YARTS ON-BOARD SURVEY MEMORANDUM

Transcription

1 YARTS ON-BOARD SURVEY MEMORANDUM Prepared for the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Prepared by LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc.

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3 YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum Prepared For The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Prepared By LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. 269 Lake Forest Rd. Tahoe City, CA, June 29, 218

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5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page APPENDIX A APPENDIX B YARTS On-Board Survey Results... 1 Overview Boarding and Alighting Data by Stop... 1 On-Time Performance... 6 On-Board Survey... 8 Survey Details LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run Weekday Eastbound Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run Weekend Eastbound Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run Weekday Westbound Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run Weekend Westbound Average Daily YARTS Route 14 On-Time Performance Summary YARTS Eastbound Weekday On-Time Performance Analysis YARTS Eastbound Weekend On-Time Performance Analysis YARTS Westbound Weekday On-Time Performance Analysis YARTS Westbound Weekend On-Time Performance Analysis Visitors and Residents by Run Percent of Residents by Run Percent of Visitors Traveling Between Communities on YARTS How did you travel to the Yosemite Area? (Visitors) Where Travelers Live Versus Mode to Bus Stop Travelers who would not have made the trip if YARTS were not available vs. destination Please state all bus routes and trains you will ride to complete this one-way trip What do you think would MOST increase ridership on YARTS? (Route 14) What improvements would you most like to see? Are there other improvements you would like to see? (Route 14) Suggestions/Comments (Route 12/395 Mammoth Lakes) Suggestions/Comments (Route 12/Sonora)) What did you do today that you could not have done if you drove? YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Page i

6 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Usage of Route 14 for Non-Park Trips How did you get to the bus stop for this bus? Residents How did you get to the bus stop for this bus? Visitors How did you travel to the Yosemite Region? How did you first learn about YARTS? Please Rate YARTS Route 14 Residents and Visitors Please Rate YARTS Route 12/ and Please Rate YARTS Route 12 West 217 and Please Rate YARTS Route 41 Fresno 217 and If YARTS were not available, how would you have made the trip? YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Page ii

7 YARTS On-Board Survey Results OVERVIEW LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. conducted on-board surveys on the YARTS 14 Route between Thursday, April 12 and Sunday, April 15, 218. Each run was surveyed once on a weekday and once on a weekend day. Trained surveyors administered bilingual passenger surveys (English and Spanish), collected boarding and alighting counts by stop, and conducted travel time-checks at specific stops. Surveyors were instructed to ask all passengers boarding the bus who appeared to be over the age of twelve to take a survey. LSC hired surveyors through a local staffing firm, and all surveyors participated in a two-hour training where they were instructed in survey techniques and given an overview of the survey purpose. Over the course of the survey period, 72 resident responses and 85 visitor responses were collected, for a total of 157 completed surveys. In September of 217 and May and June of 218, YARTS staff conducted on-board surveys for the Highway 41 Route, the Highway 12/395 Route, and the Highway 12 Route. Highlights from these surveys are captured here. The key goals of the transit surveys were to identify ridership trends, rider satisfaction and needs, performance data, and a demographic profile of riders. Prior to 217, YARTS conducted surveys in July of 21. This summary includes comparisons to that data where appropriate. BOARDING AND ALIGHTING ROUTE 14 At each stop on Route 14, surveyors noted how many people boarded the bus and how many exited the bus, summing the totals to generate riders by run. These totals were then compared to the average daily weekday and weekend ridership in 217 to yield an average daily ridership factor. Boarding and alightings by stop were then multiplied by this factor so that the average boardings by stop would be representative of the system s overall averages for a weekend and weekday. Tables 1-4 show boarding and alighting activity by stop by run. Eastbound (to Yosemite National Park) Weekdays As shown in Table 1, in the eastbound direction on the weekday sampled, Yosemite View Lodge, the Mariposa Park and Ride, Merced Amtrak, and Midtown Mariposa had the highest number of boardings, with 33, 19, 17, and 14 average daily boardings, respectively. On weekdays the highest number of riders got off at Half Dome Village (39 average daily alightings), followed by the Visitor Center (19 average daily YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 1

8 alightings), then the NPS Maintenance Stop in El Portal (15 average daily alightings). Although fewer in numbers, riders also got off the bus at Cathey s Valley, multiple stops in Mariposa, and other El Portal stops besides the NPS maintenance shop, indicating that riders are using the bus for non-park related travel. In total Table 1 shows that 41 average daily riders were using the bus for a non-park trip in the eastbound direction. Table 1: Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run - Weekday Eastbound Run 1 (5:28 AM) Run 2 (5:58 AM) Run 3 (6:45 AM) Run 4 (1:2 AM) Run 5 (1:35 PM) Run 6 (4:3 PM) Stop Name Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Total Activity By Stop MERCED/CATHEY'S VALLEY Merced Airport UC Merced (no weekends) Merced College (no weekends) Merced Mall (Target) Courthouse (M Street) Merced Transpo Merced AMTRAK Cathey's Valley MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Midtown Mariposa Roadside Rest Mariposa Park and Ride KOA Campground Midpines County Park Midpines P.O Yosemite Bug Resort EL PORTAL Cedar Lodge NPS Maintenance Barium Mine Road El Portal P.O Yosemite View Lodge YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Majestic Yosemite Hotel Visitor Center Yosemite Valley Lodge Total Total Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, On-Board Surveys of YARTS Route 14, Thursday, April 12. Actual counts factored up to average annual weekday. There were no boardings at the Merced Airport stop, Merced Mall (Target) or Courthouse during the surveys. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 2

