city council retreat january 23, 2021
TRANSCRIPT
PowerPoint Presentation• Regular fare is $1.75 • Free for grades
7-12 and
Mason affiliates
Long-standing partnership Mason students, faculty
and staff ride CUE for free ~35% of total ridership Mason makes annual
payment to CUE $750,000 in FY20
CUE Partnered with County in 2017 on Student Free Fare Program
Students grades 7-12 with pass can ride CUE and Connector for free
Passes administered by the schools
CUE Ridership: Total, GMU, K-12 students
Total GMU Student
FY 2015 771,269 288,045 7,094
FY 2016 678,967 266,676 7,711
FY 2017 645,687 250,438 21,646
FY 2018 605,745 225,178 25,544
FY 2019 601,813 233,155 28,788
Student ridership increased from 7,700 in FY16 to 21,500 in FY17
179% increase in first year of program
Important regional transfer opportunities at Vienna Metrorail for rail and bus lines
Coordinated regional fare collection system (SmarTrip)
According to the 2015 GMU-CUE study, ~60% of CUE riders are residents.
According to the more recent APC data, ~60% of boardings are at stops located in the City 30% at either GMU or Vienna 10% at stops along the Blake Ln or Nutley St corridors
$4M Annual Cost $2.6M salaries and fringe (65%) $650K motor pool transfer (16%) $660K management fee (16%) Remainder is training, uniforms,
insurance, Nextbus fees, etc. (3%)
Chart1
Salaries
$660,000
Other
$90,000
$2.1M 30% funds (50%) $750K GMU payment (19%) $670K State Funds (17%) $300K Fares (8%) Remainder is advertising,
city wheels, charter services (6%)
Chart1
Fares
change
FY 2015 771,269 $ 581,394 FY 2016 678,967 -12% $ 527,783 -9% FY 2017 645,687 -5% $ 471,573 -11% FY 2018 605,745 -6% $ 428,102 -9% FY 2019 601,813 -1% $ 377,401 -12% FY 2020 488,071 -18.9% $ 303,306 -20%
Fare revenue has decreased more than ridership due to a combination of the student pass program and Mason ridership Total ridership has gone down
while GMU and student ridership has held relatively steady
In other words, paid ridership has decreased
CUE Ridership and Fare Revenue FY 15-20
CUE ridership at approx. 50% of pre- COVID ridership
Chart1
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
2
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
25
26
27
30
31
32
33
34
37
38
39
40
41
44
45
46
47
48
51
52
53
54
55
58
59
60
61
62
65
66
67
68
69
72
73
74
75
76
79
80
81
82
83
86
87
88
89
90
93
94
95
96
97
100
101
102
103
104
107
108
109
110
111
114
115
116
117
118
121
122
123
124
125
128
129
130
131
132
135
136
137
138
139
142
143
144
145
146
149
150
151
152
153
156
157
158
159
160
163
164
165
166
167
170
171
172
173
174
177
178
179
180
181
184
185
186
187
188
191
192
193
194
195
198
199
200
201
202
205
206
207
208
209
212
213
214
215
218
219
220
221
222
225
226
227
228
229
232
233
234
235
236
239
240
241
242
243
246
247
248
249
250
253
254
255
256
257
260
261
262
263
265
268
269
270
271
272
275
276
277
278
279
282
283
284
285
286
289
290
291
292
296
297
298
299
3/17: VA bans public gatherings >10; 1,067 trips
3/23: VA schools closed through summer; 492 trips
5/25: Memorial Day (reduced service); 296 trips
3/9: GMU Spring Break starts; 1,737 trips
5/29: NOVA enters Phase 1; 738 trips
6/12: Phase 2; 824 trips
7/1: Phase 3; 769 trips
8/25 GMU fall semester starts; 1,100 trips
9/7: Labor Day (reduced service); 325 trips
