Shuttle Bug: Linking Workers to Public Transportation in ... · Shuttle Bug: Linking Workers to...
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Shuttle Bug: Linking Workers to Public Transportation in Northern Cook and Southern Lake Counties University of Illinois-Chicago Urban Transportation Center-2016 Seminar Series November 17,2016
Shuttle Bug: Linking Workers to Public Transportation in ... · Shuttle Bug: Linking Workers to Public Transportation in Northern Cook and Southern Lake Counties. University of Illinois-
S h u t t l e B u g : L i n k i n g W o r k e r s t o P u b l i c T r a n s p o r t a t i o n i n N o r t h e r n C o o k a n d S o u t h e r n L a k e C o u n t i e s
U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s - C h i c a g o
U r b a n T r a n s p o r t a t i o n C e n t e r - 2 0 1 6 S e m i n a r S e r i e s
N o v e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 6
• TMA = Transportation Management Association• 126 exist in the United States as of 2012• 40 in Pacific Coast states• Many in East Coast states• Facilitate public/private partnerships to improve
mobility and air quality• TMA of Lake Cook is one of 2 Chicago area TMAs
– TMA of Lake Cook was founded in 1989
About TMAs
• Mission to “improve employees’ commute to work” in Cook & Lake Counties”
• Represents over 40 firms, 42,000 employees
• Advocates for highway and transit service improvements
TMA of Lake-Cook
TMA Members Include Well Known Companies
Shuttle Bug Program
• 13 Pace shuttle routes link 1 CTA & 7 Metra stations with 4 suburban employment centers
between Pace/Metra and participating firms since 1996
• Employers & public sector share cost 50/50
Shuttle Bug Program
Presenter
Presentation Notes
4/7: Points 2 & 3 updated per KS
Shuttle Bug address “last mile” issues
Service Planning: Basic Elements• Operates weekday rush
hour service
• Offers shuttle connections between Metra station and one or more workplaces
• Provides Ventra passes so employees can ride free
• Serves building entrances at locations where pedestrian infrastructure is missing or incomplete
Presenter
Presentation Notes
3/29 Kristen - please place this one at the beginning of the service planning section, as I realized I needed a place to outline the program’s basic aspects – this draft is a little clunky so I’ll probably end up editing this – but that will have to wait until after I get the benefits and challenges and next steps wrapped early next week - Karen
• Improve area quality of life• Offers commute option to driving alone• Can improve area’s economic development• Helps reduce area traffic congestion• Addresses air quality issues
Community Benefits of Shuttle Bug Program
• Employers– Shared expenses & minimal
company administration – Attract and retain quality
workforce from wider geographic area
– Can assist in corporate diversity efforts
– Reduces parking needs – Helps LEED
designation/Promotes Green Commute
Employer Benefits
• Free Blue Ventra pass to ride Shuttle
• Lower travel costs taking transit
• Less stressful commute• Some companies offer
pretax commuting benefit
Benefits to Employees
– Employer concentration in corridor • 2-4 employers with sizable employee headcounts
(3,000-5000 employees total)• Employees commute long distances (>20 miles one
way)• Live along nearby Metra line• 60% + are reverse commute riders
- Frequent Metra service- Milwaukee North/UP North vs North Central
- Employers financially support & see value in program- Partnership with Pace & Metra
What makes for a successful shuttle program
• Route 640: Braeside Metra to Northbrook• Route 465 Belmont Metra to Esplanade
(Downers Grove)• Route 638 Arlington Park Metra to HSBC
(Arlington Heights)• Oak Brook Investigate demand for shuttles• Bannockburn Develop new routes near I-94/Rt. 22
Current Initiatives
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The TMA has several expansion initiatives underway. Some (Rt. 465 and Oak Brook)are connected with the RTA Expansion Grant, which I’ll discuss shortly. Some are new versions of old routes, and one is a brand new route due to a corporate relocation.
• TMA receives grant to test Shuttle Bug model in other Chicago suburban markets
• Grant begins October 2013• Expires March 2017
RTA Grant to Expand Shuttle Bug Model
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Based on the success of the Shuttle Bug program in the Lake Cook area, the TMA had discussions with the RTA in 2013 about testing the model in other markets in the Chicago area. RTA gave the TMA a grant in October 2013 to implement up to 4 routes in the region. The grant is set to expire in 2017. We’ll discuss what has happened so far.
