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®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK <br /> we were overly cautious and, if anything, we had too many bus stops in there. That is something <br /> we continue to monitor. As far as our actual routes, we have not had any major adjustments since <br /> we made some route cuts back in 2012.That was in response to our last comprehensive operational <br /> analysis which was done in 2011. It is recommended for transit agencies to go through those every <br /> five (5) years so that is one (1) of our upcoming goals. There are several things that need to take <br /> place in order to really take advantage of that. Buses are typically equipped with automatic <br /> passenger counters so we know when and where passengers are getting on and off the vehicles. <br /> Our entire fleet does not have those. One (1) of our goals is to make sure all of our buses do have <br /> the passenger counter. That means we have about fifteen (15) to twenty (20) vehicles that would <br /> need to have those added. We would want to make sure all the vehicles have what we call the <br /> APCs prior to doing another comprehensive operational analysis. We want to make sure if we are <br /> going to invest in that, we are going to get the full scope of data. Going through that process will <br /> really help us identify and optimize routes. <br /> Ms. Hill continued,Just this past week we adjusted the timing to our route number seven(7)which <br /> goes from downtown, to Notre Dame, to the Mall. We found it improved our performance and <br /> reduced passenger concerns for their connection times. We are always looking at route efficiency. <br /> We do track feedback for areas not currently served by a route. Declining ridership is, <br /> unfortunately, a trend across the country right now. We are particularly challenged by it. We <br /> typically say our ridership is about eighty to eighty-five percent (80%-85%) transit-dependent. <br /> That means the passengers we are serving rely on us as the only mode of transportation. As soon <br /> as you see the economy improve,people get better jobs,they are able to purchase personal vehicles <br /> and we tend to see that ridership fall down a little bit. We are also seeing our ridership decline with <br /> St. Mary's and Notre Dame. I think a lot of that can be contributed to Uber and Lyft. Our regular <br /> passengers are not able to afford that Uber ride, whereas a student may be able to afford that on a <br /> more regular basis. We did just launch a pilot program with Holy Cross College. They had not <br /> been on the sweep route since 2009 or 2010. We were able to make a minor adjustment without <br /> changing the timing of the route in order to serve Holy Cross. <br /> Committee Chair White stated, I know during our organizational meeting, someone had indicated <br /> that the route you have that goes through the west side was eliminated. That impacted a number <br /> of individuals in terms of where they have to go. There were also some concerns about the <br /> placement of stops and I don't know if you plan to go back. <br /> Ms. Hill replied, That was our route one (1), the Bendix Route, which was eliminated mainly <br /> because it was inefficient and had low ridership. They were able to make adjustments with other <br /> routes,mainly the Western Ave Route, so a lot of that area that was served by route one (1) is still <br /> served by other routes. When they made that change,the ridership actually went up a little too. We <br /> can always still look at that and maybe we can add more stops. Any time we can get feedback is <br /> good because we can look at that immediately. We take time to talk with our operators because <br /> they are the ones directly speaking with our riders. <br /> Genevieve Crum, 916 S. 31St Street, asked, What are the main ways you receive feedback? Is it <br /> typically through surveys, in person conversations or drivers themselves? <br /> Ms. Hill replied, Our operators are always our best source of feedback. We have not done a <br /> comprehensive ridership survey. It has probably been six (6) or seven (7) years since one (1) has <br /> been done. It is our plan to conduct one (1) soon. We do consistently ride and talk to passengers. <br /> EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT <br /> 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 TM 574.235.5567Iwww.southbendin.gov <br /> 2 <br />