April 24, 2018
On Thursday, April 12, we held an Enjoy the Ride Customer Open House featuring a presentation by CEO Bill Carpenter. If you weren’t able to attend, here’s an overview of the presentation. (Download the presentation as a PDF)
Topic 1: Strategic Initiatives
2018-21 Comprehensive Strategic Plan
Our Comprehensive Plan outlines RTS’ goals and priorities for the years ahead. The 2018-21 plan’s them is “Connecting Communities: Reimagining public transit together”. In 2017-18, we focused on making improvements to our regional system and studying improvements to our Monroe County system to provide better transit. In 2018-19, we’ll wrap up the Reimagine RTS study and develop a plan to implement the redesigned transit system in Monroe County. We’re also working on implementing a fare collection strategy based on mobile ticketing to improve the customer experience and adding electric buses to our fleet.
New Buses
Keep an eye out for new buses hitting the road this year! At RTS in Monroe County, 15 new buses will be on the road by early June. RTS Access is getting even more buses: 17! Seven are 7 on the road now and another 10 will be in service this fall.
New Bus Shelters
You may have noticed four new shelters at Main & Union, Main & Alexander, Main & Prince and Main & Winton. Another seven will be delivered this fall; information about where they will be placed will be shared later this year.
Topic 2: Reimagine RTS Update
Reimagine RTS is a study of potential changes to the RTS fixed-route transit system to better meet the changing needs of the region. The study is being conducted because public transit system in Monroe County has been essentially the same for decades while a great deal has changed around us. New technologies and transportation options are fueling the “expectation of now.” Increasing demands from senior citizens, millennials, individuals with disabilities and those working to transition from poverty to prosperity. More businesses are locating to areas of our region that are not served well by public transit, if at all. Public transit faces a new reality and it is one that we will not ignore.
Phase 3 of Reimagine RTS
In early May, we will present to the public the draft network recommendation from our consultant. The purpose of Phase 3 is to gather feedback on the draft recommendation so the consultant can make any final changes prior to issuing their final recommendation in August. View a list of the Phase 3 events.
When you review the draft recommendation, you will see a transit system that:
- Is more frequent, faster, more direct, and has shorter wait times
- Looks different and works better than the system we have today
- Embraces new technologies
- Can easily connect to other modes of transportation
When the draft recommendations are released, we’ll ask you to review the draft network recommendation, either on your own or at one of many public sessions we will have. Tell us what does and doesn’t work for you. Keep an open mind about how transit connects with options such as Uber, Lyft and Vanpools to form a more robust transportation network. Please take the Reimagine RTS Phase 3 survey once it is available, and spread the word to help us get as much feedback as possible!
Upcoming Reimagine RTS schedule
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May
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Consultant’s draft network recommendation presented to the RGRTA Board, employees and community
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May 4 – June
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Conduct six weeks of public input sessions to gather public opinion on the draft network recommendations
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July
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Consultant prepares final study recommendation based on input gathered during public input sessions
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August
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Consultant presents final recommendation
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Post-Study
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Evaluate recommendation and develop plan to implement reimagined transit system
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Topic 3: Customer Satisfaction Survey
RTS is one of 20 public transit agencies that is surveying customers about the service we provide. Our results are compared with the other agencies participating in the survey. The survey is open now through May 2, 2018 and can be taken at myRTS.com/ABBG. Customers who complete the survey will be eligible for a chance to win an RTS prize package, including bus passes.
Topic 4: C.A.R.E.
C.A.R.E. is RTS’ customer service standard and stands for Courtesy, Attire & Attitude, Responsiveness and Exceed Expectations. At the Open House, CEO Bill Carpenter highlighted RTS Bus Operator Luis, who received this compliment from a customer: “Luis shows so much care for his customers. While riding with him one day, I saw him wait for people running for the bus and he made sure that everyone was seated before pulling off.”
If you see an RTS employee “C.A.R.E”-ing please let us know by contacting us or by filling out a form at the RTS Transit Center.
Topic 5: Upcoming Customer Information Sessions
Save the dates: we’ll hold more customer information sessions in the next few months (in addition to the Reimagine RTS sessions). In July, we’ll have information stations at the RTS Transit Center and in late Fall, we’ll hold another CEO presentation. We’ll share more details about these sessions as they approach. You can keep up to date with all of our news and events by signing up for our Customer Newsletter.
We hope to see you at an RTS event soon!
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