Mass Transit - 31

Bus Network Redesign
While gathering feedback
required a more substantial effort compared to previous public engagement processes, DART
learned, in some cases, it could
expand its outreach through
virtual events, explains Plesko.
Instead of hoping people attend
one in-person meeting or transit forum, offering several virtual meetings attracted people
that are not normally involved
in this process.
But collecting feedback is just
one piece to the puzzle. Plesko
says the agency had not expected
this "economic shock" and the reduction in riders and revenue will
"trickle through the system" over
DART's 20-year financial plan,
affecting how much money can
be spent on vehicle replacements,
capital projects, state of good repair, and of course, rolling out the
new service plan.

"That's a critical decision the
board will have to work on when
they give us direction on the percentage of ridership versus coverage," Plesko said.
Because of this, DART is also
examining if it can expand its
GoLink and UberPool services as
these can be more cost effective
than running various bus routes.
As the agency moves forward,
it will need to rethink how it
wins back both traditional and
new riders. Not only will DART
highlight the improved frequency
and better speed of the redesigned
network, but it will also need to
demonstrate how safe and clean
the system is and what the agency
is doing regarding these efforts.
"Those are things that we had
never even thought of before,
quite frankly," Plesko added.
Another tactic to win back
riders will focus on attracting a

market segment that hasn't been
targeted before. For instance, Plesko explains the percentage of work
trips that are done in Plano, or other suburban areas, there's relatively
few trips that are done by public
transit, making this an ideal market to identify new potential riders.
Additionally, DART is coordinating with cities within its service area to concentrate on Transit Oriented Development around
its rail stations so that people who
already want to live in a walkable
and transit-friendly environment
can do so around high frequency
bus and rail hubs.
"We feel that we may end up
losing some of our traditional
market, but we feel that there's
an opportunity to bring a new
market in," Plesko said. "That
remains to be seen whether we
will accomplish that, but that's
our objective."

"[COVID-19]
really changed
the amount
of effort and
the time that
we were doing
the outreach
for public
engagement."

CHARLES
FRAZIER,
executive
director, Rock
Region Metro

WHAT IF TRAVEL PEAKS
ARE GONE?
Travel behaviors have changed - and then some. What's
next for your bus network? Planners need the right
tools to plan streetable solutions quickly. For network
adjustments of every scale, leading transit operators
trust HASTUS.

giro.ca
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit |

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