Public Comment Summary Report on second draft of proposed service cuts to ValleyRide bus service

Transcription

1 Public Comment Summary Report on second draft of proposed service cuts to ValleyRide bus service Introduction Valley Regional Transit (VRT) is proposing changes to fixed-route service in Boise/Garden City and intercounty service. The proposed changes, developed by VRT planners, are designed to maximize the effectiveness of existing transit resources and connect more people to more places more often. Any changes to existing ValleyRide bus service would be implemented in January Background Valley Regional Transit planners began examining existing ValleyRide bus services earlier this year. This process included reviewing ridership trends and public comment, and applying transit system design practices included in ValleyConnect 2.0 in redesigning the system. The proposed service changes focused primarily on ValleyRide bus services in Boise, but several changes were proposed for intercountry service. Due to a funding shortfall, the proposed changes were modified to include a reduction to service on the 51 South Nampa route. The first public comment period began in late May and ended on June 25. VRT planners reviewed the public comments and developed a second proposed service change plan in early September. Getting the word out to collect public input Posters were placed inside all ValleyRide buses. In Canyon County, the posters were in both English and Spanish (both the comment form and online survey were also available in Spanish). Notices were also posted at the Happy Day Transit Center, Main Street Station, at Boise State, and in key bus shelter locations. VRT also issued a press release, posted several updates on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. Numerous outside distribution lists were utilized, including, but not limited to, lists maintained by the United Way, the Idaho Foodbank, the City of Boise (neighborhoods) and the Treasure Valley Community Resource Center. A rider alert that including links to an information page and an online survey was posted on the Valley Regional Transit home page.

2 Collecting Public Comment The second public comment period began in early September and ended on Saturday, Oct. 6, VRT staff engaged the public to collect comment in the following ways: Open House/public hearings Two open houses/public hearings were held Sept. 25 in Boise and Sept. 26 in Caldwell. A total of 39 people attended the events. Of those attendees, three provided written comment (which were entered into the online survey) and eight provided verbal comment. Both open houses/public hearings were broadcast live on Facebook. We received no usable comments from those watching the events. On-line survey: A total of 188 people took the online survey. Interactive map: A total of 23 people provided comment directly on an online map that showed proposed service changes. ValleyRide personnel: ValleyRide personnel in Ada operations were provided with an information packet and both printed comment forms and a link to the online survey. Direct comments: Several comments were sent directly to the VRT community relations manager. Summary of Comments Appendix I: Individual online survey open ended and Remix comments Appendix II: Individual survey comments Appendix III: Verbal testimony from two public hearings Appendix IV: Comments provided to VRT community relations manager

3 Appendix A: Online survey results Q1: Which of the routes that are currently proposed to change do your use? (Please check all that apply Findings: The majority of the respondents were focused on routes with significant changes from the existing or previous proposal.

4 Q2: Consolidation of Routes 1 Parkcenter and 18 Harris Ranch Findings: There was significant concern regarding the loss of service to the Warm Springs and Eckert stop, as well as the shift in frequency from the Parkcenter route to the Broadway route. When we looked at users of the 1 Parkcenter answered this question compared to the 18 Harris Ranch we found that the Harris Ranch respondents tended to view this change slightly more positively than the current Parkcenter users. We expect that this is primarily due to the reduction in peak hour frequency and we expect that some of the current 1 Parkcenter riders will switch to the 2 Broadway where almost 60% said they would use the service more. See the statistics below. 1 Parkcenter (45 responses): 71% of survey respondents who use the 1 said they would use the revised services about the same as today or more often (26% said more). 29% said they would use the services less. 18 Harris Ranch (21 responses): 76% of survey respondents who use the 18 said they would use the revised services about the same as today or more often (43% said more). Twenty-four (24) percent said they would use the services less.

5 Q3: Revisions to the 2 Broadway route to serve Southeast Boise more directly with 30-minute peak hour service Findings: 89% of survey respondents who use the 2 said they would use the service about the same as to day or more often (59% said more often). Eleven (11) percent said they would use the service less often. People generally responded well to providing two-way service in southeast Boise rather than the current one-way loop. The residents of Gekeler, Pennsylvania, and Apple streets are the most likely negative respondents as they would be losing direct service.

6 Q4: Providing 15-minute peak service, 30-minute midday service and service until 9:15 PM on the 3 Vista Findings: People were generally supportive of more frequency and later hours on the 3 Vista. Ninetyfive (95) percent of survey respondents who use the 3 said they would use the service about the same as to day or more often (63% said more often). Five (5) percent said they would use the service less often. One respondent commented on the need to increase the visibility of transit service at the airport.

