MCA is part of a team selected by Tarrant County to develop a comprehensive approach to planning and implementing mobility options outside of transit authority service areas and ensure that all warranted needs are met and that all recommended transit services are warranted. Stated elements of the study are:
The MCA role is to review the existing micro transit and integrated mobility services and develop a framework for future uses as part of the planned transit improvements strategies.
Trinity Metro provides the fixed route and paratransit services in the greater Fort Worth area, but the majority of Tarrant County, including a number of independent cities, could logically be better served with a consistent network of services for the customers. However, these services require ongoing support by local partners to sustain implementation. Thus, the questions will be where do they work best, how can they be sustained and how do they best fit into local, county, and regional mobility planning?
Scott Boone
Associate Cambridge Systematics
505 E Huntland Dr #550
Austin TX 78752
512 691 8504
EXPERIENCE – Tarrant County TX
MCA is part of a team selected by GBT to review the existing services, but primarily focus on expanding the GBT role to include more mobility options connecting to the communities and varied user groups. GBT recognizes that many areas have considered various options and alternatives for working with ride hailing services, and various types of micro transit operations either directly or indirectly connecting with medical and social agency trips, serving seniors, people with disabilities and those with lower incomes, et al.
The goals of the project are:
The MCA assignments include developing mobility management and coordination concepts, reporting on applicability of microtransit type solutions and ensuring a collaborative process working with agency and community groups.
Douglas Holcomb
Chief Executive Officer
Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority
1 Cross Street
Bridgeport, CT 06610
(203) 366-7070 (124)
dhocomb@gogbt.com
MCA was selected by MATA to provide planning and policy assistance for various mobility planning projects. Those projects will include assisting in the positioning of and drafting for FTA grant and other funding applications, advising on the development of their microtransit pilot project, including evaluating the potential transferability of that microtransit project to other locales in their service area, as well as other opportunities for mobility improvements with partnering agencies as part of the Memphis 3.0 system redesign process.
Assignments will include staff communication and coordination, discussions with peer transit agencies regarding their similar projects and programs, interaction with local stakeholders and community agencies, integrating technology and communication concepts to promote a one system perspective, developing key performance indicators and measures of effectiveness to evaluate mobility options, and assist in implementation activities.
MATA has a number of key initiatives that are moving forward including a mobile payment and improved technology process and a new FTA funded BRT corridor. MATA has also successfully partnered with other agencies and community groups and, thus is well positioned for additional mobility coordination and integration projects and programs.
MCA will be providing ideas and inputs on how to improve those coordination and integration opportunities.
CLIENT
Memphis Area Transit Authority
PRIME CONSULTANT CONTACT
John C. Lancaster, AICP
Director of Planning & Scheduling
Memphis Area Transit Authority
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
(901) 722-0307 office
(901) 722-7123 fax
(901) 262-9336 mobile
jclancaster@matatransit.com
MCA is part of the Cambridge Systematics Team which has been selected to complete the Bus Network Redesign for the MBTA in Boston, MA for Mass DOT. The MCA role is to support the development of service concepts as part of the network design alternatives. The alternatives will consider major ongoing land use and development trends and address the assessment of the travel patterns and preferences for how people live and move in the local economy and how these can address the new employment and housing districts.
MCA will also specifically focus on identifying new mobility partnerships and how these can be integrated into the service concepts and network design alternatives. MCA will also work on the evaluation of alternatives against the network level metrics, and articulate the outcomes that makes them understood by the public in terms of potential impacts to daily travel.
MCA will contribute as part of the team in gaining support from customers and stakeholders on the design alternatives and participate in the final service and operations plan development.
CLIENT
Massachusetts DOT
PROJECT LOCATION
Boston Massachusetts
SERVICES PERFORMED
Public Transportation Planning
Organizational Analysis
Financial Analysis
PRIME CONSULTANT CONTACT
Nathan Higgins
Principal
Integrated Planning & Policy
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
101 Station Landing, Suite 410
Medford, MA 02155
t 781 539 6733
MCA is a participant on the Nelson Nygaard team tasked with working through the implementation of the Wake County Transit Plan. In November 2016, Wake County voters approved transit-dedicated funds to help pay for the improvements found in the 10-year Wake Transit Plan.
The MCA role in the plan is to update the 2013 Local Coordination Plan for the county and working in conjunction with service providers, agencies and jurisdictions provide inputs regarding community- based services and provide input into the ADA paratransit program as well as capital and operating budget recommendations.
Assignments include updating the inventories of public transportation services provided, consideration of needs assessments especially in the more rural areas of the county that do not have fixed route services, inclusion of ADA paratransit operations throughout the county and input from municipalities regarding potential funding and support for these community based services.
Public sector inputs will be received from Wake County, GoRaleigh, GoCary and GoTriangle staff and recommendations will be vetted through the Core Technical Team for inclusion in the FY 19 funding and implementation plan.
CLIENT
Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates
PROJECT LOCATION
Wake County NC
SERVICES PERFORMED
Planning and Evaluation
COMPLETION DATE
2018
This study for the RGRTA the regional transit system in Rochester New York includes evaluating their future demand for their RTS Access paratransit service and recommending facilities modifications or alternatives based on the demand. The MCA role is to review the estimated demand for service that has been previously completed and recommend modifications plus incorporating locational factors that would influence costs considerations such as deadhead mileage based on trip origins and destinations.
