengers per mile (1.12) is greater than the same measure for the Nightside routes (.58) and the BJE (.54). Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 83

91 The weaker regular daytime routes on weekdays are West State Street and Wright Road. Wright Road, which is longer than West State Street, actually is the stronger of the two, as will be seen when productivity is measured against vehicle hours instead of miles; against miles, West State Street stays even with Wright Road because it is so much shorter, but once vehicle hours are considered, West State Street falls behind. West State ridership levels on weekdays are influenced greatly by the service provided by the BJE and West Court Street route, which supplement the hourly West State Street route. While this is good for customers, it likely moves some riders of off this route to the other two, so in real terms these three routes operate in part as a unit and do so effectively. The top performers are West Court Street, a relatively short route with modest ridership, and Milton Avenue, a high ridership route with lower average running speeds which makes this route a better performer against vehicle miles than vehicle hours. Kellogg Avenue and East Milwaukee Street are right at the average on this statistic. On Saturdays, Wright Road performs exceptionally poorly, possibly because it has no direct connection to the major retail areas which are the primary trip generators. West State Street is still low, but significantly better than Wright Road. Since there is no BJE on Saturdays, West State may be benefiting from being the only service available in south-west Janesville. The Milton Avenue Nightside service is the best of the three Nightsides, which would be expected given its role in the network, while the other two routes are almost identical in their performance on this statistic. The BJE performance in passengers per mile is low but that is expected given the long travel distances in the low density area between the two cities. Route Table 6-5: JTS Passengers per Mile by Route Weekday Passengers per Mile Weekday Rank Saturday Passengers per Mile Saturday Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route Kellogg Avenue Route Milton Avenue Route East Milwaukee Street Route West State Street Route Wright Road Route Regular Route Average Nightside Routes Nightside-West N/A N/A Nightside-East N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside N/A N/A Nightside Route Average 0.58 N/A Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) N/A N/A BJE Route Average 0.54 N/A System Average Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 84

92 Passengers per Hour The passengers per hour figures, which include rankings, are presented for both weekdays and Saturdays in Table 6-6. This indicator measures the number of passengers carried each day by each route versus the number of hours per day the route operates. System-wide, passengers per hour average on weekdays and 13.4 on Saturday. Regular routes average passengers per hour on weekdays, while Nightside routes average 8.14 and the BJE averages on weekdays. The weekday issue continues to be the West State Street route at passengers per hour. The BJE performance on a per hour basis is much better than the per mile basis of comparison, which shows how higher running speeds compensate for the longer mileage of the route. Milton Avenue is fourth on productivity measured by vehicle hours rather than second as for vehicle miles but is still solid, and West Court Street, Kellogg Avenue, and East Milwaukee continue to be strong. On Saturdays, Wright Road operates very poorly at only 6.96 passengers per hour, while West State Street reaches the 80 percent threshold. Milton Avenue jumps to number one, as it is the key route serving all of the major shopping in the city. Financial Efficiency Route Table 6-6: JTS Passengers per Hour by Route Weekday Passengers per Hour Weekday Rank Saturday Passengers per Hour Saturday Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route Kellogg Avenue Route Milton Avenue Route East Milwaukee Street Route West State Street Route Wright Road Route Regular Route Average Nightside Routes Nightside-West N/A N/A Nightside-East N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside N/A N/A Nightside Route Average 8.14 N/A Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) N/A N/A BJE Route Average N/A System Average Financial efficiency measures the cost of providing transit service per unit of service provided. Two indicators, cost per mile and cost per hour, can be used to determine financial efficiency. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 85

93 Since the daily operating cost was determined using an average year cost per hour figure for the system as a whole and not for each individual route, only the cost per mile indicator varies from route to route in this analysis and therefore is presented for the review of financial efficiency. Cost per Mile Table 6-7 presents the cost per mile for each route and the route rankings for both weekdays and Saturdays. This indicator presents the total daily route cost per revenue mile operated, and is an indicator of how well resources are being used to produce a unit of service. Cost per mile averages $4.29 on weekdays and $3.93 on Saturdays when only the six regular routes operate. Cost per mile is the same for regular routes on weekdays and on Saturdays ($3.93). Weekday cost per mile is $ 4.08 for the BJE and $ 5.14 for the Nightside routes. For the regular routes, Milton Avenue is the costliest on a per mile basis due to its lower speeds and the operation of two buses and Wright Road the least expensive due to high operating speeds. What is most important overall is that the average across the system is reasonable when compared to JTS peers, which in fact is the case as shown in the previous report; and that no route is totally out of line. Route Table 6-7: JTS Cost per Mile by Route Weekday Cost per Mile Weekday Rank Saturday Cost per Mile Saturday Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route $ $ Kellogg Avenue Route $ $ Milton Avenue Route $ $ East Milwaukee Street Route $ $ West State Street Route $ $ Wright Road Route $ $ Regular Route Average $3.93 $3.93 Nightside Routes Nightside-West $ N/A N/A Nightside-East $ N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside $ N/A N/A Nightside Route Average $5.14 N/A Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) $ N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) $ N/A N/A BJE Route Average $4.08 N/A System Average $4.29 $3.93 Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 86

94 Cost Effectiveness Cost effectiveness measures the effectiveness of the system from a financial standpoint how well the dollars put into the system are being used to produce trips. The cost effectiveness indicators are cost per passenger, subsidy per passenger, and farebox recovery. Cost per Passenger Table 6-8 presents the cost per passenger and ranking for each route on both weekdays and Saturdays. This indicator divides the route operating cost among all passengers that use the route. The system cost per passenger averages $5.86 on weekdays and $5.13 on Saturdays. As expected, on weekdays the cost per passenger is lower for regular routes ($3.62) than for the Nightside routes ($9.24) and the BJE ($7.53). Only West State Street weekdays and Wright Road on Saturdays are a problem for the regular route network, while the numbers for the Nightside service and the BJE suggest that the level of ridership produced needs to improve to match the cost of the service provided. The cost allocation for these services will be reviewed with JTS, as well as the ridership growth trends and ways to increase ridership, or at least offset the higher costs with fare changes related to premium route deviation service on the Nightside, and examining the increments charged for the zonal fares for longer trips on the BJE, which already charges a higher fare; roughly twice the incity base fare. Route Table 6-8: JTS Cost per Passenger by Route Weekday Cost per Passenger Weekday Rank Saturday Cost per Passenger Saturday Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route $ $ Kellogg Avenue Route $ $ Milton Avenue Route $ $ East Milwaukee Street Route $ $ West State Street Route $ $ Wright Road Route $ $ Regular Route Average $3.62 $5.13 Nightside Routes Nightside-West $ N/A N/A Nightside-East $ N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside $ N/A N/A Nightside Route Average $9.24 N/A Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) $ N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) $ N/A N/A BJE Route Average $7.53 N/A System Average $5.86 $5.13 Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 87

95 Farebox Recovery Fares on Janesville buses are set by City Ordinance, which requires action and approval from the City Council, based on recommendations from the Administration and JTS management. The last general fare increase on the system was enacted in 1997 when the base cash fare was raised to $1.00, with proportional increases in all other fares. While fare increases have been investigated in the interim between then and now, authorization to raise fares has been withheld with the recognition that the transit dependent population in Janesville is among those least able to absorb the cost increase. Indeed, survey results have shown that 64% of JTS riders who answered the question reported a household income of $20,000 or less annually; while for the general population of the City, a nearly equal percentage reports a household income of $35,000 or greater. Nonetheless, as the City loses state shared revenue funding and deals with the effects on its ability to raise revenues locally through the freeze on the property tax passed by the legislature in the last session, affecting its ability to fund the local share of transit operating and capital expenses; and state funding to the Transportation Fund which provides state operating assistance for transit is cut; a significant fare increase has been approved beginning on January 1, It is against that background that the following discussion takes place. The farebox recovery for each route is presented on Table 6-9 for both weekdays and Saturdays. Farebox recovery measures the percent of operating cost covered by fares, and is an outcome heavily influenced by the ridership productivity of a route against its total operating cost, as well as the fare policy of the system. It is calculated by dividing fare revenue by operating cost. Farebox recovery without the tripper program averages 11 percent on weekdays and Saturdays. With tripper service, the overall system average is closer to 15 percent, which indicates the strength of the tripper program and its importance to the overall health of the JTS program. Average weekday farebox recovery is much greater for regular routes (14.4%) than for Nightside routes (6%) and the BJE (11%). While West State Street and Wright Road are the lowest performers on weekdays, they both achieve better than 80 percent of the regular route average. On Saturdays, Wright Road lags badly, while West State Street achieves the 80 percent threshold. The Nightside routes all cluster around the 6 percent average, which while low, is not an unexpected value given the higher operating cost for the service and lower ridership productivity than the regular routes. Being around half that of the daytime network is close to the expectations for these services described in the last TDP, and there are opportunities to improve on these values. This service was established in large measure to provide access to jobs for persons exiting the state s welfare program, and for that reason fares were kept the same as for the regular daytime routes, despite the fact that the service includes a route deviation feature, which could be considered a premium service. The BJE performance is somewhat disappointing given that the regular routes are at 14.4 percent overall. However, it should be noted the most expensive and best used of the local routes Milton Avenue is at 13 percent, so the BJE performance is not terribly out of line with the general profile of the system. It is an expensive route to provide due to the long trip lengths. To account for some of these costs, the fares on the route have three zones (within Janesville city Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 88