7 Q5: What is the most important time of day to extend service to the airport? Other comments (only includes suggestions): I use mass transit when visiting other cities because of its convenience from the airport. I was at our airport and thought it would be great to use our bus system since it goes right in front of my house. I pulled up the app and saw that I had about a 5-minute wait. Excitedly I waited in the central area that I am accustomed to waiting in other metropolitan areas for the community bus. I stood there as the bus came in through the gate and continued down the path without pausing and exited the gate to the East. It was then that I noticed the small bench I was intended to sit on for the bus to be aware of my need in transportation. My long story brings me to my point that I feel a publicly funded airport needs the publicly funded, economical transportation system to be front and center when exciting our airport. The shuttles and taxis should be on the peripherals and our Valley Transit should be showcased

8 prominently in the center to welcome visitors and residents to our city. Before 6 and after 9 I do not see bus transportation as a viable mode of transit from where I live in NW Boise. This would be over an hour ride by bus vs a 20 car or cab ride. Sunday During the morning hours. 7 to 9AM - BUT changing the time to 7:15 instead of the current 7:20 means by taking the 43 from Caldwell I would 100% miss the 7:15 Vista 3 bus. I need to be at work by 7:30AM and would like the 43 to leave earlier so the connection can be made at a high percentage than it currently is. All of the above Anytime (I'm on #4) All of the above - flight times are usually all over the place Findings: From the context of using transit to get to and from flights at the airport, suggestions were generally scattered regarding when the critical times to provide service are. This is not surprising as the airport is a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week facility.

9 Q6: Straightening the 5 Emerald so that it stays on Emerald to the Mall Findings: The majority of customers appreciated this change. Ninety-five (95) percent of survey respondents who use the 5 said they would use the service about the same as to day or more often (50% said more often). Five (5) percent said they would use the service less often. Some respondents did comment on the need for later night and weekend service. Negative responses are likely from those who are losing direct service to Liberty, Barrister, and Allumbaugh. One survey respondent did express a serious concern about getting people to the Ada County Sheriff's Office and the District Courts for court ordered community service before 7:30 am.

10 Q7: Providing 15-minute peak period service and 30 minute Saturday service on the 9 State Street Findings: People were supportive of improved frequencies on the 9 State Street. Ninety-seven (97) percent of survey respondents who use the 9 said they would use the service about the same as they do today or more often (64% said more often). Three (3) percent said they would use the service less often. Those that responded they would use it less primarily use the 9X from Eagle.

11 Q8: Replacing the 9X State Street Express with a pilot with Lyft, a taxi like service, to help passengers get to State Street Findings: Users of the 9x were generally not excited about replacing the fixed route service in Northwest Boise with the Emerging Mobility Pilot. The majority (54%) of the survey respondents said their use of the revised services, including Lyft, would depend on the cost. Forty-two (42) percent said they would use the services more or about the same, 20 percent said less. There is significant cost sensitivity related to the usefulness of this service.

12 Q9: Combining service to the North End with the 10 Hill Road route Findings: A majority of respondents said they would use the service less than today. There were two major areas of concern. The first is the lack of coverage in the 36 th and Taft neighborhoods. The second was in the northern Pierce Park neighborhood. Respondents expressed the need to continue to have service in these neighborhoods, especially in light of the continued growth. In the case of 36 th and Taft there were several respondents that highlighted the unique needs of the elderly in that neighborhood. When we separated the 14 Hyde Park respondents from the 10 Hill Road respondents, it becomes clear that the concerns are focused on the impacts to the neighborhoods north of State Street. 14 Hyde Park respondents were much more accepting of the change than 10 Hill Road respondents. See the statistics below. The major complaint of 14 Hyde Park respondents was the reduction in peak frequency and the loss of Saturday service. 10 Hill Road (62 responses): The majority (65%) of survey respondents who use the current 10 said they would use these revised services less than today with only 21% saying they would use it more. 14 Hyde Park (13 responses): 67% of survey respondents who use the 14 said they would use the service about the same as today or more often (33% said more often). Thirty-three (33) percent) said they would use the service less often.

13 Q10: Providing service in the AM and PM rush hour on the 11 Garden City rather than in the middle of the day Findings: People were generally supportive of this concept. Ninety-two (92) percent of survey respondents who use the 11 said they would use the service about the same as today or more often (67% said more often). Eight (8) percent said they would use the service less often. Several respondents expressed their gratitude for the improvements being proposed and asked for Sunday service.

14 Q11: Providing two-way service on Warm Springs Ave rather than serving Park Blvd and Walnut. Findings: People were supportive of direct, linear service. Eighty-nine (89) percent of survey respondents said they would use the service about the same as today or more often (59% said more often). Eleven (11) percent said they would use the service less often. The negative respondents were most likely from the Park and Walnut area that would lose direct service.

15 Q12: Extending the 16 VA Shuttle to Hyde Park to serve the North End. Findings: As this is a significant deviation from the current service in both the East and North Ends, it is unsurprising that there was some hesitancy. However, the majority of the users approved of the changes. Eighty-six (86) percent of survey respondents who use the 16 said they would use the service about the same as today or more often (62% said more often). Fourteen (14) percent said they would use the service less often.

16 Q13: Changes to the inter-county routes to improve the on-time performance and reliability on the inter-county routes. Findings: Poor on-time performance is a top complaint among intercounty service riders. There was general support across all intercounty routes for improving on-time performance of the intercounty services. There was however, a lot of concern and some confusion about the changing loop patter in downtown Boise. Respondents were concerned that the changes would result in either longer walks or longer time on the bus. Some of the information available on the website was misleading and suggested that we were reducing the number of trip to downtown Boise and a significant number of respondents were very concerned about the seemingly reduced service levels. There was also concern that we might be changing the times of trips leaving Boise. Several respondents commented on the need for more service between Boise and Nampa, including weekend service with some respondents citing standing loads on existing service.

17 Q14: Reduction of service on the 51 East Nampa to be peak only Monday through Friday Findings: People were not supportive of reduced service. Several respondents commented on the importance of connecting with the intercounty services at CWI.

