ional tranroute sit profiles - cympo

Appendix D

Yavapai Regional Transit Route Profiles

Central Yavapai Transit Implementation Plan Update

Central Yavapai MPO Transit Implementation Plan Update

Yavapai Regional Transit Route Profiles May 2019

Central Yavapai MPO Transit Implementation Plan Update Yavapai Regional Transit Route Profiles

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. | 1

Table of Contents Page

Yavapai Regional Transit......................................................................................... 3 Service Improvement Opportunities......................................................................................4 System-wide Service Improvement Opportunities.......................................................5

Gold Route ................................................................................................................ 6 Route Overview...................................................................................................................................6 Service Overview................................................................................................................................6 Ridership .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Service Improvement Opportunities......................................................................................9

Green Route ............................................................................................................ 10 Route Overview.................................................................................................................................10 Service Overview............................................................................................................................... 11 Ridership ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Service Improvement Opportunities.................................................................................... 13

Red Route................................................................................................................ 14 Route Overview................................................................................................................................. 14 Service Overview.............................................................................................................................. 15 Ridership ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Service Improvement Opportunities.................................................................................... 17

Blue Route ............................................................................................................... 18 Route Overview................................................................................................................................. 18 Service Overview.............................................................................................................................. 19 Ridership ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Service Improvement Opportunities.................................................................................... 21



Figures Figure 1 | Yavapai Regional Transit System.......................................................... 3 Figure 2 | Gold Route Map ...................................................................................... 6 Figure 3 | Gold Route Ridership by Stop Map ...................................................... 8 Figure 4 | Green Route Map .................................................................................. 10 Figure 5 | Green Route Ridership by Stop Map.................................................. 12 Figure 6 | Red Route Map ..................................................................................... 14 Figure 7 | Red Route Ridership by Stop Map ..................................................... 16 Figure 8 | Blue Route Map ..................................................................................... 18 Figure 9 | Blue Route Ridership by Stop Map ................................................... 20

Tables Table 1 | Gold Route Schedule Statistics ............................................................... 7 Table 2 | Green Route Schedule Statistics ........................................................... 11 Table 3 | Red Route Schedule Statistics ............................................................. 15 Table 4 | Blue Route Schedule Statistics ............................................................ 19



YAVAPAI REGIONAL TRANSIT Yavapai Regional Transit (YRT) is a nonprofit organization that provides general public transportation service in Chino Valley, Prescott, and Prescott Valley (see Figure 1). Services include local deviated flex-route service in Chino Valley and regional deviated flex-route service to Prescott and Prescott Valley, and are available on weekdays between 8 AM and 5 PM. All routes operate along a set alignment and adhere to a published schedule. As noted, all route service will “flex”, or deviate up to one mile upon customer request.

In 2018, YRT provided 9,390 customer rides, averaging almost five passengers per trip. Annually, YRT operated 75,000 service miles and provided over 5,000 service hours. Major destinations in the system include Chino Valley Safeway, Downtown Prescott, the Prescott Walmart, and the Gateway Mall.

YRT has a total annual budget of $415,353. The primary revenue source is rural 5311 funds; this means that YRT must operate in rural and markets and restricted to picking-up and dropping-off riders in rural areas. In addition to 5311 funds, YRT receives funding from local governments, businesses, in-kind donations, and fares.

Figure 1 | Yavapai Regional Transit System



As a 5311 provider, YRT’s service is limited to serving customers in non-urbanized areas. This means at least one end of the trip must originate outside of Prescott or Prescott Valley.

Service Improvement Opportunities As part of the Transit Implementation Plan Update, Nelson\Nygaard prepared a detailed look at YRT’s existing service. The analysis was limited to the available data, which included overall ridership and ridership by stop. We used this information to identify opportunities to improve the bus service.

Findings are intended to support a discussion. Opportunities represent ideas, not recommendations and in some cases opportunities are contradictory, recognizing that there may be more than one way to improve service. The recommendations also may conflict with the 5311 limitations in favor of recommending customer-friendly service over policy issues, which often create complex barriers for transit users. Service recommendations are also not fiscally constrained, to ensure that all opportunities are presented. The analysis examines each route individually and identifies opportunities for system-wide improvements as well as for individual routes.

All route recommendations are based on sound service design principals:

Simple Is Better than Complicated: A simple route structure and simple schedules will attract more riders than a complex system. First and foremost, for people to use transit, they must be able to understand it, and simpler services are easier for riders to understand. Simpler systems also help ensure that they get where they want to go when they want to without experiencing frustration and problems.

Variants Should be Minimized: While there are often good reasons run variant services – for example, to schools and avoid running service to shopping centers after they have closed – they add to complexity. To help make service simple, variant services should be minimized to the greatest extent possible.

