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What's
new this week in transportation
Metro productivity keeps buses full but not too full
Metro tries to provide a seat for every passenger while making sure each route is productive and carries as many riders as
possible. Striking that balance is the daily task of Metro schedulers who now have decades of experience.
During the recent All-Star Game festivities in Seattle, one of the best averages was scored by Metro Transit. From Sunday through Tuesday, July 8-10, Metro served more than 4,700 customers with its special service traveling from Safeco Field and the Stadium Exhibition Center. And even more baseball fans used regular Metro routes
to attend All-Star events.
The average ridership for the special service was 75 passengers on a 64-seat bus--meaning Metro was batting well over 1.000 for its
All-Star
Special Service.
Moving large numbers of people across vast geographic areas is nothing new for Metro. As the transit system grows larger and larger, it is also becoming more efficient.
Last year, Metro provided more than
100 million rides on more than 240
routes. During peak commute times, more than 1,000 Metro buses are
on the road. That makes Metro the 11th biggest transit agency
in terms of ridership in the nation.
"We've grown dramatically over the years from a Seattle-based bus
service to a regional transit agency," said Metro General Manager Rick
Walsh. "Since its inception in 1973, Metro service has grown at more than
three times the rate of the population growth in King County."
Despite Metro's rapid growth, its productivity has increased in recent years:
- During the afternoon commute, 74 percent of the seats on buses leaving the downtown Seattle transit tunnel are filled.
- Of the 50 permanent
park-and-ride lots, more than 20 are consistently at capacity, with another 10 lots at 90 percent capacity or
higher.
- In 2000, Metro provided transit service at the lowest operating cost per passenger mile when measured against 13 other comparable agencies.
- And most importantly, customer satisfaction is high. In 1999, 92 percent of Metro's passengers said they were satisfied with their
service.
As the agency has grown, Metro has developed a wealth of experience in running bus routes in an efficient, cost-effective way. Scheduling and routing are extremely complex--especially given the congestion that all Puget Sound drivers deal with daily.
Metro must balance service, reliability and cost. It is not effective to run a route that serves only a handful of people, nor is it
efficient to cram the buses so full that riders become dissatisfied and
stop using the service. Riders are also turned off when buses don't run on
time or fail to provide the connections riders need to travel across the
region.
Service starts with demand. Ridership is the main driver for routing and scheduling. Some routes--particularly those that run during commute times
--run every 5-15 minutes because buses would be too crowded without that
level of service. Metro uses guidelines to monitor the number of people standing on buses and when it may need to add trips.
Frequency can also depend on the area a route serves or the role it plays as a connector in the overall transit system. Routes that serve a
less populated area, or where access to arterials is difficult to provide,
might be much less frequent during the middle of the day, evenings and
weekends.
Metro staff is sometimes asked why empty, or less-than-full, buses are on the road, especially during peak commute times. When people see empty buses, they are usually seeing buses that are "deadheading": going from the garage to the route's starting point or heading back after completing a run. Near-empty buses
are also seen near the end of the route when most passengers have already departed.
All Metro bus bases and most major park-and-ride lots are close to freeways. Empty buses need to get through traffic just as
quickly as a full bus and often travel in the HOV lanes. People
on the other end are waiting to fill that bus, and they are hoping it stays on
schedule and doesn't get stuck in traffic. If a bus has completed its run,
it saves taxpayers money to get that bus and driver back to the garage
as efficiently as possible.
Sometimes routes experience "bunching," when two coaches arrive back to back. That usually happens on routes with more frequent service,
and it is caused by delays such as bridge openings, traffic accidents, construction or mechanical problems. The slower bus becomes overloaded with waiting passengers, and the boarding process takes longer. Meanwhile, the following coach has fewer passengers to board, and it picks
up speed. At some point in the route, the two buses become bunched up at
the same stop.
Those examples are just some of the logistical factors it takes to run a transit system that provides more than 300,000 rides each weekday.
Related links
Metro Transit
Service Feedback, submit your comments on our service
"Metro
Hits Home Run with Special All-Star Service," news release, July 20,
2001
Metro
Special Event service
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