Public Transit Report

CITY OF HUNTSVILLE
COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS

FINAL
DECEMBER 2011
COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS | FINAL City of Huntsville
Table of Contents
Page Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Service Assessment Summary .................................................................................................................. 1 1 Existing Conditions ..........................................................................................................1-1 Brief History of Shuttle.......................................................................................................................... 1-1 Defining Unmet Needs .......................................................................................................................... 1-2 Existing Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 1-9 Unmet Needs Themes In Huntsville ................................................................................................... 1-28 2 Service Recommendations ...............................................................................................2-1 Initial Alternatives and Public Outreach ............................................................................................ 2-1 Recommended Short-Term Changes .................................................................................................. 2-1 Long Range Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 2-19
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Table of Figures
Page ES-1 ES-2 ES-3 ES-4 Figure 1-1 Figure 1-2 Figure 1-3 Figure 1-4 Figure 1-5 Figure 1-6 Figure 1-7 Figure 1-8 Figure 1-9 Figure 1-10 Figure 1-11 Figure 1-12 Figure 1-13 Figure 2-1 Figure 2-2 Figure 2-3 Figure 2-4 Figure 2-5 Figure 2-6 Figure 2-7 Figure 2-8 Figure 2-9 Figure 2-10 Figure 2-11 Figure 2-12 Figure 2-13 Figure 2-14 Figure 2-15 Figure 2-16 Figure 2-17 Figure 2-18 Figure 2-19 Figure 2-20 Figure 2-21 Fiscally-Constrained Short-Term Recommendations ........................................................... 3 Proposed Span and Frequency for Fiscally Constrained Recommendations ................ 4 Proposed Revenue Hours and Buses Required.................................................................... 4 Long-Range Recommendations (Fiscally Unconstrained) ................................................... 5 Alabama A&M Transit Map ............................................................................................... 1-4 Huntsville Zoning ................................................................................................................... 1-5 Density of Elderly Residents in Huntsville ......................................................................... 1-6 Density of Minority Populations in Huntsville ................................................................... 1-7 Concentration of Population under the Poverty Level in Huntsville ............................ 1-8 Transfer Activity Matrix for Huntsville Shuttle................................................................. 1-9 Average Daily Ridership by Route ................................................................................. 1-10 Trips per Revenue Hour Productivity by Route ............................................................. 1-11 Daily Ridership and Productivity by Route .................................................................... 1-12 System Average Daily Ridership Trends ........................................................................ 1-12 Route Ridership Trends ...................................................................................................... 1-13 On-Time Trips by Route ..................................................................................................... 1-14 On-Time Performance by Route ...................................................................................... 1-15 Proposed Route 1 Red Core Loop ................................................................................ 2-3 Proposed Route 2 Blue Core Loop ................................................................................ 2-5 Proposed Route 3 Bridge Street / Holmes .................................................................. 2-6 Proposed Route 4 Madison Square / University ........................................................ 2-7 Proposed Route 10 South Huntsville .............................................................................. 2-9 Proposed Route 6 Southwest Huntsville ...................................................................... 2-11 Proposed Route 7 Medaris Road / Alabama A&M University ............................. 2-12 Proposed Route 8 Alabama A&M University ............................................................. 2-14 Proposed Route 9 Northwest Huntsville / Oakwood University ............................ 2-16 Proposed Fiscally-Constrained Shuttle System ............................................................. 2-17 Proposed Span and Frequency for Fiscally Constrained Recommendations .......... 2-18 Proposed Revenue Hours and Buses Required.............................................................. 2-18 Estimated Cost for Increased Frequency ........................................................................ 2-19 Estimated Cost for Later Weekday Span of Service .................................................. 2-20 Estimated Cost for Saturday Service .............................................................................. 2-21 Estimated Cost for Earlier Weekday Service ............................................................... 2-21 Estimated Cost for Sunday/Holiday Service ................................................................ 2-22 Proposed Route 13 Huntsville Crosstown ................................................................... 2-24 Proposed Route 14 East Huntsville .............................................................................. 2-25 Proposed Route 15 Madison / Airport ....................................................................... 2-26 Summary of Long-Term Recommendations .................................................................... 2-27
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
Nelson \ Nygaard was hired by the City of Huntsville to conduct a comprehensive operational analysis. A comprehensive operational analysis includes an in depth assessment of how the existing system is working, an identification of system strengths, weaknesses, and unmet needs, and the development of a series of short- and long-term recommendations that address both unmet needs and operational issues.
SERVICE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

An examination of operating data, land use data, the needs and concerns of existing passengers and stakeholders, as well as Shuttle staff, revealed several findings regarding Shuttle services. On-Time Performance The average percentage of trips arriving at timepoints 0-5 minutes late is 50 percent. Passengers cannot depend on the existing schedule and they cannot depend on transfers being made due to the schedule unreliability. Reliability of service is one of the key considerations of attracting and maintaining existing riders. Travel Time is Too Long Shuttle serves a large geographic area, often with one-way loops, which add significant travel time due to out-of-direction travel. Travel times are also lengthened by going into multiple business or commercial area parking lots, some of which have low ridership. The long route travel times are often compounded by long transfer waits. Most routes come hourly, and they are not timed to meet, which translates into trip patterns having an average 30-minute wait for a transfer from one bus to another. Long travel times are a severe disincentive to using Shuttle. Frequency is Insufficient The Red Core and Blue Core Loops are the only two routes that operate at 30-minute frequencies. Large portions of both the Red and Blue Core Loops are served by other routes. In order to attract riders, service must be more convenient to the places where riders need to go. Operating more routes at 30-minute service will lead to dramatic ridership increases. Span of Service The current Shuttle span of service is more designed for social services than for employment purposes because the service shuts down just after 6 p.m. It is very difficult for anyone working outside of downtown Huntsville to be able to use Shuttle to access a job that requires an 8 hour shift. Service workers in particular, a target market for Shuttle, need later service. Geographical Coverage Overall, Shuttle provides good coverage in areas that can support fixed-route transit service. The suburban office park environment found in Research Park is extraordinarily difficult to serve with fixed-route service. The outreach
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process identified several locations for expanded coverage, but the market potential for each of these is limited.
Short-Term Recommendations
Recommendations were developed to address these operational issues within the existing budget. Recommendations include the following: Adjust alignment and schedule of each route to have a 60 or 120 minute running time. In some cases, routes were extended, and in some cases, routes were shortened. This recommendation will also cause routes to operate on time all the time. Create a timed transfer at the downtown Transit Center so that transfers require 10minutes or less. Eliminate the need to transfer in areas outside of downtown Huntsville. Operate an hour later on key routes in Huntsville. In order to make these improvements within the existing budget, service was reduced where duplication with other routes was occurring or demand was low.
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Fiscally-Constrained Short-Term Recommendations
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Proposed Span and Frequency for Fiscally Constrained Recommendations

Proposed Span of Service 6:00 17:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 18:52 5:15 18:52 6:00 18:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 18:30 6:00 18:45 Proposed Frequency 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 30-minutes 30-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes
Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville
Notes:
First trip begins service at Transit Center at 6:00 a.m. for most routes All routes except for Route 9 end service at the Transit Center. Route 9 ends service at Jordan Lane/ Sparkman Drive. Route 4 begins 30-minute service at 6:00 a.m. and ends 30-minute service at 17:00. Route 6 begins 30-minute service at 6:00 a.m. and ends 30-minute service at 17:00.
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Proposed Revenue Hours and Buses Required

Proposed Weekday Revenue Hours 11.87 11.87 11.87 23.73 24.41 12.87 11.87 12.5 23.5 144.51 Buses Necessary 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 12
Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Total
Notes:
Existing Revenue Hours are 142.8, which does not include report time, deadhead time, and closeup time. The revenue hour figures in this table also do not include report time, deadhead time, and closeup time.
Long Range Recommendations

Transit needs are evident in Huntsville that cannot be accommodated by the existing budget. Multiple areas of need were identified, including geographic areas where service is necessary, earlier and later service on weekdays, frequency on weekdays, and service on weekends. The following recommendations address these transportation needs and the show the approximate cost for the improved service: Operate all routes more frequently. Running all routes at 30-minute frequencies will likely cause system ridership to double. Operate all routes later in the evening. Students and service workers in particular need service that ends later at night. A 10:00 p.m. system end time is recommended.
Operate service on Saturdays. This is one of the single biggest requests by existing riders. Service jobs happen 7 days a week, and not having service on Saturdays inhibits the ability of Huntsville residents to access jobs. Hourly service between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. should be provided. Operate weekday service earlier. Currently, it is difficult for most Huntsville residents to use Shuttle to access jobs that begin prior to 7:00 a.m. Shuttle should begin service on all routes at 5:00 a.m. Operate service on Sundays and Holidays. Service jobs happen 7 days a week, and not having service on Sunday inhibits the ability of Huntsville residents to access jobs. Sunday ridership would be less than on Saturday, and Holiday ridership will be less than on Sundays. Hourly service between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. should be provided. Operate service to new destinations, including: Huntsville Crosstown Service connecting Alabama A&M, Sparkman Drive, Madison Square Mall, Calhoun Community College, southwest Huntsville, and Parkway Place Mall with hourly service on weekdays. Cinram and Madison County Industrial Park Peak Service connecting downtown Huntsville with East Huntsville and the Madison County Industrial Park. Three morning and three afternoon trips should be provided. Madison / Airport Service extending the proposed Route 3 from Bridge Street to Madison and the Airport with hourly service. This would connect the Airport to downtown Huntsville as well as connect Madison residents with Bridge Street, Calhoun Community College, and UAH.
The total cost of the fiscally unconstrained recommendations is $2,744,000 annually for fixedroute service. Handi-Ride, the complementary ADA paratransit service, would also need to be expanded to fit the expanded service times as well as any geographic expansion that would occur. As money becomes available, Huntsville should choose the recommendations that best fit its needs. From a ridership perspective, adding more frequent service on weekdays and extending weekday evening service will lead to the biggest ridership increases.
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Long-Range Recommendations (Fiscally Unconstrained) Estimated Annual Cost $1,135,000 $445,000 $284,000 $94,000 $269,000 $281,000 $71,000 $153,000 $2,732,000 $486,000 $3,218,000 Buses Required 8 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 12 1
Recommendation Operate all weekday routes at 30-minute frequency End service on all weekday routes at 10:00 p.m. Operate all routes on Saturday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Begin weekday service on all weekday routes at 5:00 a.m. Operate all routes on Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Proposed Route 13 Huntsville Crosstown Proposed Route 14 Cinram and Madison County Industrial Park Proposed Route 15 Madison / Airport Service Total Shuttle Cost Increases Handi-Ride Service Increases for all Recommendations Total Cost for Implementing all Recommendations
Notes: Costs are based on revenue hours and the rate of $45.87. Costs do not include Handi-Ride.
1 EXISTING CONDITIONS
This chapter summarizes efforts to define unmet needs in the community, analyze existing transfer patterns, and complete an assessment of current operating conditions of each route.
BRIEF HISTORY OF SHUTTLE