11/27: Day after Thanksgiving (reduced service); 632 trips
12/24: Christmas Eve (reduced service); 771 trips
Weekday Trips
Day 248: [] trips
Total
GMU
Student
FY16-17: WMATA SafeTrack (periodic single tracking / reduced service)
FY17: CUE joins free student bus pass program (middle/high school eligible)
FY20: COVID starts March 2020; GMU and free student ridership unknown
CUE Total Ridership by month, FY19 vs FY20
FY19
FY20
Oct
63,552
62,364
Nov
49,965
45,122
Dec
42,860
43,390
Jan
43,577
45,896
Feb
49,289
50,879
Mar
52,235
31,415
June
43,709
20,308
COVID daily ridership
CUE Ridership by Route Group, FY 2015-2019
CUE Ridership by Month, FY 2019 - FY2021 (as of Jan 2021)
Month
CUE Total Weekday Ridership During COVID
CUE Total Daily Ridership During COVID
Date
Weekday Trips
Daily Trips
Thu, Mar 5
Wed, Mar 11
Sun, Mar 8
Mon, Mar 9
Tue, Mar 10
Tue, Mar 17
Gov Northam bans public gatherings of more than 10 people
Thu, Mar 12
Wed, Mar 18
Thu, Mar 19
Sat, Mar 14
16
492
Mason begins revised spring shuttle schedule; Gov Northam orders public schools closed for the rest of the school year, non-essential businesses closed for at least 30 days; City Hall begins limited access plan
Mon, Mar 16
Tue, Mar 17
Gov Northam bans public gatherings of more than 10 people
Wed, Mar 25
Fri, Mar 27
Mon, Mar 23
16
492
Mason begins revised spring shuttle schedule; Gov Northam orders public schools closed for the rest of the school year, non-essential businesses closed for at least 30 days; City Hall begins limited access plan
Thu, Apr 2
Fri, Apr 3
Thu, Mar 26
Mon, Apr 13
39
707
VA closes recreation businesses (MD requires masks on transit / in public)
Thu, Apr 2
Wed, Apr 22
39
707
VA closes recreation businesses (MD requires masks on transit / in public)
Tue, May 5
Mon, May 4
Sun, May 10
Fri, Jun 26
Mon, Jul 6
Mon, Jul 20
Sat, Jul 4
Tue, Aug 25
Wed, Jul 15
195
Maybe a data error? 1821 trips (some are duplicate APC records)
Thu, Jul 23
Thu, Oct 22
Wed, Nov 4
Wed, Nov 25
Mon, Oct 5
Daily Trips
3/17: VA bans public gatherings >10; 1,067 trips
3/23: VA schools closed through summer; 492 trips
5/25: Memorial Day (reduced service); 296 trips
3/9: GMU Spring Break starts; 1,737 trips
5/29: NOVA enters Phase 1; 738 trips
6/12: Phase 2; 824 trips
7/1: Phase 3; 769 trips
8/25 GMU fall semester starts; 1,100 trips
9/7: Labor Day (reduced service); 325 trips
11/27: Day after Thanksgiving (reduced service); 632 trips
12/24: Christmas Eve (reduced service); 771 trips
Weekday Trips
Days since first VA COVID case
CUE ridership at approx. 50% of pre-COVID ridership On average, 29% of the greater DC area workforce is
physically present at their worksites as of today
Pre-COVID commuting 60% driving alone 25% transit 10% telework
Current commuting 43% driving alone 7 % transit 41% telecommuting
Telework will remain post-COVID, but at lower levels.
Likely between 51% and 67% will telecommute some of the time (1-2 days)
Transit ridership will change permanently post- COVID
More telework = less roadway congestion for drivers Fewer “choice” riders on transit
Transit needs to be more attractive
Potential for increased ridership Reduced congestion Reduced emissions: Automobiles are responsible for the majority of
carbon emissions in the transportation sector, which make up 29 percent of all US emissions.