The evaluation includes extensive on-site communications with RGRTA staff as well as an understanding of the major origins and destinations that currently influence ridership demand as well as demographic and land use changes anticipated. Demand has increased 3.5% each year for the past four years. Those increases, and similar increases around the country are occurring at a time when fixed route ridership is typically declining, which accentuates the disparity as seen in the 2015 National Transit Database report that indicates approximately 1% of the riders are accounting for 9% of the cost. That relationship is difficult to sustain in an era of constrained resources.
In addition agency policies regarding fares, service areas and span of service also influence demand and will be included in the analysis. The results of the MCA analysis will be incorporated into the final facilities planning decisions.
CLIENT
Wendel Engineering and Architecture
PROJECT LOCATION
Rochester NY
PROJECT DATES
2018
MCA is a team participant on the consortium of Cubic-John Laing for the design, integration, and implementation of a new Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system for the MBTA. AFC 2.0, the new system is the first public-private partnership for the MBTA. The MCA is tasked to provide accessibility guidance and oversight.
The MCA role, which will be similar to prior work with the Cubic team in the development of the proposal, is to interact with the disability community and ensure that all components of the new system are fully functional and in concert with the system goal:
Accessibility improvements: The entire system will be designed for a broad range of accessibility needs, by user experience specialists. And the website and mobile app will be compliant with digital accessibility guidelines.
MCA will continue prior working relationships with the community and also work in conjunction with the MBTA’s System Wide Accessibility Group. Phased implementation of the system is anticipated in late in 2019. Full implementation will occur by mid-2020 followed by a retirement of the existing system in 2021.
CLIENT
Cubic/John Lange
PROJECT LOCATION
Boston MA
PROJECT DATES
2018-2021
DART was one of eleven jurisdictions that were awarded funding as part of the initial FTA Mobility on Demand grant process. Based on the knowledge of staff in the areas of integrated and shared mobility, DART selected MCA to provide project management working in concert with their staff and the FTA and their various oversight and assistance team.
DART will develop a platform to integrate new MOD transportation providers into a transit App which will plan transit multi-modal journeys, pay for services and collect traveler information in a single transactional experience with a single interface for the user, service providers and settle each share of the journey on a single user account, using its regional mobile application (Go Pass). Following the technology phase, DART will conduct a pilot test using first and last mile providers including transportation network companies (TNC), public transit first-last mile options including urban, rural and suburban transit providers (e.g., DART On Call), taxi companies, bike share, car share, van and carpool providers.
MCA activities have included coordinating the development of the DART Project Management Team, finalizing the Project Management Plan, updating the project schedule and developing internal communication, planning and management processes. Next steps will be focused on the FTA communication and reporting processes, including sharing information with other grantees.
The implementation process, coordinated by MCA, will build momentum informing project sponsors/potential partnering agencies, working with the technology team to identify roles and responsibilities and negotiating processes/agreements with mobility providers such as: Bridj, Uber, and Lyft.
MCA will work with the Project Management Team to conduct a one-year pilot test of the upgraded regional mobile app and integrated payment system within four use cases.
David Leininger
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
E-mail: dhenry@dart.org
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
P.O. Box 660163
Dallas, TX 75266-0163
Tel: (214) 749-2504
Assignment
February 2017 – 2019
Budget
$120,000
MCA is part of a team selected by Orange County NY to perform a series of task order assignments regarding the existing public transportation services in the County as well as options and alternatives to those services.
Work assignments to date have included assistance in management oversight reviews of the operators and their current National Transit Database reporting procedures and processes and recommendations for modifications, including assistance in NTD grant filing for 2015, which has been implemented.
Current work includes assistance in a review of the County Dial a Bus operations and the development of recommended improvements in efficiencies and service delivery options. Additional work to be performed could include a review of facility grants and projects, options and alternatives for consolidation, coordination or collaboration of the ADA paratransit services and other financial, planning and policy assignments where MCA experience can add value.
SERVICES PERFORMED
Public Transportation
Planning , financial analysis,
grants management support
COMPLETION DATE
January 2015- ongoing
PROJECT COST
$40,000
CLIENT CONTACT
Christopher Titze, Project Manager
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
38 East 32nd Street, 7th floor
MCA is part of the research team selected for this project. The objective of this research is to develop a guide for the public transportation industry in the areas of bus transit service reliability. The guide will include a toolbox of resources that may be used to diagnose and manage bus transit service reliability and will describe benefits, costs, and outcomes of potential policies, strategies, and actions including in the areas of technology and facility development.
The research steps will include a review of prior studies and activities, enhanced through an extensive national and international survey of transit agencies. Once the background information and data has been developed, then more specific analysis with respect to performance measurement, both from a customer and operator perspective, can begin to be more fully developed.
Phase two of the research will include more focused review of various techniques, based on detailed case studies and ongoing research activities that will be presented in a guide to add value to the industry.
The MCA role in the research is to provide input based on prior experiences with TCRP research projects and assignments within the industry as well as ongoing activities within APTA.
SERVICES PERFORMED
Research and guidance development for public transportation agencies
COMPLETION DATE
January 2016– September 2017
PROJECT SPONSOR/MANAGER:
Alan R. Danaher, Senior
Supervising Engineer
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
420 South Orange Avenue,
Suite 400
Orlando, Florida 32801
(407) 587 7835