Region V illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota

Minnesota

Metropolitan Council (1305)

Anoka County (620)

Anoka County JARC Job Training Program (673)

Location: Anoka County (MN)

Type: Information-Based Services/Trip/itinerary planning

Goal: Improved customer knowledge

Service description: This Anoka County collaboration includes representation from various community-partnering organizations which serve low-income Anoka County residents in various areas, such as employment and training. The purpose of this group is to look at continuing to work in a collaborative manner to address the transit barriers and develop on-going solutions for transportation issues for low-income Anoka County residents.

Evaluation: On a quarterly basis, the Transportation Committee meets to discuss ridership levels and project implementation issues, such as number of referrals, denied rides, what the services are being used for (job search, employment, etc.), number of employers served, and number of daycare stops. We review the budget and look at sustainability factors as well.

Accomplishments: 1) Securing diversified funding streams to support a transportation initiative.
2) Earmarking dial-a-ride/standing order rides services with daycare stops.
3) Developing a solid collaborative bringing various organizations with similar goals and targeted populations to the table for unified discussions building strong partnerships.

Lessons learned: It has been extremely helpful for our Transportation Committee to have a comprehensive transportation plan in place that looks at the needs of the clients we serve in addition to proposing solutions to those transportation needs. Having key stakeholders at the table for these discussions is key and allows for additional options for leveraging resources.
Also, the fact that our Transportation Committee meets quarterly to review project progress or areas needing improvement. This allows for on-going project evaluation as well as setting goals for future project adaptations.

Anoka County Traveler (1356)

Location: Anoka County (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Demand response

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: This Anoka County collaboration includes representation from various community-partnering organizations which serve low-income Anoka County residents in various areas, such as employment and training. The purpose of this group is to look at continuing to work in a collaborative manner to address the transit barriers and develop on-going solutions for transportation issues for low-income Anoka County residents.

Evaluation: On a quarterly basis, the Transportation Committee meets to discuss ridership levels and project implementation issues, such as number of referrals, denied rides, what the services are being used for (job search, employment, etc.), number of employers served, and number of daycare stops. We review the budget and look at sustainability factors as well.

Accomplishments: 1) Securing diversified funding streams to support a transportation initiative.
2) Earmarking dial-a-ride/standing order rides services with daycare stops.
3) Developing a solid collaborative bringing various organizations with similar goals and targeted populations to the table for unified discussions building strong partnerships.

Lessons learned: It has been extremely helpful for our Transportation Committee to have a comprehensive transportation plan in place that looks at the needs of the clients we serve in addition to proposing solutions to those transportation needs. Having key stakeholders at the table for these discussions is key and allows for additional options for leveraging resources.
Also, the fact that our Transportation Committee meets quarterly to review project progress or areas needing improvement. This allows for on-going project evaluation as well as setting goals for future project adaptations.

Emerge Jobs Transportation Program (619)

Emerge Access to Jobs (1038)

Location: Henepin County/Minneapolis and suburbs (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Vanpool (service only)

Goal: Improved system capacity

Service description: During this 12-month period we served employees who are working at over 62 different sites, for 37 employers, and provided them with transportation from home to the work site and back home again. The Access to Jobs transportation program is operated with eight vehicles and 5-8 full/part time drivers and one Transportation Coordinator that provides daily support and encouragement while taking people to/from work. These job seekers and employees are participants working with employment counselors of Emerge Community Development in Minneapolis. The programs include Emerge Staffing, MFIP, Career Services, Northside Job Connections, and Emerge StreetWerks.

Evaluation: When a request for transportation is received we attempt to link the employee up with the Metro Transit bus system. When that is not possible due to work shift or location, we route them into our transportation system. At times, the route is busable one way, but due to the timing of the shift start/end it is not busable both ways. It is that trip that our transportation becomes important to the job seeker.

Accomplishments: During this 12-month period we had an order from an employer who had 26 different sites with job opportunities, most of which were on the second shift. Many of the sites were busable in the afternoon, but not when the employee got off work. We pick up the employees up at 1 AM, 1:30 AM, and 2 AM and return them to their homes, as the bus system is not operational at this time. Many of these employees have been hired full time and many of them are still using our transportation services to return home.

Lessons learned: In addition to providing transportation services, we also work on helping our participant/employees with good work and communication skills. For example, there are times when our participant employees do not notify us that they are not going to work, the driver goes to their home or work to pick them up only to find they are not there. This causes additional unnecessary costs to our transportation department. Conversations from both our job counselors and the drivers occur which helps the participant/employee become more valuable to the employer.