Public transportation produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than private vehicles
Bus transit produces 33% less emissions than private vehicles.
Improved public health due to reduced air pollution
Social equity: improved access for transit-dependent population
Fewer disputes between drivers & passengers Most conflicts related to passengers trying to evade fare Fewer conflicts since March when CUE began rear boarding and fare
free policy Potential improved access to local businesses Faster boarding times
Loss of fare revenue Approximately $370K in FY 21
Loss of information about types of riders Ridership information gained through farebox Could be supplemented with annual surveys
Potential increase in disruptive passengers Potential loss of “choice riders” Need a “Ride to Destination” rule
Perception: Some people resent “subsidizing transit” when they don’t use it. However, everyone benefits from reduced congestion, fewer carbon emissions and knowing that friends and relatives can access employment and medical appointments regardless of income.
Safety: Some worry that “if anyone can ride,” transit will become less safe. CUE already has a strong rider code of conduct. Our Operators and Supervisors are well trained to address issues if they arise. CUE has had fewer passenger/driver conflicts since going fare-free in March
Overcrowding: Some peer systems experience overcrowding immediately following the introduction of zero-fare. CUE buses currently have additional capacity for increased ridership.
Chapel Hill Transit (Chapel Hill & Carrboro, NC / UNC) All standard routes & paratransit are fare-free (Tar Heel
Express costs $3) Local costs shared by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the University
of North Carolina; also supported by state & federal funding Service started in 1970s; fare-free since 2002
Corvallis Transit (Corvallis, OR / Oregon State U) 15 buses, 1K annual trips Fare-free since 2011, with a goal of increasing ridership and
decreasing carbon emissions All local routes fare-free; up to $0.75 on Philomath Connector
Fares replaced by Transit Operations Fee (no general funding) Monthly charge to City utility customers, dedicated to transit Fee based on ITE trip generation model
Ridership increased 38% in first year of fareless operation; ridership increased for a few years before leveling off
Minor pushback at start; now overwhelmingly positive public perception by OSU and the community at large
Intercity Transit (Olympia, WA) (https://www.intercitytransit.com/zerofare) KCATA (Kansas City, MO) (https://ridekc.org/, https://zerofarekc.com/) Clemson Area Transit (Clemson, SC / Clemson U) (https://www.catbus.com/)
Advance Transit (Lebanon, NH / Dartmouth) (http://advancetransit.com/) Cache Valley Transit (Logan, UT) (https://cvtdbus.org/) Missoula Urban Transit (Missoula, MT) (https://mountainline.com/) SMART Transit (Moscow, ID) (http://www.smarttransit.org/)
$300K-$380K depending on ridership Note that CUE has been fare-free since
March. Other regional systems and Metro also
fare free until January, 2021 Other locals in NoVA have resumed or
will be resuming fare collection soon
Total Ridership
change
FY 2015 771,269 $ 581,394 FY 2016 678,967 -12% $ 527,783 -9% FY 2017 645,687 -5% $ 471,573 -11% FY 2018 605,745 -6% $ 428,102 -9% FY 2019 601,813 -1% $ 377,401 -12% FY 2020 488,071 -18.9% $ 303,306 -20%
CUE Ridership and Fare Revenue FY 15-20
In general, a zero-fare system is more financially feasible for small transit agencies that only rely on fares for a small percentage of its funding.