9 The eastbound weekday runs with the highest ridership were Run 4 (departing from Merced Airport at 1:2 AM) and Run 6 (departing from Merced Airport at 4:3 PM). Run 4 had the highest activity at Yosemite View Lodge, where a group of 26 people got on and then got off at Half Dome Village (equating to 3 average daily riders in Table 1). On other runs, Yosemite View Lodge had minimal activity 1 or 2 boardings or alightings at most. After Yosemite View Lodge, Merced Amtrak was the stop with the highest number of boardings for both Run 4 and Run 6, with six and eight boardings, respectively. Weekends In the eastbound direction on the weekend, as shown in Table 2, the Merced Amtrak had the highest number of average daily boardings, at 49 people. This was followed by Midtown Mariposa (eleven Table 2: Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run - Weekend Eastbound Total Run 2 (5:58 AM) Run 3 (6:45 AM) Run 4 (1:2 AM) Run 5 (1:35 PM) Run 6 (4:3 PM) TOTAL Activity Stop Name Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight By Stop MERCED/CATHEY'S VALLEY Merced Airport UC Merced (no weekends) Merced College (no weekends) Merced Mall (Target) Courthouse (M Street) Merced Transpo Merced AMTRAK Cathey's Valley MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Midtown Mariposa Roadside Rest Mariposa Park and Ride KOA Campground Midpines County Park Midpines P.O Yosemite Bug Resort EL PORTAL Cedar Lodge NPS Maintenance Barium Mine Road El Portal P.O Yosemite View Lodge YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Majestic Yosemite Hotel Visitor Center Yosemite Valley Lodge Total Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, On-Board Surveys of YARTS Route 14, Saturday, April 14 - Sunday, April 15, 218. Actual counts factored up to average annual weekend day YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 3

10 people) and Mariposa Park and Ride (ten people). There were only two average daily boardings at the Yosemite View Lodge. There was no activity Merced Mall (Target) or the Courthouse. There was also no activity at the NPS Maintenance stop or Barium Mine Road. On the weekend, the highest ridership runs in the eastbound direction were Runs 4 (departing from Merced Airport at 1:2 AM) and 5 (departing from Merced Transpo at 1:35 PM). On Run 4, by far the highest number of people, 2, got on at Merced Amtrak. The largest number of people alighted at Half Dome Village (12). On Run 5 the same two stops attracted the most people 19 people got on at Merced Amtrak and 8 got off at Half Dome Village. As with the weekday, some riders were using the bus for non-park related trips, with 27 people getting off before the bus entered the park (14 of these got off at Yosemite View Lodge). Westbound (To Merced) Weekday Westbound runs with the highest ridership were Run 9 (departing Half Dome Village at 3:4 PM) and Run 1 (departing at 4:15 PM), as shown in Table 3. Run 9 had the highest number of boardings at NPS Maintenance (eleven boardings) and Yosemite Valley Lodge (ten boardings). Run 1 had a very large number of people board at Yosemite Valley Lodge and alight at Yosemite View Lodge. Other high- YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 4

11 Table 3: Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run - Weekday Westbound Total Run 7 (6:2 AM) Run 8 (9:32 AM) Run 9 (3:4 PM) Run 1 (4:15 PM) Run 11 (5:5 PM) Run 12 (5:45 PM) Total Activity Stop Name Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight By Stop YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Majestic Yosemite Hotel Visitor Center Yosemite Valley Lodge El PORTAL Yosemite View Lodge El Portal P.O Barium Mine Road NPS Maintenance Cedar Lodge MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Yosemite Bug Resort Midpines P.O Midpines County Park KOA Campground Roadside Rest Mariposa Park and Ride Midtown Mariposa MERCED/CATHEYS VALLEY Catheys Valley Merced AMTRAK Merced Transpo Courthouse (M Street) Merced Mall (Target) Merced College (no weekends) UC Merced (no weekends) Merced Airport Total Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, On-Board Surveys of YARTS Route 14, Thursday, April 12. Actual counts factored up to average annual weekday. activity stops for alighting were Merced Amtrak (18 average alightings), Mariposa Park and Ride (17 average alightings), and Roadside Rest in the Mariposa/Midpines area (15 average alightings). As noted above, in the eastbound direction on the weekday there were no boardings at the Merced Airport stop, Merced Mall (Target) or Courthouse. In the westbound direction, a few people alighted at these stops--two average daily alightings at Merced Mall (Target) and three at Merced Airport. Weekend During the weekend sampling period on westbound 14, as shown in Table 4, the highest number of people boarded at Half Dome Village (29 average daily boardings), then Yosemite Valley Lodge (18 average daily boardings), then the Visitor Center Stop (15 average daily boardings). In the westbound direction, Run 9 at 3:4 PM had the most activity, with 3 average daily riders. Run 9 was closely followed by Run 8 and Run 11, with 22 and 19 average daily riders, respectively. Among each of these runs, most riders got on at Half Dome Village, however Yosemite Valley Lodge also had high YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 5