18 Q15: What are the most common destinations you travel to on transit? Findings: Destinations generally matched up with locations with relatively high service (downtown Boise, Towne Square Mall, Boise State etc.) and locations served by routes that are proposed to change (Gary Lane, Parkcenter, 28 th, Overland and Black Marlin).

19 Q16: Do the proposed service improvements increase the number of destinations you would be able to reach by transit? Findings: A slight majority (52%) of respondents said these changes would either increase the number of destinations reachable by transit or keep them about the same (28% said it would improve a little or a lot). This is a significant and positive finding. Most of the responses came from areas with real or perceived negative impacts, the 10 Hill Road, 1 Parkcenter and the 40 Nampa Express. It is uncommon to get large responses from the areas with improved service. The fact that we did get a strong response from the improvements to the 9 State Street, 3 Vista, 2 Broadway, and 5 Emerald is indicative of the importance of these changes.

20 Q17: If the proposed service improvements do not help you, what changes would you recommend? Findings: Many of the feasible recommendations made from this question have been incorporated in our final proposal. These include reversing the direction of the 40 Nampa/Meridian Express through downtown in the afternoon, an earlier inbound run on the 1 Harris Ranch, extending the 1 to Warm Springs and Eckert, continuing to serve Taft with the 10 Downtown to Hill Road, and extending the 12 Towne Square Mall to Maple Grove to serve Gary and Gillis.

21 Q18: What is your home zip code? Findings: The areas with the most significant changes in service responded the most heavily.

22 Q19: Do you have additional comments? Findings: The majority of responses to this question were requests for increased frequencies, weekend service, new routes, and better methods for the public to review and comment on proposed service changes.

23 Appendix II: Individual online survey open ended and Remix comments 1 Parkcenter 1. The 1/18 combo route needs to run at 30 minute intervals during peak hours...6am- 8am, 4:30pm-6:30pm. 2. You assumed a lot of things when planning Route 1. You are assuming students will ride in from Harris Ranch, and that the commuters will take Vista. If those assumptions are incorrect, you are SOL when it comes to the utility of that route. 3. Reducing frequency for route 1 is very discouraging. This will only reduce ridership even more. 4. I will have to start driving to work & paying to park if you eliminate the River Run stop. 5. Seriously these changes hurt everyone on Parkcenter 6. This map somewhat contradicts the map provided in the 2018 Final Service Changes Proposal overview document. On this map "TO: MSS" the first Time Point is "Parkcenter & Warm Springs" and the second Time Point is "Parkcenter & Old Hickory" however, on the other/stationary map of the route it appears that "Parkcenter & Warm Springs" is just a Stop and "Parkcenter & Wise Way" is a Time Point with "Parkcenter & Old Hickory" not even listed as a Time Point or Stop. It would be nice to get some clarification on this section of the route and possibly a revised route map showing each Time Stop from 6:45am to 6:45pm. 7. I think the route should continue down Parkcenter instead of going around/down Boise Ave. as the proposed Broadway route has Stops on Boise Ave. from Law to Apple. The original Stop at "Parkcenter & Bown Way" should go in place of "Bown & Riverwalk." If the route continues on Parkcenter a new Stop could be added at Parkcenter & Law which is a good mid-point from Bown to Apple and or Pennsylvania. 8. Hello, I am very disappointed by the new route 1 & 18 combo. I would prefer a bus running every 30 mins from Harris Ranch. 9. I am extremely disappointed in your route suggestion. I understand combining and feel it is long overdue. I CANNOT believe you are leaving off the Eckert stop. We have been the most loyal riders to this route. I have been on the 18 since the very first pick up. It saddens me you chose to dismiss all of us and what we have given to the route. 10. I am shocked you are discounting you Eckert riders! This is where most of the pick ups and drop off happen. I know because I have been part of the route from the beginning. Very upset! Stacey Sonnenberg

24 2 Broadway 1. Please reconsider changes to the 2 Broadway including keeping service to Pennsylvania Street and extending service past 6:45? 2. Routes 1 & 2 should not overlap on Boise Ave. Route 1 should stay on Parkcenter. I agree with Routes 2 & 4 serving the Boise Airport, but Route 4 should travel on Overland instead of Nez Perce to provide a more direct connection to Route Wow, you made Broadway even worse than the last proposal. 3 Vista 1. I am pleased with the proposal to increase the frequency and hours of service for route #3. These changes will enable me to use the bus more often to get to and from the airport. I hope the changes will also encourage more people - employees and travelers - to use the bus to and from the airport. I think route #3 is one of the hidden gems that makes our city livable! 2. I love the 9 frequency improvements, as well as putting the 3 on a 15/30 minute interval so that the times are easier to memorize. 4 Roosevelt 1. Thanks for getting Roosevelt to the Airport! 2. Your proposal for eliminating the stops on S. Columbus St for access to the Boise Airport is pointless and useless. Keep the 4Roosevelt the SAME!!!! 3. If you change the 4 I will have to walk 4 blocks to and from Vista to catch the bus to work and then to get home. I spend 8+ hours on my feet at work, I am 60 years old. 4. Nothing more, except for to consider KEEPING the VRT stops for the #4 Roosevelt along S. Columbus Street because, as I emphasized above/earlier, NOT EVERYBODY IS ABLE TO GET AROUND/MAKE IT TO ALL THE WAY DOWN OVER TO S. Vista Avenue for a bus stop. THINK ABOUT IT. Thanks much for all you do, VRT!!! --CRH 5 Emerald 1. Really like the idea of streamlining route 5 8X Five Mile/Chinden 1. Nothing has been mentioned about the 8 or 8X. The State is purchasing the HP building and moving several state agencies to the HP complex, some have already started moving there. and by September 2019 all of the 300 Tax Commission employees will be moved out there as well. I utilize public transportation and some others have talked