• Began April 2015• Two year
demonstration• First Du Page County
Shuttle Bug• Challenges with
ridership
Route 465 Belmont Station-Esplanade
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Route 465, Belmont Station-Esplanade is the first Shuttle Bug to be implemented as part of the RTA expansion grant. It’s the first Shuttle Bug Route in DuPage County, serving a major office complex in Downers Grove, Il. The two year test will end in April 2017, and in early 2017, we’ll need to decide if service continues or is restructured. Challenges to the service include low gasoline prices, and one or two employer who originally planned to participate, continue to operate private shuttles, which impacts ridership.
• TMA works with OakBrook Chamber, Pace, and RTA on investigating shuttle market
• Pace operated shuttle in late 80s/early 90s• Many infrastructure challenges• Market development underway• Potential start date-Sometime in 2017
Oak Brook Shuttle
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The TMA is working with the RTA, the OakBrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pace, and RTA about expanding shuttle service to Oak Brook. Pace operated a shuttle network in the late 1980s for a short time. It was discontinued due to low ridership. There are challenges in this market (infrastructure issues, which market to serve-employers, residents, shoppers, or visitors). The focus is on the employment market, and research is currently underway determining the best market to serve. Several Oak Brook area employers have operated private shuttles in the past, with one currently in operation as far as we know. We anticipate service will begin sometime in 2017.
• Provides connection from UP North to Walgreens in Northbrook
• Planned extension of some trips to Baxter (Deerfield) in 2017
• “New” version of a previous route
Rt. 640 Braeside Metra-Commercial Ave
Presenter
Presentation Notes
This is the 2nd iteration of a Shuttle Bug route. The first version operated from August 2002 to August 2003, and was discontinued due to low ridership. The second version began in December 2014, and operates between the Braeside Metra Station in Highland Park, UL’s campus in Northbrook, and a Walgreens office in Northbrook. Plans are underway to extend some trips to Baxter Healthcare’s Headquarters in Deerfield in 2017.
• Service begins June 2016
• HSBC relocates from Mettawa to Arlington Heights
• Service operated by 12 passenger vehicles
Route 638: Arlington Park to HSBC
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Route 638 was implemented as part of a corporate relocation of HSBC from Mettawa to Arlington Heights, both of which are in the TMA’s traditional service area. It provides service between the Arlington Park Metra Station and HSBC’s new facility in Arlington Heights. Due to Pace not having any standard sized vehicles, this service is being operated with a 12 passenger vehicle which has a farebox. Expansion capabilities are an issue, as if we have too many riders, it means adding an additional vehicle, as these vehicles aren’t designed for standees.
• Village interested in reviving Shuttle Bug service
• Shuttle Bug routes existed from 2000-2012
• Discontinued due to low ridership/changing company support
• Market may support new service
Bannockburn
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The Village of Bannockburn, just north of Deerfield, is interested in reviving Shuttle Bug service, as there has been a fare amount of corporate relocation and expansion activity. This is another area which had 2 Shuttle Bug routes (11 and 12) from 2000 to 2003 and 2000 to 2012. They were dropped due to declining ridership, and lack of corporate funding on Rt. 12. (I worked for Hewitt from 2000-11, and funded these services from my budget). Shire (a Baxter spinoff) operates their own shuttle. A couple other employers used to run shuttles, but dropped them due to cost and/or ridership issues. Survey of employers is underway to determine market. If this service begins, it would be with Pace vans, due to the vehicle shortage issue.
• While there is interest in expanding service, the TMA faces many challenges in doing so.
• Significant efforts in Service Development• TMA takes lead in these efforts
Challenges to Expansion
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The TMA receives many requests for shuttle service, but there are many challenges we face in trying to meet those needs.
• Vehicle shortage impacts expansion plans.
• Limited capacity, especially if service becomes popular
Vehicle Availability & Capacity
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Standard Shuttle Bug service is operated by Pace using transit coaches. Pace has a vehicle shortage, which means they’ve been using minibuses (12 passengers) or vans to operate service. These have limited capacity, especially if service becomes popular, and aren’t less costly than standard transit service. Due to state budget issues, we expect this situation to continue.
• More expensive than Shuttle Bug
• More flexible• Proprietary service• Not subject to Transit
Authority regulations
Private Carriers
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Many companies in the Lake Cook area (and elsewhere) use private carriers for some or all of their shuttle service. There are many companies in the market that provide this service. While it is more expensive than Shuttle Bug service, it is usually more flexible and not subject to transit authority requirements. Any Pace service, even if a company subsidizes it, is public bus service, meaning if someone wants to pay their fare and ride, they can. Companies using private carriers can limit ridership to their own employees, change service on short notice, and operate service even if ridership drops.