Routes Should Operate Along a Direct Path: The fewer turns a route makes, the easier it is to understand. Conversely, circuitous alignments are disorienting and difficult to remember. Routes should not deviate from the most direct alignment unless there is a compelling reason.

Routes Should Serve Well Defined Markets: The reconfiguration of service around more clearly defined markets can help to make service easy to understand.

Routes Should Operate to and from Strong Anchors: Where possible, to serve demand in both directions, routes should have strong anchors at both ends such as shopping centers, medical centers, or large employers.

Routes Should be Symmetrical: Wherever local street networks allow, routes should operate along the same alignment in both directions to make it easy for riders to know how to get back to where they came from. Loops and circuitous alignments should be avoided whenever possible.



System-wide Service Improvement Opportunities Publish a timetable with inbound and outbound time points. One of the number one barriers to potential customers is the difficulty of understanding transit service. To access any service a customer must have exact change, understand where a route goes, know which side of the street to wait, and know how to read a schedule. Anything that transit providers can do to break down these complex barriers helps to attract potential customers.

Operate service earlier and later. The first trip of the day starts at 7:55 AM and the last trip ends at 2:48 PM. The majority of jobs cover an eight-hour work day and traditionally require workers to be on site between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Starting service at 6:00 AM and ending service at 6:00 PM would provide better access to jobs.

Convert service to on-demand microtransit. The transit industry has begun to utilize technology to rethink traditional on-demand service. Historically, on-demand service required advance reservations, and actual pickup and dropoff times could vary widely, making the service undesirable to customers. New technologies in transit now allow for dynamic on-demand services that utilize pickup nodes or dynamic routing options to provide services comparable to taxi or ride-hailing services. These new technologies utilize smartphone apps, web-based scheduling, and traditional call-in options to provide convenient options for all customers. These options allow customers to schedule trips in real time and allow transit services to actively match supply with demand The technology prioritizes pickups and dropoffs by geography, just as taxi or ride-hailing services do.

Convert service to a fixed route and offer complementary paratransit. Deviated flex services, such as those currently offered, by nature are inconsistent due to the need to leave the fixed alignment and provide curb-to-curb service on request. This inconsistency leads to challenges in maintaining a schedule and can result in late trips and customer complaints. While more expensive, providing a separate complementary paratransit service creates better service for those using the fixed route as well as those using the curb-to-curb service.



GOLD ROUTE

Route Overview The Gold Route is a deviated flex route that operates in a loop from the Chino Valley Senior Center, south along Route 89 to the Chino Valley American Legion, and back north along State Route 89 before providing local circulation through northeastern areas of Chino Valley.

Figure 2 | Gold Route Map

Service Overview

Schedule

Service operates Monday through Friday at a frequency of once an hour. Service begins at 7:55 AM and operates until 2:48 PM, providing seven counterclockwise loop trips each day. Yavapai Regional Transit does not provide service on weekends.



Table 1 | Gold Route Schedule Statistics

Service Day Span of Service Daily Trips (CW) Monday-Friday 7:55 AM to 2:48 PM 7 Saturday N/A N/A

Sunday N/A N/A

Ridership

Total Ridership

The Gold Route carries 2,700 customers annually, or approximately 11 customers per day.

Ridership by Stop

The route originates at the Chino Valley Senior Center, operates south to the American Legion and provides local neighborhood circulation through Chino Valley before returning to the Chino Valley Senior Center. Average weekly ridership along the route is as follows:

At the Senior Center, 5 customers board and 2 alight As the route travels south along Route 89:

− 2 customers board and 3 alight at the Walgreens There are two notable deviations along Route 89:

− There are 2 boardings at 1 East & 3 South − Maverik generates 5 boardings and 3 alightings

At the American Legion, there are 10 boardings and 7 alightings As the route returns north and circulates thought the Chino Valley neighborhood:

− 3 customers board and 1 alights at Cactus Wren − 3 customers board and 2 alight at Bottle Brush − 1 customer boards and 1 alights at Purple Sage

At the Safeway, the route generates 38 boardings and 33 alightings The route travels east to Del Rio, where 1 customer boards and 1 alights At Dollar Tree, 2 customers board and 2 alight At the Library deviation, 1 customer boards and 1 alights

Note that stops served by multiple routes include boardings and alightings from all routes combined.



Figure 3 | Gold Route Ridership by Stop Map



Service Improvement Opportunities Opportunities to strengthen the route are listed below. Some suggestions may be contradictory, as there is usually more than one approach to improving a route.

Operate service on Saturdays and Sundays. Many jobs, activities, and appointments take place on weekends. To attract additional customers, service should be provided seven days a week.