25 about it as well. The problem I have is I start work by 7:00 am (the majority of us do) and trying to plan out the bus connections for when we move isn't working. Plus, if you change the 10 bus that even makes it more challenging. Something to keep in mind for Boise's future growth...it's not all downtown. 9 State Street 1. I am in full support of increasing the 9 frequency. 2. There must be a way to make improvements without cutting our route. It is a longer walk for us to catch the 9. The last couple of winters, it was a challenge to catch the 10. I would not have been able to get to the 9. Please don't cut this route. 9X State Street Express 1. Please listen to customers. Dumping additional resources into the 9 while removing the 9x is the worst idea you could have thought of without providing an additional solution for State Street past Glenwood. The Lyft solution sounds like a trash idea that someone at ValleyRide put about 7 seconds into thinking about. 2. I would run the 7B, 8X, 9X more often. I would run bigger buses less and vans more often. Get rid of tinted windows buses. Make the 44 and 43 run all day. 3. I am disappointed by the bus system s apparently lackadaisical attitude toward their passengers and passenger safety. Elderly people and disabled people ride the 10 in the sections you propose cutting out, as do people who have no other form of transportation. Expecting these people to walk to the stops at Saxton or Pierce Park is insensitive and dangerous at certain times of the year, especially with your proposed changes occurring in the middle of winter. Lyft shuttles are not a viable solution if I am supposed to take Lyft for a few blocks I might as well just pay the driver for the whole ride and cut out the bus entirely. There is, again, a safety issue inherent in relying on Lyft services to fill in for public transport routes. Lyft drivers and their vehicles are not regulated the same way that public transport services are. You are trusting that a third party will arrive on time, drive safely, be an appropriate driver for riders who are sometimes very elderly, disabled, or school-aged, and that these riders are somehow going to pay for it, whether that s wrapped into the bus fees or paid for out of pocket. 4. Cutting the 9x makes it very, very difficult for people in Eagle to take the bus. Please keep the Carlton Bay stop! 5. Taking away the 9x and replacing it with Lyft service seems to be more costly than $36/mo. Additionally, utilizing the 9, even with "thinning" the stops will take longer than the current 5 stops via the 9x. 9x commuters are mainly from Eagle area to Downtown for work.

26 10 Hill Road 1. Please leave the together. Do not separate!!!! I would combine the 51 and 52 routes and make a loop ask to see pictures There has been a lack of signage or notification for the affected stops on 36th, Taft, and 28th. It would've been more appropriate to loop the people there in on the proposed changes before the public comment period ended, rather than relying on word of mouth. 3. I wish we could have seen time frames, more details not just the basic idea. 4. This would be a devastating blow to families in the North West off Hill Road with no access to the city. 5. I've been riding the bus for almost three months now and have been quite happy with the service offered overall. I would hate to see the 9th & Idaho stop be eliminated. 6. Will the 10A be discontinued? 7. You are cutting out people currently served by the 10 bus in the neighborhoods off of Pierce Park north of Castle as well as folks who catch the bus currently on 28th between Taft and State Street, and on Taft between 28th and 36th. I don't know how or if you are accommodating the North End folks, but in this proposal my neighborhood, Gary Lane Meadows, is left off of the bus completely. The walk from my house to Castle Drive is 1.6 miles; from my house to Gary Lane and Saxton for the 9 it is.8 miles. I understand the complications of the combined 10 and 12 routes, but this is the same nefarious plan proposed last year, except that you've cut current passengers instead of totally messing up the schedule. Why can't the outbound 10 continue to run on the same basic route, but since it's not going out to the mall, turn north on Gary and then east on Hill Road, back to Collister then continue on the current route. Another alternative would be to continue on west on Hill Road instead of heading down Castle, turn south on Gary, west on Gillis through the neighborhood, then pick up the current route on Pierce Park and head up Castle. Find another way to accommodate the folks east of 28th Street. Northwest Boise is growing and you aren't going to increase ridership by cutting out a route that already exists. I've lived in my neighborhood since 1984 and we have always had bus service. This plan doesn't make sense and doesn't serve the ridership well. Why ride the bus if it's going to disappear? We are a one car family and have managed to make it work because of the availability of the 10 bus. And what are you thinking when you plan to institute these changes in the middle of the winter? Thanks for the opportunity to comment. 8. My bus driver for the number 10 warned me this morning that the route could be changing soon and the bus would completely bypass the current stop he picks me up at, on 28th and Smith. He said I should make sure to put in my input. So I looked up the