• Trend to relocate from suburban Chicago to downtown Chicago
• More people work remotely or hoteling
• Jobs moved out of state, or out of the country, or don’t exist
The World of Work has changed
Presenter
Presentation Notes
How people work has changed dramatically. Twenty years ago, when I worked for Pace, I worked on many corporate relocations (including Sears and AT&T) from Chicago to the suburbs. Even the Salvation Army moved out of Chicago. Today, the trend is going in the other direction, as we’ll discuss on the next slide. But how people work has changed. Today, many people work from home some or all of the time, which impacts transit ridership. People can telecommute. When I worked for Hewitt, I was based in Lincolnshire, but could hotel from an office at 120 S. Riverside Plaza, which I did when I had meetings in Chicago. I could transfer my phone there, so even if you were calling me on an 847 area code, I could be in Lincolnshire, Chicago, or Timbuktu.. And due to corporate mergers and relocations, jobs that once existed in the Chicago area may have moved out of state, out of the country, or don’t exist anymore.
Corporate Relocations are Big News! But the trend has changed!
Companies Say Goodbye to the 'BurbsYoung Talent Wants to Live in Chicago, Not Libertyville; Dilemma for Older Workers (Wall Street Journal, Dec 4, 2013)
Sears Plans Move to Site Near ChicagoBy ISADORE BARMASH Published: June 27, 1989, New York TimesSears, Roebuck & Company said yesterday that it would move 6,000 employees to a Chicago suburb Plans for a 100-bed psychiatric hospital
at the former CDW/Allstate building at 300 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Vernon Hills have been presented to village officials (Daily Herald, October 26, 2016)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
To show how the market has changed in 25 years-in 1989, Sears announced plans to move from the (then) Sears Tower to Hoffman Estates,Il. Fast forward 24 years, to show how the market has shifted. And the market is getting creative with reuse of former office buildings, often to medical uses.
Low Gasoline Prices Impact Shuttle Use• Average gas prices for the first six months of 2016
were 16% lower than 2015 levels.• 3.3. % increase in the number of miles driven from
2015 to 2016• Illinois has seen a 24% increase in fatalities since
2014 (Courtesy: National Safety Council)• Daily Shuttle Ridership has been impacted by lower
gasoline prices
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Gasoline prices have been low several years, which also impacts how people travel to work. For a while, VMT overall was down, but that has started to creep up, 3.3. % from 2015 to 2016. However, there is a down side to low fuel prices. Illinois (and other states) have seen increases in fatalities. Illinois’s fatalities have increased 24% since 2014-I think we’re the 6th highest in the nation.
• 11% fare hike in February 2015
• Overall ridership dropped 2.2% from 2014 to 2015
• Ridership impacted by multiple issues
• In 2016, fares increase .09% to 2.7%
• 6% fare hike proposed for 2017
Metra Fare Increases Impact Ridership
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Several years ago, Metra’s Board announced that they would be raising fares every year for a 10 year period to cover increases in operating and capital costs. This began in 2011 with a 25% fare increase, which had been the largest in the agency’s history. Fares increased 11% in 2015, but ridership dropped 2.2% In 2016, there was a modest fare increase, which will be followed by a 6% fare hike in 2017. Any time, fares increase, it does impact ridership.
• TNC’s such as Uber and Lyft have expanded to the suburbs
• Impact on shuttle ridership unclear
• Role in “last mile” issues to be determined
• Possible solution for low density markets
Transportation Network Companies (TNC’s)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The role of Uber and Lyft known as TNC’s , Transportation Network Companies, still has a to be determined effect on ridership. (Even Anthony Ponce, former NBC 5 reporter, is driving for Lyft.) We know anecdotally that these companies are operating in the suburbs, with decent response times. Our receptionist at Baxter told me the cab trips have dropped in half, replaced by TNCs. Their most common destinations are O’Hare Airport, and the Metra Stations (when shuttles aren’t operating.) The RTA , Pace and Metra all have been in discussions with TNCs, but what is actually being done to address last mile issues remains to be seen. Some transit authorities around the country are using them for last mile service or Emergency Ride Home service, but as far as we know, that hasn’t happened yet in the Chicago area.
• Shuttle market in the suburbs is alive and well• How that market will be served in the future is still
evolving• Organizations need to evaluate how to react to
evolving market conditions• Stay current on trends-things change!
Lessons Learned
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Despite all of the hype about companies moving to Chicago, the suburban shuttle market is alive and well. As we’ve described, how it will be served is evolving, and will probably continue to evolve. What it will look like in 5, 10, or 20 years remains to be seen. The best advice I’ve learned is to stay on top of trends, realizing some will be short term, and others will impact issues for a long time.