96 limits, Janesville to Blackhawk Tech, Blackhawk Tech to Beloit). With ridership growing again in 2005, and with a review of zonal fares, there are opportunities to improve on this statistic in the plan. Route Ranking Route Table 6-9: JTS Farebox Recovery by Route Weekday Farebox Recovery Weekday Rank Saturday Farebox Recovery Saturday Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route 17% 1 12% 2 Kellogg Avenue Route 16% 2 11% 3 Milton Avenue Route 13% 4 16% 1 East Milwaukee Street Route 15% 3 11% 4 West State Street Route 11% 6 9% 5 Wright Road Route 13% 5 6% 6 Regular Route Average 14% 11% Nightside Routes Nightside-West 5% 2 N/A N/A Nightside-East 5% 3 N/A N/A Milton Avenue Nightside 7% 1 N/A N/A Nightside Route Average 6% N/A Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) 11% 1 N/A N/A Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) 11% 1 N/A N/A BJE Route Average 11% N/A System Average 11% 11% Each route is ranked using three indicators to calculate a cumulative rank score for each route on both weekday and Saturdays and by category of service: regular routes, Nightside routes, and the BJE. The three indicators include passengers per hour to rate service effectiveness, and cost per passenger and farebox recovery to rate cost effectiveness. Financial efficiency was not rated because the ratings of the routes in this category correlated directly to route length, which does not measure performance. Routes with a higher score are indicative of poorer performing routes which need to be addressed. Routes with a lower score are generally better performing routes that may only require monitoring or minor adjustment in order to integrate better into the JTS network or to serve new generators. Table 6-10 presents the weekday route rankings and Table 6-11 the Saturday rankings. Weekdays, the West Court Street route is the best performing regular route while the West State Street route is the lowest performing regular route. On Saturdays, Milton Avenue is the top route, while Wright Road is the worst. Basically, there are four very solid regular routes Milton Avenue, West Court Street, Kellogg Avenue, and East Milwaukee Street and two routes needing study and improvement, West State Street and Wright Road. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 89

97 The Nightside Milton Avenue route is the best of the three Nightside routes, while the other two are very close in performance, with a slight nod to Nightside West. Table 6-10: JTS Weekday Route Ranking Route Passengers Cost per Farebox Cumulative per Hour Passenger Recovery Rank Score Rank Rank Rank Rank Regular Routes West Court Street Route Kellogg Avenue Route East Milwaukee Street Route Milton Avenue Route Wright Road Route West State Street Route Nightside Routes Milton Avenue Nightside Nightside-West Nightside-East Beloit-Janesville Express Beloit-Janesville Express (BTS) Beloit-Janesville Express (JTS) Route Table 6-11: JTS Saturday Route Ranking Passengers per Hour Rank Cost per Passenger Rank Farebox Recovery Rank Cumulative Rank Score Milton Avenue Route West Court Street Route East Milwaukee Street Route Kellogg Avenue Route West State Street Route Wright Road Route Time of Day Analysis An analysis of ridership by time of day is important to understanding some of the dimensions of the performance described above. Looking at the system as a whole and each route by time of day, essentially by each trip, provides details that help to understand productivity levels, cost per trip data, and other quantifiable results. Furthermore, looking at each route on a per trip basis provides a profile to study ridership levels in relation to operating headways, and ultimately allows one to determine if current levels of service are appropriate to the results. On weekdays and Saturdays half of the regular routes operate on 30-minute headways and half on 60-minutes. The BJE and Nightside routes all operate weekdays on 60-minute headways. Figure 6-4 presents the weekday ridership profile by time of day taken from the surveys conducted in the spring. Driven by school ridership, the profile has two pronounced peaks between 6:15 and 7:15 AM and the larger peak between 3:15 and 4:15 PM. The 3:45 pulse is the Rank Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 90

98 single largest pulse throughout the day. Ridership tapers into the evenings while the Nightside service is being offered. Route by route analyses follow in the individual route discussions. Figure 6-4: JTS System: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day JTS System: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 AM 6:45 AM 7:15 AM 7:45 AM 8:15 AM 8:45 AM 9:15 AM 9:45 AM 10:15 AM 10:45 AM 11:15 AM 11:45 AM 12:15 PM 12:45 PM 1:15 PM 1:45 PM 2:15 PM 2:45 PM 3:15 PM 3:45 PM 4:15 PM 4:45 PM 5:15 PM 5:45 PM 6:15 PM 6:45 PM 7:15 PM 7:45 PM 8:15 PM 8:45 PM 9:15 PM 9:45 PM Trip Time Note: Ridership counts by time of day were not provided for Saturdays. The data in the table is for weekdays only. Route Issues and Opportunities The following section provides an overview of the individual JTS routes for weekdays and Saturdays. This section includes data from the route diagnostics section and detailed on/off data and time of day profiles from the ridership counts taken for this project. The data for Saturdays is based on averages from driver counts for the five Saturdays in April Regular Routes The regular routes are the six local routes that operate from 6:15AM 6:15PM weekdays and 8:45 AM 6:15 PM Saturdays. Milton Avenue Route The Milton Avenue is a solid route, ranking fourth in the system on weekdays and first on Saturdays. This route serves the primary regional commercial and retail area in northeast Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and US Highway 14 via Milton Avenue and serves many major trip generators (mostly retail) along the way. Headways are 30-minutes on weekdays and Saturdays on this route using two buses to achieve service Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 91

99 frequency with a 55 minute scheduled running time. Table 6-12 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. The Milton Avenue route has the highest overall annual ridership of all the routes in the network, at 130,769 unlinked trips. Ridership productivity is strong, with productivity factors of 16.5 passengers per hour and 1.27 passengers per mile on weekdays, and an even better 19.3 passengers per hour and 1.49 passengers per mile on Saturdays. This route is the backbone of the system and with the expansion of commercial activities on the northside will continue to strengthen over time. This growth will bring issues as well to the route. Milton Avenue service is already stretched to its limit. Congestion, the number of signalized intersections, and the many movements in and out of shopping centers make this a very challenging route, and the average speed is the slowest in the system at 13.0 miles per vehicle hour. As a rule, the drivers struggle to keep on-schedule during the peak hours of the day, often requiring assistance to make the schedule if anything at all interferes with their ability to keep moving. This would include inordinate traffic congestion both on the roads and within shopping areas; having to load, unload and secure several passengers with mobility aids in the course of a trip; or having to wait for transfers at the transfer center or transfer points along the route. During the peak shopping season between the Thanksgiving and New Years holidays, JTS must schedule additional buses, which operate as circulators in the commercial area north of the Janesville Mall to allow the regular route buses to keep to the schedule. This results in a significant additional expense. The tightness of the schedule is also borne out by the fact that the buses assigned to the Milton Avenue route habitually get the poorest fuel mileage of the entire JTS fleet, approximately ½ mile per gallon less than other regular route buses. With all of this, and the new Super Wal-Mart going in north of the current route, this route will require major reworking. Table 6-12: Milton Avenue Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 102,048 18,721 Revenue Hours 6, Revenue Miles 80,184 12,597 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $383, $60, Farebox Revenue $51, $9, Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $4.78 $4.78 Cost per Passenger $3.75 $3.22 Subsidy per Passenger $2.81 $2.27 Farebox Recovery 13% 16% Cumulative Rank Score 12 3 Rank 4 1 Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 92

100 Figure 6-5 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Milton Avenue route. Weekday ridership on this route builds during the day, characteristic of a route that serves the principal commercial centers in a community. The morning loads are modest except for two peak trips at 6:45 AM and 7:15 AM, but from 10:15 on the trips are routinely strong, with most carrying in excess of 20 passengers. The chart of activity by location shows the steady on/off profile of the route, which has no extended poorly used segments, and which shows peaks for each of the many commercial centers served. Figure 6-5: Milton Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Milton Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 AM 6:45 AM 7:15 AM 7:45 AM 8:15 AM 8:45 AM 9:15 AM 9:45 AM 10:15 AM 10:45 AM 11:15 AM 11:45 AM 12:15 PM 12:45 PM 1:15 PM 1:45 PM 2:15 PM 2:45 PM 3:15 PM 3:45 PM 4:15 PM 4:45 PM 5:15 PM 5:45 PM Trip Time Figure 6-6 presents the weekday ridership activity by stop. As can be expected in a pulse system, most of the passenger activity occurs at the Downtown Transfer Center. Other stops with significant activity (over 20 boardings or alightings) are the Janesville Mall and Shopko. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 93

101 Figure 6-6: Milton Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity Milton Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Memorial/Milton Janesville Mall Shopko Pine Tree Plaza K-Mart Wal-Mart Janesville Mall Milton/Benton Glen/Milton Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location West Court Street Route The West Court Street route is the number one ranked weekday performer and second ranked performer on Saturdays. This route serves west Janesville between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Waveland/Mineral Point Avenue, and has many educational and health-care related major trip generators, as well as large senior citizen residences, local shopping areas and a general residential component. This route is paired with the Kellogg Avenue route. Headways on the West Court Street route are 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays. Table 6-13 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Table 6-13: West Court Street Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 65,997 7,239 Revenue Hours 3, Revenue Miles 44,410 6,976 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $191, $30, Farebox Revenue $33, $3, Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $4.31 $4.32 Cost per Passenger $2.90 $4.16 Subsidy per Passenger $1.95 $3.21 Farebox Recovery 17% 12% Cumulative Rank Score 3 6 Rank 1 2 Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 94

102 West Court Street carries the second highest number of Saturday trips after Milton Avenue, and though this its numbers are only about 40 percent of Milton Avenue, it provides them with half as many vehicle hours of service, which is why its productivity and farebox recovery rates are so good even on Saturdays. Its productivity is an outstanding 21.4 on weekdays and 14.9 on Saturdays. Its farebox recovery is 17 percent on weekdays and 12 percent on Saturdays, both above the average for the regular routes during these two time periods. Figure 6-7 presents the weekday time of day profile for the West Court Street route. Despite its good overall performance, the route ridership profile shows very low ridership levels from 7:45 AM to 3:15 PM, during which time only two trips exceeded 15 passengers, and most were below 10 (with 5 at 5 passengers or below). This suggests at least the consideration of hourly headways outside of the peak periods in this plan, which would have to account for the need of customers traveling to medical appointments at the hospital and major medical clinics along the route, as well as regular service to the two secondary schools along the route. Figure 6-7: West Court Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day West Court Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day :15 AM 6:45 AM 7:15 AM 7:45 AM 8:15 AM 8:45 AM 9:15 AM 9:45 AM 10:15 AM 10:45 AM 11:15 AM Boardings 11:45 AM 12:15 PM 12:45 PM 1:15 PM 1:45 PM 2:15 PM 2:45 PM 3:15 PM 3:45 PM 4:15 PM 4:45 PM 5:15 PM 5:45 PM Trip Time Figure 6-8 presents the weekday ridership activity by stop. As anticipated, the greatest amount of activity occurs at the Downtown Transfer Center. Other stops with significant activity are Mineral Point/Mercy Hospital, Crosby/Court (neighborhood/local shopping), Waveland/Mineral Point (Parker High School), and Mineral Point/Franklin Middle School. There is a general steady on/off pattern of use, but there is a gap in activity along Grant Avenue and Manor Drive which function primarily as the shortest route to get the bus to the far northern part of its service area. An opportunity may exist to reconstruct the service in this area to allow for more operating time Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 95