Between 1901 and 1931, Huntsville had a streetcar line that operated between Dallas Mill, Five Points, Downtown and Merrimack. Streetcar service ended during the great depression. The Citys privately operated fixed route bus service ceased operation in 1974. At the time, it provided a very limited service to the citizens of Huntsville. For many years, Huntsville did not have fixed-route transit service. In 1990, Shuttle service was initiated, with two initial routes: the Red and Blue Core routes. In 1990, these routes served virtually all Huntsville social service agencies and public housing areas. Since 1990, the City of Huntsville has grown County Public Library tremendously, and Shuttle service has grown with it. As resources became available, new bus routes were added incrementally to serve new markets. This incremental approach led to several routes overlapping each other. By 2004, there were 10 different routes and a Tourist Trolley Route. In addition, the new Terminal just north of downtown opened. Service characteristics have also changed since Shuttle began service. Many social service agencies that were in or around downtown Huntsville have shifted their locations. For instance, the Senior Center, the Social Security office, and the Madison County Health Department have moved from the downtown area. Route changes have been required to serve the new locations of these agencies. These route changes coupled with increasing ridership, more riders with mobility aides using the system and increased traffic on Huntsvilles major streets have led to significant scheduling and on-time performance issues on most routes. This Comprehensive Operational Analysis represents the first systemwide look at Shuttles configuration since service inception.
Source: Wikimedia/Huntsville-Madison
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DEFINING UNMET NEEDS

One of the first steps of the Comprehensive Operational Analysis was to begin the process of identifying unmet needs within the community. Nelson\Nygaard staff studied plans and projects from several public and private agencies in Huntsville to assess potential impacts on the delivery of transit service and to gain a larger understanding of the needs and goals of the community at large. In addition, Nelson\Nygaard staff met with Shuttle operators and supervisors to better understand local transportation needs and elements to be examined as part of the analysis.
Staff and Operator Comments on Service

Between August 30 and September 1, 2011 Nelson\Nygaard staff asked Shuttle staff and operators about their impressions of Shuttle service and any things in particular they would like to see addressed as part of the comprehensive operational analysis. The comments of fourteen operators and most administrative staff are summarized below. The overwhelming theme of respondents involved on-time performance. Virtually every operator mentioned routes being too tight. More than half of those commenting mentioned wheelchairs as the cause of negative schedule impacts. Increased ridership and some increased congestion were the two other primary reasons for routes operating tightly. Operators were very concerned that the on-time performance was negatively affecting the ability of passengers to transfer consistently. There was an overall desire to increase the amount of recovery time for routes. The Blue and Red Core loops were the two routes most often identified as having significant on-time issues. Specific suggestions to address on-time performance included removing service to parking lots and instead staying on the street. Operators and staff stated that they are frequently asked about extending the span of service into evenings on weekdays and on weekends. Several operators commented on making routes easier to understand by having service in both directions, rather than the one-way loops that are the common route structure. In addition, retiming routes to facilitate transfers and reduce the number of combination routes was mentioned several times. Specific destinations that needed more service included South Huntsville and Madison. Research Park was mentioned as an area with service that had little ridership.
Review of Customer Comments sent to Shuttle

Kim Garrett, the Public Transit Manager of Shuttle, provided Nelson\Nygaard with the records of past comments from members of the public. The comments primarily revolved around providing service to geographic areas currently not served. Specific locations mentioned include: Cinram, Christmas Charities on Highway 53 East, Providence Main on 72 West, SCI on South Parkway, The Burritt Museum (could be addition to Tourist Loop), Huntsville Airport, Hampton Cove
Background Documents Reviewed

Three different market research efforts conducted by Huntsville were reviewed to better understand the existing ridership market. Shuttle Customer Service Satisfaction Survey, July 25, 2008 This document summarizes the results of an on-board survey conducted on all routes in 2008. Approximately 332 responses were coded. According to the survey, more than 30 percent of riders were unsatisfied with the existing span of service, indicating a desire for later service or service on weekends. Almost 50 percent of existing riders walked less than a block to access Shuttle. Only 10 percent of riders walked more than 4 blocks. The predominant trip type was a work trip (45 percent) followed by recreation or shopping trips (25 percent). More than 45 percent of riders transferred once or more often to reach their destination. The transfer rate highlights the need for convenient connections at the downtown Transit Center. Research Park Analysis Survey, July 30, 2007 This document summarizes the market research conducted to determine the viability of transit service in Research Park. The conclusion of the effort was there was interest in transit service in Research Park. However, for people to ride it, service had to be frequent and convenient. Shuttle Bus Survey, May 9, 2003 This document summarizes the satisfaction of Shuttle riders with the service. According to the data, work trips accounted for 40 percent of all trips. More than 50 percent of riders ride five days a week. Seventeen percent of riders are unsatisfied with Shuttles hours of operation. There were many open-ended responses about operating on weekends and later during weekdays. Several other documents were also examined for background data. Downtown Master Plan Update, April 2006 This document outlines the steps to revitalize downtown Huntsville. Some of the strategies, such as increasing walkability and the number of downtown residents could assist Shuttle. The Downtown Master Plan calls for a shuttle service between the parking lots under I-565 and downtown to help manage the parking supply. The shuttle is assumed to operate every 15-minutes on weekdays. Final Year 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan This document summarizes the future vision for multi-modal transportation for the Huntsville Metropolitan area. The Long Range Plan recognizes that roadway congestion will increase and the aging of the population base will increase the need for transit service. Transit specific elements discussed in the plan include improving the frequency of routes from hourly to every 20 or 30 minutes, and geographic expansion of service to areas such as the Airport, the Chapman and Blossomwood areas, and a link to Redstone Arsenal. Alabama A&M Transportation The Bulldog Transit System (BTS) provides transportation throughout campus on four different routes that provide internal circulation as well as access to remote parking areas. BTS also provides a connection to Shuttle Routes 7 and 8. In the 20102011 academic year, BTS carried over 450,000 passengers.
Figure 1-1
Alabama A&M Transit Map
Zoning Assessment
Huntsville Zoning plans were examined to see if Shuttle served the highest density areas and the areas zoned for ridership potential. Within the core area of Huntsville, Shuttle provides good coverage to high density housing areas, as well as areas zoned commercial.
Figure 1-2
Huntsville Zoning
Demographic Analysis
The demographic characteristics of an area are an excellent predictor of the propensity of residents to ride transit. In addition, they chart out where potential disadvantaged communities exist which may have transportation needs that could be filled by Shuttle services. The subsequent demographic population charts are based on Census 2000 data.
Figure 1-3
Density of Elderly Residents in Huntsville
According to 2000 Census data, elderly residents defined as 65 years of age or over are distributed throughout the City. The highest concentration of elderly residents is in the vicinity of Westbury Square, south of Airport Road in South Huntsville. Other high concentrations are in the vicinity of the Parkway Place Mall.
Figure 1-4
Density of Minority Populations in Huntsville
According to 2000 Census data, the highest concentrations of minority residents are in North Huntsville. The areas immediately to the west and south of downtown Huntsville also have a high concentration of minority residents. South Huntsville and the Research Park area have a much lower concentration of minority residents.
Figure 1-5
Concentration of Population under the Poverty Level in Huntsville
According to 2000 Census data, the highest concentrations of residents earning incomes below the poverty line are in areas immediately surrounding downtown Huntsville. There is a strong correlation between the location of low income housing projects and areas that have high poverty concentrations. Every one of the areas with more than 50 percent of persons living under the poverty line is currently served by Shuttle service.
EXISTING DATA ANALYSIS