27 changes... and the new bus stop is even closer to my house! I wholeheartedly approve of this change! 9. A friend of mine who rides the 10 with me said the new route is likely to affect both him and (more importantly IMHO) the refugee community. The removal of the stops along 36th would likely make them have to go another mile to get to a stop. One other thing I'd point out is that making more people travel along Hill Road to get to a stop can be problematic in the wintertime. The first year I started riding the bus, I took the 14. The stop was a little farther from my house, but it ran on time more regularly and it was nice having it come every half hour instead of every hour. But then came Snowmageddon. The sidewalk along Hill Road between Smith and Harrison has some long stretches where it abuts someone's back fence, and these sections are not shoveled. We got treacherous frozen foot-high snow on the sidewalks for months. I switched to the 10 from the 14 because of this. The new route won't affect me because I live on Smith and won't have to travel along Hill to get to a stop -- but it could be tricky for anyone who does. 11 Garden City 14 Hyde Park 1. I am disappointed that route #14 may no longer exist. I would like my neighborhood - and all neighborhoods throughout the service area - to have service on weekends and to have service more than once per hour. I would be ok with the discontinuation of route #14 if routes #10 and #16 ran on weekends and at a higher frequency than once per hour. Discontinuing route #14 will affect my ability to connect route #3, which I use on a regular basis to travel to and from the airport. I would much rather ride the bus than take a taxi or ride my bike to the airport (my family doesn't own a car). 2. I just hope others in the apartments near 15th/Bogus and Parkhill complain enough that we can keep a 30-minute interval at peak hours. 16 VA/Hyde Park Loop 17 Warm Springs Harris Ranch 2. St Luke s is growing and adding more employees. Please reconsider keeping the Harris Ranch bus route utilizing Main and Idaho streets. 3. I live out beyond Harris Ranch and feel it is much preferable for me and for residents of Harris Ranch and staff/students of the schools out beyond Eckert that the bus should

28 continue to come up to the four-way intersection at Eckert rather than turning back a quarter mile short of this area. I am already over 2 miles from the Eckert stop. Please have the bus come out and turn around at Harris Ranch Mill District. 4. Keep the Eckert / Warm Springs stop location and consider making a 6:00/6:15 pickup time in the morning. the 6:30 is good, but earlier would be better. 5. Keep the bus stop at the Eckert/Millspur/Warm Springs intersection. 6. Does the new Harris Ranch service go to Eckert? The map does not show that it goes all the way to Eckert RD. Will the bus have to turn around at Eckert? 28 Cole/Victory 1. Have 6 go to the mall and the 29 go downtown. And keep the 10 and 12 together. And loop the 28 to go around Costco 29 Overland 1. I would make the 6 go to the mall and the 29 go downtown. 40 Nampa/Meridian Express 2. Look at 40 Express number of riders at certain peak times. The bus is packed to capacity with riders standing the second to last bus in during the morning. 3. St. Luke's is in the process of moving 800 employees to Washington Group Plaza this fall. Eventually there will be 1,500. So keeping the stop there should benefit ValleyRide. 4. It would be nice to have the #40 buses be on time. If the buses run minutes late regularly then the schedule needs to change to reflect these later times. There is no reason that the route starts late from the starting point. 5. The new service changes for route 40 will significantly change the time it takes me to get home and I am opposed to it skipping Idaho street. 6. Leave the 40 route the same. Don't make a HUGE change (only put 1 stop on 9th and Front) to accommodate a few BSU riders. The majority of the 40 riders are downtown employees or U of I law school students. Don't accommodate BSU!!! 7. I am not sure I fully understand how the times will change on route 40, but I think it is important to maintain service during peak commuting hours from downtown Boise to Meridian/Nampa. The information online is unclear regarding options "A", "B" and "C" for Route 40. Are these routes proposed options, or variations on the same route at different times? Are all start times at the west end of the route, or at the east end?

29 There also appears to be a heavy concentration on riders from BSU and less so on business commuters from downtown Boise. 8. Route 40 - going through BSU campus is congested and slow. If we have to keep that part of the route, we should only have maybe 2 stops on campus. There are still too many stops, and this route is always very behind. 9. The proposed route for the 40 makes it more difficult for riders who would get off at main and 11th to catch the bus home. They would need to walk around 6 blocks to catch the return trip home (approx. 10 min). I suggest either have the bus continue up Capitol to Idaho and maintain the current stops or have the 40 skip the BSU section as proposed before but have it still go all the way to St. Luke s and loop back down Idaho. The original reasoning for cutting out the BSU portion of the route I feel is still reasonable. Other changes can be made to improve the routes that go to BSU. 10. The changes to the 40 Route appear to be focused on the BSU Student use not the Business people use. Losing the pick-up times at the end of the work day will make it more difficult to catch the bus. 11. Same as above, a very sad and depressing day for us. 12. If you eliminate some stops to 40 - downtown employees have to walk farther meaning greater chance of missing the bus. 13. The proposed changes to rt. 40 will increase my commute time. 14. The change to the 40 FROM Boise is unacceptable. I will not be walking from 13th and Idaho to 7th and Front in all kinds of weather. I will drive bus downtown then turn around no one gets on the bus around BSU after 4 no reason for us to make a loop and you have a bus that goes to BSU why make the 40 suffer this is one of the dumbest ideas yet it will not make the time better. 16. Keep Bus 40 on Idaho 17. The changes that will be made to route 40, in my opinion, are a great thing. Downtown Boise has been overloaded with traffic and construction and this new route seems like a logical way to reduce those effects minutes will be saved and that extra time I will get to spend with my pregnant wife, and soon my baby girl or boy. 18. You wrote in the Public Feed Back on the Initial Concept to changes on the Route 40, that the Public was opposed to shortening the route. While the incoming route to serve downtown Boise, St. Luke's and BSU is pretty much status quoi, while the out bound bus

