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Final Report

MetroLink: Innovation Towards Integrated Bus Rapid Transit

Halifax Regional Municipality

This final results report on the MetroLink Bus Rapid Transit Project summarizes the work completed, the final results and the lessons learned from the implementation of the project, which started July 2004 and finished March 2008. The main sections of this final results report are Project Results, Lessons Learned and Future Enhancements.

Introduction

The MetroLink showcase project focused on making transit and active transportation more attractive to the people of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) by creating a new direct bus service linking the downtown core to surrounding communities. MetroLink was designed to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air contaminants.
• Reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.
• Reduce traffic congestion.
• Provide efficient and cost-effective transit service and attract new riders.

Initiated in 2005, MetroLink is a limited-stop, direct, fully accessible bus rapid transit (BRT) service that links some 25,000 passengers between downtown Halifax and Dartmouth, and two surrounding suburban areas.

MetroLink operates in three corridors throughout HRM. The Portland Hills Link (Route 159) and the Woodside Link (Route 165) were launched in August 2005, followed by the Sackville Link (Route 185) in February 2006. Services were designed specifically to attract regular commuters and business travellers working in downtown Halifax and Dartmouth, while also connecting the Region’s major growth nodes. In doing so, the service is helping to better integrate land use and transportation and promote more sustainable transportation options- two core objectives of the HRM Regional Plan. The project components were as follows:

Acquisition of 20 MetroLink buses: The vehicles include carpeted walls and ceilings for sound dampening, custom upholstered high-back seats with arm and foot rests, and air conditioning -a first for Metro Transit. Bus paint schemes were carefully designed to highlight the MetroLink brand, and all buses remain advertising free. The buses are equipped with wheelchair ramps and external bike racks to ensure accessibility for all riders.

Upgrading/construction stations: Two new terminals were built at Portland Hills and Sackville, and the existing transit terminals in Dartmouth and downtown Halifax were upgraded to handle significantly increased passenger volumes. All terminals were designed to provide convenient, comfortable and safe passenger transfer between travel modes, including regular Metro Transit buses, Park & Ride lots, and active transportation modes. Bike lockers were provided at major stations to help encourage people to use sustainable modes for their entire trip. A wide variety of passenger information was provided at the major terminals.

Branding and marketing: Metro Transit developed and executed a marketing and communications plan designed to educate and encourage non-transit users to change their mode of transportation. Just prior to the launch of MetroLink, a number of public outreach activities were executed. A cost-effective advertising campaign was developed by taking advantage of existing Metro Transit advertising media, such as external bus boards, transit shelter posters, the GoTimes newsletter and the Metro Transit website. Since the initial service was introduced, there were no additional major marketing campaigns because the service became essentially self-promoting and almost filled to capacity.

Traffic movement: Transit signal priority (TSP), which moves transit vehicles through signal-controlled intersections more efficiently, was implemented at 14 intersections and queue jump spaces were provided. In some cases, improvements in traffic flow were achieved by re-marking roadway surfaces and with minimal road widening.

Performance measuring: An important aspect of Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Showcase Program and of the MetroLink project was the establishment of performance criteria and periodic measurements to determine the success of the project in reaching the goals of increasing transit ridership and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Project results

During the course of the MetroLinks project, a number of different data collections were made to provide a clear indication of progress and outcomes. Surveys were conducted on a yearly basis on a 50% sample of daily riders on all three routes, gathering information about user behaviour, customer satisfaction, mode choice, origins and destinations, etc. System-wide transit ridership counts and collision data were also gathered by Halifax Regional Municipality. Other system operational data such as fuel consumption, total hours and kilometres and operating costs was amassed by Metro Transit.

Transit ridership: Since the implementation of Phase I of the MetroLink project in 2005, combined ridership on both conventional and BRT routes within the Metro Transit service area increased. In 2006, total daily ridership was reported to be 79,566, an increase of about 6% from 2005 and 7% from 2004. Daily ridership on MetroLink routes was reported to be 2,600 for the year 2006, a 160% increase from 2005, which is an indicator of the success of the project, and the rapid rate at which the bus rapid transit attracted new users.