Convert the one-way loop to bidirectional service. The current one-way loop takes 60 minutes to complete. This means, for example, that a customer living on Juniper Drive and traveling to the Family Dollar will be on the bus for 50 minutes to complete a round trip. Bidirectional service would reduce the travel time of this same trip to 20 minutes.

Streamline service along East Road 2 North. The neighborhood alignment to Juniper Drive takes approximately five minutes per trip. Alternatively, keeping service on East Route 2 North saves travel time and only requires a 1,200-foot (0.2 mile) walk from the farthest point in the neighborhood. This revised alignment would be – North on Judy Avenue to Porcupine Pass, West on East Road 2 North to Safeway.



GREEN ROUTE

Route Overview The Green Route is a deviated flex route that operates between the Chino Valley Safeway and the Prescott Gateway Mall. Inbound, the route provides direct service along State Route 89 headed south, turning on to Willow Creek Road and then operating eastbound through Prescott, connecting to Yavapai College, and terminating at Prescott Gateway Mall. Outbound service returns north via Prescott Lakes Parkway and Route 89. This terminal routing is reversed on alternate trips.

Figure 4 | Green Route Map



Service Overview

Schedule

Service operates on weekdays, except Wednesday. Service is scheduled from 8:10 AM to 5:29 PM, providing eight one-way trips each day. Yavapai Regional Transit does not provide service on weekends.

Table 2 | Green Route Schedule Statistics

Service Day Span of Service Daily Trips

(Inbound/Outbound) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

8:10 AM to 5:29 PM 4/4

Saturday N/A N/A Sunday N/A N/A

Ridership

Total Ridership

The Green Route carries 3,400 customers annually, or approximately 17 customers per day.

Ridership by Stop

The route connects Chino Valley to Prescott, originating at the Chino Valley Safeway and operating directly along Route 89 and Route 69, terminating at Prescott Gateway Mall. Average weekly ridership along the route is a follows:

Inbound:

Inbound trips begin at Safeway in Chino Valley, where 2 customers board and 3 alight Along Route 89:

− Safeway generates 38 boardings and 33 alightings − Maverik generates 5 boardings and 3 alightings − The American Legion generates 10 boardings and 7 alightings

In Prescott: − The Walmart generates 11 boardings and 13 alightings − 23 customers board and 16 alight in Downtown Prescott

Along Route 69, − Yavapai College generates 7 boardings and 6 alightings − Another 6 customers board and 6 alight at Frontier Village − The Walmart along Route 69 generates 3 boardings and 4 alightings

The route terminates at the Gateway Mall where 7 customers board and 6 alight Note that stops served by multiple routes include boardings and alightings from all routes combined.



Figure 5 | Green Route Ridership by Stop Map




Operate service on Wednesday. To attract additional customers, service should be provided on Wednesdays. This keeps service consistent for customers and makes service easier to understand. This change should be done in combination with changes to the Red and Blue Routes to ensure the shared segment between Chino Valley and Prescott is not over-served.

Eliminate large terminal loop. The route currently approaches Prescott via Willow Creek Road and Whipple Street and returns to Chino Valley via Prescott Lakes Parkway on the first and third trips of the day. This routing is reversed on the second and fourth trips of the day, when the route operates inbound via Prescott Lakes Parkway and returns to Chino Valley via Whipple Street and Willow Creek Road. This routing creates a large terminal loop and potential confusion for passengers. To simplify service and keep the routing consistent, all trips should operate via Willow Creek Road and Whipple Street and return along the same path.

Merge with the Gold Route. Combining the Green and Gold Route would provide a direct connection between the Chino Valley Senior Center and Prescott and eliminate the need to transfer at the Safeway.



RED ROUTE

Route Overview The Red Route is a deviated flex route that operates as a large counterclockwise loop, originating at the Chino Valley Safeway and circulating through Prescott and Prescott Valley. The route provides direct service along State Route 89 headed south to Prescott, where it turns east on to State Route 69 to serve Prescott Valley before returning to Chino Valley via Glassford Hill Road and State Route 89A.

Figure 6 | Red Route Map



Service Overview

Schedule

Service operates on Wednesdays only. Service is scheduled from 8:45 AM to 4:52 PM, providing three one-way trips each day.

Table 3 | Red Route Schedule Statistics

Service Day Span of Service Daily Trips (CW/CCW)

Wednesday 8:45 AM to 4:52 PM 0/3 Saturday N/A N/A

Sunday N/A N/A

Ridership

Total Ridership

The Red Route carries 1,208 customers annually, or approximately 23 customers per day.