This section describes the existing transfer patterns, ridership, and on-time performance. Systemwide trends as well as individual route performance are described.
Transfer Analysis
An on-board ridecheck survey was conducted August 31 September 2, 2011 to record the number of persons boarding and alighting at each bus stop. On-off counting as well as on-time performance data collection was performed on two weekdays. In order to determine and document the general travel patterns of transferring Shuttle riders and to identify significant transfer connections, transfer movements were analyzed using paper transfers collected by the operators. Shuttle drivers collected paper transfers and retained them for one entire day of service on August 31 and September 1. The transfers were marked with the route given out and the route received, allowing for a full accounting of the transfer patterns, which are shown in Figure 1-6. The transfer analysis calculated the transfer rate between routes for cash paying riders. According to route ridership data from August 16, 2011, approximately 44 percent of riders transfer at least once during their trip. The top four routes that riders transfer onto are the Red and Blue Core Loops, Route 6, and Route 4. This includes transferring to complete their trip from another route or to continue their trip on the same route. The route with the highest rate of transferring to continue their trip on the same route was the Red Core Loop (Route 1).
Figure 1-6
From/To Red(1) Blue(2) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Total
Transfer Activity Matrix for Huntsville Shuttle

Blue(2) 1 5 3 13 10 12 11 8 5 10 5 79 3 4 1 0 1 0 9 3 0 1 0 2 19 4 7 12 4 2 11 13 4 4 4 4 2 65 5 4 4 1 8 0 5 2 1 6 2 1 32 6 19 18 7 3 3 1 11 12 5 1 4 81 7 14 18 2 5 1 6 13 3 7 1 4 73 8 6 14 3 13 1 9 4 4 9 2 2 64 9 10 10 1 6 2 7 1 5 5 3 1 48 10 18 12 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 35 11 11 11 5 3 2 15 5 7 3 3 2 63 12 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 9 Total 92 107 30 75 44 92 65 54 52 34 25
Red(1) 1 4 2 19 13 18 14 12 10 9 3 103
Systemwide Ridership Analysis

The analysis of Shuttle service is based upon information collected during the days of August 31 to September 2, 2011 through boarding counts and timing observations conducted by on-board surveyors riding every trip. Data concerning service span, service frequency, hours provided, and ridership has been collected from the surveys and is consolidated in tables and graphics in this document, along with a route profile description summary of each route. Among the subjects covered in this document are: Ridership by system and individual route Service levels by system and individual route Ridership productivity analysis On-time performance analysis Service characteristics by individual route
The Huntsville Shuttle is a fixed route transportation program currently operating along 12 fixed routes utilizing 12 buses. Hours of operation are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday excluding official City of Huntsville holidays. There is currently no evening service and weekend service is limited to the tourist loop that serves the major tourist attractions throughout the city during summer months, and a free downtown loop that operates on the week-ends from 7 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Two routes operate at 30-minute frequencies, and the remaining routes operate every 60minutes. All but two routes operate to and from the downtown transit center. Transfers are not timed, so connections between routes can be quite lengthy. The following exhibits provide a summary of service hours and ridership provided by each route
Figure 1-7
500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
Average Daily Ridership by Route
Average Daily Ridership
Route 1 Route 2 Route 3 Route 4 Route 5 Route 6 Route 7 Route 8 Route 9 Route 10Route 12 Tourist - Red - Blue Loop Loop Loop Route
The Blue and Red Core Loops have the highest ridership. This is not surprising, considering they are the only two routes with 30-minute service. Route 6 has the third highest ridership, with over 300 daily boardings. Routes 12 and 3 have the lowest ridership, with Route 12 carrying less than 50 persons a day.
Figure 1-8
Trips per Revenue Hour Productivity by Route
RouteProductivity
40.0 35.0
PassengersPerRevenueHour
30.0 25.0 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 Route4 Route6 Route7 Route9 Route8 Route2 Route10 BlueLoop Route1 RedLoop Tourist Loop Route5 Route3 Route12
Route
The average route productivity of Shuttles 12 routes is 20.1 passengers per hour. Routes 4 and 6 carry more than 30 passengers per hour and are the most productive routes in the system. The Red and Blue Core Routes have the highest ridership in the system, but their productivity is below average. Route 12 has the lowest productivity, at 3.1 passengers per hour. This is comparable to demand response service, and is extraordinarily low for fixed-route service.
Figure 1-9
Daily Ridership and Productivity by Route Average Daily
Boardings per Revenue Hour Overall 18.3 18.9 12.1 37.1 15.6 32.2 24.4 21.1 22.6 18.5 3.1 17.0 AM Peak 16.5 15.6 15.5 38.9 8.8 40.4 24.6 26.6 27.9 16.0 1.4 18.9 Midday 22.2 22.2 11.6 40.0 20.0 32.0 26.7 22.1 23.4 21.5 4.0 17.9 PM Peak 11.5 15.5 9.2 29.7 13.5 27.8 20.5 17.5 15.3 14.9 3.4 14.6
Route Number Route 1 - Red Loop Route 2 - Blue Loop Route 3 Route 4 Route 5 Route 6 Route 7 Route 8 Route 9 Route 10 Route 12 Tourist Loop Route
Ridership 415 437 92 260 106 309 239 209 169 209 37 184
Figure 1-9 shows the ridership, overall productivity, and the boardings per passenger hour broken out by time-period. With a couple of exceptions, midday productivity was highest, which is typical of a system focused on carrying a large proportion of social service trips.
Figure 1-10 System Average Daily Ridership Trends
SystemAverageDailyRidershipTrend
1400 1200
AverageDaily Ridership
1000 800 600 400 200 0 2007 2008 2009 Year 2010 2011
Figure 1-10 shows average daily ridership trends taken from Fiscal Year 2007 through 2011. Ridership was highest in 2007 and 2008, and dropped in 2009 and has since started climbing again. While it is not reflected in the annual averages, ridership in July and September 2011 has been at record levels.
Figure 1-11 Route Ridership Trends
RouteRidershipTrends
300 250
AverageDaily Ridership
200 2007 150 100 50 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Route 7 8 9 10 11 12 2008 2009 2010 2011
Figure 1-11 shows average daily ridership trends by route, also taken from Fiscal Year 2007 through 2011 data. One of the more interesting findings from the trend data is the strong decline in ridership on the Red and Blue Core Loops (Routes 1 and 2) between 2008 and 2009. Overall, many routes have experienced slight ridership gains.
Figure 1-12 On-Time Trips by Route
PercentageofTripsOnTimebyRoute
100.0% 90.0% 80.0%
OnTimePercentage
70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Route3 Route5 Route8 Route12 Route6 Route10 Route9 Route4 Tourist Loop Route7 Route1 Route2 RedLoop BlueLoop
Route
Shuttle service has a severe on-time performance issue. Measuring performance at each timepoint over a two day period, only approximately 50 percent of trips were within 0-5 minutes of the scheduled time. Any route with an on-time performance less than 60 percent has a scheduling issue. Such poor performance is a severe detriment to attracting new passengers to Shuttle because reliability is a key attractor to service and Shuttle is entirely unreliable. The on-time figures were further analyzed to determine if early arrivals contributed to the ontime performance. As shown in Figure 1-13, Routes 5, 8, and 12 all have sufficient time in the schedule, but they are consistently arriving and leaving early at timepoints. The Red and Blue Core Loops, and Routes 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10 all appear to attempt to serve more area than is feasible given running times, speeds, and passenger loads.
Figure 1-13 On-Time Performance by Route On-Time Performance Route Number Route 1 - Red Loop Route 2 - Blue Loop Route 3 Route 4 Route 5 Route 6 Route 7 Route 8 Route 9 Route 10 Route 12 Tourist Loop On-Time 28.4% 23.0% 89.4% 40.5% 76.9% 54.0% 29.0% 71.4% 43.0% 50.8% 55.0% 33.7% Early 4.8% 3.3% 10.6% 10.7% 23.1% 14.2% 4.0% 28.6% 9.3% 2.5% 45.0% 40.2% Late 66.8% 73.7% 0.0% 38.8% 0.0% 31.9% 67.0% 0.0% 47.7% 46.7% 0.0% 26.1%
Route Descriptions
This section provides detailed information about each route. It includes a description of the route, characteristics and unusual circumstances if any. Statistics are provided in summary form displaying ridership, productivity and service level information.
Route 1 Red Core Loop (Clockwise)

Route Description Route 1, the Red Core Loop provides weekday morning and afternoon service on a clockwise loop moving south from downtown Huntsville, serving neighborhoods on both sides of U.S. Route 231, as far south as Drake Avenue, and as far north as Oakwood Avenue. Areas and destinations served on the loop include UAB Huntsville Medical Campus, Huntsville High School, Parkway Place Mall, Virginia College, the Huntsville Center for Technology, HHAs Johnson Towers Complex, Holy Family Parochial School, Academy for Academics and Arts, and the Huntsville Bible College. Weekday ridership on Route 1 is 415 passengers with approximately 18.3 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 16.5 per hour vs. 11.5 during the PM peak-period, both less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 22.2 per service hour. This route connects most housing projects near downtown Huntsville with the Downtown Transfer Station, UAB Huntsville Medical Center, Parkway Place Mal, and locations northwest of University Dr./Memorial Pkwy. The lowest ridership areas include locations to the north and west of downtown. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 28.4 % Early: 4.8 % Late: 66.8 % The Red Core Loop (Route 1) has a severe on-time performance issue, with over two-thirds of all trips being more than 5 minutes late. Trips are almost always early or on-time from the start of service through 10 am, but those afterwards are almost universally late. The Red Core Loop has 3 minutes of scheduled recovery time. This appears to be inadequate. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 415 18.3 16.64 30 min 30 min No Service
5:44A to 6:05P No Weekend Service
Service Provided 2011 Weekday Rev. Hrs 2011 Weekday Trips
22.8 25
Route 2 Blue Core Loop (Counterclockwise)