103 to extend the route north of Purvis Avenue to Hamilton Avenue and Washington Street by two blocks, which would bring additional apartments and a low-income housing complex closer to the route. In planning any such restructuring, however, it must be considered that the West Court, with its 30 minute headway, high ridership, and increasing traffic congestion is also stretched to the limit of what the drivers can safely operate; and any attempts to increase service coverage will come at the expense of loss of service elsewhere. As with many JTS routes serving residential areas of the city, while residential construction on the west and northwest sides of the City covered by this route has continued to grow, albeit at a much slower rate than the north and east sides, transit service has not expanded its coverage here for more than 20 years. Figure 6-8: West Court Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity West Court Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Mineral Pt./Mercy Crosby/Court Mineral Pt./Franklin Purvis/Washington Jackson/Wall Downtown Stop Location Kellogg Avenue Route The Kellogg Avenue Route is also a very good performer. It ranks second in the system on weekdays and fourth on Saturdays, with numbers very similar to West Court Street, with which it is paired. This route serves south Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Kellogg Avenue, the major east-west arterial street in south Janesville. This route serves major employment areas including the Janesville General Motors plant and the Freedom Lane and Conde Street industrial areas, the Kandu Industries sheltered workshop, neighborhood shopping centers, the Rock County Job Center, Edison Middle School and three elementary schools, healthcare facilities, and both single and multi-family residential, including a large mobile home park on Beloit Avenue. Headways on the Kellogg Avenue route are 30 minutes on both weekdays and Saturdays. Table 6-14 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 96

104 Weekday productivity numbers are very good for this route (19.74 passengers/hour), and the revenue/cost ratio is 16 percent. Both are well above the regular route average for these measures. Saturday numbers, however, are also good, with a productivity of passengers per hour and farebox recovery of 11 percent. Table 6-14: Kellogg Avenue Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 60,863 6,740 Revenue Hours 3, Revenue Miles 51,810 8,140 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $191, $30, Farebox Revenue $30, $3, Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $3.70 $3.70 Cost per Passenger $3.15 $4.47 Subsidy per Passenger $2.20 $3.52 Farebox Recovery 16% 11% Cumulative Rank Score 6 11 Rank 2 4 Figure 6-9 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Kellogg Avenue route. Despite the good overall performance of the route, ridership is low on this route except in the peaks, and the midday ridership per trip never exceeds 10 passengers, suggesting a shift to hourly headways can be considered. Major peaks occur at 7:15 AM and 3:15 PM. The performance of this route and its headways have to be studied in conjunction with the access it provides to the employment centers, Mercy Clinic South, the County Job Center, and the schools along the route. Also, as with the West Court, this route is currently stretched to the maximum possible coverage given its 30 minute headway, and as additional industrial and residential development occurs on the south side there is no possibility of providing additional service within the current structure. This is particularly of issue as several larger employers have located in the area just south and east of this route in the past 3 4 years. JTS has not been able to realize additional ridership from these facilities despite citizen requests for service, as there is no possibility of expanding this route. Finally, this route suffers from schedule reliability issues from the crossing of the Union Pacific railroad on Beloit Avenue. This crossing is located just at the throat of the railroad s Janesville freight yard, and buses are frequently delayed several minutes as rail cars are switched in and out of the yard, adversely affecting service reliability. There is also an occasional railroad crossing issue with the Wisconsin and Southern railroad on South Jackson Street, adjacent to the General Motors plant. Activities at this crossing are primarily through trains entering or leaving town at slow speeds as they pass through the plant property. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 97

105 Figure 6-9: Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day :15 AM 6:45 AM 7:15 AM 7:45 AM 8:15 AM 8:45 AM 9:15 AM 9:45 AM 10:15 AM 10:45 AM 11:15 AM 11:45 AM Boardings 12:15 PM 12:45 PM 1:15 PM 1:45 PM 2:15 PM 2:45 PM 3:15 PM 3:45 PM 4:15 PM 4:45 PM 5:15 PM 5:45 PM Trip Time Figure 6-10 presents the weekday ridership activity by stop. Not surprisingly, the greatest amount of activity occurs at the Downtown Transfer Center. Two other stops have significant activity: Kellogg/Jumbo s, which is the location of the Rock County Job Center, and Chatham/Edison Middle School. Overall the ridership is very steady along the route suggesting that the route path does not need to be changed. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 98

106 Figure 6-10: Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity Kellogg Avenue Route: Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center State/Beloit Kellogg/Lafayette Oakhill/Conde Stop Location State/Washington Franklin/Racine Downtown Transfer Center East Milwaukee Street Route The East Milwaukee Street route is a good weekday performer and ranks 3 rd on both weekdays and Saturdays, This route serves central and northeast Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and the Janesville Mall via its namesake street, Randolph Road and Mt. Zion Avenue. It serves neighborhood retail on the east side of the City as well as providing a connecting service from east Janesville to the Milton Avenue commercial/retail corridor, the two major secondary schools serving east Janesville and one elementary school, healthcare, and recreational trip generators; as well as an extensive grouping of multi-family developments along Morningside Drive colloquially known as Village Green which, among others, houses a number of group homes for persons with disabilities who are heavy transit users. Headways on the East Milwaukee Street route are 60 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays. East Milwaukee Street has a productivity of 18.3 passengers/hour on weekdays and 14.2 on Saturdays, and a farebox recovery of 15 percent weekdays and 11 percent Saturdays. Table 6-15 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 99

107 Table 6-15: East Milwaukee Street Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 56,450 6,864 Revenue Hours 3, Revenue Miles 49,961 7,849 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $191, $30, Farebox Revenue $28, $3, Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $3.83 $3.83 Cost per Passenger $3.39 $4.38 Subsidy per Passenger $2.45 $3.43 Farebox Recovery 15% 11% Cumulative Rank Score 9 10 Rank 3 3 Figure 6-11 presents the weekday time of day profile for the East Milwaukee Street route. Weekday ridership is good on this route, averaging 18.3 passengers per vehicle hour, which is also a single trip on this 60 minute route. Its peaks occur on the 7:15 AM and 3:15 PM trips, congruent with school opening and dismissal times at Craig High School and Marshall Middle School, the largest secondary schools in the City, but boardings by trip are also reasonable throughout the day. Figure 6-11: East Milwaukee Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day East Milwaukee Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 AM 7:15 AM 8:15 AM 9:15 AM 10:15 AM 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1:15 PM 2:15 PM 3:15 PM 4:15 PM 5:15 PM Trip Time Figure 6-12 presents the outbound weekday ridership activity by stop. The highest level of activity is at the Downtown Transfer Center. With the exception of the Transfer Center, only the Janesville Mall and Craig High School stops have 20 or more boardings or alightings. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 100

108 Figure 6-12: East Milwaukee Street Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity East Milwaukee Street Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Randall/Racine Harmony/Fairview Milwaukee/Mercy East Mt. Zion/Pontiac Janesville Mall Stop Location Figure 6-13 presents the inbound weekday ridership activity by stop. Again, the greatest amount of activity is at the Downtown Transfer Center and only the Janesville Mall stop has 20 or more boardings or alightings. The East Milwaukee Street route is a do it all service which covers a major portion of the community and serves diverse needs. As with so many of the other JTS routes, as the City has grown, particularly with residential growth to the East, the East Milwaukee has been stretched to the point where its geographic coverage has reached its limits, while the City continues to grow away from its service area. The keys to East Milwaukee s success are its connections to both downtown Janesville and the Transfer Center, and the Milton Avenue retail area; as well as secondary schools, high density residential development, and medical facilities. At the same time, its being all things to all people has stretched the route to its limits and causes frequent late running, particularly during the afternoon peaks, due to traffic congestion in the shopping and school areas, a high number of passengers with mobility devices which slow travel, and simply the length of the route. The route requires frequent assistance to maintain schedule during these times at extra expense in both personnel and vehicle operating costs; numbers which don t appear on a spreadsheet. Finally, despite East Milwaukee s success on paper, the fact that east Janesville only receives hourly service, particularly outbound from downtown as both the East Milwaukee and Wright Road routes pulse at :15 after the hour, makes transit a less convenient and attractive travel choice for the part of the City that has experienced the greatest growth in the last two decades. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 101

109 Figure 6-13: East Milwaukee Street Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity East Milwaukee Street Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Janesville Mall Randall/Creston Park Mount Zion/Morningside Wright/Milwaukee Fairview Randall/Racine Main/Holmes Downtown Transfer Stop Location West State Street Route The West State Street route is the poorest weekday performer and second poorest on Saturdays, although Saturday performance does meet threshold values for not making major changes. This route, which was reduced from half-hourly to hourly service and paired with Wright Road in 2000 as the result of the expansion of the Beloit-Janesville Express, with which it shares a large portion of its routing, serves downtown Janesville west of the Rock River and an older residential area with a high minority population just south of downtown, and the general area of southwest Janesville between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Kellogg Avenue. The route serves government, social and community service, educational, seasonal recreational and healthcare facilities including the City s Municipal Building and Police Services Building, the Social Security Administration s local office, and the offices of ECHO, a local charity; the stateoperated Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI), Cedar Crest, a large retirement and nursing home, the University of Wisconsin Rock County, a two year community college, Rockport Park and swimming pool (summer months only), and the West Court Street commercial and retail corridor. It also serves the Monterey Neighborhood, also known as the Old Fourth Ward, a predominantly low-income area with a high (for Janesville) minority population and percentage of transit dependents; and residential areas in southwest Janesville. Headways on the West State Street route are 60 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, with additional service along the route provided by the overlapping of the BJE along Kellogg Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 102