12 boarding activity, with between three and nine people boarding on each of the runs. The Majestic Yosemite Hotel had four and five riders on Runs 9 and 11, respectively. Among these three runs, the Merced Amtrak stop was the most popular for alighting. Table 4: Boarding and Alighting Activity by Stop by Run - Weekend Westbound - Average Daily Total Run 8 (9:32 AM) Run 9 (3:4 PM) Run 11 (5:5 PM) Run 12 (5:45 PM) TOTAL Activity Stop Name Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight Board Alight By Stop YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Majestic Yosemite Hotel Visitor Center Yosemite Valley Lodge El PORTAL Yosemite View Lodge El Portal P.O. Barium Mine Road NPS Maintenance Cedar Lodge MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Yosemite Bug Resort Midpines P.O Midpines County Park KOA Campground Roadside Rest Mariposa Park and Ride Midtown Mariposa MERCED/CATHEYS VALLEY Catheys Valley Merced AMTRAK Merced Transpo Courthouse (M Street) Merced Mall (Target) Merced College (no weekends) UC Merced (no weekends) Merced Airport Total Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, On-Board Surveys of YARTS Route 14, Saturday, April 14 - Sunday, April 15, 218. Actual counts factored up to average annual weekend day. In the westbound direction on the weekend there was no activity at El Portal Post Office, Barium Mine Road, and NPS Maintenance stops, the KOA campground, Cathey s Valley stop, or the Courthouse. Note that there were no boardings or alightings on weekdays or on weekends at the Courthouse stop. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 6

13 Travel Outside Yosemite NP As noted above, some riders who boarded in Merced/Cathey s Valley, Midpines, or Mariposa used the service to travel within communities outside of the park. For instance, on weekday Run 2 (eastbound), of the 16 people who boarded in Mariposa/Midpines 14 got off at stops in El Portal. The proportions were similar for Run 1, as well. On Run 6, ten people who boarded at stops between Merced and Mariposa debarked at stops in Mariposa or Midpines. Similarly, in the westbound direction on weekdays, ten people got onto Run 8 in Mariposa or Midpines. Runs 7, 9 and 12, all westbound runs, saw between three and seven riders boarding in Mariposa/Midpines. On the weekend in the eastbound direction, six people alighted in Mariposa or Midpines on Run 5, and in the westbound direction Run 8 saw seven people boarding in Mariposa/Midpines. ON-TIME PERFORMANCE In addition to collecting boarding and alighting and survey data, surveyors also noted the times that the YARTS 14 runs departed from each stop. These departure times were compared to the scheduled times to develop a picture of on-time performance. While the surveyors recorded the departure times from all stops, a sampling of these was selected for the summary included here. The sample includes two departure times from each community. Since not all routes serve each stop, the stops that had a greater number of scheduled runs were included over those with fewer scheduled runs. As shown in the summary table, Table 5, the YARTS bus arrived on-time to 74 percent of the sampled stops on weekdays, and to 5 percent of the sampled stops on weekends. On weekdays 7 percent of the sampled stops were served 15 or more minutes late, while on weekends 17 percent of sampled stops were. Tables 6-9 show the on-time performance in more detail, by run. Of the weekday runs eastbound Route 6 ran late nearly the entire length of the run. Weekday westbound Runs 9 and 12 encountered delay in the Mariposa/Midpines area, which carried through to the remaining stops. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 7

14 Table 5: YARTS Route 14 On-Time Performance Summary Weekday Weekend Total Percent Early (Departures Only) 6% 1% 4% Percent Early (Arrivals Only) 3% 3% 3% Percent On Time (-5 Minutes Late) 74% 5% 64% Percent 6-9 Minutes Late 8% 13% 1% Percent 1-14 Minutes Late 3% 16% 9% Percent 15-2 Minutes Late 7% 16% 11% Percent >2 Minutes Late % 1% 1% Maximum Minutes Early Maximum Minutes Late Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, Surveys conducted on April 12-15, 218 The weekend runs experienced more delay than the weekday runs. In the eastbound direction Routes 3, 4, and 5 all had stops that were served at least ten minutes late. Route 5 began running approximately 2 minutes late in Cathey s Valley and only recovered three minutes by the time it reached Half Dome Village. In the westbound direction Runs 9 and 11 ran 15 minutes late or more starting in Midpines for Run 9 and Yosemite Valley Lodge for Run 11. Run 9 recovered six minutes of time by the time it reached the last stop and Run 11 recovered four minutes. Run 12 arrived 27 minutes early to its second-to-last scheduled stop, the Merced Amtrak. Surveyors took note of the causes of delay as they recorded departure times. These included: On the weekend Run 5, the surveyor noted that many people boarding at the Merced Amtrak had questions for the driver. There were 18 minutes of delay at that stop. Weekday Run 4 also experienced this scenario at the Yosemite View Lodge stop, where 26 passengers got on (they got off at Half Dome Village). Run 4 had seven minutes of delay at Yosemite View Lodge stop on that day. On the weekend Runs 9 and 12, the surveyors reported traffic setting out from Yosemite Valley Lodge (that stop had three minutes of delay on Run 9 and eight minutes of delay on Run 12). Weekday Runs 2 and 5 served the Yosemite Valley stops in a different order than was shown on the schedule. The late times for these stops were not included in the tables. Weekday Run 12 encountered delay at the Yosemite Bug Resort stop, when it waited for a stoplight. On time at the previous stop (Cedar Lodge) with zero minutes of delay, it was six YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 8