Fares constitute 8-10% of CUE revenue
30% funds would be substitute for fares
Chart1
Fares
$2,100,000
Will ridership increase? Maybe. The top priority for most transit riders is how frequent
and reliable a system is, not its price. Already free to Grade 7-12. Ridership increased FY 17-19 Already free for GMU, so GMU ridership will likely not change Target audience is new, choice riders There is also public benefit to providing fare free transit,
particularly for transit dependent riders who are the majority of current riders
Should CUE continue to be fare free going forward? Recommendation: Continue fare-free policy until area returns
to work in person and then reassess
Post-COVID: Consider permanent fare-free policy
DRPT starting new grant program to assist Consider an income-based fare program Resume fare collection
CUE Fare Discussion
CUE Fare Background
Mason affiliates
Long-standing partnership Mason students, faculty
and staff ride CUE for free ~35% of total ridership Mason makes annual
payment to CUE $750,000 in FY20
CUE Partnered with County in 2017 on Student Free Fare Program
Students grades 7-12 with pass can ride CUE and Connector for free
Passes administered by the schools
CUE Ridership: Total, GMU, K-12 students
Total GMU Student
FY 2015 771,269 288,045 7,094
FY 2016 678,967 266,676 7,711
FY 2017 645,687 250,438 21,646
FY 2018 605,745 225,178 25,544
FY 2019 601,813 233,155 28,788
Student ridership increased from 7,700 in FY16 to 21,500 in FY17
179% increase in first year of program
Important regional transfer opportunities at Vienna Metrorail for rail and bus lines
Coordinated regional fare collection system (SmarTrip)
According to the 2015 GMU-CUE study, ~60% of CUE riders are residents.
According to the more recent APC data, ~60% of boardings are at stops located in the City 30% at either GMU or Vienna 10% at stops along the Blake Ln or Nutley St corridors
$4M Annual Cost $2.6M salaries and fringe (65%) $650K motor pool transfer (16%) $660K management fee (16%) Remainder is training, uniforms,
insurance, Nextbus fees, etc. (3%)
Chart1
Salaries
$660,000
Other
$90,000
$2.1M 30% funds (50%) $750K GMU payment (19%) $670K State Funds (17%) $300K Fares (8%) Remainder is advertising,
city wheels, charter services (6%)
Chart1
Fares
change
FY 2015 771,269 $ 581,394 FY 2016 678,967 -12% $ 527,783 -9% FY 2017 645,687 -5% $ 471,573 -11% FY 2018 605,745 -6% $ 428,102 -9% FY 2019 601,813 -1% $ 377,401 -12% FY 2020 488,071 -18.9% $ 303,306 -20%
Fare revenue has decreased more than ridership due to a combination of the student pass program and Mason ridership Total ridership has gone down
while GMU and student ridership has held relatively steady
In other words, paid ridership has decreased
CUE Ridership and Fare Revenue FY 15-20
CUE ridership at approx. 50% of pre- COVID ridership
Chart1
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
2
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
25
26
27
30
31
32
33
34
37
38
39
40
41
44
45
46
47
48
51
52
53
54
55
58
59
60
61
62
65
66
67
68
69
72
73
74
75
76
79
80
81
82
83
86
87
88
89
90
93
94
95
96
97
100
101
102
103
104
107
108
109
110
111
114
115
116
117
118
121
122
123
124
125
128
129
130
131
132
135
136
137
138
139
142
143
144
145
146
149
150
151
152
153
156
157
158
159
160
163
164
165
166
167
170
171
172
173
174
177
178
179
180
181
184
185
186
187
188
191
192
193
194
195
198
199
200
201
202
205
206
207
208
209
212
213
214
215
218
219
220
221
222
225
226
227
228
229
232
233
234
235
236
239
240
241
242
243
246
247
248
249
250
253
254
255
256
257
260
261
262
263
265
268
269
270
271
272
275
276
277
278
279
282
283
284
285
286
289
290
291
292
296
297
298
299