110 Avenue, South River Road, State Street and Center Avenue; and the West Court Street bus on West Court Street from Pearl to Crosby. These overlaps may contribute to lower than expected ridership statistics, but overall this route is still in need of further study. Table 6-16 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Its productivity of only on weekdays is very low, although the 11.1 productivity for Saturdays keeps the route close to the system average. Table 6-16: West State Street Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 20,616 2,683 Revenue Hours 1, Revenue Miles 25,289 4,182 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $95, $15, Farebox Revenue $10, $1, Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $3.79 $3.59 Cost per Passenger $4.65 $5.60 Subsidy per Passenger $3.70 $4.65 Farebox Recovery 11% 9% Cumulative Rank Score Rank 6 5 Figure 6-14 presents the weekday time of day profile for the West State Street route. Peaks occur at 7:45 AM and 3:45 PM, congruent with the school opening and dismissal times when the route carries a large number of transferring passengers who live in the central and southwest residential areas to and from the West Court route and trippers serving Edison Middle School and Parker High School, but, other than during these times, the boardings per trip are quite low, never exceeding 10 passengers. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 103

111 Figure 6-14: West State Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day West State Street Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :45 AM 7:45 AM 8:45 AM 9:45 AM 10:45 AM 11:45 AM 12:45 PM 1:45 PM 2:45 PM 3:45 PM 4:45 PM 5:45 PM Trip Time Figure 6-15 presents the weekday ridership activity by stop. Activity is greatest at the Downtown Transfer Center and while no other stops have greater than 20 boardings or alightings, small spikes do occur at the stops serving WCBVI and UW-Rock County. Figure 6-15: West State Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity West State Street Route: Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 35 Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Academy/Rockport State/Willard Oakhill/Conde Crosby/Johnson Court/Pearl Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 104

112 Overall, the West State Street route has very low ridership, and while it is able to perform adequately Saturdays, it does not meet standards for ridership on weekdays. The fact that there is no duplication with the BJE on Saturdays undoubtedly helps ridership and productivity. This route provides the principal transit service to a number of important community facilities which are of particular value to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and low-income families who are often transit dependent. It serves what is arguably the poorest section of the city with the lowest recorded auto ownership of any area in the community. The WCBVI is a heavy transit user, both by staff and students who are unable to drive due to their disability, and for travel training for students who attend the institution from throughout the state as part of the basic life skills which are a part of the school s curriculum. The service provides a connection to the West Court retail and shopping area, which is the closest for many southwest Janesville residents, and while only seasonal in nature, the connection to the large Rockport community park with the community s only swimming pool and a large accessible playground as well as other facilities cannot be discounted. While there is no doubt that statistically the West State Street route is one of the weakest performers in the system, its reduction to hourly service and overlap with the BJE have stripped it of a portion of its former ridership. The plan from this project has to determine the appropriate level of consistent transit service needed to meet the basic needs of the community residing along the route, and also has to consider issues related to Environmental Justice and Title VI Civil Rights concerns given the nature of the neighborhoods and populations it serves. Wright Road Route The Wright Road route was redesigned and shortened to a 30 minute running time and paired with the West State Street route while maintaining its 60 minute headway at all times after the last TDP, and the changes seem to have had mixed results. The route operates as the 5 th best route on weekdays, and the poorest on Saturdays, but the weekday performance is within the standards set for the system. The Saturday performance is very poor, with a productivity of only 7.0 passengers per hour and cost per passenger of $ When the route was cut back in 2000, it lost its connection to the Milton Avenue commercial area and consequently does not serve the mall and other shopping areas on Saturdays, requiring a transfer downtown, and the resulting longer travel times and indirect routing likely have a significant impact on ridership. In addition, this route was switched from a :45 after the hour to a :15 after the hour pulse from the Transfer Center, the same time as the neighboring East Milwaukee route, which eliminated half-hourly headways to east Janesville and together with the elimination of the Mall connection may have reduced the attractiveness and usefulness of this route to east Janesville residents. This route serves east Janesville and operates between the JTS Downtown Transfer Center and Wright Road. This route serves moderate density residential areas, some neighborhood commercial areas, employers (with varying degrees of convenience), mostly elementary schools which are not high ridership generators, Craig High School by means of a route deviation at peak hours, Palmer Park, a large community park with high seasonal use for recreational and summer day camp ridership, and the Mercy East Clinic, (where a timed transfer to the East Milwaukee Street route to reach the Milton Avenue commercial area is possible on the outbound, but not the Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 105

113 inbound trip,) which provide trip generators on weekdays but not Saturdays. Table 6-17 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Table 6-17: Wright Road Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 24,838 1,685 Revenue Hours 1, Revenue Miles 30,223 4,498 Operating Speed (MPH) Operating Cost $95, $15, Farebox Revenue $12, $ Passengers per Mile Passenger per Hour Cost per Mile $3.17 $3.34 Cost per Passenger $3.86 $8.92 Subsidy per Passenger $2.91 $7.97 Farebox Recovery 13% 6% Cumulative Rank Score Rank 5 6 Figure 6-16 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Wright Road route. Ridership on this route is very low, with the only major peak occurring at 3:15 PM, concurrent with school dismissal at Craig High School, where the route deviates at this time to transport students to the Transfer Center. No other trip exceeds 9 passengers. Figure 6-16: Wright Road Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Wright Road Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 AM 7:15 AM 8:15 AM 9:15 AM 10:15 AM 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1:15 PM 2:15 PM 3:15 PM 4:15 PM 5:15 PM Trip Time Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 106

114 Figure 6-17 presents the weekday ridership activity by stop. Activity is greatest at the Downtown Transfer Center and no other stops have greater than 20 boardings or alightings. The only active section is outbound, from Palmer/Mohawk to Wright/Mercy East. The ridership inbound is poor except at the stop for Craig High School which is served by route deviation. Figure 6-17: Wright Road Route: Weekday On/Off Activity Wright Road Route: Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 25 Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Palmer/Mohawk Wright/Palmer Wright/Mercy East Ruger/Lexington Ringold/Racine Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location Wright Road was a route that performed poorly in 1998 and was changed in the last TDP to reduce the level of service provided in a generally unproductive area. In fact, the weekday productivity of passengers per hour is up from 1998, indicating that the change was effective in controlling costs, although it did not produce any significant increase in riders. The Saturday changes and routing are not performing and changes likely need to be made to increase the routes usefulness to the overall system and the residents of its service area. Nightside Routes The Nightside routes are operated on 60-minute headways weekdays between 6:15 and 10:15 PM. The core route along the Milton Avenue commercial/retail corridor does the best, with a productivity of 10 passengers per hour and represents the primary destination, other than home, for most Nightside riders. The two neighborhood feeders are meeting expectations Nightside East has a productivity of 6.9 passengers/hour and Nightside West has a productivity of 7.5 passengers per hour. Overall, the Nightside services operate at 8.1 passengers/hour. The revenue/cost ratio is very low, 6 percent, and can be improved through increased ridership, possible premium fares for door-to-door service, and a review of the cost allocation used by JTS. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 107

115 Nightside-West The Nightside West route is a combination of the West Court Street, West State Street, and Kellogg Avenue regular routes. Table 6-18 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Table 6-18: Nightside West Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 7,698 N/A Revenue Hours 1,028 N/A Revenue Miles 15,728 N/A Operating Speed (MPH) 15.3 N/A Operating Cost $75, N/A Farebox Revenue $3, N/A Passengers per Mile 0.49 N/A Passenger per Hour 7.49 N/A Cost per Mile $4.79 N/A Cost per Passenger $9.79 N/A Subsidy per Passenger $8.84 N/A Farebox Recovery 5% N/A Cumulative Rank Score 6 N/A Rank 2 N/A Figure 6-18 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Nightside West route. The bars shown at quarter past the hour are outbound trips and the bars shown at quarter of the hour are inbound trips. There are no obvious peaks. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 108

116 Figure 6-18: Nightside West Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Nightside West Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 PM 6:45 PM 7:15 PM 7:45 PM 8:15 PM 8:45 PM 9:15 PM 9:45 PM Trip Time Figure 6-19 presents the outbound weekday ridership activity by stop. The route clearly serves its function of collection and distribution of trips to and from the Milton Avenue Nightside route. Figure 6-19: Nightside West Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Nightside West Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown State/Beloit Kellogg/Lafayette Oakhill/Conde State/Willard State/Washingto Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 109

117 Figure 6-20 presents the inbound weekday ridership activity by stop. Activity is greatest at Court/Pearl and the Downtown Transfer Center, but is still less than 20 boardings or alightings. Figure 6-20: Nightside West Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Nightside West Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 12 Passengers Court/Pearl Court/Crosby Mineral Point/Crosby Stop Location Purvis/Washington Centerway/Main Downtown Transfer Center Nightside-East The Nightside East route is a combination of the East Milwaukee and Wright Road regular routes. Table 6-19 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Table 6-19: Nightside East Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 7,129 N/A Revenue Hours 1,028 N/A Revenue Miles 15,112 N/A Operating Speed (MPH) 14.7 N/A Operating Cost $75, N/A Farebox Revenue $3, N/A Passengers per Mile 0.47 N/A Passenger per Hour 6.93 N/A Cost per Mile $4.99 N/A Cost per Passenger $10.57 N/A Subsidy per Passenger $9.63 N/A Farebox Recovery 5% N/A Cumulative Rank Score 9 N/A Rank 3 N/A Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 110

118 Figure 6-21 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Nightside East route. The bars shown at quarter past the hour are outbound trips and the bars shown at quarter of the hour are inbound trips. A small peak occurs at 7:15 PM. Figure 6-21: Nightside East Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Nightside East Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 PM 6:45 PM 7:15 PM 7:45 PM 8:15 PM 8:45 PM 9:15 PM 9:45 PM Trip Time Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 111

119 Figure 6-22 presents the outbound weekday ridership activity by stop. Figure 6-22: Nightside East Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Nightside East Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 8 Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Randall/Racine Palmer/Wright Wright/Milwaukee Morningside/Mount Zion Randall/Blackbridge Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 112

120 Figure 6-23 presents the inbound weekday ridership activity by stop. Ridership is greatest at the Janesville Mall and the Downtown Transfer Center, but is still less than 10 boardings or alightings. Figure 6-23: Nightside East Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Nightside East Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 6 Passengers Janesville Mall Randall/Blackbridge Mount Zion/Morningside Fairview Randall/Racine Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location Milton Avenue Nightside The Milton Avenue Nightside route ranks highest among the Nightside routes. The route structure is the same as the regular Milton Avenue route. Table 6-20 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 113