Ridership by Stop

The route originates at the Chino Valley Safeway and provides direct service to Prescott and Prescott Valley along Route 89 and Route 69, operating a counterclockwise loop in tandem with the Blue Route’s clockwise loop. Average weekly ridership along the route is a follows:

The route originates at Safeway in Chino Valley, where 38 customers board and 33 alight


Along Route 69: − Yavapai College generates 7 boardings and 6 alightings − Another 6 customers board and 6 alight at Frontier Village − The deviation to Walmart along Route 69 generates 3 boardings and 4 alightings

At Prescott Gateway Mall, 7 customers board and 9 alight. In Prescott Valley:

− Hobby Lobby generates 1 boardings and 1 alightings − 6 customers board and 6 alight at DES − 1 customer boards and 1 alights at YRMC − The Sungate Apartments deviation generates 1 boarding and 1 alighting − The Prescott Valley Library deviation generates 2 boardings and 1 alighting




Figure 7 | Red Route Ridership by Stop Map




Operate service seven days a week. Many jobs, activities, and appointments take place throughout the week. To attract additional customers, service should be provided seven days a week. This change should be done in combination with changes to the Green and Blue Routes to ensure the shared segment between Chino Valley and Prescott is not over-served.

Split into three new routes. Create three new bidirectional routes with timed transfer locations to provide more consistent service to customers.

New Route 1: Operate bidirectionally between the American Legion and Courthouse Plaza.

New Route 2: Operate bidirectionally between the American Legion and the Yavapai Regional Medical Center – East.

New Route 3: Operate bidirectionally between Courthouse Plaza and Yavapai Regional Medical Center – East.

As part of this change, direct service to Chino Valley should be discontinued in favor of creating a central transfer point, where the Gold Route would serve Chino Valley, providing connections to New Route 1 and New Route 2 for connections to Prescott and Prescott Valley. This transfer point could be located near the Prescott Regional Airport, which has available space and some demand for service from all areas.



BLUE ROUTE

Route Overview The Blue Route is a deviated flex route that operates as a large clockwise loop, originating at the Chino Valley Safeway and circulating through Prescott Valley and Prescott. The route provides service direct along State Route 89 headed south, where it turns east on to State Route 89A and Glassford Hill Road to serve Prescott Valley before heading west on State Route 69 to Prescott and returning north along State Route 89 to Chino Valley.

Figure 8 | Blue Route Map



Service Overview

Schedule

Service operates on Wednesdays only. Service is scheduled from 9:45 AM to 6:00 PM, providing three one-way trips each day.

Table 4 | Blue Route Schedule Statistics

Service Day Span of Service Daily Trips (CW/CCW)

Wednesday 9:45 AM to 6:00 PM 3/0 Saturday N/A N/A

Sunday N/A N/A

Ridership

Total Ridership

The Blue Route carries 1,048 customers annually, or approximately 20 customers per day.

Ridership by Stop

The route originates at the Chino Valley Safeway and provides direct service to Prescott Valley and Prescott along Route 89 and Route 69, operating a clockwise loop in tandem with the Red Route’s counterclockwise loop. Average weekly ridership along the route is a follows1:

At Safeway, 38 customers board and 33 alight In Prescott Valley:

− Hobby Lobby generates 1 boarding and 1 alighting − 6 customers board and 6 alight at DES − 1 customer boards and 1 alights at YRMC − The Sungate Apartments deviation generates 1 boarding and 1 alighting − The Prescott Valley Library deviation generates 2 boardings and 1 alighting

At Prescott Gateway Mall, 7 customers board and 9 alight Along Route 69:

− Yavapai College generates 7 boardings and 6 alightings − Another 6 customers board and 6 alight at Frontier Village − The deviation to Walmart along Route 69 generates 3 boardings and 4 alightings


1 Stops served by multiple routes include boarding and alightings from all routes combined.




Figure 9 | Blue Route Ridership by Stop Map




Operate service seven days a week. Many jobs, activities, and appointments take place throughout the week. To attract additional customers, service should be provided seven days a week. This change should be done in combination with changes to the Green and Blue Routes to ensure the shared segment between Chino Valley and Prescott is not over-served.

Split into three new routes. Create three new bidirectional routes with timed transfer locations to provide more consistent service to customers.

New Route 1: Operate bidirectionally between the American Legion and Courthouse Plaza.

New Route 2: Operate bidirectionally between the American Legion and the Yavapai Regional Medical Center – East.

New Route 3: Operate bidirectionally between Courthouse Plaza and Yavapai Regional Medical Center – East.

As part of this change, direct service to Chino Valley should be discontinued in favor of creating a central transfer point, where the Gold Route would serve Chino Valley, providing connections to New Route 1 and New Route 2 for connections to Prescott and Prescott Valley. This transfer point could be located near the Prescott Regional Airport, which has available space and some demand for service from all areas.

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