15 minutes behind schedule by the time it left Yosemite Bug Lodge. Weekday Run 9 was also delayed at this stop by six minutes the surveyor recorded Bridges/Traffic as the reason. Table 6: YARTS Eastbound Weekday On-Time Performance Analysis Observed Deviation from Schedule Route 1 (4:54 AM) Route 2 (5:58 AM) Route 3 (6:45 AM) Route 4 (1:2 AM) Route 5 (1:35 PM) Route 6 (4:3 PM) Total or Average MERCED/CATHEY'S VALLEY Merced Transpo 5 1 Catheys Valley MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Mariposa Park and Ride Yosemite Bug Resort (Midpines) EL PORTAL Cedar Lodge Yosemite View Lodge (El Portal) YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village 1 1 n/a Visitor Center (Yosemite Valley Percent Total Timepoints Departure Timepoints % Timepoints Early (All) % Timepoints Early (Departures Only) 1 1 2% Timepoints Early (Arrivals Only) % Timepoints On Time (-5 Minutes Late) % Timepoints 6-9 Minutes Late % Timepoints 1-14 Minutes Late 1 1 2% Timepoints 15-2 Minutes Late % Timepoints >2 Minutes Late % Maximum Minutes Early n/a -7 n/a n/a -4 n/a Maximum Minutes Late Note 1: On Route 2, the surveyor noted that the stops were served in a different order than shown on the schedule. The driver served the Visitor Center first, and Half Dome Village last. Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, Surveys conducted on Thursday, April 12, 218 Run # YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 9

16 Table 7: YARTS Eastbound Weekend On-Time Performance Analysis Route 2 (5:58 AM) Route 3 (6:45 AM) Run # Route 4 (1:2 AM) Route 5 (1:35 PM) Route 6 (4:3 PM) Total or Average Observed Deviation from Schedule MERCED/CATHEY'S VALLEY Merced Transpo Catheys Valley MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Mariposa Park and Ride Yosemite Bug Resort EL PORTAL Cedar Lodge Yosemite View Lodge YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Visitor Center 12 1 Percent Total Timepoints Departure Timepoints % Timepoints Early (All) 1 1 3% Timepoints Early (Departures Only) 1 1 3% Timepoints Early (Arrivals Only) % Timepoints On-Time (-5 Minutes Late) % Timepoints 6-9 Minutes Late % Timepoints 1-14 Minutes Late % Timepoints 15-2 Minutes Late % Timepoints >2 Minutes Late 1 1 3% Maximum Minutes Early n/a n/a -2 n/a n/a -2 Maximum Minutes Late Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, Surveys conducted on Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, 218 ON-BOARD SURVEY As noted above, YARTS staff and LSC Transportation Consultants staff conducted passenger surveys in 217 and 218 on each of the YARTS routes. In 217 the questions differed slightly between routes, however the questions asked on the Route 14 surveys were tailored to match the questions asked on that route in 21. Where appropriate, responses from 21 and 217/218 are compared in this memo. Respondents were not asked to take the survey twice, and since many people returning on the afternoon of the survey day had already taken the survey in the morning, the responses are more heavily weighted toward the eastbound (inbound to Yosemite) trip than toward the westbound trip. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 1

17 In 218, separate resident and visitor surveys were developed for all routes, and printed back-to-back on cardstock. Surveys in Spanish were also provided. An example of the surveys used on Route 14 is included in Appendix A. All of the surveys conducted in 218 followed the same format and questions as the Route 14 surveys. Table 8: YARTS Westbound Weekday On-Time Performance Analysis Run 7 (6:2 AM) Run 8 (9:32 AM) Run 9 (3:4 PM) Run # Run 1 (4:15 PM) Run 11 (5:5 PM) Run 12 (5:45 PM) Total or Average Observed Deviation from Schedule YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Yosemite Valley Lodge El PORTAL Yosemite View Lodge -2 4 Cedar Lodge (El Portal) 2 MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Midpines County Park Midtown Mariposa MERCED/CATHEYS VALLEY Catheys Valley Merced AMTRAK Percent Total Timepoints Departure Timepoints % Timepoints Early (All) % Timepoints Early (Departures Only) % Timepoints Early (Arrivals Only) 1 1 2% Timepoints On time (-5 Minutes Late) % Timepoints 6-9 Minutes Late % Timepoints 1-14 Minutes Late 2 2 5% Timepoints 15-2 Minutes Late % Timepoints >2 Minutes Late % Maximum Minutes Early n/a -9-3 n/a -3 n/a Maximum Minutes Late Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, Surveys conducted on Thursday, April 12, 218 In summary, the survey efforts included: Route 14: Surveys were conducted between April 12-15, 218. Total of 157 surveys collected (72 residents/84 visitors). YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 11

