You Asked, We Listened!
Throughout the month of April, RTS is listening to you about the service changes we’ve proposed to take effect when the brand new RTS Transit Center opens in downtown Rochester on November 28, 2014. To learn more about the service changes, please click here. We are collecting your comments, questions and concerns from our public information sessions, and your emails, Tweets, Facebook posts, and phone calls! Our responses to the most frequently asked questions are listed below.
Under the “Evening Line-up Comparison” chart on the proposed schedule changes poster, “Extended Day Service” is indicated until 8:00 p.m. What is Extended Day Service?
Extended Day Service means that regular service scheduled throughout the day will continue to be provided until 8:00 p.m. daily. Customers may board the bus at any of the schedule times up until 8:00 p.m. before the official line-up service begins. Line-up service includes buses from many routes line up in the bus bays at the Transit Center. Customers take this opportunity to easily transfer from one bus to another. Once all the buses have arrived and customers have made all their connections, the buses depart.
Why are you considering moving the last line up from 12:41 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. in the evenings and the beginning line-up time from 5:40 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. on the weekends?
We are considering changing these times for a few reasons and to strike a balance between costs and service convenience. First, ridership has been consistently low on these trips. Second, the actual times of the proposed line ups will make it easier for customers to remember and provide plenty of time for customers to make connections to their next bus. We are doing this by making the departure times at quarter-hour increments in the evenings (e.g., 9:15 instead of 9:19; 10:30 instead of 10:26) and 75-minute departure intervals for evenings/60-minute departure intervals for weekends.
Based upon your feedback on the proposed service changes, RTS is considering adding a 1:00 a.m. line-up time to accommodate people who work later at night, and an earlier line up time before 6 a.m. The final proposal will be presented at the Public Hearing on May 8th. For more information on the Public Hearing, please visit here.
Does the proposed route structure and proposed line-up schedule extend travel time for customers?
If a customer’s destination is the RTS Transit Center, their trip will not take longer than it does now. Our schedules are being designed to accommodate the connection time customers will need to transfer to their next bus at the Transit Center.
When will customers be informed about the new route structure, numbers and names? When will the new schedule times be ready for us to view?
All of the final service changes related to routes, route names and schedule times will be communicated to customers this fall – giving our customers plenty of time to learn about and become comfortable with the changes that will take place when the RTS Transit Center opens on Nov. 28, 2014. If you’d like to be notified directly of these changes once they are released, please sign up for our email newsletter on our homepage, or make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Will people in wheelchairs or who are mobility challenged have extra time to depart a bus and board another bus at the Transit Center?
Yes, RTS has built in the necessary time. We will be monitoring the experience of customers who need extra time, and will make any necessary adjustments to our schedules after the Transit Center opens. We monitor and adjust our schedule times every three months.
Why do I need to pay $1 more to ride the same route?
The service changes we’ve proposed include making adjustments to our route structure and schedule times. Currently, some customers (7% of our weekday customers and 14% of our weekend customers) ‘ride through’ downtown without having to transfer to another bus. They may catch the bus at one point, ride it to downtown, and wait on that bus until it continues on to their destination (for example, Route 1 - Park Ave to Route 1 - Lake Ave – with a stop at Main and Clinton). We call this “through-routing.” Once we open the new Transit Center, this will be the first destination for customers boarding the bus. When buses arrive at the Center, customers must disembark and find their connecting bus. “Through-routing” will no longer be permitted since we are changing the routes for many of our buses. Customers will also need to purchase another $1 fare to continue to their destination (unless they have an all-day unlimited pass, 5-day unlimited pass, or 31-day unlimited pass). This allows RTS to enhance our services by:
• Simplifying destination and bus stop signs
• Improving service by allocating the correct number of buses needed at any given time
• Customers can save on the additional costs by purchasing unlimited ride passes.
As part of our proposal for the service changes, we analyzed a lot of data, and conducted customer surveys and focus groups. Most customers already purchase and use daily or monthly unlimited ride passes, which provide a great value.
What will happen to stop and shelters at Broad Street Station when the Transit Center opens?
The routes will still stop at Broad Street Station on the way to the Transit Center. One shelter will remain on Broad Street, and five shelters will be removed after the Transit Center opens.
I cannot attend the Public Information Sessions as the locations, dates and times are not convenient for me. How can I provide my input?
RTS attempted to schedule sessions at a variety of times and locations across Monroe County to reach as many customers as our resources would allow. Even if you’re not able to join us in person, your input is important to us! We created this online page so customers could have access to the information and submit comments and questions. If you are not able to attend a session, please visit online and send your questions and comments to planning@rgrta.com. We’ll post the answers to the frequently asked questions online throughout the month of April!
Still have questions? Email us at planning@rgrta.com or give us a call at 585-288-1700!