Metro Updates - May 25, 2022
Thank you to everyone for visiting the marketing table earlier in the month. We appreciate all the questions and suggestions. Please see below for updates and answers to some of the items we heard and/or may not have been able to answer that day.
Update on Network Redesign
Safety concern about left turn from School Rd. proposed in the network redesign
As part of the amendment process, this left turn is expected to be eliminated.
Will driver access to restooms change with these updated routes?
New routes are being designed with restroom locations in mind either at the end of a bus line or at Kwik Trip locations. Restroom access for drivers has been a high priority during the process.
If we are using the same operating budget year-to-year, what service are we cutting exactly to add higher frequencies? Does the redesign have any effect on the operating budget?
The redesign budget is the same as the 2019 budget in terms of operating hours, so we’re assuming going back to the same levels we were at before Covid. It’s hard to say exactly what we’re cutting because the entire network is from scratch, but to summarize we’re losing some of the coverage in neighborhoods on local streets and also some of the peak period commuter service to fund all-day higher frequency on the main routes.
Driver recruitment – since we’re not netting out big driver retention gains, what happens if we don’t have enough people to put new service into effect next June?
We feel like we’re at a good pace, but we’ll have to see how things look as we get closer to implementation. We might have to do a phase in period if we don’t have enough drivers available to run the scheduled service. We’re hoping that the more consistent routes, fewer split shifts, and breaks at the end of the line near bathrooms will make the work more attractive for both driver recruitment and retention.
We’re going to send out the QA’s that we heard at our most recent marketing tables, and I’ll add this to that info.
Looking at bus stop pole lights
Green stripe on electric buses
When do routes run on BRT? 2023 or 2024?
What to say to complaining customers