30 makes no stops serving St. Luke s. You expect patients to walk to Capitol & Front to catch the bus! How dare you!!!! 19. This is absolutely unacceptable. You're cutting the route from once every 30 minutes to once every sixty minutes. Additionally, you're making the route glacial by mapping it through BSU. It's like you took the worst of Harris Ranch and Parkcenter and combined it into one POS. 20. This is horrible. So everyone you are dropping off on Main in the morning has to make it to 7th and Front in the afternoon? I ride on a completely full bus and a lot of us get off at 11th and main in the morning, and get on at 11th and Idaho in the afternoon. This is just not acceptable. I will discontinue my long years of ridership, as will several of the people I ride with, I imagine. 21. If I'm reading this right, it looks like the latest 40 from Boise will leave at 5 pm... that's way too early. I know some people like to use the 40 precisely because as a professional they don't always have a specific work schedule but need flexibility to stay a little later if something comes up for example. If your latest bus out of Boise is leaving at 5 many of those people may tend to not see transit as a viable option for them. Please consider adding one more bus or removing the 2:35 bus and putting it to 5:30ish... especially since you already have a bus (the 45) that is leaving Boise at the 2 o'clock hour. 22. If I'm reading this right it seems like there will be buses in the afternoon at 1 and 2 and in the evening at 4 and 5:20. It seems like you're trying to make the 40 and 45 interchangeable and have some crossover to cover more time and I like that, but as it stands this 5:20 bus will be the latest thing coming out of Boise... that's too early. I know that often times the 45 that runs late is pretty empty, but I think having a later bus encourages some working professionals to use the bus because they know if something comes up and they need to stay later there are options. Having the last 40 run at 5 and this last 45 at 5:20 will discourage a lot of those people from feeling like transit is a viable option for them. 23. This sure seems to cater heavily to the BSU students. Seems like the majority of riders are government and business folks. It would be much better to have the outbound route still route up to Idaho St or at least get closer to the business corridor between Main and Idaho. It is also important for me to have a later bus that runs around 5:30 pm for longer days at work. 24. To get this route more on time, it seems that it is most important that it leave from its origin (morning and afternoon) on time. It is often quite late leaving Caldwell especially in the morning. Second, account for expected backed up traffic on the freeway, especially in the afternoons.

31 25. Appears these changes are focused on BSU Students without consideration for the Business people downtown. Based on the From/To information, unless my calculations are wrong - there will 14:35 (2:35pm), 15:20 (3:20pm), 16:05 (4:05pm), & 16:50 (4:55pm) pickups starting at Main & 11th downtown, which means there will be a drop from currently being 3 to 2 evening runs. Perhaps there needs to be some thought put into a Business commuter line (running downtown on Main to St. Luke s and then back out on Idaho with times from 4pm to 6pm) and a separate Student commuter line (running from CWI directly to BSU with times from 3pm to 5pm) 26. Love the new route idea for the I'm fine with the changes to Route 40 if it will improve the on-time performance. That bus stop by the Grove Plaza on the Nampa-bound direction is going to be very busy in the afternoon. 28. The form says no change to schedule, but all the times have clearly changed. Additionally, the time between busses have changed. This is not acceptable since many have been told over and over that there will be no changes to our schedule. 29. These route changes adversely impact the evening routes. The elimination of any busses after 5 would cause any individuals that work until 5 (very common work schedule) to not be able to take the bus. The proposed schedule is NOT good for most people working downtown. 41 Happy Day Transit Center/ Boise State 1. Yes, something needs to change with Route 40, and I think the current proposal could do just that and make it much more efficient. You talk to other people and they don't ride because of that reason. 42 Happy Day Transit Center Towne Square Mall 43 Caldwell Express 1. Why can't people catch the 43 at the Happy Day Transit center... that is where the bus starts before going to Jefferson Middle school isn't it? Giving people this option would create some crossover use between the 40 and the 43 routes... it would allow people who want to come in at an early time from the Caldwell area to do so on the 40 and people who want to come back at a later time on the 43 to also do so. Seems like a nobrainer with no added time or expense. 51 East Nampa 1. I like some changes but 51, hopefully I like to see much better hours running for bus 42. General Comments

32 2. Thank you for your all your time and diligence on these proposed updates! 3. Please schedule the 6:39AM 43 Bus from the Caldwell Park and Ride to Boise to leave earlier so that I can make the necessary connecting bus. Suggested new time as 6:15AM. 4. Thank you for the services they are great! 5. Thank you! 6. Appreciate your efforts to adapt to evolving needs and giving due diligence and process to get it right. Also appreciate low fare rates; it has been a reliable selling point as I've tried to hire folks out of state. 7. When creating these proposals, please explicitly state what "peak times" are. It'd make it much easier to review for us. 8. Improving schedule times. There can't be 30 minute discrepancies on pick up times. People won't ride if they can't get there on time. 9. If Nampa funding is the problem, why are most of these changes proposed for in Boise routes. Simply spreading the pain will not save Nampa's fiduciary problems. 10. No PDF on website for routes is best bet. Make everything mobile friendly. 11. While the proposed changes do not increase the actual number of destinations I am able to reach, the streamlining of routes and combinations of routes that will now provide a single seat ride through downtown increases the ease of using transit and the likelihood that I will do so. 12. New developments should be required to be bus friendly. They should have a place designated as a bus stop with a bench and a covered area to wait. 13. Thanks for making the effort to gather public input - it is appreciated! 14. I appreciate the effort to improve the transit system. Boise really needs it as we are growing so fast. However, I am only negatively impacted so the improvements are not exciting to me and only leave a bad impression. I am very disappointed-- I enjoyed riding the bus to work and now I am much less likely. 15. On time performance has got to improve your commuters have to know they will reach their destination on time so one is not late for work. 16. I think avoiding the freeway on the new schedule is smart.

