Swift Bus Rapid Transit June DeVoll, Community Transit & Tom Hingson, Everett Transit October 22, 2013
Swift Washington State s First BRT is almost 4 years old
Everett Transit
Everett Transit College Station Mall Station
Community Transit
Problem A Forced transfer in a difficult Pedestrian Environment
Partnership Community Transit and Everett Transit crafted a unique partnership to implement Swift. Everett Transit is a full partner in the project paying for the capital expenses of stations within their jurisdiction, building the Swift terminal at Everett Station, and contributing to the annual operating cost
WHAT IS BUS RAPID TRANSIT? MAP 21 defines Bus Rapid Transit as including.features that emulate the services provided by rail fixed guideway public transportation systems.
Introducing Swift Swift includes all of the Characteristics of of BRT : Running Ways Unique Brand Vehicles Fare Collection Stations ITS Service & Operations Plan
Swift SR 99 Everett Station to Aurora Village Transit Center 16.7 miles 5 jurisdictions 24 stations initially 14 northbound 14 southbound
BRT on State Route 99 The SR 99 corridor has the highest density of population and employment in Snohomish County
Swift Corridor Infrastructure 6.7 miles of Business Access Transit (BAT) lanes Transit Signal Priority Initially 10.5 miles of TSP TSP in City of Everett added in August 2011
BAT LANES
UNIQUE VEHICLES 15 Branded 62 foot articulated, hybrid vehicles
VEHICLES On board bike racks for 3 bikes Passive restraint for wheelchairs
Swift Station a sense of place The station is located on an 10 x60 easement - behind the sidewalk. Station elements include weather protection, information kiosk, fare collection, welcome mats, and jurisdictional artwork on the platform.
Innovative station design
EVERETT STATION Swift terminal at Everett Station: Exclusive terminus just south of existing bus bays
Off Board fare collection: Swift Fare Collection 2 Ticket Vending Machines at each station 2 Smart Card readers at each station Customers pay at the station, then board by any door Swift Ambassadors in the corridor randomly check fares
SWIFT SERVICE CHARACTERISTICS Swift runs 6 days per week 12 minute headways 5 a.m. 7 p.m. 20 minute headways evenings & Saturdays Consistently meeting goal of 10 second dwell times Compulsory stops at all stations Precision docking with rub rails
Swift Project Initial project cost approximately $31.3 million for 16.7 miles Approx cost per mile = $1.87 million Almost half the cost is for the new vehicles Project $3.4 million under budget Project was fully funded by Federal & State grants; partnerships; and local revenues Also obtained multiple Grants and partnership funds for the 1 st 3 years of Operating funds
Swift Project Cost Breakdown Vehicles = $13.6M 32 Stations = $13.8M Station kits = $4M Construction = $5.5M ROW = $1.5M Supporting costs = $2.8M Fare Collection = $1.1M Everett Station = $2.8M
Swift Timeline Only 4 years from Board Resolution to implementation! 2005 2007 2009
Monthly Ridership Swift carries the highest ridership of all Community Transit Routes and now has over 4400 boardings per day
System Ridership Swift ridership is more than double the next closest route 2012
CORRIDOR & MOBILITY GROWTH Route 2009 Route 2012 100 116,204 Swift 1,173,494 101 1,172,649 101 395,795 Total 1,288,853 1,569,289 +21.75% At a time of overall declining ridership (-19% systemwide since beginning of Recession), the SR 99 corridor has experienced +21.75% more riders since the inception of Swift
Customer Survey Corridor based survey conducted in November 2011 Rider characteristics and attitudes on Swift service
Has your travel time improved since Swift started? No, about the same 19% 56% No, slower 7% 7% Yes, 1-10 minutes faster 19% 27% Yes, 11-20 minutes faster 10% 24% Yes, 21-30 minutes faster 4% 12% Yes, more than 30 minutes faster 4% 11% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Swift Local Over 50% of Swift riders perceive travel time improvements of up to 20 minutes, with 23% reporting improvements of more than 20 minutes. In contrast, the majority of Local riders (63%) perceive their travel times have remained the same or gotten slower.
Swift /Local Preferences Swift gets me there faster Local buses get me closer to my destination I wait less time for Swift 40% 39% 46% Swift is easier to use Local buses are less expensive Swift buses are more comfortable or safer Swift gets me closer to my destination Local buses are easier to use I don't need to transfer if I ride the local bus Other Local buses get me there faster 7% 6% 11% 16% 20% 25% 29% Riders like Swift because it is fast, frequent, and easier to use. Riders like Local buses because they get them closer to destinations and are less expensive. 31% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Swift and Local
Access Mode Rode a bus or train 22% 27% Walked 54% 69% Dropped off by someone Rode with someone who parked Drove my car 5% 2% 0% 0% 3% 1% Rode my bicycle Used a mobility aid Multiple modes 1% 0% 0% 6% 4% 5% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Swift Local riders are more likely to walk to the bus. More people are transferring to Swift. Swift riders are more likely to use other access modes riding a bike, driving alone, and being dropped off. Results suggest a positive impact of bike accommodations on Swift. Local
Incremental improvements 4 additional stations in Everett Curb bumpers at all stations TSP in Everett APTS technology suite CAD/AVL; APC; AAS; RTPI Queue jump at 148 th NB
LAND USE & ZONING Lynnwood Crossing Evergreen Revitalization Plan
Contact COMMUNITY TRANSIT June DeVoll Manager of Strategic Planning & Grants (425) 348-2337 june.devoll@commtrans.org