Metro Transit /Metropolitan Council (622)

Route 14 Cedar Point Extension (676)

Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Expanded geographic coverage

Service description: Metro Transit continued operating the Route 14 extension from 54th/Bloomington Avenue in south Minneapolis to serve employment in the new Cedar Point Commons retail development and at MSP Airport's air freight terminals. One additional peak bus and approximately 15 daily platform hours were added to the route in May 2008 to serve Cedar Point Commons and the air freight terminals. In May 2009, the routing was changed to use Chicago Avenue between 54th and 57th streets to provide a connection with Route 5. Minor service reductions were made in December 2008, primarily on early morning trips with very low ridership. A few trips extend to Cargo Road at MSP Airport (14-F terminal) via 66th Street- Longfellow Ave. - Cargo Road. (The Cargo Road extension is generating only about six rides per day and will be eliminated in Dec 2009. Economic slump in the air cargo business has stopped these businesses from hiring in 2008 and 2009.) Service is timed for shifts at UPS and FedEx. One way travel time is eight minutes and frequency is generally every 30 minutes from 7 AM - 11 PM, daily.

Evaluation: Ridership goals were set as follows to achieve Metro Transit's standard of 20 passengers / in-service hour.

- Weekdays +264 rides

- Saturdays +208 rides

- Sundays = +236 rides.

Actual new rides as of September 2009:

- Weekdays +176 rides

- Saturday +200 rides

- Sundays = +139 rides.

Accomplishments: Metro Transit continues to make good progress towards achieving ridership goals, and has essentially reached the Saturday target already. About 15 customers contacted us to thank us for the new service. Several of them live on 12th Ave S, near 60th Street, a neighborhood that had regular local bus service until the late 1990s. Most of the new riders are traveling from the new Cedar Point Commons Shopping Center in Richfield. Most are shoppers, not workers.

Lessons learned: Transit staff should mail out a letter with route map to all residents and businesses along planned route extension explaining the route, bus stop locations, and the frequency and span of the service, about six months before implementation. Send copy of letter and map of route to local elected officials representing the neighborhoods along the route. We asked the city staff to do this, but due to a misunderstanding, it did not happen until after implementation and caused some issues with local residents.

Metropolitan Council (495)

Route 219 (1543)

Location: Maplewood, White Bear Lake, Oakdale, and Landfall (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: Prior to receiving JARC funding, Route 219 operated hourly on weekdays from approximately 6 AM to 7 PM. JARC funding provided for several enhancements to the route: additional weekday span of service until approximately 10:30 PM, additional frequency on weekdays between 6 AM and 7 PM from once to twice per hour, and added Saturday service. Route 219 operates between two suburban transit centers in the eastern metro, Sunray and Maplewood Mall. In addition, the route serves downtown Oakdale, downtown North St. Paul, and Century College.

Evaluation: Metropolitan Council has a comprehensive route evaluation process, which is called the route analysis. Within the route analysis, all routes operated by Metropolitan Council are compared to one another on the basis of passengers per hour, passengers per mile, cost per passenger, and subsidy per passenger. Routes with statistics that fall outside the regional expectations are candidates for adjustments or reductions in frequency, span of service, or geographic coverage or for complete elimination.

Accomplishments: None

Lessons learned: None

Route 540 (1502)

Location: Bloomington, Edina, and Richfield (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Expanded geographic coverage

Service description: Prior to receiving JARC funding, Route 540 operated along I-494, a major regional freeway corridor. JARC funding allowed extension of the route to serve a suburban office park, Normandale Lakes, located in Bloomington and home to a significant concentration of jobs of various levels. Service operated at approximately 30-minute frequency during weekdays. Prior to JARC service, this complex received limited express service from downtown Minneapolis and local service, both during rush hours only. JARC funding allowed all day service and additional crosstown service.

Evaluation: Metropolitan Council has a comprehensive route evaluation process, which is called the route analysis. Within the route analysis, all routes operated by Metropolitan Council are compared to one another on the basis of passengers per hour, passengers per mile, cost per passenger, and subsidy per passenger. Routes with statistics that fall outside the regional expectations are candidates for adjustments or reductions in frequency, span of service, or geographic coverage or for complete elimination.

Accomplishments: None

Lessons learned: None

Route 612 (1547)

Location: Minnetonka, Hopkins (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Expanded geographic coverage

Service description: Route 612 operated in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, connecting portions of Minnetonka with downtown Hopkins. Metropolitan Council has an ongoing struggle providing meaningful transit service to several low-income communities within Minnetonka; rush-hour routes perform well, but local service has not. JARC funding provided an opportunity to demonstrate this route. Service provided under this funding included hourly frequency on weekdays during midday and fringe of the peak that did not require a peak bus. The peak service was provided by the express routes. All day Saturday service was also provided.