3/17: VA bans public gatherings >10; 1,067 trips
3/23: VA schools closed through summer; 492 trips
5/25: Memorial Day (reduced service); 296 trips
3/9: GMU Spring Break starts; 1,737 trips
5/29: NOVA enters Phase 1; 738 trips
6/12: Phase 2; 824 trips
7/1: Phase 3; 769 trips
8/25 GMU fall semester starts; 1,100 trips
9/7: Labor Day (reduced service); 325 trips
11/27: Day after Thanksgiving (reduced service); 632 trips
12/24: Christmas Eve (reduced service); 771 trips
Weekday Trips
Day 248: [] trips
Total
GMU
Student
FY16-17: WMATA SafeTrack (periodic single tracking / reduced service)
FY17: CUE joins free student bus pass program (middle/high school eligible)
FY20: COVID starts March 2020; GMU and free student ridership unknown
CUE Total Ridership by month, FY19 vs FY20
FY19
FY20
Oct
63,552
62,364
Nov
49,965
45,122
Dec
42,860
43,390
Jan
43,577
45,896
Feb
49,289
50,879
Mar
52,235
31,415
June
43,709
20,308
COVID daily ridership
CUE Ridership by Route Group, FY 2015-2019
CUE Ridership by Month, FY 2019 - FY2021 (as of Jan 2021)
Month
CUE Total Weekday Ridership During COVID
CUE Total Daily Ridership During COVID
Date
Weekday Trips
Daily Trips
Thu, Mar 5
Wed, Mar 11
Sun, Mar 8
Mon, Mar 9
Tue, Mar 10
Tue, Mar 17
Gov Northam bans public gatherings of more than 10 people
Thu, Mar 12
Wed, Mar 18
Thu, Mar 19
Sat, Mar 14
16
492
Mason begins revised spring shuttle schedule; Gov Northam orders public schools closed for the rest of the school year, non-essential businesses closed for at least 30 days; City Hall begins limited access plan
Mon, Mar 16
Tue, Mar 17
Gov Northam bans public gatherings of more than 10 people
Wed, Mar 25
Fri, Mar 27
Mon, Mar 23
16
492
Mason begins revised spring shuttle schedule; Gov Northam orders public schools closed for the rest of the school year, non-essential businesses closed for at least 30 days; City Hall begins limited access plan
Thu, Apr 2
Fri, Apr 3
Thu, Mar 26
Mon, Apr 13
39
707
VA closes recreation businesses (MD requires masks on transit / in public)
Thu, Apr 2
Wed, Apr 22
39
707
VA closes recreation businesses (MD requires masks on transit / in public)
Tue, May 5
Mon, May 4
Sun, May 10
Fri, Jun 26
Mon, Jul 6
Mon, Jul 20
Sat, Jul 4
Tue, Aug 25
Wed, Jul 15
195
Maybe a data error? 1821 trips (some are duplicate APC records)
Thu, Jul 23
Thu, Oct 22
Wed, Nov 4
Wed, Nov 25
Mon, Oct 5
Daily Trips
3/17: VA bans public gatherings >10; 1,067 trips
3/23: VA schools closed through summer; 492 trips
5/25: Memorial Day (reduced service); 296 trips
3/9: GMU Spring Break starts; 1,737 trips
5/29: NOVA enters Phase 1; 738 trips
6/12: Phase 2; 824 trips
7/1: Phase 3; 769 trips
8/25 GMU fall semester starts; 1,100 trips
9/7: Labor Day (reduced service); 325 trips
11/27: Day after Thanksgiving (reduced service); 632 trips
12/24: Christmas Eve (reduced service); 771 trips
Weekday Trips
Days since first VA COVID case
CUE ridership at approx. 50% of pre-COVID ridership On average, 29% of the greater DC area workforce is
physically present at their worksites as of today
Pre-COVID commuting 60% driving alone 25% transit 10% telework
Current commuting 43% driving alone 7 % transit 41% telecommuting
Telework will remain post-COVID, but at lower levels.
Likely between 51% and 67% will telecommute some of the time (1-2 days)
Transit ridership will change permanently post- COVID
More telework = less roadway congestion for drivers Fewer “choice” riders on transit
Transit needs to be more attractive
Potential for increased ridership Reduced congestion Reduced emissions: Automobiles are responsible for the majority of
carbon emissions in the transportation sector, which make up 29 percent of all US emissions.