Route Description Route 2, the Blue Core Loop provides weekday morning and afternoon service on a clockwise loop moving south from downtown Huntsville, serving neighborhoods on both sides of U.S. Route 231, as far south as Drake Avenue, and as far north as Oakwood Avenue. As a near-reversal of Route #1 Red Core Loop, it serves areas and destinations such as the Huntsville Bible College, Academy for Academics and Arts, Holy Family Parochial School, HHAs Johnson Towers Complex, Huntsville Center for Technology, Virginia College, Parkway Place Mall, Huntsville High School, and UAB Huntsville Medical Campus. Weekday ridership on Route 2 is 437 daily passengers, with about 18.9 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 15.6 per hour vs. 15.5 during the PM peak-period, both less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 22.2 per service hour. The highest ridership points along the route are in the housing projects near downtown Huntsville, the Downtown Transfer Station, UAB Huntsville Medical Center, Parkway Place Mall, and locations northwest of University Dr./Memorial Pkwy. The ridership pattern is very similar to that of Route 1/Red Core Loop, which operates in the opposite direction. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 23.0 % Early: 3.3 % Late: 73.7 % Late running is common on Route 2/Blue Core Loop. Only 23 percent of trips operate on-time. Unlike on Route 1, on-time performance on Route 2 primarily varies by not time of day, but how far along a bus is on the route. Before 2 pm, the Route 2 generally stays on time through the intersection of Poplar and Yukon; past this point, it is nearly always late all day. After 2 pm, though, trips are almost always late, regardless of location. The Blue Core Loop has 3 minutes of scheduled recovery time. This appears to be inadequate. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 437 18.9 17.48 30 min 30 min No Service 5:43A to 6:03P No Weekend Service
22.8 25
Route 3 Madison Square/Holmes

Route Description Route 3 Madison Square/Holmes provides weekday morning and afternoon service between the downtown Huntsville Transfer Station and Madison Square Mall, primarily via Holmes Avenue and Bradford Drive, between Monroe Street and Wynn Drive. Route 3 serves areas and destinations such as the Madison Square Mall, Faulkner University, UAH, Valley Fellowship Christian Academy, Butler High School, the Seldon Center, and downtown Huntsville. Weekday ridership on Route 3 is about 12.1 passengers per service hour. It is one of the least productive routes operated by Shuttle. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 15.5 per hour vs. 9.2 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 11.6 per service hour. Ridership on this route is oriented towards the two destinations that serve as the termini for the route Madison Square Mall, and downtown Huntsville. The remainder of the route, in both inbound and outbound directions, has moderate ridership east of 14th Street SW; west of this location, there are very few boardings until Madison Square Mall. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 89.4 % Early: 10.6 % Late: 0.0 % Unlike many Huntsville Shuttle routes, Route 3 has very few issues with late running trips along this route. Early running was an issue at several timepoints. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 92 12.1 7.67 60 min 60 min No Service 6:14A to 5:49P No Weekend Service
5.9 12
Route 4 Madison Square/University

Route Description Route 4 Madison Square/University provides weekday morning and afternoon service between the downtown Huntsville Transfer Station and Madison Square Mall, with an extension to the Wal-Mart at Wayne Road, primarily via University Drive. Route 4 serves the Wal-Mart and Target at Wayne/University, Madison Square Mall, University Place Elementary, the Academy for Academics and Arts, the rest of the University Drive commercial corridor, and downtown Huntsville. Weekday ridership on Route 4 is 260 passengers, with about 37.1 passengers per service hour. Route 4 is the most productive route operated by Shuttle. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 38.9 per hour vs. 29.7 during the PM peak-period, both less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 40.0 per service hour. Ridership on this route is oriented towards the two destinations that serve as the termini for the route: Wal-Mart and downtown Huntsville. Madison Square Mall, near the Wal-Mart, also sees a lot of boarding and alighting activity. The remainder of the route, in both inbound and outbound directions, has moderate ridership throughout. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 40.5 % Early: 10.7 % Late: 48.8 % Like many Huntsville Shuttle routes, Route 4 has many issues with late running trips along this route, with only 41 percent of trips operating on-time. Route 4 operates on-time prior to 8 a.m., and after that, late arrivals are common. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 260 37.1 7.67 60 min 60 min No Service 6:43A to 5:59P No Weekend Service 7 12
Route 5 Airport Road

Route Description Route 5 Airport Road provides weekday morning and afternoon service between the downtown Huntsville Transfer Station and the Crestwood Medical Center, partially via a clockwise loop south of Bob Wallace Avenue. Route 5 serves the downtown Huntsville Transfer Center, Big Spring Park, the Huntsville Achievement School, Parkway Place Mall, Holy Spirit School, Crestwood Medical Center, and Grace Lutheran School. The clockwise loop, starting from the intersection of Bob Wallace and Memorial Parkway, runs as follows: - Bob Wallace Avenue, Whitesburg Drive, Whitesport Drive, Hospital Drive, Airport Road, and Memorial Parkway Weekday ridership on Route 5 is 106 daily passengers, or about 15.6 passengers per service hour, which is below average. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 8.8 per hour vs. 13.5 during the PM peak-period, both less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 20.0 per service hour. Ridership on this route is oriented towards two locations: the downtown transfer center and Parkway Place Mall. Also, significant boarding and alighting activity occurs at the intersection of Monroe Street and St. Clair, as well as in the vicinity of the Crestwood Medical Center. The remainder of the route, in both inbound and outbound directions, has comparatively low ridership. Route 5 duplicates segments of the Red and Blue Core Routes, as well as Route 10. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 76.9 % Early: 23.1 % Late: 0.0 % Route 5 has no late running issues, though early running is an issue. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 106 15.6 8.83 60 min 60 min No Service 6:17A to 5:51P No Weekend Service 6.8 12
Route 6 Southwest Huntsville

Route Description Route 6 Southwest Huntsville provides weekday service between the downtown Huntsville Transfer Station and Southwest Huntsville, primarily via Clinton Avenue, then partially via a clockwise loop south of Bob Wallace Avenue. Route 5 serves the downtown Huntsville Transfer Center, Huntsville Center for Technology, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Metro Kiwanis SportsPlex, Westlawn Middle School, and residential areas to the southwest of the intersection of Bob Wallace and Triana Blvd. There are many apartment complexes along this route. Weekday ridership on Route 6 is 309 daily passengers, or about 32.2 passengers per service hour. Route 6 is one of the most productive routes operated by Shuttle. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 40.4 per hour vs. 27.8 during the PM peak-period, both less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 32.0 per service hour. Ridership on this route is, outside the transfer center, distributed throughout the route, with steady ridership throughout. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 54.0 % Early: 14.2 % Late: 31.9 % Route 6 has chronic on-time performance issues, with more than 31 percent of trips operating late. Late arrivals are heavily distributed throughout the day, but increase as the day continues. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 309 32.2 23.77 60 min 60 min No Service 5:52A to 6:16P No Weekend Service 9.6 13
Route 7 Alabama A&M/Medaris Road

Route Description Route 7 Alabama A&M/Medaris Road provides weekday morning and afternoon service in a continuous counterclockwise loop, starting from the downtown transfer center, to as far north as Winchester Road between Pulaski and Meridian. Other streets served by the loop include Andrew Jackson Way, Mastin Lake Road, Memorial Parkway, and University Drive. Route 8 provides complementary clockwise service along most of this route. As the name implies, it serves Alabama A&M University, at Meridian and Holloway, as well as Lee High School, MLK Junior Elementary, J.F. Drake State Tech College, the Sparkman Drive Wal-Mart, Lakewood Elementary, and Johnson High School. However, it does not at any point serve Medaris Road. Weekday ridership on Route 7 is about 239 daily passengers, or 24.4 passengers per service hour, which is above average. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 24.6 per hour vs. 20.5 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 26.7 per service hour. Ridership activity on Route 7 is fairly evenly distributed, with most stops having higher levels of activity. Stops with 20 or greater boardings/alightings include the Transit Center, Alabama A&M, the Sparkman Road Wal-Mart, and the Venona loop neighborhood. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 29.0 % Early: 4.0 % Late: 67.0 % Route 7 is one of the worst performing Huntsville Shuttle Routes when it comes to on-time performance, with two-thirds of trips running late at various timepoints. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 239 24.4 18.38 60 min 60 min No Service 5:58A to 6:05P No Weekend Service 9.8 13
Route 8 Medaris Road/Alabama A&M

Route Description Route 8 Alabama A&M/Medaris Road provides weekday morning and afternoon service in a continuous clockwise loop, starting from the downtown transfer center, and in many ways replicating Route 7, but in an opposite direction. However, it does not go as far west as Pulaski Pike, serving Blue Springs Road northbound instead, and further north, Rolling Hills Drive in the same direction. A deviation onto the namesake Medaris Road is also included in this segment, where it serves a singlefamily residential neighborhood. As the name implies, Route 8 serves Alabama A&M University, at Meridian and Holloway, as well as Lee High School, the Sparkman Drive Wal-Mart, Lakewood Elementary, MLK Junior Elementary, J.F. Drake State Tech College, and Johnson High School. Weekday ridership on Route 8 is 209 daily passengers, or about 21.1 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 26.6 per hour vs. 17.5 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 22.1 per service hour. Ridership on this route, outside the transfer center, is evenly distributed throughout the route. High ridership stops include Alabama A&M, the Sparkman Road Wal-Mart, and JF. Drake State Technical College. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 71.4 % Early: 28.6 % Late: 0.0 % Route 8, compared to its sister Route 7, is far better when it comes to on-time performance. According to the data, no trips operated late, though early running was an issue. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 209 21.1 16.08 60 min 60 min No Service 6:15A to 6:35P No Weekend Service 9.9 13
Route 9 NW Huntsville/Oakwood University