The number of MetroLink pass holders increased steadily since the introduction of the service. According to a passenger survey conducted in 2005, 29% of passengers travelling on Routes 159 and 165 and 27% of passengers travelling on Route 185 held a MetroLink Pass.

Reduction in personal vehicle use: Analysis of total vehicle-kilometres driven by MetroLink passengers before and after system implementation indicate the degree to which these objectives were achieved. According to data provided from a survey of new transit riders conducted in November 2006, new MetroLink riders (about 30% of all MetroLink riders) operated private vehicles an average of 15 kilometres less than before implementation of the system. This is a 68% reduction in vehicle-kms travelled, from 21.5 to 6.8 km.

Transit travel times: Travel times on conventional and MetroLink routes along the two BRT corridors were compared to evaluate the travel time performance of the system. For example, the travel times on Route 159 were reduced by 17%.

Greenhouse gases and criteria air contaminants emissions: New MetroLink users produced 5.2 kg of greenhouse gases and 0.3 kg of criteria air contaminant per day prior to using MetroLink services. Based on MetroLink buses, their emissions were reduced to 2.6 kg and 0.1 kg, or a reduction of 51% and 64%, respectively.

Promotion of alternative modes: The results of annual MetroLink surveys show that 1.5% of riders in 2005 and 0.5% of riders in 2006 chose to ride a bicycle to MetroLink terminals. In addition, about 88% of bicycle riders used bus-mounted bicycle racks in both 2005 and 2006.

User satisfaction: Passengers were asked to rate MetroLink services in a number of different categories as a part of the annual user surveys. These categories include new customer seating, air conditioning, overall comfort, length of trip and operator friendliness. About 65% of riders were extremely happy with the services, while less than 0.5% thought the services were poor. Passengers were most satisfied with the shorter travel times and reliability and convenience of the service. Approximately 95% of riders thought the fares were reasonable, while 5% believed they should be lower. Similar user satisfaction was expressed about the shelters, bus stops and infomasts. User satisfaction with savings in travel times, the level of comfort of the vehicles, and Park & Ride stations has been captured and expressed frequently by articles in local magazines and newspapers since the implementation of MetroLink.

Passenger safety and security also increased with the new and improved transit facilities, with improved lighting as one example. Higher passenger traffic resulted in busier stations, which also increased the sense of security. An increase in the number of Park & Ride spots reduces the need for walking or waiting to be picked up (actions which may make passengers feel uncomfortable in late hours and/or in low-density areas). Last, predictability of bus arrival and departure times was deemed to contribute to a higher sense of safety by reducing wait times.

Land use: MetroLink was expected to have multifaceted impacts on land use through higher development density in proximity to stations and routes. Evidence of land use impacts near MetroLink terminals can be seen in the increasing number of new development advertisements. Real estate listings also use proximity to MetroLink terminals as a selling point in housing advertisements.

Lessons learned

MetroLink has been very successful in increasing bus ridership and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The launch of the service was on time and on budget. Since then, MetroLink has demonstrated successes in terms of system performance, operating costs, user acceptance and ridership, and positive media attention. Along with these achievements, there were also a number of project challenges:

• Park & Ride lots were filled to capacity almost immediately upon introduction of MetroLink service. Parking lots are usually full before the end of the morning peak. This can be a deterrent to people wanting to use MetroLink during off-peak hours.
• Off-peak demand from Monday to Friday is currently low. Improvements are planned to attract non-business-oriented commuters to use MetroLink during off-peak service hours. MetroLink initially offered Saturday service. Due to a lack of weekend demand, the service was cancelled. Improvements are planned to attract other user demographics; however, it will remain to be seen whether or not the return of Saturday service is warranted.
• To accommodate demand during peak hours, Metro Transit was forced to adjust the 15-minute headways to provide a more frequent 10-minute headway. Buses are still at capacity during peak hours with this revised headway.
• Demand for MetroLink services is likely to increase beyond capacity in the coming years. Expansion of existing MetroLink routes, such as adding more stops, could overwhelm the service and degrade passenger benefits.