18 Route 12 West: Surveys were conducted May 27, 218. Total of 21 surveys collected (1 resident/2 visitors). Surveys also conducted on September 23-24, 217. Total of 23 surveys collected (not specified visitor vs. resident). Route 12/395: Surveys were conducted on June 4, 218. Total of twelve responses collected (all visitors). Surveys were also conducted on September 17-18, 217. Total of 45 surveys collected (visitor vs. resident not specified). Route 41: Surveys were conducted on May 27, 218. Total of 21 responses collected (7 residents/14 visitors). Surveys were also conducted on September 13, 217. Four surveys collected (visitor vs. resident not specified). Highlights from each survey effort are bulleted below, with more detail on individual questions provided in the next section for the 218 surveys on Route 14 and the 217 surveys on Route 12/395 and Route 12 West. Where possible, results from the 218 survey efforts on Route 14 and the 217 survey efforts on Route 12/395 and Route 12 West are combined for comparison purposes. Since the response rates on the 218 surveys for Routes 12 West, 12/395 and the 218 and 217 surveys for Route 41 were relatively low, only the responses to user satisfaction are included in the detail. A full tabulation of all responses received on all routes is included in Appendices B and C. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 12

19 Table 9: YARTS Westbound Weekend On-Time Performance Analysis Run 8 (9:32 AM) Run 9 (3:4 PM) Run # Run 11 (5:5 PM) Run 12 (5:45 PM) Total or Average Observed Deviation from Schedule YOSEMITE VALLEY Half Dome Village Yosemite Valley Lodge El PORTAL Yosemite View Lodge Cedar Lodge MARIPOSA/MIDPINES Midpines County Park Midtown Mariposa MERCED/CATHEYS VALLEY Catheys Valley Merced AMTRAK Percent Total Timepoints Departure Timepoints % Timepoints Early (All) % Timepoints Early (Departures Only) % Timepoints Early (Arrivals Only) % Timepoints -5 Minutes Late % Timepoints 6-9 Minutes Late % Timepoints 1-14 Minutes Late % Timepoints 15-2 Minutes Late % Timepoints >2 Minutes Late % Maximum Minutes Early Maximum Minutes Late Source: LSC Transportation Consultants, Surveys conducted on Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, 218 Survey Highlights Route (72 residents/84 visitors) Most residents (6 percent) were using Route 14 to travel to work. Another 22 percent were using YARTS for a recreation day-trip, followed by 1 percent who were using it for an overnight recreation trip. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 13

20 If YARTS were not available, 25 percent of residents stated they would not have made the trip, while 35 percent of visitors said that they would not have made the trip. Nearly half of residents (47 percent) were using YARTS for a trip that did not start or end in the park. Only 1 percent of visitors used YARTS for non-park related trips. Most respondents got on the bus in Mariposa (35 percent). The largest percentage of trips made by residents was between Mariposa and El Portal stops (24 percent). Another ten percent of residents were making trips between Merced and Mariposa. Most residents walked to the bus stop (47 percent), while 3 percent drove themselves and another 2 percent got dropped off. Visitors were highly likely to use Amtrak to get to the Yosemite region - 48 percent reported using Amtrak to get to the region. Nearly two-thirds of visitors (64 percent) were staying in Yosemite overnight. Among those, approximately two-thirds (63 percent) were staying in a hotel or motel, while 25 percent were staying at a campground. Of eleven service categories presented, both residents and visitors rated Courtesy of the YARTS driver the highest, followed by Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver. Both residents and visitors ranked How well bus schedule meets your needs the lowest, but it still received a score of 5.4 by residents and 6. by visitors out of 7, with 7 being excellent and 1 being poor. Ninety-seven percent of residents and 99 percent of visitors said they would recommend YARTS to a friend, co-worker, or family member. Route 12/ (45 responses, visitor vs. resident unknown) All respondents were using YARTS for recreation. Over half of the respondents (56 percent) were from California, with another 18 percent from another U.S. State, and only 2 percent (1 respondent) from another country (Japan). Eighty-seven percent of respondents were using YARTS for the first time. The largest proportion of respondents (53 percent) learned about YARTS through the internet, followed by word of mouth (4 percent). The vast majority of respondents (87 percent) used Google Maps to plan their trip. A smaller percentage (13 percent) used Google Transit. Of ten service categories presented, Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver was rated the highest. How well bus schedule meets your needs was rated the lowest. All respondents stated that they would recommend YARTS. Route 12/ (12 responses, all visitors) YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 14

21 Three-quarters of respondents were from another U.S. State, not California, while the other quarter was from outside the U.S. The largest percentage of respondents (33 percent) drove their personal car to the Yosemite region. No respondents reported flying in. Slightly over half (55 percent) of respondents hiked or walked to the bus stop. Another 18 percent each bicycled or drove their car. The largest percentage of respondents (58 percent) boarded in Yosemite Valley. When asked where they would get off the bus, the largest percentage (5 percent) said they were getting off at Tuolumne Meadows. The next largest percentage (17 percent) said they were getting off at Crane Flat. Three-quarters of respondents were visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time. None had used YARTS previously. If YARTS were not available, 33 percent of respondents would have hitchhiked, and 25 percent would have driven themselves. A quarter of respondents (25 percent) would not have made the trip. Sixty percent of respondents thought that More frequent service would most increase ridership on YARTS. Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver was rated the highest, while How well bus schedule meets your needs was rated the lowest. Route 12 West 217 (23 responses, visitor vs. resident unknown) Survey respondents on Route 12 West were nearly evenly split between those from California (43 percent) and those from another country (48 percent). Only nine percent of respondents were from another U.S. State. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents planned to stay in the Yosemite region overnight. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) got on the YARTS 12 Route in Yosemite Lakes, followed by Groveland (39 percent). All respondents got off the bus in Yosemite Valley. Nearly all respondents (95 percent) were making a round-trip. The highest percentage of respondents (32 percent) learned about YARTS through information at their hotel, followed by 26 percent who were told about it by someone else. Most people used Google Maps to plan their trip (83 percent). Of the ten service categories presented for ranking, Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver ranked the highest. The two lowest ranked categories were How well does the website work for information (lowest) followed by How well bus schedule meets your needs. All respondents would recommend YARTS. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 15