121 Table 6-20: Milton Avenue Nightside Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 10,270 N/A Revenue Hours 1,028 N/A Revenue Miles 13,364 N/A Operating Speed (MPH) 13.0 N/A Operating Cost $75, N/A Farebox Revenue $5, N/A Passengers per Mile 0.77 N/A Passenger per Hour 9.99 N/A Cost per Mile $5.64 N/A Cost per Passenger $7.34 N/A Subsidy per Passenger $6.39 N/A Farebox Recovery 7% N/A Cumulative Rank Score 3 N/A Rank 1 N/A Figure 6-24 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Milton Avenue Nightside route. The bars shown at quarter past the hour are outbound trips and the bars shown at quarter of the hour are inbound trips. Figure 6-24: Milton Avenue Nightside Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Milton Avenue Nightside Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :15 PM 6:45 PM 7:15 PM 7:45 PM 8:15 PM 8:45 PM 9:15 PM 9:45 PM Trip Time Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 114

122 Figure 6-25 presents the outbound weekday ridership activity by stop. The significant activity is at the Downtown Transfer Center and each shopping center. Figure 6-25: Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Outbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Memorial/Milton Janesville Mall Shopko Pine Tree Plaza K-Mart Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 115

123 Figure 6-26 presents the inbound weekday ridership activity by stop, which has the same profile as outbound. Figure 6-26: Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity Milton Avenue Nightside Route (Inbound): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off 8 Passengers Wal-Mart Janesville Mall Milton/Benton Glen/Milton Downtown Stop Location Beloit-Janesville Express The Beloit-Janesville Express (BJE) is a joint-venture between JTS and the Beloit Transit System and provides transfer ability to both of the local systems. The BJE operates on 60-minute headways and JTS provides one bus of the two required for the operation of this route. The route extends as far north as Highway 14 north of Janesville to service the Rock County Institutions, which is a generic title for the cluster of County government facilities located on the far north side of Janesville, to as far south as the Beloit Transfer Center located in downtown Beloit. The route serves major retail, educational, and employment generators including the Rock County Job Center, UW-Rock County, Blackhawk Technical College, and both downtown Janesville and Beloit. It is important to note that the funding and support for this route is unique and is different than the rest of JTS services where the local share of operating costs is borne by the City of Janesville. For the BJE, a seven member consortium, including Rock County, Blackhawk Technical College, UW-Rock County, Kandu Industries, the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, Rock Valley Community Programs, and the newest member - Riverfront, Inc. a sheltered workshop, all combine to provide the local share of operating funds and guarantee the farebox revenue for the service. This diverse group provides, by way of their clients, students, and employees, the majority of the riders for this service, and has been instrumental politically as well as financially, in supporting and ensuring the success of this Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 116

124 service. Each consortium member pays a portion of the local share proportional to its portion of the overall ridership, with JTS handling the bookkeeping and billing for this detail as well as pass sales and revenue tracking for the entire service. Since the change in service, the BJE has seen an increase of general public passengers as a percentage of overall ridership, compared to those customers who can be positively identified as traveling to or from one of the member institutions of the consortium. Since the increase in service level to hourly headways in 2000, the service has become attractive to citizens of both Janesville and Beloit traveling between the communities on personal business, job seeking, or employment. As this percentage of ridership continues to grow, the question of how the consortium and public entities should share the cost of the service may need to be re-examined. The success of the BJE has also brought increased requests for service on this route on Saturdays and later in the evening. This is particularly true for those persons using the route for access to employment. While funding constraints as well as operational and political issues prevent the consortium or the cities of Janesville and Beloit from funding a service expansion to Saturdays and weekday evenings (BTS does not currently have evening service), night service should be addressed in the plan, even as a long term solution. ADA paratransit service as required by law, is provided along and ¾ mile either side of the BJE route by RCST, which is the paratransit provider for both BTS and JTS as well as providing general elderly and disabled transportation services throughout Rock County. Thus far, intercity paratransit service issues and in the area between the cities have been few and simply resolved. Table 6-21 presents the indicators and operating statistics for this route using the combined JTS and BTS statistics. Ridership was 68,933 unlinked trips in 2004, at a rate of about 11.2 passengers per hour. The farebox recovery is low at 11 percent; with the service provided hourly the cost of the service may not be reducible so consideration may need to be given to the fare structure. Table 6-21: Beloit-Janesville Express Route Indicators Factor/Indicator Weekday Saturday Unlinked Trips 68,933 N/A Revenue Hours 6,168 N/A Revenue Miles 127,020 N/A Operating Speed (MPH) 20.6 N/A Operating Cost $518, N/A Farebox Revenue $57, N/A Passengers per Mile 0.54 N/A Passenger per Hour N/A Cost per Mile $4.08 N/A Cost per Passenger $7.52 N/A Subsidy per Passenger $6.57 N/A Farebox Recovery 11% N/A Cumulative Rank Score 3 N/A Rank 1 N/A Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 117

125 Figure 6-27 presents the weekday time of day profile for the Beloit-Janesville Express route (operated jointly by JTS and BTS). The route operates on 60-minute headways. Ridership is steady throughout the day. Figure 6-27: Beloit-Janesville Express Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Beloit-Janesville Express Route: Weekday Ridership by Time of Day Boardings :00 AM BTS 6:15 AM JTS 8:00 AM BTS 8:15 AM JTS 10:00 AM BTS 10:15 AM JTS 12:00 PM BTS 12:15 PM JTS 2:00 PM BTS 2:15 PM JTS 4:15 PM BTS 4:15 PM JTS Trip Time Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 118

126 Figure 6-28 presents the Janesville to Beloit weekday ridership activity by stop. The greatest activity is at the Beloit Transfer Center. UW-Rock County is notable for its lack of activity on both this southbound chart, and the succeeding northbound chart, but has been growing by a healthy percentage in the past year. Figure 6-28: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Janesville to Beloit): Weekday On/Off Activity Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Janesville to Beloit): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Center/State UW-Rock County Kellogg/Center (Job Sunny Lane/RVCP Blackhawk Tech Riverside/Inman Beloit Transfer Center Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 119

127 Figure 6-29 presents the Beloit to Janesville weekday ridership activity by stop. Figure 6-29: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Beloit to Janesville): Weekday On/Off Activity Beloit-Janesville Express Route (Beloit to Janesville): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Beloit Transfer Center Riverside/Inman Blackhawk Tech Sunny Lane/RVCP UW-Rock County State/Washington Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 120

128 Figure 6-30 presents the Rock County loop weekday ridership activity by stop. The JTS Downtown Transfer center is the only stop with greater than 20 boardings or alightings. However, the recent addition of the Riverfront, Inc facility to this portion of the route and the facility s increasing number of clients may change that once the number of clients ramps up to meet its capacity. Figure 6-30: Beloit-Janesville Express Route (northern Janesville loop): Weekday On/Off Activity 35 Beloit-Janesville Express Route (northern Janesville loop): Weekday On/Off Activity On Off Passengers Downtown Transfer Center Rock County/Counselling Ctr. Highway 14/Wal-Mart Alden/Black Bridge Downtown Transfer Center Stop Location Overall Issues and Opportunities The findings in this section are based upon all of the materials collected for both this memorandum as well as the preceding five memos, and thus takes into account the quantitative data as well as the issues and opportunities identified by the customers, stakeholders, and those who commented at the drop in sessions; and the data from the peer group and trend analyses. Overall, JTS has a lot of solid aspects to its operation and is well-regarded, as it should be, in the community. Its performance statistics, while not outstanding, are solid in comparison to its peers. Four of the six weekday regular routes perform very well, while two need some revisiting and possible modifications. The performance on the nightside routes is good and the network is generally meeting the objectives set for it in the last TDP. Nightside ridership appears to be growing, and with it the number of route deviations. The BJE carried nearly 70,000 unlinked Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 121

129 trips in 2004 and is perceived as a critical service for both communities. Still, there are a number of issues that are raised by the data: 1. The West State Street route is not performing up to the standards for the system during weekdays, and its performance needs to be improved. The structure of the route, the number and importance of the community facilities served, EJ and Title VI requirements need to be part of the review. 2. The Wright Road route is performing very poorly on Saturdays and needs to have a major reworking. This could include concepts such as switching its pulse back to being opposite that of the East Milwaukee, tying it in with the Milton Avenue commercial/retail area to increase transit s attractiveness to east Janesville, the development of a nontraditional service, re-allocation of their resources to a different service, or even possibly discontinuation on Saturdays. 3. The BJE is providing a lot of trips and is effective in meeting its objectives, but the high cost of the service due to its length is resulting in a low farebox recovery that should be examined. Ways to improve the numbers include increasing ridership, changing the fare structure, and identifying additional opportunities along the route. New industrial activities along Beloit/Prairie Avenue may provide a partial solution by providing new opportunities for employees to use the bus. 4. The overall system travel speed is high and many routes have high speeds. There needs to be an examination of each route to determine if the speeds are reasonable given the streets being used or if the speeds are resulting in unsafe operations and require adjustments. This, of course, needs to be considered along with geographic coverage issues and the system s ability to serve parts of a continually expanding community. 5. In conjunction with the above, but also to be considered on their own merits, are two possible changes. First, the costs and benefits of the elimination of flag stops has to be considered and second, JTS has to consider dropping all cash handling on the bus by the drivers, who currently sell passes and tokens. Both changes have operating implications - -- particularly impacts on safety and security and travel speeds and traffic congestion but also have implications for JTS customers used to these policies and policy makers sensitive to providing appropriate levels of customer service to the community. 6. The use of ITS technologies for calling out bus stops, for better data handling, for automatic vehicle location, for fare collection and fare media, et al will be considered in the plan. 7. The Milton Avenue is already a long and difficult route to keep on schedule, and with the changes being made on the northside of the City, including the relocation of the Super Wal*Mart, and other commercial and retail developments, together with the resultant increase in traffic congestion, changes will be needed to maintain a reliable service. 8. The loads by trip indicate opportunities to fine tune some of the midday and Saturday services bringing the level of service provided in line with the ridership. This has to be considered in conjunction with the need to maintain a service level that encourages transit use by keeping travel times short and service to major community facilities frequent. 9. The paratransit service provided by RCST for the JTS ADA program was reviewed during the stakeholder process and data indicate that the service is meeting JTS customer needs. A second look at RCST operations will be included in the next steps to determine if there are any outstanding issues at RCST that should be addressed in this plan, Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 122

