Strategies for Increasing Ridership

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Strategies for Increasing Ridership
AzTA 2008 Annual Conference Tucson, AZ
Katrina Heineking General Manager Sun Tran/Van
Tran
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Transit Management
Owned and operated by
Managed by
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System Overview

• 38 fixed routes
• 7 day a week service
• 8.7 million system miles annually
• 2,287 bus stops

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Fleet Facts

• 203 40-foot coaches
• 100 use cleaner-burning fuel
• 100 lift or ramp equipped
• Bike racks on all buses
• Average age of active fleet is approximately 8.94
  years

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Daily Statistics

• Avg. weekday miles 28,996
• Record weekday
• passengers 74,413
• Avg. weekday ridership
• January 2008 65,802
• Avg. Saturday ridership
• January 2008 31,943
• Avg. Sunday ridership
• January 2008 16,936

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Where Did We Start?
Initiatives to increase ridership

• Conducted customer satisfaction research
• Goal was to identify key factors of overall
  customer satisfaction
• Assessed strengths and weaknesses
• Developed action plan for improvement based on
  available resources

Overall Satisfaction
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Significant Research Findings

• High satisfaction of driver appearance and
  knowledge, as well as the price value of a Sun
  Tran trip.
• On-time arrivals and departures, and driver
  friendliness were high in importance, but lower
  in customer satisfaction

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Friendly Drivers

• Transit Ambassador training
• Facilitated by peers
• Communicated importance of customers perception
• Acknowledge challenges of their job
• Provided tips on handling difficult situations,
  conflict resolution
• Gave opportunity for drivers to share success
  stories

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On-Time Performance

• Developed awareness campaign for drivers
• Brochures explaining importance of on-time
  performance to customers
• Enhanced new operator training on tracking
  on-time performance with AVL system
• Individual statistics made available to each
  driver
• Messages reinforced through Transit Ambassador
  training sessions

On-time Performance
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Upgrading the Fleet

• In 2005, average age of fleet was 9.77 years
• Significant impact on riders and image in
  community
• Low-floor buses with ramps for easier boarding
• Biodiesel fuel responsive to communitys
  environmental focus
• Today, average age of fleet is 8.94 years

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Making an Impact

• New paint scheme in late 2005 signaled
  improvements
• Dedication event
• Partnership with Zoo
• Free admission after bus dedication
• Attract media coverage
• Involve community

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Annual Ridership Trends
Results

• Outperformed national ridership trends.
• Current ridership increase for Fiscal YTD is
  7.7, with about a 7 increase in service hours
  for the fiscal year.

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Appreciative Riders
Expanded Bus Service Has Liberated Me! Imagine
having to tell your child that they can't go to a
friend's birthday party, because it starts at
530 p.m., and the last bus is at 515. Imagine
passing up a good job with great benefits because
you could get there, but there was no bus late
enough to take you home. Imagine being older than
30, and you have to be home by 7 p.m. on a
Saturday night because you depend on the bus. I
don't need to imagine these or other
transportation woes, because I've experienced
them. While the routes still need some
adjustments, the changes that have already been
made have felt like a liberation to me. Kelli
Reynolds Tucson Weekly Letter to the Editor Nov.
1, 2007
"It's cheaper to ride the bus than to drive your
car," said Bruce Russell. "Buses run more
frequently now than they did years ago, which
makes it convenient. "Commuters get on board
with Sun Tran Arizona Daily Star Sept. 2007
"I love what's happening with transit, and can't
wait for future changes. A whole new opportunity
has opened up for me. I can stay out later and
socialize and meet with clients easier
now. Thank you Sun Tran! Brian McCracken COM
file 7473
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Lessons Learned/Challenges

• Sustaining ridership increases amid costs
  constraints, etc.
• Important not to degrade your ratio of support
  staff to direct operations staff.
• Emphasize your successes.

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Strategies forIncreasing Transit Ridership

• Katrina Heineking
• General Manager
• Sun Tran/Van Tran
• Tucson, Arizona

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