Evaluation: Metropolitan Council has a comprehensive route evaluation process, which is called the route analysis. Within the route analysis, all routes operated by Metropolitan Council are compared to one another on the basis of passengers per hour, passengers per mile, cost per passenger, and subsidy per passenger. Routes with statistics that fall outside the regional expectations are candidates for adjustments or reductions in frequency, span of service, or geographic coverage or for complete elimination.
Route was eliminated in August 2009 due to low ridership.

Accomplishments: None

Lessons learned: None

Route 720 (897)

Location: Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: Route 720 connected a district of service and entry-level jobs to the regional fixed route network. Maple Grove, located on the NW corner of the metropolitan area, has developed into an area with a significant concentration of retail and service jobs. Prior to JARC funding on this route, Metropolitan Council operated a small transit center at Starlite in Brooklyn Park, which provided connections between four routes. Route 720 operated every day with trip times focusing on non-traditional work start and end times. The route operated 14 hours each weekdays and Saturday and nine hours each Sunday/holiday.

Evaluation: Metropolitan Council has a comprehensive route evaluation process, which is called the route analysis. Within the route analysis, all routes operated by Metropolitan Council are compared to one another on the basis of passengers per hour, passengers per mile, cost per passenger, and subsidy per passenger. Routes with statistics that fall outside the regional expectations are candidates for adjustments or reductions in frequency, span of service, or geographic coverage or for complete elimination.
This route was eliminated in August 2009 due to low ridership.

Accomplishments: None

Lessons learned: None

Route 721 (1544)

Location: Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Crystal (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: Route 721 provides hourly service in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, connecting a suburban transit center, Brooklyn Center Transit Center, with Hennepin Technical College. This route is one of several routes that radiate from BCTC and serve the suburban area. Prior to JARC funding, this route operate hourly 5:30 AM to 7 PM on weekdays only and was the only route in the area that did not operate on weekends. JARC funding allowed extension of weekday span to include evenings until 9:30 PM and allowed addition of Saturday and Sunday service.

Evaluation: Metropolitan Council has a comprehensive route evaluation process, which is called the route analysis. Within the route analysis, all routes operated by Metropolitan Council are compared to one another on the basis of passengers per hour, passengers per mile, cost per passenger, and subsidy per passenger. Routes with statistics that fall outside the regional expectations are candidates for adjustments or reductions in frequency, span of service, or geographic coverage or for complete elimination.

Accomplishments: None

Lessons learned: None

SouthWest Transit (621)

SouthWest Transit Reverse Commute (675)

Location: Minneapolis - Eden Prairie (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: Route 693 JARC serviced Southdale Center (retail, commercial, and restaurant businesses), Shady Oak Park & Ride, eastern portion of Golden Triangle area (concentrated light industrial and technology-based companies), Eden Prairie Center (retail commercial and restaurant businesses) and additional strip malls, restaurants, schools, and small businesses on Preserve Blvd., Flying Cloud Drive, Anderson Lakes Parkway, Technology Drive, and SouthWest Station. Route 693 provided both eastbound and westbound hourly service from 7 AM through 6:45 PM.

Evaluation: Initially the primary evaluation was predicated on monitoring ridership, with emphasis placed on time/location of boarding and alighting. An analysis of that ridership data indicated that while the AM and PM peaks carried the highest percentages (as expected), we were also experiencing consistent “spikes” in ridership at times we were not expecting. Further research into these demand “spikes” pointed to the varying start and end times of jobs within the service area. We addressed this issue by modifying the original plan.

Accomplishments: SouthWest Transit conducted a series of multi-lingual customer service surveys which targeted the reverse commute riders. A significant number of the responses included two specific requests which led to our restructuring the route. The first issue was a request for greater frequency of service in order to accommodate the varying work start and end times, and those were dependent upon the job category to which the rider belonged. The second issue was the riders’ requests for more extensive local coverage and more bus stops closer to their places of employment.
SouthWest Transit addressed the customers’ concerns by implementing a strategy which integrated three primary components. We designed a restructured route which would extensively service the primary employment areas, including light industry, retail, restaurants, and other commercial enterprises. We increased our frequency service to allow our customers more choices and options for their starting and ending work times. We then integrated our route timings and schedule with other service providers’ arrivals and departures at Southdale Center, ensuring connectivity for our existing customers and hopefully build a ridership increase.

Lessons learned: Regardless of how well the reverse commuter route was designed, implemented, and then fine-tuned per customer feedback, factors outside the Agency’s control dictated the success of the undertaking. The reverse commute service coincided with declining economy and subsequent recession. The soaring unemployment rates no doubt affected the ridership numbers (especially in the job categories of our customers on the 693) and therefore affected the viability of providing such a specialized service.