Proposed TriMet service cuts and Fareless Square changes

Here are the official proposed changes TriMet has in mind to help them cut their FY10 budget by $13.5 million.  Here are their official proposed changes for TriMet bus service:

Criteria for service cuts

• Low ridership bus lines
• Low ridership trips on bus lines and MAX
• Alternative service available nearby

12 bus lines proposed to be discontinued

About 1 percent of weekday rides are taken on the following 12 lines; and 79 percent of those rides can be made on nearby service.

• Ten bus lines are proposed to be eliminated due to low ridership. Low ridership lines have less than 15 rides an hour: 18-Hillside, 37-Lake Grove, 41-Tacoma, 55-Hamilton, 60-Leahy Rd, 63-Washington Park, 86-Alderwood, 153-South End Loop Road, 156-Mather Road, 157-Happy Valley
• Two lines are proposed to be canceled due to alternative service nearby: 33-Fremont, 74-Lloyd District/Southeast

Weekend service changes

Weekend service is proposed to be eliminated on bus lines that either have low ridership and/or alternative service nearby. About 1.7 percent of weekend trips are taken on these lines, and about 58 percent of those trips can be made on alternative nearby service.

• No Saturday service (weekday service remains): 1-Vermont, 10-Harold, 34-River Road, 51-Vista
• No Sunday service (Saturday service remains): 17-NW 21st, 48-Cornell, 58-Canyon Rd, 67-Jenkins/158th Ave
• No weekend service (weekday service remains): 39-Lewis & Clark, 43-Taylors Ferry Rd, 47-Baseline/Evergreen, 59-Walker/Park Way, 89-Tanasbourne

Some of these lines with weekend changes, in addition to 19 others, are proposed to have frequency and/or span of service changes on low ridership trips. Another 5 lines have proposed route changes.

And changes for the MAX:

MAX service

The start and end of MAX service remains the same. Here are proposed changes:

• All rush hour service remains the same except on the Yellow Line, where every train will now run with two cars, expanding capacity, and run every 15 minutes, rather than every 10-12 minutes.

• Frequency of all MAX lines is extended from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes during low ridership trips in the early morning and late evening each day.

• With the Green Line opening in September (I-205/Portland Mall Project), new service will be added between Clackamas Town Center and downtown Portland. Service will run every 15 minutes during higher ridership hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; mid-morning to early evening on weekends). During other hours, service will run every 30 minutes. This service proposal is less frequent than originally planned.

TriMet also have proposed changes to Fareless Square:

Options for consideration

Based on stakeholder input, the consultant’s recommendations and operational considerations, TriMet is presenting four options for public comment:

No Changes: This option would maintain the current service configuration. However, keeping the current system in place would not address any of the problems associated with Fareless Square, such as safety and security, fare enforcement and revenue loss.

Limit to Rail Only: Free service would continue to be available on all rail lines in Fareless Square (including the new Green Line on the transit mall, as well as the Portland Streetcar)—but buses would no longer be included. The business community supports this option, as it preserves an important local icon, maintains a high level of service in the downtown area with the opening of the Green Line, and continues to promote mobility between the Central Business District and Lloyd District. Virtually every destination in Fareless Square would be accessible by rail within 3-4 blocks. It reduces confusion about where the line goes on the transit mall because MAX will travel between Union Station and PSU. (Many bus lines do not traverse the length of the mall, turning east to cross the Hawthorne Bridge or west on Jefferson.) It also results in significant operating efficiencies for TriMet, including simplifying responsibilities for bus operators and fare enforcement personnel, while reducing fare evasion on buses. View a map showing proposed rail-only fareless zone

Adjust Lloyd District Boundaries: This option includes limiting the boundaries of Fareless Square on the east side to the light rail stations at either the Oregon Convention Center or 7th Avenue. Proponents of boundary adjustments suggest that excluding the Lloyd Center stop would help reduce crime and disruptive behavior, while improving quality of life issues around the Lloyd Center stop. Easy east-west travel across the river would be maintained.