22 Route 12 West 218 (21 responses 2 visitor responses summarized below, 1 resident response, not summarized) The largest percentage of respondents (45 percent) was from California, followed by those from another country (35 percent). Those from another U.S. State made up 2 percent of respondents. The highest percentage of respondents (5 percent) used a rental car to access the region. No respondents reported flying in. Half of respondents hiked or walked to the bus stop. The largest percentage (75 percent) boarded the bus in Groveland, followed by 19 percent who boarded in Sonora. All respondents were getting off the bus in Yosemite Valley. Eighty-six percent of respondents staying overnight were spending the night in a campground. Most were staying at Yosemite Lakes RV campground. A small percentage of respondents (11 percent) had used YARTS before this trip. If YARTS were not available, 75 percent of respondents would have driven to Yosemite. Only 16 percent would not have made the trip. The largest percentage of respondents (76 percent) thought that more frequent service would most increase ridership on YARTS. Multiple categories received very high rankings (6.9). These were Courtesy of driver, Safe driving skills of driver, Cleanliness of the Bus, On-time performance, and Bus Stops. The lowest ranked category was How well does schedule meet your needs. Route (21 responses collected 7 residents/14 visitors) Most visitors (57 percent) were from another U.S. state. Of residents, the only trip purpose reported was recreation day trip. Exactly half of the visitor respondents flew into the Yosemite region. Consequently, a relatively high proportion (43 percent) used a taxi or Uber or Lyft to get to the bus stop. Respondents were also asked to identify into which city they flew, however respondents instead named the airline they used. In the future, this survey question should be refined to generate the desired information. Fifty-two percent of residents and visitors combined boarded the bus in Fresno. Another 2 percent boarded in Oakhurst, and 1 percent each boarded in Coarsegold, Wawona, or Yosemite Valley. When residents and visitors were asked where they would get off the bus, 62 percent stated they were getting off in Yosemite Valley, 15 percent were getting off in Fresno, 1 percent each YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 16

23 were getting off in Oakhurst and Wawona, and five percent (1 rider) was getting off in Coarsegold. If YARTS were not available, a third of visitor respondents would have driven themselves, a third would have taken a taxi/uber/lyft and a third would not have made the trip. Of resident respondents, if YARTS were not available, 71 percent would have driven themselves, 14 percent would have been driven by a family member or friend, and 14 percent would have taken a taxi/uber/lyft. Of residents, 43 percent were riding YARTS for the first time, another 43 percent used it less than once a month, and 14 percent used it 1-3 times per month. Of residents, the largest proportion (5 percent) thought that more or better advertising would most increase ridership on YARTS. Residents rated Courtesy of the driver, the highest, and Cleanliness of the bus the lowest. Visitors rated Courtesy of driver, and Safe driving skills of driver, the highest, and How well does schedule meet your needs, and How well does printed material work for information, the lowest. Survey Details Since the 217 survey questions varied somewhat from route to route, not all routes can be compared for each response. This section identifies key questions of interest for each route for which data is available. If data is not shown for a particular question for a particular route, that question was not asked on that route in 217. The full tabulation of all questions for each route for both 217 and 218 are included in Appendix B. Visitors and Residents by Run Route 14 As shown in Table 1, on Route 14, the early morning runs attracted more resident survey respondents than visitor survey respondents. On Run 1, which left at 4:54 AM, 86 percent of survey respondents were residents. On Run 2, which left at 5:58 AM, 8 percent of respondents were residents. Beginning with Run 3 at 6:45 AM visitors began to make up around 6 percent of the survey respondents, with Run 4 at 1:2 AM having the highest percentage of visitors percent. Similarly, in the westbound direction, on Run 7 at 6:2 AM the highest percentage of survey takers was residents at 75 percent. On Run 12, departing Yosemite Valley at 5:45 PM, none of the survey respondents were residents. This could reflect that residents on that run had already taken the survey that morning. Percentage of People Traveling Between Communities - Route 14 YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 17

24 Tables 11 and 12 show the percentage of survey takers by boarding and alighting locations. A large percentage of survey takers, particularly residents, did not use the bus to enter Yosemite National Park, but instead used it to access other communities along the route. This is also illustrated in Figure 1. As shown in Table 11, eight percent of resident survey respondents got on the bus in Merced and got off in either Cathey s Valley, Mariposa, or El Portal. An even larger percentage of respondents got on the bus in Mariposa and got off in a community outside of the park, with the largest group, 19 percent, departing the bus in El Portal. Fewer visitors used the bus for a non-park trip, as shown in Table 12 and Figure 1, however a small percentage did. How did you get to the bus stop for this bus? Route 14 The Route 14 surveys asked residents and visitors how they got to the bus stop. As shown in Figure 2, the largest percentage of residents, 46 percent, walked to the bus. Another 3 percent drove themselves, and another 2 percent got dropped off. Figure 3 shows visitor mode to the bus. The largest percentage of visitors, 37 percent, used Amtrak to make the connection with YARTS. Another 3 percent of visitor respondents walked or hiked to the bus. Four percent of visitor respondents said that they took a taxi to the bus, two percent took Merced s The Bus, and 1 percent took Greyhound. No residents or visitors reported that they bicycled to the bus stop, or used Uber or Lyft. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 18