33 17. The buses are great! If only they would go more frequently and on weekends. 18. Would love to see some common routes run later. 19. I think if the bus system was better (more frequent stops in more locations) people would use them more. I definitely would use it to get from the Bench to 2C more and I would absolutely use it as a round trip from the Bench to downtown if the bus hours were extended. I think everyone would use it a bit more if it were more accommodating, but I get where y'all are coming from too. Keep fighting the good fight. 20. There are smaller bus systems that have longer hours than Valley Ride. Missoula's system really goes out of its way to accommodate the needs of college students and service workers. Several of that system's routes run from 7 am-ish to nearly 10 p.m. I'm also concerned that service to get students to CWI (both in Boise and Nampa) isn't great under the new plan. We should be doing more to help move traffic back and forth between CWI, the Boise CWI and Boise State. 21. The elimination of half hourly service on at rush hour is a major problem and need for Saturday service. 22. I wish the City governments would come ride. With the increasing growth in each City, they need to step up their game and participate!! This is a MUCH need service. This isn't a luxury. THIS is a NEED!!! In support of the "Green" initiative, they need to come to the table support the cause. Also, Thank You!!!!!! I appreciate the service provided by Valley Ride and I'm grateful for it. Also, for those of us who do take advantage of this great service, I wish they offered some passes to park downtown. There used to be a service where, if you purchase a bus pass, you'd get 6 free parking passes to the parking garage. I don't drive that often, but the cost on top off the bus pass is huge. Please offer a program to assist with parking when we can't take the bus on certain days. Maybe offer a discount or 2 to 3 free passes each month. Thank You!!! 23. Initiating major changes--especially eliminating bus routes--in January is poor customer service. Cutting a route where you have regular passengers and making changes that do not accommodate them is poor customer service. Why should anyone ride the bus? 24. Would love to see more people using public transportation. Although State Street buses at 3 pm are very full and I've had buses not stop due to being at capacity. 25. Rather than eliminating routes, please simply consider adding routes to the current system. By eliminating routes like the route on 28th St., you alienate people who would normally consider using the bus. We already have enough trouble convincing residents to ride the bus without taking away options from them. Please simply consider adding routes WITHOUT eliminating others. This is how we grow the system that we need in

34 Boise. I am disappointed to see some of these proposed changes, especially the elimination of the 28th St. route. 26. I would like rides to shop or do other things in non-peak hours. 27. Could you have peak hour schedules and on no- peak times have special trips to get more people on the bus? 28. I love the bus driver re vice and I have been riding for 15 years and I have seen a lot of changes. You have wonderful drivers. I want to continue to ride and save our air quality and decrease cars on the road. 29. The bus system is wonderful and I look forward to using it more as I become increasingly familiar with it. 30. Good job figuring out the best approach to improving transit service with limited budgets! 31. It would be nice if the bus could get out to south west Boise (Victory/Cloverdale or Eagle). 32. Buses only work when they go where people need to go, are convenient, and move people timely. Hope we can invest in a system that will work better for most people in the near future. 33. As a Student of Boise State University, my schedule works around the bus's. hopefully changes to the 40 and 51 will be for the better. 34. I enjoy the bus service but am afraid that Nampa will eventually cut all funding. 35. I would make a 8:35 a.m. run to Boise from Towne Square Mall finish from Caldwell, Happy Day start. I would make a 3:50 p.m. and 4:50 p.m. run from the Towne Square Mall to Caldwell Happy Day. 36. These changes will create and cause people who are in need of canes and walkers to get to a bus safely. Or in a wheelchair to make it to new bus stops that will be further away. Other problems, there will be people who will have no way to get around with the cuts of taking away the routes on some of the buses, making them to take taxis to their appointments, or not being able to get around. By combining some of the routes, that already are I know it makes it a hardship in the time destination for a person to know how long they will be either very early for their appointments to be on time. Or very later all and you at the bus company do your very best and we know this.

35 37. The 7B bus doesn t always stop at my bus stop on 13th & Main & causes me to be late for work from time to time. 38. I take the bus every day, I m glad we have a system in place. I m also glad to see an effort being put forth to improve it. 39. Please!!! Don't mess this one up or I may not be able to ride at all. 40. I have had someone mention to me how difficult it is to pay for a day trip. They would like to see an option involving an app to scan to pay for the ride. 41. I am frustrated that you have decreased the amount of buses during rush hour and there is no bus service after 5pm. I feel like with Boise State having their own shuttle that part of the route could have been eliminated to save time and you make your last stop St Luke s. 42. Just Keep the busses running. I lived in Twin Falls as of a couple of months ago I do not have a car to poor Twin Falls as you know does not have any bus svcs at all only taxis so this is one of the main reasons I moved to Boise I waited 1 1/2 years to get a spot in this housing unit and am very very happy I made the move!!!!! 43. Valley Ride is my transportation. I find that when you are familiar with routes, planning out your connection(s) is easy. Knowing the schedules and aware of wait times and walking distances beforehand makes the trip user friendly. The public needs to know that 'riding the bus can be easy to use for their transportation. 44. Your maps are not interactive. The information is not sufficient in some of them. 45. Thank you for your ongoing consideration of public comment. I know there must be a large number of factors to consider in allocating limited resources to maximize workable transportation for the greatest number of people. 46. My bus driver Jack is such a great person. I make certain we have taken a seat before he starts moving. DJ on the other hand does not do that and there have been several occasions where rides literally fall into the nearest seat, if not the poles. The other great drivers are Tim, Terry, LP, Joe and Dan. 47. Thanks for the changes and expansions. 48. More frequency will help ridership the most. But it's the chicken egg thing. I hope we can figure out sustainable and dramatically increased funding. SOON! 49. I am now 65 and have found, as I age, my use of the bus system has increased.