130 although preliminary discussions with staff and a brief review of procedures and changes made in the past year suggest that things are going well. 10. While this five year plan will not be recommending major changes or expansion at this time, there will need to be some growth in the plan at a minimum to address the Milton Avenue issue and relocation of the Super Wal*Mart (along with new roadway opportunities for routing the buses). Another issue that faces either the Milton Avenue Route or the BJE is the relocation of Riverfront Inc., and service to its new facility off of Barberry Drive. 11. The success of the Nightside service and expanded BJE indicate a high level of approval by JTS customers, who would now like to see nightside service on Saturdays, BJE service on Saturdays, and/or later evening BJE service. Several individuals wanted access to the county facilities on Saturdays, which would require BJE service. 12. A general overview of service to the City of Milton and UW-Whitewater will be included in the next steps, using preliminary data already collected on travel distances and possible routings. 13. Bike racks installed on the buses is an issue raised by several members of the public and will be examined. The next step in the process is to review all of these materials and to discuss these findings with staff and the technical advisory committee. The findings will then be used as a blueprint for developing service changes and enhancements, which is the next phase of the project. Service Evaluation, Issues, and Opportunities 123

131 7. Recommended Five Year Service Plan This chapter describes the elements of the recommended five year program for the Janesville Transit System Transit Development Plan. The chapter begins with a review of the issues and opportunities identified in the last chapter, the identification of preliminary recommendations, and a discussion of the process leading to the recommended five year plan. The plan itself includes a service plan, which describes a set of operating recommendations phased in over a five year period, supported by a financial plan and capital recommendations. The service plan presented in this chapter evolved through working sessions with the JTS staff and study technical committee, public outreach sessions including an evening workshop, and the 2007 annual budget process. A discussion of this process precedes the presentation of the plan. Background From the outset in 2005, the study was conducted recognizing that the City was financially constrained, and that the plan should have limited or no recommendations for expansion, at least in its first few years. With the exception of a possible service expansion to the Super Wal*Mart on the northside, the consulting team was asked to either reallocate resources if necessary or to hold the line on any new proposals. As will be seen in the following discussion, in the budget process in 2006 it was determined that even the expansion to the Super Wal*Mart would have to be made within the six bus daytime operating framework that JTS currently uses. Based upon the activities conducted in Phase I of the study, including extensive community outreach, financial and operating analysis, and demographic and land use studies, the consulting team identified a series of issues and opportunities to explore in the development of the five year plan. Among the most significant findings were the following: JTS provides extensive coverage of the city, with few, if any, gaps in service in those areas identified as having significant transit potential. Based on demographics, housing values, and densities, the new residential growth around the city does not appear to warrant transit service other than perhaps tripper services, except in those areas where apartments are being built, particularly along Wright Road north of Randolph Road. Similarly, the system provides service to the majority of potential trip generators in the city. The most significant trip generator outside the current service area will be the new Super Wal*Mart, opening in Fall 2006 north of U.S. Highway 14 and I-90. Running times, travel speeds, and on-time performance need to be addressed in the plan. Over time, traffic increases, commercial development, and the general outward growth of the city have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the highest level of schedule adherence and reliability. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 124

132 Based on on-time performance issues as well as other measures, some route concerns were identified. These include the performance of the West State Street and Wright Road routes, and the need to add running time on the Milton Avenue route, particularly if it needs to reach the Super Wal*Mart. For the most part customers are highly satisfied with the system and its coverage. Evening service was highly regarded as an important service for the most transit dependent population and was strongly endorsed by the customers. The most frequently requested additions include consideration of Saturday evening services, evening and weekend BJE service, and an extension to the new Super Wal*Mart when it opens this fall. Other ideas discussed during the Phase I process included service to Milton and UW- Whitewater, and industrial service along Avalon Road and Beloit Avenue. Bikes on Buses were requested and have already been implemented. Using these findings and the data as a guide, the consulting team prepared a preliminary first year service recommendation for review by the JTS staff, Study Technical Committee, and the public, which was presented in the late Spring and Early summer of The preliminary first year service plan, shown in Figure 7-1, was built around a seven bus daytime configuration (As will be seen, this later became the Year 3 network). The principal changes were as follows: For Milton Avenue, the route was reduced in scope with the elimination of Pine Tree Plaza as well as with some other minor changes, allowing it instead to reach the Super Wal*Mart within its allowable running time. This would not require any additional buses. Wright Road service was recommended for extension north from the intersection of East Milwaukee and Wright Road to Pine Tree Plaza and the Super Wal*Mart, serving Midvale Drive and other apartment complexes along the way. This would require an additional bus that would be shared with a Rockport Road route, described below, and was expected to improve overall performance of the route. Wright Road and Milton Avenue buses would have a timed transfer at the Super Wal*Mart allowing customers to move freely among the commercial centers along Milton Avenue and U.S. Highway 14. A small extension was suggested for West Court Street from Purvis Avenue north to Hamilton Avenue, with a shift from Manor Drive to North Oakhill Avenue between Memorial Drive and Hamilton Avenue. A new route was proposed to serve Rockport Road from Center Avenue to South Crosby Avenue to supplement and improve the State Street service, using the same bus that would be used for the Wright Road extension. Evening service would basically be unchanged, except for an increase in its territory on the East Side to match that of the Wright Road extension. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 125

133 Figure 7-1: Preliminary First Year Service Plan Recommended Five Year Service Plan 126

134 This route structure, using 7 buses, was developed in concert with the JTS Staff and Technical Committee and presented to the public in July. It received a generally favorable reaction, with some minor adjustments recommended by the JTS drivers in particular. Concurrently with the development of the seven bus plan, the City budget process for 2007 was underway, and it was determined that the JTS network could not be expanded by one bus as called for in the preliminary draft plan. For the near-term, expected to be at least two years, the system is required to continue to operate using 6 daytime buses. Night service and the BJE would also be continued, but would not be expanded from the current times they are operated. On that basis, the consultant and JTS staff, working with drivers, developed a new first year draft plan around six daytime buses. This first year plan is the one being advanced as the basis for the Five-Year Service Plan for this study, and is described in the remaining sections of this chapter. Service Plan The service plan, which forms the core of the Transit Development Plan, describes route and service recommendations, including: Modifications to Existing JTS routes Implementation of New Routes and Services Fare Policy Operating Policy Changes The recommendations grow out of the analyses conducted earlier in the study and the outreach and policy decisions reached during the Summer and early Fall As a result, they consider all of the inputs to the project through the outreach process, community and demographic analysis, operating and financial statistics, and JTS and City staff input. The service plan recommendations in each of the categories were developed for phased implementation over a five year period, and are summarized in Table 7-1. A description of these service changes by year follows. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 127

135 Table 7-1: Five Year Service Plan Recommendations Modifications to Existing JTS Routes And Schedules New Routes and Services Fare Policy Other Actions Year 1 (2007) -Revise and extend Milton Ave. Route -Adjust W. Court St. to Hamilton Ave. -Increase base fare to $ Begin designation of bus stops in major corridors Year 2 (2008) -Implement $ 0.50 surcharge for night route deviations -Implement exact fare policy -Increase outlets for pass sales -Use only designated bus stops in major corridors and flag stops in neighborhoods -Expand daytime network, extend Wright Rd. -Add Rockport Road service Year 3 (2009) -Examine Milton Shared Ride Taxi feasibility -Add new BJE service to nights and Saturdays -Increase base fare to $ Add marked bus stops in neighborhoods -Examine UW- Whitewater/Milton Route feasibility Year 4 (2010) -Implement if feasible Milton SRT and/or UW- Whitewater service -Implement designated stops in neighborhoods Year 5 (2011) -Increase base fare to $ 1.50 Service Plan: Year 1 (2006) The recommendations for Year 1 include two route adjustments, a fare increase, and the beginning of a phased implementation of designated bus stops for routes traveling in the more congested, dense areas of the community. The route map for Year 1 is shown as Figure 7-2. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 128

136 Figure 7-2: Year 1 Recommended Fixed Route Map Recommended Five Year Service Plan 129

137 Modify and extend Milton Avenue Route (Figure 7-3): JTS staff have done extensive runs on the Milton Avenue route to develop a configuration that will serve the Super Wal*Mart when it opens in Fall 2006, and the resulting route is shown in Figure 3. The new configuration takes service off some under-utilized segments, eliminates some backtracing, and moves service from some parking lots to frontage roads where the walking distances will not be too great. This configuration allows JTS to continue with six daytime buses, with all of its other routes operated at the same frequency as at present. Figure 7-3: Proposed Milton Ave. Route Recommended Five Year Service Plan 130

138 Modify West Court Street Route (Figure 7-4): This recommendation for a first year change is currently being held up by the need for JTS to keep its current budget as tight as possible. When funds are identified to pay for the incremental operating cost for this extension, the West Court Street route should be directed two blocks east on Memorial Drive to use Oakhill Street north to Hamilton Avenue rather than Manor to Purvis, so that the apartments adjacent to Hamilton Avenue and Washington Street are better served. Figure 7-4: Proposed West Court St. Route Recommended Five Year Service Plan 131

139 Increase the JTS Base Fare to $ 1.25: JTS has already proposed a fare increase to $ 1.25 to take effect in Year 1. In preparing the request, an extensive history of the JTS base fare was developed, and is as follows: 1967 $ Thus, it has been 10 years this coming January since the last increase in 1997, which is a very long time to have held fare constant, particularly given the increase in operating costs over the decade. Around the state, fares for peer systems range from $ 1.00 to $ 1.50, with the exception of Oshkosh, which retains a base fare of only $ Several of the systems with $ 1.00 fares are currently considering going to a $ 1.25 fare as well, which generally speaking is becoming the new standard for systems the size of Janesville. It is recommended that Janesville increase its fares, as has been proposed in Ordinance No The financial impacts of the fare increase will be addressed in the ridership and revenue forecasts as part of the financial plan supporting the service plan. Begin the Designation of Bus Stops along busy travel corridors: JTS uses a combination of bus stops and flag stops for its system, identifying every intersection, if safe, as a place for customers to board and alight. Along the most heavily traveled corridors such as Milton Avenue, East Milwaukee Street, Jackson Street, and others, stops should be designated and flag stopping ended; which would improve traffic flow, reduce bus/auto conflicts, reduce the number of stops being made, and generally would promote safer and faster travel. Reducing the number of stops, or stops at awkward locations could save precious minutes that are needed to operate these routes on-time. Service Plan: Year 2 (2008) As an outcome of the budget cycle just undertaken in 2006, Year 2 has no route or schedule changes, as state operating assistance is not anticipated to be increased and the state property tax caps will still be in place. There are, however, a series of other operating recommendations: Implement a Surcharge for Night Route Deviations of $ 0.50: Night route deviations represent a premium service being provided by JTS that many other operators charge a premium fare for, in some cases up to twice the base fare as allowable by ADA. Besides raising additional revenues for the system, the surcharge also helps control the number of deviations being made, which in turn helps the system maintain its on-time performance Recommended Five Year Service Plan 132

