1. Transit Quality of Service Applications Comprehensive Planning November 2, 2007 Florida Department of Transportation Public Transit Office

2. Transportation Element …adopted level of service standards for roads and transit 9J-5.019 (3) (h) Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2326

3. What is Transit Quality of Service? Evaluation from passenger’s point of view Intended to supplement traditional “business” measures Two primary aspects of quality of service –Availability –Comfort and convenience

4. Fixed-Route QOS Framework Transit StopRoute SegmentSystem AvailabilityFrequencyHours of ServiceService Coverage Comfort & Convenience Passenger LoadReliability Transit-Auto Travel Time

5. Service Frequency Nobody likes to wait

6. Service Frequency QOS Headway (min) Veh/hComments A<10>6Passengers don’t need schedules B10-145-6 Frequent service, passengers consult schedules C15-203-4 Maximum desirable time to wait if bus/train missed D21-302Service unattractive to choice riders E31-601Service available during the hour F>60<1Service unattractive to all riders

7. Service Frequency Measure of transit accessibility & convenience –Ease of making spur-of-the moment trips –Wait time when the schedule isn’t known or a bus is missed –Attractiveness to choice riders Can be measured: –By street –By activity center pair Can be described as % of people with access to service at a particular QOS level

8. Example Frequency QOS Map

9. Hours of Service Many people want to stay out late

10. Hours of Service QOSHours of ServiceComments A19-24Night or “owl” service provided B17-18Late evening service provided C14-16Early evening service provided D12-13Daytime service provided E4-11 Peak hour service only or limited midday service F0-3Very limited or no service

11. Hours of Service Hours of service describes how people can use transit service to make different types of trips –Peak-period commute trips only? –Midday-trips only? –Ability to stay late before returning home –Ability to access jobs with non-traditional start/end times Can be described for: –Locations –Between activity center pairs

12. Example Hours of Service QOS Map

13. Service Coverage Everybody wants to go everywhere

14. Service Coverage QOS% TSA CoveredComments A90.0-100.0%Most major origins & destination served B80.0-89.9% C70.0-79.9%About ¾ of higher-density areas served D60.0-69.9% E50.0-59.9% F<50.0% Less than half of higher-density areas served TSA/Transit Supportive Area is the portion of the area being analyzed that has a household density of at least 3 units per gross acre or an employment density of at least 4 jobs per gross acre

15. Service Coverage Transit-supportive area concept can be used to compare land use alternatives –Is density in corridors or scattered nodes? –How many people/jobs are in areas that are reasonably economical to serve with fixed- route transit? –FTIS can be used for existing conditions –Easy to identify potential service gaps

16. Example Future Service Coverage Map

17. Passenger Load Everybody wants a seat

18. Passenger Load QOSLoad FactorComments A0.00-0.50No passenger need sit next to another B0.51-0.75Passenger can choose where to sit C0.76-1.00All passengers can sit D1.01-1.25*Comfortable standee load for design E1.26-1.50*Maximum schedule load F>1.50*Crush load

19. Passenger Loads Identify potential capacity deficiencies –Identify areas of strong demand that might respond to service improvements –APC data becoming more widely available –NTD passenger-mile reporting sheets are also a potential data source

20. Example Bus Passenger Load QOS Map

21. Reliability Nobody likes to be late

22. Reliability QOSOn-Time PercentageComments A95.0-100.0%1 late transit vehicle every 2 weeks B90.0-94.9%1 late transit vehicle every week C85.0-89.9%3 late transit vehicles every 2 weeks D80.0-84.9%2 late transit vehicles every week E75.0-79.9%More than 2 late transit vehicles every week F<75.0%1 late transit vehicle at least daily

23. Reliability QOS explains reliability in easy to understand terms –On-time performance AVL system make reliability data relatively easy to collect Look at reliability at multiple points along route to pinpoint problem locations/identify causes

24. Example of Reliability QOS Identify routes with reliability issues –Use targeted analysis to determine cause RouteOn-Time Performance QOSAdditional Analysis? 186%CNo 279%EYes 383%DNo 494%BNo 557%FYes 668%FYes

25. Transit Auto Travel Time Everybody wants to get there fast

26. Transit to Auto Travel Time QOSTravel Time Difference (min) Comments A 0 Faster by transit than by car B 1-15 About as fast by transit as by car C 16-30 Tolerable for choice riders D 31-45 Round-trip at least an hour longer by transit E 46-60 Tedious for all riders; may be best possible in small cities F >60 Unacceptable to most riders

27. Transit-Auto Travel Time Compare door-to-door travel times between: –Activity center pairs Overview of transit’s competitiveness for different trip purposes within the region Less effort required and easier to map –Traffic analysis zones Detailed comparison of competitiveness for all trips covered by the regional model Easy to describe results as “x % of trips are QOS A”,etc.

28. Example Transit-Auto Travel Time QOS Table

29. Key Points Develop transit QOS standards to guide transit policy Describe % of people experiencing different levels of service to demonstrate benefits Identify service deficiencies Strategize solution Capital Improvements Element Transit proportionate share

30. Transportation Element …adopted level of service standards for roads and transit 9J-5.019 (3) (h) Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2326