25 Table 1: Visitors and Residents by Run Route 14 Total Number of Residents Total Number of Visitors Weekday and Weekend Total Survey Respondents Resident Percent of Total Surveyed Visitor Percent of Total Surveyed Eastbound Run 1 (4:54 AM) % 14% Run 2 (5:58 AM) % 2% Run 3 (6:45 AM) % 6% Run 4 (1:2 AM % 88% Run 5 (1:35 PM) % 64% Run 6 (4:3 PM) % 57% Westbound Run 7 (6:2 AM) % 25% Run 8 (9:32 AM) % 61% Run 9 (3:4 PM) % 53% Run 1 (4:15 PM) % 67% Run 11 (5:5 PM) % 42% Run 12 (5:45 PM) 4 4 % 1% Table 11: Percent of Residents Traveling Between Communities on YARTS Route 14 (59 valid responses) TO: Merced FROM: Catheys Valley Mariposa Midpines El Portal Yosemite Valley Other Merced % % 7% 2% % 3% % Catheys Valley 2% % % % % % % Mariposa 3% % % 2% 5% 2% % Midpines % % 2% % % % % El Portal 3% % 19% 3% % % % Yosemite Valley 14% % 15% 8% 8% % % Other % % 2% % % % % YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 19

26 Percent of Survey Respondents Table 12: Percent of Visitors Traveling Between Communities on YARTS Route 14 (69 valid responses) TO: Merced FROM: Catheys Valley Mariposa Midpines El Portal Yosemite Valley Other Merced % % 1% 1% % 19% % Catheys Valley % % 1% % % % % Mariposa % % % % % 4% % Midpines 3% % % % % % % El Portal 3% % % % % % % Yosemite Valley 33% % 28% 4% % % % Other % % % % 1% % % 1% Figure 1: Usage of Route 14 for Non-Park Trips 9% 8% 7% 51% 6% 5% 4% 88% To or from Park Not to or from Park 3% 2% 1% % 47% 1% Resident (n = 59) Visitor (n = 69) YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 2

27 Figure 2: How did you get to the bus stop for this bus - Residents (Route 14) (n = 68) Got a ride in a car/dropped off 2% Taxi 2% Walked/ Wheelchair 46% Drove car 3% Other 2% YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 21

28 Figure 3: How did you get to the bus stop for this bus - Visitors (Route 14) (n = 81) Drove car, 16% Got a ride in a car/dropped off, 6% Other, 4% Hike/Walk, 3% Other, 11% Taxi, 4% Amtrak, 37% Transferred from Merced The Bus, 2% Greyhound, 1% How did you travel to the Yosemite Area? Surveys administered on Route 14 and Route 12 West in 217 asked visitors how they traveled to the Yosemite region. As shown in Table 13 and Figure 4 the majority of Route 14 respondents took Amtrak to get to the region (51 percent), while only nine percent of Route 12 West respondents took Amtrak. Only four percent of Route 14 respondents took Greyhound, and no respondents on Route 12 West took Greyhound. Very few respondents flew into the region (two percent on Route 14, none on Route 12 West) and those who did flew into San Francisco Airport. A fairly large percentage of respondents on the Route 12 West route traveled into the region by RV (32 percent) compared to only four percent who came in by RV among the Route 14 respondents. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 22

29 Table 13: How did you travel to the Yosemite Area? (Visitors) Route 14 Route 12 West Number Percent Number Percent Amtrak 42 51% 2 9% Personal Car 14 17% 1 45% Rental Car 13 16% 3 14% Greyhound 3 4% % RV 3 4% 7 32% Tour Bus 2 2% % Amtrak and Greyhound 1 1% % Hike/Walk 1 1% % Airline to San Francisco Airline to SFO/Amtrak 1 1% % Airline to SFO/Taxi 1 1% % Other 2 2% % Total The percent of Amtrak ridership has not changed significantly since 21 for Route 14. In percent of respondents took Amtrak compared to 51 percent in 218. In 21 more respondents on Route 12 West took Amtrak than in percent compared to 9 percent in 217. In 21 nine percent of Route 14 riders took Greyhound, compared to four percent in 218. The percentages of riders arriving by RV was significantly higher in 217 than in 21 for Route 12 West in 21 only 2 percent of respondents came by RV versus 32 percent in 218. Some of the rental car responses in 21 and in 218 may have included rental RVs. In future surveys, the rental car option should explicitly exclude RVs. In 21, a much larger percentage of respondents said that they flew into the region (2 percent on Route 14 and 14 percent on Route 12 West) versus in 217 and 218, when only two percent of Route 14 riders and zero percent of Route 12 West riders said that they flew in. This could be due to the timing of the surveys, which were conducted in mid-summer in 21 but in the off-season in 217 and 218. It does not seem to be related to the number of people coming from out-of-state or other countries, which were the same or greater in 217 and 218 compared to 21. Also, in the 21 YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 23

