RGRTA Rochester NY: Paratransit Demand Based Service and Facility Evaluation
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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.