Institute a $1 Fare: All bus and MAX rides that are currently free would cost $1. While a $1 fare would generate additional revenue and might address some security concerns, it would also make transit downtown less convenient and would eliminate a well-known Portland icon.

TriMet would like to hear from you to know what your thoughts are about the proposed changes.  They are hosting several open houses to have open discussions about these proposed changes:

Public comment period

Public comments are accepted beginning today through March 31, 2009. In addition to the service cuts, the public can comment on bus service returning to the Portland Mall in May and the future of Fareless Square. Comment via:

Email: comments@trimet.org
Comment line: 503-962-5806
Fax: 503-962-6469
Mail: TriMet-MK2, 4012 SE 17th Ave., Portland, OR 97202
TTY: 503-238-5811 (7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays)

Open Houses

TriMet will also be holding informal open houses to answer questions and gather input from the public:

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 4-7 p.m.
Portland Building, Room C (vacant storefront)
1120 SW Fifth Avenue

Thursday, Feb. 26, 4-7 p.m.
Clackamas Town Center (formerly The Icing)
12000 SE 82nd Avenue

Friday, Feb. 27, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Portland State Office Building
800 NE Oregon Street, Room 1E

Tuesday, March 3, 4-7 p.m.
Beaverton City Hall Council Chambers
4755 SW Griffith Drive
Beaverton, Oregon

If you have any thoughts about these proposed changes, I urge you to go to one of the Open Houses and let your opinion be known.

TriMet cutting service?

The recession has impacted the TriMet budget, with the agency thinking about cutting service to help ride out this recent economic storm.  TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen said that the only option to even attempt to stay within budget now is to cut service for specific routes as well as reducing service on off-peak hours for others.

Specific bus routes on the chopping block or service reductions have not been announced.

Ideas that have been proposed by TriMet are:

• Reducing the frequency of service on both bus and MAX lines. This includes reducing the planned Green Line service in the early mornings and late evenings, primarily on weekends, when it opens in September 2009.
• Discontinuing low-ridership routes, primarily on lines where alternative service is available. This could mean discontinuation of a dozen lines.
• Reducing frequency or span of service on several bus routes in off-peak hours.
• As the economy improves, TriMet will evaluate when and where it can restore service.

What do you all think about this?  Obviously, I don’t think anyone thought TriMet would be immune to this recession… and while their ideas seem like a fine idea to try to stay within budget, I think (and continue to believe) that the agency isn’t doing enough to enforce riders to pay appropriate fare.  But then again, in order to do that, they would need to rethink the entire infrastructure of their fare system (turnstyle-entry for MAX platform / areas?  Or even in MAX trains?) which obviously takes time and money.

Kevin wrote me to voice his displeasure:

“Why won’t Tri-Met get serious about enforcing fares and the smoking ban before cutting scheduling?”

TriMet is planning on open houses for the public to voice their opinion.  They will take place on February 25, 26, and 27 and March 3. Times and locations will be available this Friday along with the specifics on service cuts.

New version of PDXBus is out – 2.0

Noticed today that the newest version (2.0) of PDXBus was released!  If you’ll recall, I interviewed the creator of PDXBus, Andy Wallace.  His iPhone app is tops if you want to access Portland Transit Times on your iPhone.  Download it here.

In any case, there are some awesome improvements.  From Andy’s site:

• The long awaited bookmark editing features. e.g. the ability to add and remove stop ids from a bookmark, rename bookmarks, and add a new bookmark from the main screen.
• Configuration options in the Settings panel of the iPhone. Options include putting the bookmarks at the top, the number of recents stops to display, and how the app works with Google Maps.
• Nighttime visibility flasher – a flashing screen that can be used at night so that drivers can see you.
• Improved formatting of detours.
• Improved stability and bug fixes.

Have to say, I like the Night Visibility Flashing Light (flashes blue and white) a lot.  LOVE the recent stops section as well!

In any case, head to the Appstore and update!  It’s well worth it…