140 and timed transfers, which while not presently an issue, are critical for the effectiveness of the service. While JTS could charge as much as double for the premium service, the recommendation herein is to charge only $ Implement an Exact Fare Policy/Increase Sales Outlets: JTS is one of the few major transit systems around the country still making change and selling passes on-board buses, a process which slows down operations significantly, besides creating potential security and safety risks for the drivers. Nightside service already requires exact change, so JTS has already begun to introduce the concept in Janesville. Relieving drivers of this task will speed up operations, again an important issue where running times are tight, and will allow drivers to concentrate on their primary responsibilities. In going to an exact change system, JTS will have to expand its outlets for sales, using to the extent possible government offices or non-profit agencies rather than commercial outlets that often would require a fee. Senior Centers, Libraries, City Halls, YMCAs, Job Centers, are some of the potential outlets that could be investigated. A key to making that system work in Janesville would be allowing JTS pass and token sales at the five secondary schools; where heavy ridership and use of on-bus sales of passes and tokens to students make this essential. This change would have to be negotiated with the school district and possibly building principals. JTS could also sell media at the transfer center using an automatic ticket/token vending machine (which Valley Transit in Appleton uses at its center) or could man the transfer center at select times of the day. Continue the Designation of Bus Stops along busy travel corridors: JTS should continue to designate stops along the most heavily traveled corridors to improve traffic flow, reduce bus/auto conflicts, reduce the number of stops being made, and generally promote safer and faster travel. Reducing the number of stops, or stops at awkward locations could save precious minutes that are needed to operate these routes on-time. Service Plan: Year 3 (2009) The third year of the plan assumes that some additional funding will be available to add one bus to the daytime network and to extend BJE service to evenings and daytime Saturdays; and also includes several other recommendations. Figure 7-5 map of the proposed Year 3 fixed route network. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 133

141 Figure 7-5: Year 3 Recommended Fixed Route Map Recommended Five Year Service Plan 134

142 Extend Wright Road Service to Super Wal*Mart: This proposal calls for an extension of the Wright Road bus north on Wright Road past East Milwaukee Street to Pine Tree Plaza and then to the new Super Wal*Mart, where it would have a timed transfer with the Milton Avenue bus. The route would also provide service to residents along Midvale Drive as well as other local streets. Wright Road service would continue to operate every 60 minutes, but this extension is expected to generate additional activity from residents on the entire eastside by providing better connections to the commercial sites along Highway 14. Provide a New Route on Rockport Road and South Crosby Avenue: This proposal calls for the development of a new route that would access the southwest side of Janesville via Rockport Road and South Crosby Avenue, making a loop on the southwest side using Willard Avenue, Conde Street, and Oakhill Avenue. This would provide service along Rockport Road to an area of potential need identified in Phase 1, would restore 30 minute local service to portions of the State Street route that are currently 60 minutes (but were 30 minutes prior to changes made after the last TDP), and would increase accessibility to the bus for residents in the heart of the neighborhood. The two route changes above add one daytime bus to the network. The Nightside East route would have to be modified to incorporate the new areas, primarily along Wright Road and Midvale. But the plan does not include adding additional evening buses. Extend BJE Service to Saturdays and Weeknights: One of the most widely identified actions by customers was the request to expand the BJE to provide both Saturday and evening service, for a combination of night classes, employment, and shopping/personal travel. This evening extension would be dependent upon BTS initiating night in-city service in Beloit. If and when that happens, the hours would be extended on weeknights to match those of the nightside services, 6:15M 10:15 PM, with hourly service to all parts of the route. This would require keeping the two buses that operate this route in service for an additional 4 hours each. The cost of the service would have to be negotiated with the current sponsors to determine levels of participation, but the bulk of the new service would likely have to be paid for by the three public entities JTS, BTS, and the County. On Saturdays, the hours would match those of the regular JTS system, 8:45 AM 6:15 PM, requiring two buses for 12 hours each to provide 60 minute service. In Year 2, JTS and BTS should evaluate this proposal to determine if either of the following alternatives, both of which would have lower operating costs, would be a reasonable alternative: o Initially provide service every two hours on Saturdays using a single bus, adding a second bus only when ridership warrants in later years; or o Initially provide service only to the JTS transfer center and county institutions using a single bus operating on a 90 minute schedule. In this plan, the two bus service operated to all locations every 60 minutes is used for the operating cost, ridership, and revenue estimates. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 135

143 Increase base fare to $ 1.35: In general, it is better for a transit system to have a structured program calling for small increases over time rather than to program sudden large increases only when a system reaches a financial bind. Given that operating costs increase every year as fuel prices, wages and the cost of living, insurance, et al go up, it is better to increase fares incrementally, which helps to maintain the financial balance between revenues and costs, and also does not create large and sometimes unwieldy increases for the customers, particularly those who are most dependent upon the bus. While making changes every year is too frequent, an increase every other year is a reasonable approach and is recommended for JTS to follow, although JTS will need to assess this need as it draws closer to Year 3. This plan calls for an increase in the base fare to $ 1.35 (8 percent) in Year 3, and another increase to $ 1.50 (11 percent) in Year 5. Based upon current industry trends, this is expected to keep Janesville well within the range of fares charged by its peers as they too make adjustments. Complete the Designation of Bus Stops along busy travel corridors: JTS should complete its designation of stops along the most heavily traveled corridors. Flag-stops or stops at any corner at this point would be confined to the lower density residential areas of the community. Undertake Feasibility Studies: In reviewing the outreach findings and data, it was noted that, for the most part, JTS coverage of the City is excellent with respect to areas of identifiable needs. In those neighborhoods that do not have regular route services, JTS often augments its daytime routes with peak hour trippers. New development at the edges of the City, with the exception of a few apartment complexes, are generally not transitfriendly, either due to the higher-end nature of the housing being constructed, the low densities, and/or the roadway networks (which frequently consist of many cul-de-sacs). On the other hand, there was a discussion regarding the feasibility of providing service to Milton and Whitewater, the latter service based heavily on the UW-Whitewater campus and student activity. The perceived needs for the service were two-fold: For Milton, there has been some discussion of a service within town, primarily for the elderly and other transit-dependent populations, to provide access to local stores, medical facilities, and other local activities; as well as a connection to the JTS system on the northside, for access to larger commercial centers, the hospital, and county facilities. WisDOT has a very active shared-ride taxi program used in many similar small communities which might be developed to serve this purpose, and which could act in concert with the route described below for UW-Whitewater. For Whitewater, the focus of the service would be on the student population. In discussions during the project, it was noted that a large number of students live or work on the north side of Janesville because the apartments are better and less expensive and there are more and better paying jobs available. Others who live in Whitewater often travel to Janesville for work or for recreational purposes. A service designed to connect the two communities could also include Milton along the route, Recommended Five Year Service Plan 136

144 and could be a joint project sponsored by Whitewater, the UW-Whitewater, Milton, Janesville, and the County, much in the same way as the BJE is supported. Preliminary measurements for this route indicate a round trip length of about 43 miles, and an estimated cycle time of 2 hours (e.g, about minutes running time in either direction with a minute layover at each end). With one bus the service would operation a two hour headway; with two buses it would operate on a 60 minute headway. These options and others should be studied in Year 3 and, if either concept is found to be feasible, should be implemented beginning in Year 4. WisDOT has just begun a new funding program called STRAP (Supplemental Transit Rural Assistance Program) that could provide funding both for the feasibility study as well as for 80 percent of the deficit for the UW-Whitewater route. The Milton shared ride taxi program would still have to draw upon Section 5307 Urban funds for its operations, and the availability of these funds will be investigated as part of the study. Service Plan: Year 4 (2010) The only actions called for in Year 4 would be the implementation of the recommendations of the feasibility studies for Milton and UW-Whitewater. Implementation activities would include the development of the final service plans for either or both services, and, more importantly, the commitment of sponsors for the services and development of a financial program for each. The costs and revenues for these services are not included in the five year financial plan. Service Plan: Year 5 (2011) The only recommendation in Year 5 is to increase the base fare from $ 1.35 to $ 1.50, in keeping with the structured program discussed earlier, and would allow revenues to keep pace with expected operating cost increases. Capital Requirements The JTS capital program is detailed in the Transportation Improvement Program for the Janesville Planning Area, prepared by the Janesville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization in October, It includes a description of all operating and capital projects to be funded over the next six years, identifying the years for each project and sources of funding. Thus, prior to this plan being completed, JTS has already programmed the following capital elements: Replacement of the Transit System Maintenance Garage (2007) Rehabilitation of Buses (2007) Capital Repair Parts (2007) Replacement of Shelters (2007) Purchase of a Utility Vehicle (2007) Replacement of Computer Equipment (2007) Recommended Five Year Service Plan 137

