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7. 2006 Update

2006 Update

iXpress: Central Transit Corridor Express Bus Project

Region of Waterloo Central Transit

Introduction

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo officially launched the limited-stop, mixed traffic express bus service in September 2005. The service links universities, regional hospitals, shopping malls and the downtown districts of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge. When fully operational in late 2006/early 2007, the system will feature new transit technologies and active transportation connections.

Summary of work completed

iXpress service: The iXpress service began in September 2005. It operates Monday to Friday from 6am to 7pm at 15-minute intervals during peak periods and at 30-minute intervals during the off-peak times. It does not operate on weekends.

Unconditional transit signal priority (TSP) was implemented at the same time at selected intersections along the express route. Conditional TSP cannot be implemented until the on-board vehicle technology (i.e. automatic vehicle location system and upgraded system software) is deployed. It is anticipated that these components will be operational in late 2006 or early 2007.

Currently, seven of thirteen stations have been constructed. The remaining stations will be built in summer 2006 as new, adjoining developments and road construction/realignment projects are completed. Station amenities include new shelters, seating, lighting, bike racks, and customer information.

There has been a steady increase in ridership since launching the service, with the number of daily riders increasing from 2,500 at system launch, to 3,500 daily riders in February 2006. It is anticipated that ridership will reach target levels once all of the stations are completed and the transit technology systems are implemented.

Transit technology: Due to budget, tendering and installation issues and requirements, the iXpress system's automated vehicle location and dispatch will begin to be implemented in summer 2006 to allow for real time information panels and on-bus travel time and station announcements. Automatic passenger counters will be put in the buses to improve ridership data collection and TSP elements will be added to the system during summer 2006. A web-based trip planner will also be developed and integrated with the automated vehicle location and real time information systems.

Given the complexities and challenges of implementing iXpress's transit technology systems, a consulting firm was hired to develop integration standards and protocols and the accompanying technical specifications. A tender has since been put out for the systems and a supplier has been contracted. It is anticipated that all transit technology systems will be rolled out during the next reporting period (April 2006 to March 2007).

Intermodal Integration: To improve pedestrian and bicycle connections to and from the system, bicycle racks were installed on all iXpress buses (as they have been on the entire fleet) and bicycle racks were installed at key stations. Bike lockers will soon be added. An extensive awareness and education campaign called "Bus n' Bike" was launched to promote the bicycle racks.

Pedestrian audits were also carried out as part of route planning and identified deficiencies in the system. As a result, pedestrian accessibility improvements were made at two stations - Grand River Hospital and Conestoga Mall. Improvements included curb ramps, landing areas and crosswalk markings.

Marketing and Outreach: The launch of the iXpress service included a significant marketing campaign that involved the distribution of new timetables, newsletters and print and radio ads. An iXpress web page on the Grand River Transit website (www.grt.ca) was also launched. All iXpress sign posts, roadside stations and buses were branded with an eye-catching logo and colour scheme. Final marketing of the bus service will occur once the roll-out of the full service is complete.

Two on-board intercept surveys were completed over the winter months that reached 1,500 riders. Survey questions included questions on age, gender, trip purpose, trip origin, trip destination, trip frequency, and mode used prior to iXpress. Some early results indicated that:

• 40% of trips are home-based trips
• 20% are work-related
• 26% are school-related trips
• 60% of respondents arrived at the iXpress station by foot
• 36% of respondents transferred from a local bus.
• 15% of passengers had a car available for the trip but chose to use the iXpress service

Project Participants

The project has been led by the Region of Waterloo and Grand River Transit. Other partners who have supported the project include the Cities of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge and the University of Waterloo, which is responsible for developing and managing the monitoring and measurement activities. Also Wilfred Laurier University and Grand River Hospital have worked with the Region of Waterloo in the development of iXpress stops on their properties.

Benefits Measurement

Data collection responsibilities are shared among the region, external consultants, and the University of Waterloo. The monitoring program will measure the effectiveness of project social marketing, the active mode switch, the performance of transit technology (TSP, AVLS, APCS), and customers' use of traveler information, including a wWeb-based transit planner and real-time transit information. The goal is to measure the impact of all of these individually to distinguish the different effect each of these components have on travel time. Given some project delays, planned objectives were not reached.

There have been delays in many components of the project. The schedule has been revised, but these time delays will result in limited measurement time with really only the first two to three months of 2007 available for evaluation. An extension to the program sunset date would allow for more time for evaluation of the service.

The project's GHG impacts methodology is based on the origin, destination, mode and frequency of travel. For drivers who had switched to the service, their average trip lengths and average fuel consumption are calculated and converted into GHG emissions reductions. To date, early estimates show a net annualized reduction of 500 to 700 tonnes of GHGs. This figure is expected to grow over 30% as annual ridership increases with full system deployment.

Challenges and Successes

Transit technology implementation: The selection and implementation of the service's transit technology systems has proven to be one of the project's greatest challenges. The Regional District of Waterloo significantly underestimated the time required to collect and assess information and to ensure that all relevant stakeholders were adequately involved. The selected system was significantly over the estimated budget, which delayed the final selection, and the project's benefits measurement component, several months.

Service marketing: Despite limited roll-out of the system, effective and engaging marketing has helped the iXpress ridership exceed early projections. Early rider surveys also indicate a high satisfaction with the service. Final marketing of the bus service will occur once the roll-out of the full service is complete. Marketing materials have included articles about the iXpress in
Grand River Transit's Environews newsletter which is mailed to a large number of households in the region, on-board newsletters, on-line newsletters, local radio ads and print ads in local community and business magazines. A draft social marketing strategy is also currently in development.

Transit signal priority (TSP) performance: Initial bus operator reaction to TSP has been mixed. One of the main challenges has been conveying the message to drivers that TSP does not guarantee a green light at controlled intersections. This is because there are a number of limitations inherent in the system, including a delay between uses of the TSP capability. For example, if one bus using TSP, or a fire truck with pre-emption, goes through an intersection there are a minimum number of cycles that the signal must go through prior to the TSP activating the signal again. This has resulted in delays on certain sections where northbound and southbound iXpress buses pass one another in close proximity to a TSP-controlled intersection. Once the TSP becomes conditional and is connected to the CAD/AVL system, these issues can be better monitored and, potentially, resolved.

iXpress shelter construction: The construction of iXpress shelters was delayed due to unexpected costs not originally budgeted in the original tender documents including a specialized concrete pad to support the unique cantilevered shelters. Site preparation was also fairly complicated and required legal agreements with multiple property owners. The Regional Council also struggled between selecting the modern looking cantilevered shelter or a Victorian style shelter. The Council delay in selecting the shelter resulted in their installation being delayed several months.

For more information

For more information, please visit the iXpress Web site at http://www.grt.ca or contact:

John Cicuttin
Associate Director, Transportation Planning
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
150 Frederick Street
Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3
Tel: (519) 575-4023
Fax: (519) 575-4449
Email: CiJohn@region.waterloo.on.ca

Date modified:

2010-02-03

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