February_2022 - 25

Regional Transit Service
was a high for the many people on
fixed income.
" After that meeting, we lowered
it to $4. And [the service] certainly
was well received, " Carpenter said.
Measuring Success
RTS launched its new system May
17, 2021, which was about a year
later than originally planned due
to COVID-19. While the pandemic
did affect the project timeline, it did
not dampen the success.
" Given the magnitude and the
amount of change that happened
in one day, I don't think it could
have gone better, " Brede reflected.
Leading up to launch day, RTS
had to replace nearly every bus stop
sign and conduct extensive outreach
and marketing campaigns
to educate riders. On launch day,
RTS placed " ambassadors " at the
transit center and at connection
hubs to help people navigate the
new routes and services.
Since the launch, ridership in
the on-demand zones is 51 percent
higher than it was with the old system,
with more people using RTS
for transportation. Not only has
ridership expanded, but the community's
idea of public transit has
expanded as well.
" We, as transit agencies, need
to recognize our need to provide
mobility to the community that
improves equity, " Carpenter said.
" In a system redesign like this, we
now have a platform where we can
better serve our community with
mobility options. It wouldn't have
been possible before. "
What's Next
As RTS continues to measure the
success of its newly designed system,
the agency plans to advocate for
more state funding to pursue other
items to complete the RTS network.
" We list the items that are in
the final report to say, here are the
things that complete the system;
we don't have a complete system, "
Carpenter shared.
Such items include improving
fixed-route frequency on the weekCertified
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FEBRUARY 2022 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 25
end; adding routes to the frequent
network; extending service hours
of the fixed-route system; increasing
the number of on-demand
vehicles; and extend service hours
in on-demand zones to match the
fixed-route system.
" What we've worked on from
an advocacy perspective in the
last several years is getting more
people involved, more voices involved, "
Brede said. " So voices of
our advocates, of our customers,
of members of local government,
because we all want the same
thing. And it's a much more powerful
ask when we're all doing it
together. "
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February_2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February_2022