Route Description Route 9 NW Huntsville/Oakwood University provides weekday morning and afternoon service in a continuous clockwise loop, starting from the downtown transfer center. Service is one-way and there is no service in the opposite direction. Route 9 serves streets such as Pulaski Pike, Oakwood Avenue, Jordan Lane, Putman Drive, Ascent Trail, Sparkman Drive, Grizzard Road, & Washington Street. Route 9 serves Oakwood University on the NW side of town (near the halfway point of the loop), as well as the Pulaski Pike Costco and Home Depot, the Providence Catholic School, the Islamic Academy of Huntsville, and the Sparkman Road WalMart. Near the intersection of Sparkman and Bonnell Drive is a cluster of high-density housing also served by this route, as well as the Downtown Rescue Mission at Ascent and Executive. Weekday ridership on Route 9 is 169 passengers or about 22.6 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 27.9 per hour vs. 15.3 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 23.4 per service hour. Higher ridership points on the route are at the Sparkman Road Wal-Mart, Oakwood U, the Downtown Rescue Mission, and a closely placed cluster of stops at the apartment complexes along Ascent Trail. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 43.0 % Early: 9.3 % Late: 47.7 % Route 9 has a chronic on-time performance issue, with only 43 percent of trips operating on-time. Late running is evident throughout the day, which indicates the route has insufficient time in its schedule. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 169 22.6 14.08 60 min 60 min No Service 6:33A to 6:03P No Weekend Service 7.5 12
Route 10 South Huntsville

Route Description Route 10 South Huntsville provides weekday morning and afternoon service in a continuous counterclockwise loop, starting from the downtown transfer center, on a loop that is not replicated in the reverse. Largely designed to connect the neighborhood around Huntsville High School to areas south of Airport Road and the Crestwood Medical Center, it serves Memorial Parkway, Hobbs Road, Bailey Cover Road, 4 Miles Post Road, Whitesburg Drive, and Airport Road. Route 10 serves Parkway Place Mall, Huntsville High School, and Crestwood Medical Center, as well as the S. Memorial Parkway commercial corridor, the Hobbs Road Wal-Mart, both campuses of the Whitesburg Christian Academy, Mountain Gap and Challenger Elementary Schools, Willowbrook Square Shopping Center, the Carl T. Jones Road Target (and surrounding stores). Weekday ridership on Route 10 is about 18.5 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 16.0 per hour vs. 14.9 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 21.5 per service hour. Higher ridership points on the route are at the Hobbs Road Wal-Mart, Parkway Place Mall, and a cluster of high-density multifamily housing west of the intersection of Vermont Road and Memorial Parkway. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 50.8 % Early: 2.5 % Late: 46.7 % Route 10 has a chronic on-time performance issue, with only 50 percent of trips operating on-time. Late running is evident throughout the day, which indicates the route has insufficient time in its schedule. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 209 18.5 17.41 60 min 60 min No Service 6:00A to 5:55P No Weekend Service 11.0 12
Route 12 Research Park

Route Description Route 12 Research Park provides weekday morning and afternoon crosstown service, serving the far west side of Huntsville, starting from the UAH Parking Garage, and running to the University Drive Wal-Mart via Old Madison Pike and the Cummings Research Park. Route 12 serves the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Calhoun Community College (CCC), Research Park, Bridge Street Town Centre, Cummings Research Park, and the Target and Wal-Mart anchoring the west Huntsville intersection of Enterprise Drive and University Drive. Weekday ridership on Route 12 is about 37 daily passengers, or approximately 3.1 passengers per service hour. It is the worst performing route operated by Shuttle. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 1.4 per hour vs. 4.0 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 3.4 per service hour. Only two stops on the entire route show total boarding and alighting activity of 8 or greater. These are the two termini at UAH (8 total) and at Wal-Mart (21 total). On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 55.0 % Early: 45.0 % Late: 0.0 % Route 12 has an on-time performance issue, with only 55 percent of trips operating on-time. All of the on-time performance issues have to do with early running, suggesting that Route 12 has enough time in the schedule, though it needs to be rescheduled to operate on-time. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 37 3.1 2.26 60 min 60 min No Service 5:55A to 6:15P No Weekend Service 11.7 12
Tourist Loop Route Monday-Friday

Route Description The Tourist Loop Route provides weekday morning and afternoon service on a counterclockwise loop, serving the west side of Huntsville, starting from the downtown Transfer Center, serving the University Drive corridor and Madison Square Mall, Wynn Drive, Bob Wallace Avenue, Governors Drive, and Memorial Pkwy The Tourist Loop serves, in addition to downtown and the University Drive corridor out to Madison Square, the Social Security office, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Calhoun Community College (CCC) Research Park, Morris Elementary, the Botanical Garden, University Place Elementary, and the Social Security Office. The University Drive Wal-Mart is also served on Saturdays only, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Weekday ridership on the Tourist Loop Route is 184 passengers, or about 17.0 passengers per service hour. Route Characteristics Boardings per service hour during AM peak-period are 18.9 per hour vs. 14.6 during the PM peak-period, the latter less than the overall average. Midday boardings are, by comparison, 17.9 per service hour. Stops with combined boarding and alighting of greater than 15 include the Transfer Center, University Drive and Henderson, Madison Square Mall, and the CCC Research Park. All other major stops have at least a combined total of 5 or more boardings and alightings. On-time performance - Weekday On-Time: 33.7 % Early: 40.2 % Late: 26.1 % The Tourist Loop has a chronic on-time performance issue, with only 33.7 percent of trips operating on-time. Late trips tend to take place in the mid-to-late afternoon over the full length of trips, while earlier parts of the day see the bus start on time but start running early as the trips reach Madison Square Mall. Route Statistics Riders 2011 Weekday 2011 per Rev. Hour 2011 per Trip Service Frequency Weekday Peak Weekday Base Evening Service Span Weekday 184 17.0 15.33 60 min 60 min No Service 6:40A to 6:10P No Weekend Service 10.0 12
UNMET NEEDS THEMES IN HUNTSVILLE

Examining the operating data, the land use data, and passengers and Shuttle staff feedback illuminated several recurring themes: On-Time Performance The average percentage of trips arriving at timepoints 0-5 minutes late is 50 percent. Passengers cannot depend on the existing schedule and they cannot depend on transfers being made due to the schedule unreliability. Reliability of service is one of the key considerations of attracting and maintaining existing riders. Travel Time is Too Long Shuttle serves a large geographic area, often with one-way loops, which add significant travel time due to out-of-direction travel. Travel times are also lengthened by going into multiple business or commercial area parking lots, some of which have low ridership. The long route travel times are often also compounded by long transfer waits. Most routes come hourly, and they are not timed to meet, which translates into many trip patterns having an average 30-minute wait for a transfer from one bus to another. Long travel times are a severe disincentive to using Shuttle. Frequency is Insufficient The Red Core and Blue Core Loops are the only two routes that operate at 30-minute frequencies. Large portions of both the Red and Blue Core Loops are served by other routes. In order to attract riders, service to desired destinations must be more convenient. Operating more routes at 30-minute service will lead to ridership increases. Span of Service The current Shuttle span of service is more designed for social services than for employment purposes because the service shuts down just after 6 p.m. It is very difficult for anyone working outside of downtown Huntsville to be able to use Shuttle to access a job that requires an eight hour shift. Service workers in particular, a target market for Shuttle, need later service. Geographical Coverage Overall, Shuttle provides good coverage in areas that can support fixed-route transit service. The suburban office park environment found in Research Park is extraordinarily difficult to serve with fixed-route service. The outreach process identified several locations for expanded coverage, but the market potential for each of these is limited.
2 SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS
INITIAL ALTERNATIVES AND PUBLIC OUTREACH
Two different alternatives were created to address the operational issues faced by Shuttle as well as to address as many of the unmet needs as possible. The first alternative is fiscally constrained, meaning it uses the same amount of resources that are being expended today by Shuttle. The second alternative is an expansion scenario, one that shows how many resources would be required to better meet mobility needs in Huntsville. On November 5, 2011, the alternatives were presented in public meetings at the Transit Center and at City Hall. In addition, the alternatives were posted on the Huntsville website, and an online survey was developed to gather feedback. At the Transit Center, 12 persons signed the attendance sheet and five written comments were received. At least a dozen more people commented verbally on the proposals. Overall, the level of support for improving on-time performance and transfer times was very high. One person indicated he did not support the changes as he would be losing service to Laurel & Washington. At the City Hall Meeting, 10 persons signed the attendance sheet and there were seven written comments. There were several verbal comments at this Meeting, including a suggestion to provide service to a segment of Stringfield Road, concerns about the loss of Route 10 service on a segment of Whitesburg Drive, and requesting service on Mastin Lake west of Pulaski. Several supporting comments were made about the revised routes and schedules as well. The on-line survey only garnered seven responses. The route restructure proposal was supported by five of the seven respondents. Overall, the majority of respondents supported the direction of the service changes outlined in the alternatives.
RECOMMENDED SHORT-TERM CHANGES

Nelson\Nygaard staff developed fiscally constrained route recommendations to improve mobility within existing resources. The recommendations described in this section are based on input from bus drivers, public outreach, and extensive field work throughout the community. The recommendations outline increases in span of service, implementing a timed transfer to minimize transfer waiting times, and improving frequency in the areas that warrant them. The following information describes the proposed fiscally constrained recommendations for fixed-route bus service.
Route 1 Red Core Loop