MetroLink provided a number of lessons that could be helpful to other transit agencies considering rapid transit:

• Initial demand potential cannot be underestimated. It is better to be prepared than to struggle to quickly add service to meet demand. In addition, the transit agency should have a plan in place to increase service levels rapidly, if this becomes necessary.
• Pre-launch marketing and positive media attention helps to garner community support and encourages residents to try the service upon launch.
• Phased introduction of services or routes is suggested to allow for corrections and fine-tuning of the system. (MetroLink routes were introduced in two phases.)
• The service should be launched at the highest demand peak of the year. In the case of HRM, this timeframe corresponds to the start of university classes. The objective was to capture the student market at the start of the school year.
• Extensive testing of system and routes should be carried out with regular buses prior to service implementation to ensure that schedules can be met for both peak and off-peak hours. Metro Transit conducted approximately 20 trials for each time period.
• It is advisable to have the transit signal priority running in advance of system testing so that schedule adherence test results are more accurate.
• Once service has been launched, it is important to maintain bus schedules in order to build service credibility with the public.

The public success of MetroLink has resulted in a new challenge – people are now requesting extension of MetroLink to their areas.

Future enhancements

Future development of the MetroLink system will include service enhancements, service expansion, and support initiatives. Although MetroLink has been a huge success, there are a number of opportunities for future service enhancements.

Halifax Regional Municipality is in the process of implementing a computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) system to send messages from the Metro Transit Control Centre to buses. A real-time bus arrival system based on Halifax’s automatic vehicle location (AVL) system is also planned. The telephone-based system for next bus arrival information, already available to passengers waiting at MetroLink and Metro Transit stations and stops, will be upgraded. Automated fare payment may be implemented in lieu of the present on-board payment.

Based on current projections, demand for MetroLink service is likely to continue to increase in the coming years. Expansion of the service will likely be needed to accommodate the growing ridership. Requests by the public to expand MetroLink to other areas started soon after its introduction.

Summary and conclusions

The objective of the MetroLink bus rapid transit project was to increase bus ridership and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the four-year life of the project, new buses were acquired, stations were constructed and upgraded, road infrastructure improvements were made to facilitate transit movement, and a number of related efforts were made to increase Park&Ride facilities, increase bicycling, and measure the results of each of these measures. MetroLink has been an overwhelming success that can be summarized as follows:

• Increased Ridership: 5,537 new transit riders since 2004; 0.7 riders /capita change in annual ridership between 2005 and 2006; 1.8 riders /capita change in annual ridership between 2005 and 2006.
• Increased mode share: 30% of users walk to MetroLink terminals; 30% of users use Park & Ride lots; 22% of users take conventional transit to access MetroLink terminals; 57% reduction in vehicle kilometres traveled by MetroLink users.
• Travel times savings: 17% travel time savings on Route 159; 45% travel time savings on Route 165; 55% travel time savings on Route 185.
• Service effectiveness: On sample route 185, 60%, 70% and 86% reduction of variability of arrival time for the morning peak, mid-day, and evening peak periods respectively.
• Increased passenger safety: 64% reduction in traffic collision rate between 2005 and 2006 on MetroLink routes: 50% reduction in traffic collision rate between 2006 and 2007 on MetroLink routes.
• Cost efficiency: $5 per rider capital costs - second lowest among other North American bus rapid-transit systems.
• Increased quality of the environment: 51% GHG savings (2.6 kg / new rider / day); 64% CAC savings (0.24 kg / new rider/ day).
• Land-use: Establishment of the link between transportation investment and sustainable land-use control.
• Promotion of alternative modes: 15 riders (1.5%) per day in 2005 and 12 riders (0.5) per day in 2006 arrive at MetroLink terminals by bicycle; Almost 90% of bicycle riders use bus bicycle racks.

For More Information

For more information on the MetroLink project, please visit
http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/MetroLink.html or contact:

David Reage
Planning and Project Delivery Coordinator
Metro Transit
200 Ilsley Ave
Dartmouth, NS B3B 1V1
Email: reaged@halifax.ca 

For posted information about this project, visit the UTSP Website Case Study Library.

Date modified:

2010-02-03

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