145 Capital Repair Parts (2008) Completion of Transit Maintenance Facility (2008) Replace Garage Sweeper (2008) Replace Radio Base Station (2008) Refurbish Transfer Center (2009) Capital Repair Parts (2009) Replace Computers (2009) Purchase and Install Stop 100 Stop Signs (2010) Replace Shop Equipment (2010) Replace Supervisory Vehicle (2010) Replace Office Copier/Printer/Fax (2010) Capital Repair Parts (2010) Purchase and Install Stop 100 Stop Signs ( ) Replace Shop Equipment ( ) Replace Shop Service Truck ( ) Replace Computers (2010) Capital Repair Parts ( ) Purchase/Refurbish two high capacity trucks or buses ( ) JTS will be refurbishing its current fleet during the period, as described above, and is not expecting new buses until Based on discussions with JTS, the bus needed for implementing the Wright Road and Rockport Road routes in Year 3 is already available in the fleet, and thus there are no bus purchases in the plan. Given the extensive capital program in the TIP and the modest changes in this plan, the following capital items are the only ones required to be added for the five year program: Years 1-3 Purchase and Installation of New Bus Stop Signs: JTS has already begun the designation of stops in selected locations. The five year plan described above calls for this program to be completed in Year 3, and therefore it is recommended that JTS purchase and install 100 signs in each of the first three years of the program at a cost of $ 9000 per year. At present, JTS has signs programmed in Years 4 and 5 which could potentially be moved up to address two of these three periods. Year 3 Purchase and Install 10 Shelters: JTS has programmed 10 shelters in Year 1 of the current TIP for both replacement and for new locations. It is recommended that an additional 10 be programmed for Year 3 to coincide with the Wright Road and Rockport route implementation, as well as for replacement or siting at other places in the city. The ten shelters for Year 1 are already programmed at $ 66,000, and this estimate can be used for the subsequent purchase. Generally speaking, the Federal share for these purchases would be 80 percent of the cost, with the other 20 percent coming from local funds: Recommended Five Year Service Plan 138

146 Year 1 - $ 9,000 for signs, $ 7,200 from FTA and $ 1,800 from local money Year 2 - $ 9,000 for signs, $ 7,200 from FTA and $ 1,800 from local money Year 3 - $ 9,000 for signs, $ 7,200 from FTA and $ 1,800 from local money o $66,000 for shelters, $ 52,800 from FTA and $ 13,200 from local money Financial Plan The financial plan is based upon projections of various operating statistics, the use of unit operating cost data taken from the JTS 2007 Budget prepared for the City in October 2006, and ridership and revenue estimates based upon the impact of operating changes and fare increases. Each of these factors can be found on Table 7-2, which contains the five year financial plan, and which is discussed below. The plan includes all of the services that JTS includes in its budget, which are regular local routes, the JTS portion of the BJE, Trippers, Nightside service, and ADA paratransit. The budget does not include the BTS portion of the BJE. System Characteristics Actual Table 7-2: JTS Five Year Financial Plan Estimated Year 1 Year Year Year Year Total Service Miles 2 476, , , , , , ,000 Total Service Hours 36,274 35,590 35,935 35,935 41,100 41,100 41,100 Base Fare $1.00 $1.00 $1.25 $1.25 $1.35 $1.35 $1.50 Passenger Trips 424, , , , , , ,300 Passenger Revenues $289,205 $298,000 $364,000 $372,350 $443,000 $452,000 $495,000 Advertising $27,432 $28,000 $28,000 $28,000 $28,000 $30,000 $30,000 BJE Local Subsidy $62,588 $60,000 $62,500 $62,500 $80,000 $80,000 $80,000 Miscellaneous $5,766 $16,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 Operating Expense 4 $2,238,522 $2,369,682 $2,553,500 $2,706,700 $3,237,138 $3,341,366 $3,637,248 Deficit $1,853,550 $1,967,682 $2,094,000 $2,238,850 $2,681,138 $2,864,366 $3,130,748 Operating Assistance Local $558,322 $550,232 $609,000 $668,950 $803,598 $874,174 $1,021,144 State $660,876 $645,193 $688,000 $730,800 $874,027 $926,469 $982,057 Federal $634,832 $772,257 $797,000 $839,100 $1,003,513 $1,063,723 $1,127,547 Notes 1 Includes Regular Routes, JTS BJE, Trippers, Nightside, and Paratransit 2 Paratransit does not report mileage 3 Source: JTS Departmental Budget Submission, October Estimates include 6 percent annual inflation The first column of figures in the table contains actual JTS numbers for calendar year 2005, taken from operating and financial records. Column 2 shows JTS estimates for 2006, as presented for the city budget. Column 3 shows the Year 1 estimates for this plan, which are the same numbers as those submitted to the City for the 2007 budget. Years 2 through 5 are Recommended Five Year Service Plan 139

147 projected numbers, expanded from the 2007 Year 1 estimates based upon a combination of factors: Service hours and miles were adjusted for Years 3 through 5 to reflect the operating recommendations for Year 3. Note that paratransit reports hours but does not report mileage; however, these miles are a very small portion of the overall system and do not affect the overall estimates. The base fare was increased in Years 1, 3, and 5, from $ 1.25 to $ 1.35, to $ The average fare was increased by the corresponding percentages of each change, starting with the average fare for 2006 prior to the first increase for fixed routes. For ADA, the average fare was simply double that of the base fare. The Curtin rule for fare elasticity was applied to the fixed route ridership. It states that for every 10 percent increase in fares there will be a corresponding 3 percent decrease in ridership (e= -0.3). Given the three increases of 25 percent, 8 percent, and 11.1 percent, the corresponding shrinkage rates were 8.3 percent, 2.4 percent, and 3.7 percent. The elasticity for ADA is far less elastic and a rate of -0.1 was used. The base ridership was increased each year by 2 percent (and then adjusted as necessary to reflect fare and service changes) based on statistics from the last two years which showed increases of just over 1 percent in 2005 and 4 percent after three-quarters of Other local revenues were estimated from past experience, with the exception of the increase in participation for the BJE from local sponsors for evening and Saturday services. The rate of participation on a per hour basis, however, is less than for the present service to reflect what is believed to be a realistic estimate of the utility of the service for those sponsors. Operating expenses were calculated based upon a cost per mile rate. The rate was derived from 2005, 2006, and 2007 data from JTS which showed an annual increase of 5 to 8 percent per year. Therefore, operating expense per mile was increased by 6 percent per year to reflect previous experience. The operating assistance breakdown was based upon the percentages shown for As the plan develops, JTS will have better information on WisDOT and FTA financial plans and will be able to make adjustments to these estimates accordingly. The operating budget increases modestly in Years 1 and 2 due to projected increase in operating expenses such as fuel, wage rates, and insurances, and these increases are not fully offset by the fare increase, which raises about $ 66,000 in revenues. The significant increase occurs in Year 3, when the expansion recommendations are programmed for consideration. Clearly their implementation will depend almost entirely upon the availability of funds at that point in time, and it may be necessary to push back these recommendations to future years. However, they are shown in Year 3 because of their importance to the customers who came out to discuss this plan and because they would be excellent additions to the JTS network, strengthening the service to the Eastside and Southwest side, and serving an expanding BJE market (as demonstrated in 2006 by a 17.5 percent increase in ridership in the first three-quarters of the year). Recommended Five Year Service Plan 140

148 In summary, this plan was developed during a period of great uncertainty and will need to be monitored closely and adjusted according to the availability of funds. Miles and Hours of Service As stated above, the base hours and miles were provided by JTS. They were used for Years 1 and 2 when no service changes were anticipated in the plan. In Year 3, hours and miles were added as follows: For the BJE (JTS portion only) the evening extension adds 4 hours and 90 miles each weeknight, and 10 hours and 225 miles each Saturday. Based upon 255 weekdays and 52 Saturdays, the proposal adds 34,650 miles and 1540 hours of service. For the Wright Road extension, there will be 6 additional hours of service per weekday and 5 hours added on Saturdays; and at 6.5 miles, 39 weekday miles and 32.5 Saturday miles. In all, there a projected an additional 1790 hours and 11,635 miles of service per year. For the new Rockport Road route, which measured 7.4 miles, there will be 6 hours more on weekdays, 5.5 hours on Saturdays, 44.4 miles on weekdays, and 40.7 miles on Saturdays. For a year, the corresponding numbers are 1816 hours and 13,438 miles of service. For the small extension of West Court Street to Hamilton Avenue,.2 miles per trip was added. These numbers were added to the base in Year 3. Thereafter, there were no further changes to hours or miles of service in the plan. Ridership Estimates Ridership estimates were influenced by three factors: The background growth rate exhibited by the JTS system from and As discussed earlier, JTS has seen increases of about 1 percent and 4 percent respectively over the past two years. There has been a particularly strong growth in 2006 on the BJE, which is up 17.5 percent in the first three quarters over Overall, the incity fixed routes are up 3.4 percent this year, trippers are up 4 percent, and the nightside is down slightly by 2.5 percent, although this is only a drop of about one trip per evening. Gas prices certainly influenced ridership in 2006, both in Janesville and throughout the country, but ridership has stayed up even as prices have gone down this fall. In all, the plan uses a 2 percent background ridership growth per year for the estimates. The impact of fare changes on ridership Each time a fare change is introduced, the ridership estimates were reduced by the corresponding percentage using the Curtin rule. Thus, in each year of a fare change the 2 percent background growth was offset by a Recommended Five Year Service Plan 141

149 larger loss due to the fare change. However, as the chart shows, the revenue impact in all cases was positive. The impact of new routes and/or schedules The third element is the impact on ridership of route and schedule changes, which are done individually for each change and then summed to be included as part of the annual total ridership. Estimates of these changes were based upon previous experience, comparisons to similar routes, and selected service elasticities. There were only three such changes to consider: For the Wright Road extension, a conservative value of 8 passengers per hour was used for the new segment for weekdays and Saturdays, which would be added onto the existing ridership along the route. As this route matures, the expectation is that ridership, particularly from the East Side, will continue to increase as customers become more accustomed to using this route to access Pine Tree Plaza and Super Wal*Mart. This new segmentalso adds service to apartments and others dwellings along Wright Road and Midvale Road where there continues to be significant growth. For the Rockport Road service, an estimate of 15 passengers per hour on weekdays and 10 on Saturdays was used, which would be similar to the performance of the State Street route. For the BJE, the 4 evening hours were projected to have a ridership of 40 trips, based on a rate of 10 passengers per hour. On weekends, however, this route is expected to perform very well, and a rate of 18 passengers per ours was used, resulting in a ridership project of 180 trips on Saturdays. In summary, the steps in making the ridership estimates were as follows: Using the base year ridership, calculate the next year using the background growth factor. In a year with a fare increase, estimate the loss in ridership due to the change. Add ridership as calculated for each service change. Produce the estimated ridership for the year. Repeat for each succeeding year of the plan. Farebox Revenue Farebox revenue was estimated based on the average fare calculation from the base year as adjusted by the percentage of the fare increase in each succeeding year. The ADA rate was twice the base fare. Recommended Five Year Service Plan 142

150 Recommended Five Year Service Plan 143 Janesville Transit System Transit Development Plan