Route 1 has the second highest ridership, and is one of only two routes with 30-minute headways. Route 1s productivity based on passengers/revenue hour is below average. Route 1 meanders, and has multiple twists and turns that add travel time, but not significant ridership. In addition, Route 1 duplicates service with several other routes. It also has insufficient recovery time in its schedule, and 28 percent of trips operate 0-5 minutes late. There are no timed transfers with other routes. Route 1s alignment should be shortened so that Route 1 can consistently be operated in less than 60-minutes. The Washington Street / Oakwood Avenue / Presbyterian Tower segments should be removed from Route 1, although they will continue to be served by a revised Route 9. In addition, the Longwood Drive/Harvard Road/Governors Drive loop should be removed, since only 14 persons use this, and it adds significant travel time to save riders just one block of walking. Finally, the downtown alignment of Route 1 should be streamlined. Ridership levels do not warrant the existing circuitous alignment. Under existing funding levels, Route 1s frequency should be reduced to every 60-minutes. The span of service should continue as it is today, operating from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All trips would leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 1 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, dramatically reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-1
Proposed Route 1 Red Core Loop
Route 2 Blue Core Loop

Route 2 has the highest ridership of all Shuttle routes, and is one of only two routes with 30minute headways. Route 2s productivity based on passengers/revenue hour is below average. Route 2 meanders, and has multiple twists and turns that add travel time, but often not significant ridership. In addition, Route 2 duplicates service with several other routes. It also has insufficient recovery time in its schedule, and 23 percent of trips operate 0-5 minutes late. There are no timed transfers with other routes. Route 2s alignment should be shortened so that it can consistently be operated in less than 60minutes. The Washington Street / Oakwood Avenue / Pulaski Pike segments should be removed from Route 2 although they will continue to be operated by a revised Route 9. In addition, the Marsheutz Avenue/Harvard Road/Longwood Drive loop should be removed, since only 9 persons use this, and it adds significant travel time to save riders just one block of walking. Between Clinton Avenue and Governors Drive, Route 2 should use Seminole Drive instead of Indiana Street and Harden Avenue so that the alignment is consistent with Route 1. Finally, the downtown alignment of Route 2 should be streamlined. Ridership levels do not warrant the existing circuitous alignment. Under existing funding levels, Route 2s frequency should be reduced to every 60-minutes. The span of service should continue as it is today, operating from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All trips would leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 2 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, dramatically reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-2
Proposed Route 2 Blue Core Loop
Route 3 Madison Square / Holmes

Route 3 is one of the weakest performing routes operated by Shuttle from both a ridership and productivity perspective. UAH ridership is not high, and neither is the ridership between UAH and Madison Square. The Mall itself has the second highest ridership of all stops on the route, though Route 4 also serves this stop. On-time performance is excellent. In order to strengthen the ridership potential of Route 3, the western end of the route should be restructured. Instead of serving Madison Square, Route 3 should be extended through UAHs campus and continue to Calhoun Community College and Bridge Street, replacing the existing Route 12. Route 3 should also serve the Space Center. Madison Square would continue to be served by Route 4 at a higher frequency. In addition, Route 4 would also serve portions of Wynn Drive currently served by Route 3. Route 3 would continue to operate hourly as it does today. The span of service would improve in the early morning, with the first trip leaving the Transit Center at 6:00 a.m. Service would end at 6:00 p.m. All trips would leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 3 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-3
Proposed Route 3 Bridge Street / Holmes
Route 4 Madison Square / University

Route 4 is one of Shuttles highest ridership routes, and it is the most productive. The Madison Square Mall and Wal-Mart stops at the end of the line are among the highest ridership stops. Ontime performance is below average, with just 40 percent of trips arriving at timepoints between 05 minutes late. Route 4 is easy to understand and direct from downtown to Wal-Mart, and it has a nice mix of land use with housing, commercial activity, and UAH along it. The ridership levels show the demand for service in this corridor. Route 4 should be extended to serve Target and Moore Farm Lane, replacing Route 12. Route 4 will also be extended to serve the area by the new Medicaid office at University / West Park Loop. Route 4 should also serve the Social Security office south of Madison Square Mall, replacing Tourist Loop service and serving some of the stops currently served by Route 3. Route 4s frequency would be improved from 60-minutes to 30-minutes. Route 4 would begin at 6:00 a.m. at the Transit Center and would end one hour later than it does today, returning to the Transit Center at 6:52 p.m. Trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and half hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 4 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-4
Proposed Route 4 Madison Square / University
Route 5 Airport Road -and- Route 10 South Huntsville

Route 5 is one of the lower performing routes in terms of ridership and productivity. It duplicates Routes 1 and 2 between the Transit Center and Parkway Place Mall, and also has a long one-way loop through some unproductive areas. On-time performance is above average. Route 10 is also one of the lower performing routes in terms of ridership and productivity, but it has almost double the ridership of Route 5, and it is more productive. Route 10 operates a large one-way loop through South Huntsville that introduces significant out-of-direction travel for many riders. In addition, there is no timed transfer at the Parkway Place Mall between Route 10 and Routes 1, 2, or 5. Persons wishing to travel to or from South Huntsville often must make two transfers, which given mostly 60-minute existing frequencies, leads to excessively long travel times. Given the one-way loop and the transfer issues, the fact that Route 10s ridership is this high is surprising and shows the demand for service in this area. Routes 5 and 10 should be combined into a new Route 10 that creates a one-seat ride from downtown Huntsville to South Huntsville and continues to serve the highest ridership points on the existing Route 5. The new Route 10 would operate between downtown and Parkway Place Mall via the current Route 5 alignment. It would then serve Crestwood Medical Center via Drake Avenue and Whitesburg Drive. It would then serve the Mental Health Center and apartments on Golf Road, and continue on the existing Route 10s alignment to the Target at Bailey Cove. Route 10 would then return to downtown via the Benaroya Lane loop, Mental Health Center on Golf Road, Crestwood Medical Center, and Parkway Place Mall. This alignment would allow trips to/from the Mental Health Center without a lengthy out-of-direction ride. In addition, it would allow bidirectional service from South Huntsville to the Publix by Whitesburg Drive / Airport Road. The new Route 10 would continue to operate at a 60-minute frequency, with the first trip leaving the Transit Center at 6:00 a.m. and the last trip arriving at the Transit Center at 6:45 p.m. This represents an hour later service for existing Route 5 and Route 10 patrons. The first trip in the morning for existing Route 10 patrons would also be shifted later. All Route 10 trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 10 and any other Shuttle route would be less than 10 minutes.
Figure 2-5
Proposed Route 10 South Huntsville
Route 6 Southwest Huntsville

Route 6 is a stellar performer, with the third highest ridership and the second highest productivity of all Shuttle Routes. The land-uses along Route 6 are almost exclusively residential meaning Route 6 operates as a neighborhood collector for trips and transfers at the Transit Center. On-time performance is marginal, with only 54 percent of trips operating 0-5 minutes late at timepoints. The ridership patterns and consistent loads are clear warrants for additional service. No alignment changes are recommended for Route 6, but frequency should be increased from hourly service to 30-minute service. In addition, the last trip of the day on Route 6 should leave the Transit Center at 6:00 p.m. and travel the entire length of Route 6, so that all stops are served on the last trip. This effectively improves span of service for more than half of Route 6 by an hour. The last trip would arrive at the Transit Center at 6:52 p.m. Trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and half hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 6 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes on the hour. On the half-hour, transfers to Route 4 would be possible in a 10-minute window. This schedule change would reduce average transfer wait times.
Route 7 Alabama A&M University

Route 7 is an above average performer in terms of both ridership and productivity. It operates a counterclockwise loop through North Huntsville and mostly corresponds to a clockwise loop operated by Route 8. On-time performance is poor, with only 29 percent of trips operating between 0-5 minutes late. Route 7 should have minor alignment changes to better coordinate with Route 8 and serve the appropriate destinations in North Huntsville. Specifically, Route 7 should: Serve Medaris Road in the westbound direction only. This will replace Route 8 service on Medaris Road. Serve the Madison County Health Department on Max Luther with every trip. Delete the deviation into Wal-Mart and instead stop on Sparkman. Operate on Blue Springs Road/Oakwood Avenue/Washington Street instead of Memorial Parkway and University Avenue. The rational for this change is to provide bi-directional service to the Kroger to facilitate shopping for existing and potential patrons living along Route 7. Streamline the routing to/from the Transit Center to use the Cleveland Avenue to access Meridian Street directly without travelling on Church Street.
Route 7 would continue to operate at a 60-minute frequency, as it does today. The first trip would leave the Transit Center at 6:00 a.m., and the last trip would end at 6:52 p.m. This is almost onehour later than current service ends and allows for people to leave work after 5:00 p.m. and still be able to make it back to north Huntsville. All Route 7 trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 7 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-6
Proposed Route 6 Southwest Huntsville
Figure 2-7
Proposed Route 7 Medaris Road / Alabama A&M University
Route 8 Medaris Road / Alabama A&M University