36 50. The proposed changes will make it more difficult for me to ride the bus to and from work every day. I also like to ride the bus downtown on Saturdays to enjoy the farmers market and there will no longer be a stop within walking distance from my home on the weekends. 51. I'm riding the bus because I cannot afford paying for parking downtown for work. If the bus stop is removed from near my home as proposed, I would not be able to make it to the much further bus stop, especially in the winter. I cannot afford to drive in and park downtown. I also would much appreciate if you kept the 30-minute intervals in the peak hours, as current. One hour intervals is very inconvenient if you happen to barely miss one. 52. If the bus leaves Happy Day Transit on time, that helps all of us riders. Also, maybe it's time to have discussions with ACHD about having a designated carpool lane which will accommodate all riders, and perhaps other single drivers will hop on board adding additional folks to their car. 53. We would like to take the bus more, but are limited with when and where the bus goes, and the amount of time it takes if destination involves more than one bus. 54. The app needs much work. It seems very inconsistent on tracking the bus location. 55. I love using the bus, and try to evangelize as much as possible. There's still somewhat negative public perception among the car loving folks, which is unfortunate. I would love to see Sunday service someday :) thanks for all you do to keep cars off the road! 56. There has to be a better way to service downtown. How do we really know that shuttle to BSU would be unreliable? Did anyone contact BSU about this? Have a designated bus from Caldwell to CWI to BSU? 57. I applaud what's trying to be done to improve service even though, in some ways it will make it much more difficult for me to use the bus service. I think improved public transportation will help our communities and I hope that your regular rider's opinions and concerns will be considered. 58. I use these routes a great deal and really value your service!

37 Appendix III: Verbal testimony from two public hearings Sept. 25, 2018 Public Hearing Michael Sila My name is Michael Sila, I live at 537 E. Parkcenter Boulevard (Apartment 134) in Boise. I currently go on the route 1 Parkcenter which is planning to be combined with the 18 Harris Ranch to be the route 1 Harris Ranch. It s kind of disappointing, honestly, because while other places are getting improvements, that area is getting a decline in service. The Harris Ranch is being combined with the Parkcenter which would add more riders, which is fine, but they re reducing peak hours from having peak hours every 30 minutes to having peak hours once an hour. The claim is that the Broadway route will make up for that but I am not so sure and it doesn t really change the situation of, you know, if I miss the bus I am SOL now and obviously I shouldn t miss buses but it s a reality for everyone. And again one thing if funding were the complete issue, I see other places getting 15-minute service, I see other places getting after nine (p.m.) services, and I see other places getting weekend service, and I feel that my area is being neglected and degraded downgraded in exchange for all these services is annoying. And that s actually all I have even though I know I have more time. Cynthia Harris Good evening. My name is Cynthia Harris and I live at 2111 W. Targee Street in Boise, Idaho. I have been a regular passenger of and within the VRT system since my return to my home town of Boise since July I reside within the Vista neighborhood, portion of the Boise Central Bench down from Hawthorne Elementary school and west Targee Street.south Columbus Street. I ride the #4 Roosevelt VRT just about daily. Long story short, I am here to tell you all within VRT s Board that what your proposing as far as removing all the stops along south Columbus Street plus the one by Robert and Canal Street is nothing but dead wrong. You all are not thinking about the souls who reside in that area who ride the bus and who also cannot get all the way down to south Vista Avenue from their homes easily. Not everyone can on a physical level and you all know this. Moreover, hardly anyone actually uses the Boise Airport itself, even those who ride on the number three Vista. In all reality, and over the past three plus years I have lived here within that part of Boise, only half a handful of people have actually made use of the airport, which, by the way, have their own shuttles, both to different hotels and standalones. Along with Uber. I have counted the super few amount of people who have rode the #3 Vista and have used the Boise airport. It isn t even close to the amount of souls you are figuring and counting on in that same regard. No its not. Simply put people, most of you don t even ride the bus or use any form of VRT, period, like we do. Yet and still, you disrespect us riders by holding these forums and hearings during the final half hour of ValleyRide s daily runs. You guys don t care about any of us whatsoever. You do not care about your operators, you all know nothing firsthand about our true daily transport needs. Nothing. Please, do yourselves a favor along with everyone else in our Vista neighborhood on the Boise Central Bench that ride the number 4 for the same favor. Leave our number four Roosevelt bus route alone. Alone. It s not going to save you guys any more money and robbing us of our stops that we crucially need. How dare you.