30 surveys, YARTS riders flew into a diversity of airports, whereas in 218 they only cited flying into San Francisco airport. Figure 4: How did you travel to the Yosemite Region? 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % Route 14 (n=83) Route 12 West (n=22) Other 2% % Airline to San Francisco 2% % Hike/Walk 1% % Amtrak and Greyhound 1% % Tour Bus 2% % RV 4% 32% Greyhound 4% % Rental Car 16% 14% Personal Car 17% 45% Amtrak 51% 9% How did you first learn about YARTS? All of the surveys asked this question. Figure 5 shows the responses for Routes 14, 12/395 and 12 West. On Route 14 most respondents learned about YARTS through the internet (27 percent). Another 19 percent each learned about the bus by seeing the bus or a bus stop, or by someone who told them about it. Thirteen percent of respondents on Route 14 learned of the bus through their employer. Similarly, the most common way of learning about YARTS on Route 12/395 was through the internet or through word of mouth. A small percentage (2 percent) learned about YARTS through the John Muir Trail Yahoo Group. The highest percentage of respondents (32 percent) on Route 12 West learned of YARTS through their hotel or lodging location. The next most common way to learn about YARTS on YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 24

31 Route 12 West was hearing about it from someone else. A smaller percentage of respondents (11 percent) on Route 12 West learned about YARTS over the internet compared to the other two routes. YARTS Service Rating Each of the three surveys asked respondents to rate YARTS service in ten or eleven service categories. On Route 14, residents and visitors ranked the service categories in nearly the same order, however, visitors gave slightly higher scores overall in each category. Resident and visitor responses to this question are combined in Figure 6. The separate responses may be viewed in Table 23 in Appendix B. Ratings for the service on Route 12/395, Route 12 West and Route 41 Fresno are shown in Figures 7-9. These ratings combine the responses from the 217 and 218 surveys. On all four routes, nearly all categories received a rating of 5 or higher, with a score of 7 being the best. The only exception was How well the bus schedule meets your needs on the Route 12/395 route, which received an average score of 4.5. Respondents on Route 14, Route 12/395 and Route 41 rated Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver and Courtesy of the YARTS driver as the top two YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 25

32 Percent of Respondents 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % Route 14 (n=138) Route 12/395 (n=45) Route 12/Sonora (n=19) Campground 11% JMT Yahoo Group 2% Internet 27% 53% 11% Saw bus or bus stop 19% 2% 11% Friend/Someone told me about it 19% 4% 31% Employer 13% Figure 5: How did you first learn about YARTS? (Residents and Vistors, more than one response allowed) Other 12% 2% Info at Hotel or Lodging 7% 32% Saw an ad 2% 16% Info at Visitor Center 2% 5% YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 26

33 Figure 6: Please Rate YARTS - Route 14 Residents and Visitors (n = 15) Courtesy of the YARTS driver Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver Cleanliness of the vehicle Value for the fare paid Comfort of the vehicle Bus stops On-time performance Printed information brochure Website as a source of information Quality of the bus stop where you boarded How well bus schedule meets your needs Average Score (On a Scale of 1-7, with 7 Being the Highest) YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 27

34 Figure 7: Please Rate YARTS - Route 12/ and 218 (n = 56) Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver Courtesy of driver Cleanliness of the bus Value for the fare paid Comfort of the vehicle Overall Rating Quality of the bus stop How well does the printed materials work for How well does the website work for information How well bus schedule meets your needs Average Score (On a Scale of 1-7, with 7 Being the Highest) YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 28

35 Figure 8: Please Rate YARTS - Route 12 West 217 and 218 (n = 42) Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver Cleanliness of the bus Value for the fare paid Courtesy of driver Comfort of the vehicle Quality of the bus stop How well does the printed materials work for How well bus schedule meets your needs How well does the website work for information Average Score (On a Scale of 1-7, with 7 Being the Highest) YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 29

36 Figure 9: Please Rate YARTS - Route 41 Fresno 217 and 218 (n=25) Courtesy of driver Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver Value for the fare paid Quality of the bus stop Cleanliness of the bus How well does the printed materials work for Comfort of the vehicle How well bus schedule meets your needs How well does the website work for information Average Score (On a Scale of 1-7, with 7 Being the Highest) categories. On Route 12 West, Safe driving skills of the YARTS driver was number one, however Courtesy of the YARTS driver was ranked fourth. How well the bus schedule meets your needs was the lowest ranked category on Route 14, however it still received a score of 5.7. On Route 12 West, How well does the website work for information and How well the bus schedule meets your needs were the lowest-ranked categories, both with scores of 6. These were also the two lowest ranked categories on Route 41 and Route 12/395. Where visitors live versus mode to bus stop Route 14 Where visitors live influenced the mode they took to access Route 14, as shown in Table 14. All visitors, regardless of where they were from, were most likely to use Amtrak to access YARTS. Visitors from California or another U.S. State were next most likely to use their personal car to access YARTS, whereas visitors from other countries were more likely to use a rental car. Only 1 respondent each from Other U.S. State or Other Country used Greyhound to access YARTS. YARTS On-Board Survey Memorandum LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System Page 3