Route 8 is an above average performer in terms of both ridership and productivity. It operates a clockwise loop through North Huntsville and mostly corresponds to a counterclockwise loop operated by Route 7. On-time performance is decent, with 71 percent of trips operating between 0-5 minutes late. Route 8 has eight more minutes scheduled to operate its loop than Route 7, leading to the disparities in on-time performance. Route 8 should have minor alignment changes to better coordinate with Route 7 and serve the appropriate destinations in North Huntsville. Specifically, Route 8 should: Cease serving Medaris Road. Route 7 would serve Medaris Road instead. Serve the Venona Loop. Currently Venona only has service in one direction, and this recommendation will add bi-directional service to this densely populated area. Serve Stringfield Road between Tee Jay Drive and Blue Springs Road. The route will travel to Hilltop Terrace via Tee Jay Drive, Cutler Drive, and Bluehaven Drive. As a result, Route 8 will no longer travel on Blue Springs Road between Stringfield Road and Hilltop Terrace. Operate on Blue Springs Road/Oakwood Avenue/Washington Street instead of Memorial Parkway and University Avenue. The rational for this change is to provide bi-directional service to the Kroger to facilitate shopping for existing and potential patrons living along Route 8. Streamline the routing to/from the Transit Center to use the Cleveland Avenue to access Meridian Street directly without travelling on Church Street.
Route 8 would continue to operate at a 60-minute frequency, as it does today. The first trip would leave the Transit Center at 6:00 a.m., and the last trip would end at 5:52 p.m. All Route 8 trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 8 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes, reducing average transfer wait times.
Figure 2-8
Proposed Route 8 Alabama A&M University
Route 9 NW Huntsville / Oakwood University

Route 9 is an above average performer in terms of ridership, and has above average productivity. It operates a large clockwise one-way loop that serves northwest Huntsville. On-time performance is below average, with 43 percent of trips operating between 0-5 minutes late. The large one-way loop design of Route 9 ensures that any patron will ride the full length of the entire route on a round-trip, forcing every passenger through the transfer center at least once during their trip. In addition, a trip from the Alabama Career Center on Sparkman Drive to Jordan Lane requires a transfer, as Route 9 does not operate this as a continuous loop. Such a route design is a severe disincentive for potential patrons. Route 9 should be redesigned to shorten the existing loop and provide a way for residents along the western portion of the loop to have access to a grocery store, without needing a transfer. With that in mind, the Sparkman Drive and the north Washington Street segments of the route should be deleted. Sparkman Drive would still have service from Routes 7 and 8. Route 9 should operate between the Transit Center and Presbyterian Towers in both directions along the alignment of the existing Route 1 (Route 9 will replace Route 1 in this segment). Route 9 should then continue along its existing loop alignment and return to Presbyterian Towers via Pulaski Pike. Route 9 will not go into Presbyterian Towers in either direction. Instead, patrons will need to walk to the on-street stop at Country Club and Canary. This alignment will ensure that Presbyterian Towers will now have bi-directional service to Kroger, and also ensure that anyone living along Route 9 will also have easy access to this grocery store. Route 9 would continue to operate at a 60-minute frequency, as it does today. The first trip would leave the Transit Center at 6:00 a.m., and the last trip would end at 6:30 p.m. in the inbound direction at Pulaski Pike and Sparkman. Service would be 30-minutes earlier and almost 30-minutes later, and it would ensure that someone could leave work at 5:00 p.m. and still be able to make it back to their home on Route 9 in the evenings. All Route 9 trips would be scheduled to leave/arrive at the Transfer Center on the hour and be timed so that the maximum wait for a transfer between Route 9 and any other Shuttle route would be 10 minutes.
Tourist Loop
The Tourist Loop has below average ridership, productivity, and on-time performance. It duplicates Route 6 in Southwest Huntsville, and Route 4 along University Drive. In order to reduce duplication of service and put service where it is needed most, the Tourist should be deleted. The majority of Tourist Loop passengers would continue to have service, and in some cases better service than exists today. Route 4 would serve the Madison Square Mall to downtown Huntsville market at 30-minute frequencies, replacing the need for the Tourist Loop. Likewise, Route 6 would operate at 30-minute frequencies, removing the direct need for Tourist Loop service east of Patton Road in Southwest Huntsville. Route 3 would be restructured to serve the US Space and Rocket Center and Calhoun Community College. Route 4 would be restructured to serve the Social Security Office.
Figure 2-9
Proposed Route 9 Northwest Huntsville / Oakwood University
Route 12 Research Park

Route 12 is the worst performing route operated by Shuttle. Its ridership and productivity are typical of paratransit service rather than fixed-route service. The land uses in Research Park are mostly incompatible with fixed-route bus service. While there are thousands of jobs in Research Park, the widely spaced buildings and large building setbacks from roads create a low-density environment that fixed-route bus service cannot effectively serve. Route 12 should be deleted and the resources reinvested in extending Route 3 to Bridge Street and extending Route 4 to Target and the apartments on Moore Farm Lane. A one-seat ride from downtown Huntsville that ties into a timed transfer will better serve passengers heading to Calhoun Community College, Bridge Street, UAH, Target, and residents south of Moore Farm Lane.
Summary of Route Recommendations

Figure 2-10 shows how the individual route recommendations work together as a system.
Figure 2-10 Proposed Fiscally-Constrained Shuttle System
The proposed span of service, frequency, revenue hours, and the number of buses required for the fiscally constrained alternative are shown in Figures 2-11 and 2-12.
Figure 2-11 Proposed Span and Frequency for Fiscally Constrained Recommendations
Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville
Notes: First trip begins service at Transit Center at 6:00 a.m. for most routes All routes except for Route 9 end service at the Transit Center. Route 9 ends service at Jordan Lane/ Sparkman Drive. Route 4 begins 30-minute service at 6:00 a.m. and ends 30-minute service at 17:00. Route 6 begins 30-minute service at 6:00 a.m. and ends 30-minute service at 17:00.
Proposed Span of Service 6:00 17:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 18:52 5:15 18:52 6:00 18:52 6:00 17:52 6:00 18:30 6:00 18:45
Proposed Frequency 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 30-minutes 30-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes 60-minutes
Figure 2-12 Proposed Revenue Hours and Buses Required

Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Total
Notes: Existing Revenue Hours are 142.8, which does not include report time, deadhead time, and closeup time. The revenue hour figures in this table also do not include report time, deadhead time, and closeup time.
Proposed Weekday Revenue Hours 11.87 11.87 11.87 23.73 24.43 12.87 11.87 12.5 23.5 144.51
Buses Necessary 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 12
LONG RANGE RECOMMENDATIONS

Nelson\Nygaard staff developed a fiscally unconstrained transit plan to show the level of investment necessary to address the unmet transit needs in the community. Multiple areas of need were identified, including geographic areas where service is necessary, earlier and later service on weekdays, frequency on weekdays, and service on weekends. Recommendations are considered Long Range as additional funding will be necessary to implement these changes. A description of each recommendation and the potential cost is described below.
Increased Weekday Frequency

Currently, all but two Shuttle routes operate hourly throughout the day. Hourly service typically only has the ability to attract captive riders, those that have no other transportation choices. In order to expand Shuttles market potential to more than just captive riders, Shuttle frequencies must be expanded to at least 30-minute frequencies. Increasing weekday frequency will result in the highest ridership gain of any expansion investment. Overall, the ridership elasticity for going from 60-minute frequency to 30-minute frequency is such that ridership should close to double on any route whose frequency is improved. The cost for improving all routes to 30-minute frequency is approximately $1,150,000 and would also require 8 new buses. The three routes with the best warrants additional service are Routes 9, 7, and 8. Route 10 has the next highest priority.
Figure 2-13 Estimated Cost for Increased Frequency

Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Total
Note: Assumes 255 weekdays and a cost per hour of $45.87 Costs are planning level and based on Revenue Hours.
Daily Rev. Hours 12 12 12 1 12 12 12 24 97
Annual Rev. Hours 3,060 3,060 3,060 255 3,060 3,060 3,060 6,120 24,735
Est. Annual Cost $140,362 $140,362 $140,362 $11,697 $140,362 $140,362 $140,362 $280,724 $1,134,594
New Buses 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 8
Later Weekday Span of Service

The market research and conversations with riders and current Shuttle staff highlighted the repeated requests for later weekday service. The current span of service, which ends just after 6:00 p.m., is inadequate for many work trips. For instance, it is difficult for anyone needing to work until after 5:00 p.m. to use Shuttle to get home. Likewise, service jobs at any of the malls cannot be served well, as workers cannot get home after a 9 p.m. close. All Shuttle routes should operate until 10 p.m. in order to facilitate employment opportunities, particularly for the service industry. Fixed-route Shuttle would require approximately $445,000 annually to operate later. If this recommendation is implemented, the ADA complementary paratransit service, Handi-Ride, service span must be expanded to 10 p.m. as well, which will further increase costs by $145,000. The total cost for this recommendation is approximately $590,000 annually.
Figure 2-14 Estimated Cost for Later Weekday Span of Service

Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Fixed-Route Total Handi-Ride Expansion Costs Total Cost for Expanded Span
Costs are planning level and based on Revenue Hours.
Daily Rev. Hours 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 8 38 19
Annual Rev. Hours 1,020 1,020 1,020 765 765 1,020 1,020 1,020 2,040 9,690 4,845
Annual Cost $46,787 $46,787 $46,787 $35,091 $35,091 $46,787 $46,787 $46,787 $93,575 $444,480 $144,662 $589,142
Note: Assumes 255 weekdays and a cost per hour of $45.87 for fixed-route service and $37.82 for Hand-Ride Service
Saturday Service
Mobility needs for Huntsville extend beyond a weekday. Employment opportunities, shopping, and other trip needs are difficult for any transit dependent person to make due to the lack of Saturday service. Shuttle should operate on Saturdays between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. All routes should operate hourly. Adding Saturday service would cost approximately $285,000 annually for Shuttle fixed-route service. If this recommendation is implemented, the ADA complementary paratransit service, Handi-Ride, service span must be expanded to Saturday as well, which will further increase costs by $118,000 annually. The total estimated annual cost for implementing Saturday service is $402,000. The expected ridership level on Saturdays should be approximately 60 percent of that of a typical weekday.
Figure 2-15 Estimated Cost for Saturday Service

Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Fixed-Route Total Handi-Ride Expansion Costs Total Cost for Saturday Service Saturday Rev. Hours 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 23 119 60 Annual Rev. Hours 624 624 624 624 624 624 624 624 1,196 6,188 3,120 Annual Cost $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $28,623 $54,861 $283,844 $117,998 $401,842
Note: Assumes 52 Saturdays and a cost per hour of $45.87 for fixed-route service and $37.82 for Hand-Ride Service Costs are planning level and based on Revenue Hours.
Earlier Weekday Span of Service

With existing bus schedules, it is difficult for anyone to travel to a job that begins prior to 7:00 a.m. The ridership pattern on the first trip of many routes indicated a latent demand for earlier service. The short-term recommendations had Route 6 beginning service prior to 6:00 a.m. All other Shuttle routes should operate one hour earlier in the day to allow employment opportunities for those who begin work prior to 7:00 a.m. The first trip from the Transit Center should begin at 5:00 a.m. The cost for expanding Shuttle service one hour earlier is approximately $94,000 annually. Paratransit costs would increase by $10,000 annually as well. The total cost of this recommendation is approximately $104,000 annually.
Figure 2-16 Estimated Cost for Earlier Weekday Service Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Fixed-Route Total Handi-Ride Expansion Costs Total Cost for Earlier Service Daily Rev. Hours 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 Annual Rev. Hours 255 255 255 255 255 255 255 255 2,040 255 Annual Cost $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $11,697 $93,575 $9,644 $103,219
Note: Assumes 255 Weekdays and a cost per hour of $45.87 for fixed-route service and $37.82 for Hand-Ride Service Costs are planning level and based on Revenue Hours
Sunday/Holiday Service
The warrants for Sunday and Holiday service are similar to those of Saturday service. Service workers have a need to get to jobs even on Sundays. An additional, much smaller, trip demand is for persons travelling to/from church. In order to meet these demands, Shuttle should operate hourly service on all its routes on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The cost of Sunday Shuttle service is approximately $270,000. If this recommendation is implemented, the ADA complementary paratransit service, Handi-Ride, service span must be expanded to Sunday as well, which will further increase costs by $88,000 annually. The total cost of expanding Sunday/Holiday service is approximately $357,000 annually. Ridership on Sunday service should be around 40 percent of a typical weekday. Holiday ridership (New Years Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) will be lower than Sunday ridership.
Figure 2-17 Estimated Cost for Sunday/Holiday Service Route 1 Red Core Loop 2 Blue Core Loop 3 Holmes 4 University 6 SW Huntsville 7 Medaris / Alabama A&M 8 Alabama A&M 9 NW Huntsville 10 South Huntsville Fixed-Route Total Handi-Ride Expansion Costs Total Cost for Earlier Service
Costs are planning level and based on Revenue Hours
Sunday Rev. Hours 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 21 101 40
Annual Rev. Hours 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 580 1,218 5,858 2,320
Annual Cost $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $26,605 $55,870 $268,706 $87,742 $356,449
Note: Assumes 58 Sundays/Holidays and a cost per hour of $45.87 for fixed-route service and $37.82 for Hand-Ride Service
Serve New Geographic Areas

Huntsville has received multiple requests for additional service both within the existing service area as well as outside. The market potential of each request was assessed from both a ridership and cost potential. Two areas where new routes were requested but not recommended include for Redstone Arsenal and Research Park. Redstone Arsenal Service There are thousands of jobs in Redstone Arsenal, and the BRAC changes have brought even more residents to the Huntsville area. Traditional transit services have had extreme difficulties serving Department of Defense facilities throughout the country due to the security gate procedures. Gate times are highly variable, and bus route reliability suffers tremendously as a result. Shuttle should work together with Arsenal brass to leverage Department of Defense transit dollars to develop a funding plan for service. Monterey-Salinas Transit in California has used this technique. Once a dedicated funding source is available, the housing data from the Arsenal should be used to determine route alignments. Research Park Service Research Park has approximately 25,000 employees, and may seem to be an excellent transit destination. A closer examination of the land use types and street network reveals that Research Parks ability to be a transit destination is severely limited. Research Park is approximately 3,500 acres, meaning the employment density is approximately 6.5 employees per acre. National experience has shown that for bus service to be successful, employment densities need to be over 15 employees per acre. Unless Research Park more than doubles employment density, transit will be unsuccessful. The ridership numbers on Route 12 confirms this. Fixed-route transit in Research Park is not recommended unless densities change.
Three different new routes are recommended.
Proposed Route 13 Huntsville Crosstown

Commercial and employment growth has occurred in western Huntsville. Residents in northwest and southwest Huntsville are close to some of the educational and employment institutions, yet have long trips via downtown Huntsville to access them. A route connecting southwest Huntsville and northwest Huntsville via Madison Square Mall would begin to address this. A proposed Route 13 would connect Alabama A&Ms campus with the Wal-Mart on Sparkman, the Madison Square Mall, Calhoun Community College, the residential areas in southwest Huntsville, and the Parkway Place Mall. Service would operate hourly between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and require two new buses and $281,000 annually. There would be no corresponding increase in Handi-Ride costs with this recommendation.
Figure 2-18 Proposed Route 13 Huntsville Crosstown
Proposed Route 14 Cinram and Madison County Industrial Park

Some of the densest residential areas in Huntsville are in East Huntsville. Pratt Avenue is an old streetcar corridor and the housing density is correspondingly higher. Multiple requests for new service have been received for service to Cinram and the Madison County Industrial Park by Moores Mill Road. A proposed Route 14 would serve both of these destinations, tying together Cinram, and the residential areas. The demographic propensity to use transit in East Huntsville is lower than in other parts of Huntsville. Thus, peak only service is recommended, between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This recommendation would require approximately $72,000 annually and require one bus. One option for Huntsville to provide this coverage at lower costs than a traditional fixed-route bus is to consider the use of general public dial-a-ride service to access East Huntsville and Cinram or a user side subsidy taxi voucher program.
Figure 2-19 Proposed Route 14 Cinram and Madison County Industrial Park
Proposed Route 15 Madison / Airport

One of the repeated requests for service has been for service to Madison and the jobs there, as well as access to the airport. The overall population and employment density in Madison are such that efficient fixed-route transit in this area will be a challenge as there are few areas with residential density of 7 units per acre or employment areas with more than 15 employees per acre These densities are considered minimum levels for successful transit. Given the residential and employment densities, the routing that has one of the greater possibilities to attract rides is an extension of Route 3 from Bridge Street to the Airport via Madison Pike, Hughes Road, Madison Boulevard, Wall Triana Highway, and James Record Road to the Airport. It would take approximately one hour from the airport to downtown Huntsville. In addition Madison residents would be connected to Bridge Street, Calhoun Community College, and UAH. The new Route 15 would replace Route 3. Operating this route from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. would require approximately $152,100 annually and require one additional bus. Handi-Ride costs would increase by approximately $125,000 annually as well, as the new routing between Bridge Street and the Airport would need to be served by complementary ADA paratransit service.
Figure 2-20 Proposed Route 15 Madison / Airport
Summary of Long-Term Recommendations

All of the long-term recommendations would improve mobility for Huntsville residents. The most costly recommendation, operating all Shuttle routes every 30-minutes, also would add the most ridership. Implementing all long-term recommendations would require over $1.6 million in additional operating costs and twelve (12) new buses. An additional $800,000 in annual Handi-Ride costs would also be incurred and one additional Handi-Ride vehicle would be required.
Figure 2-21 Summary of Long-Term Recommendations Recommendation Operate all weekday routes at 30-minute frequency End service on all weekday routes at 10:00 p.m. Operate all routes on Saturday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Begin weekday service on all weekday routes at 5:00 a.m. Operate all routes on Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Proposed Route 13 Huntsville Crosstown Proposed Route 14 Cinram and Madison County Industrial Park Proposed Route 15 Madison / Airport Service Total Shuttle Cost Increases Handi-Ride Service Increases for all Recommendations Total Cost for Implementing all Recommendations Estimated Annual Cost $1,135,000 $445,000 $284,000 $94,000 $269,000 $281,000 $71,000 $153,000 $2,732,000 $486,000 $3,218,000 Buses Required 8 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 12 1

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CITY OF HUNTSVILLE

COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS

COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS | FINAL City of Huntsville

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | i

COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS | FINAL City of Huntsville

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SERVICE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

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Fiscally-Constrained Short-Term Recommendations

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Proposed Span and Frequency for Fiscally Constrained Recommendations

Proposed Revenue Hours and Buses Required

Long Range Recommendations

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COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS | FINAL City of Huntsville

BRIEF HISTORY OF SHUTTLE

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DEFINING UNMET NEEDS

Staff and Operator Comments on Service

Review of Customer Comments sent to Shuttle

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Background Documents Reviewed

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Alabama A&M Transit Map

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Density of Elderly Residents in Huntsville

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Density of Minority Populations in Huntsville

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Concentration of Population under the Poverty Level in Huntsville

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EXISTING DATA ANALYSIS

Transfer Activity Matrix for Huntsville Shuttle

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Systemwide Ridership Analysis

Average Daily Ridership by Route

Average Daily Ridership

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Trips per Revenue Hour Productivity by Route

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Daily Ridership and Productivity by Route Average Daily

Figure 1-10 System Average Daily Ridership Trends