Public transportation produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than private vehicles
Bus transit produces 33% less emissions than private vehicles.
Improved public health due to reduced air pollution
Social equity: improved access for transit-dependent population
Fewer disputes between drivers & passengers Most conflicts related to passengers trying to evade fare Fewer conflicts since March when CUE began rear boarding and fare
free policy Potential improved access to local businesses Faster boarding times
Loss of fare revenue Approximately $370K in FY 21
Loss of information about types of riders Ridership information gained through farebox Could be supplemented with annual surveys
Potential increase in disruptive passengers Potential loss of “choice riders” Need a “Ride to Destination” rule
Perception: Some people resent “subsidizing transit” when they don’t use it. However, everyone benefits from reduced congestion, fewer carbon emissions and knowing that friends and relatives can access employment and medical appointments regardless of income.
Safety: Some worry that “if anyone can ride,” transit will become less safe. CUE already has a strong rider code of conduct. Our Operators and Supervisors are well trained to address issues if they arise. CUE has had fewer passenger/driver conflicts since going fare-free in March
Overcrowding: Some peer systems experience overcrowding immediately following the introduction of zero-fare. CUE buses currently have additional capacity for increased ridership.
Chapel Hill Transit (Chapel Hill & Carrboro, NC / UNC) All standard routes & paratransit are fare-free (Tar Heel
Express costs $3) Local costs shared by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the University
of North Carolina; also supported by state & federal funding Service started in 1970s; fare-free since 2002
Corvallis Transit (Corvallis, OR / Oregon State U) 15 buses, 1K annual trips Fare-free since 2011, with a goal of increasing ridership and
decreasing carbon emissions All local routes fare-free; up to $0.75 on Philomath Connector
Fares replaced by Transit Operations Fee (no general funding) Monthly charge to City utility customers, dedicated to transit Fee based on ITE trip generation model
Ridership increased 38% in first year of fareless operation; ridership increased for a few years before leveling off
Minor pushback at start; now overwhelmingly positive public perception by OSU and the community at large
Intercity Transit (Olympia, WA) (https://www.intercitytransit.com/zerofare) KCATA (Kansas City, MO) (https://ridekc.org/, https://zerofarekc.com/) Clemson Area Transit (Clemson, SC / Clemson U) (https://www.catbus.com/)
Advance Transit (Lebanon, NH / Dartmouth) (http://advancetransit.com/) Cache Valley Transit (Logan, UT) (https://cvtdbus.org/) Missoula Urban Transit (Missoula, MT) (https://mountainline.com/) SMART Transit (Moscow, ID) (http://www.smarttransit.org/)
$300K-$380K depending on ridership Note that CUE has been fare-free since
March. Other regional systems and Metro also
fare free until January, 2021 Other locals in NoVA have resumed or
will be resuming fare collection soon
Total Ridership
change
FY 2015 771,269 $ 581,394 FY 2016 678,967 -12% $ 527,783 -9% FY 2017 645,687 -5% $ 471,573 -11% FY 2018 605,745 -6% $ 428,102 -9% FY 2019 601,813 -1% $ 377,401 -12% FY 2020 488,071 -18.9% $ 303,306 -20%
CUE Ridership and Fare Revenue FY 15-20
In general, a zero-fare system is more financially feasible for small transit agencies that only rely on fares for a small percentage of its funding.
Fares constitute 8-10% of CUE revenue
30% funds would be substitute for fares
Chart1
Fares
$2,100,000
Will ridership increase? Maybe. The top priority for most transit riders is how frequent
and reliable a system is, not its price. Already free to Grade 7-12. Ridership increased FY 17-19 Already free for GMU, so GMU ridership will likely not change Target audience is new, choice riders There is also public benefit to providing fare free transit,
particularly for transit dependent riders who are the majority of current riders
Should CUE continue to be fare free going forward? Recommendation: Continue fare-free policy until area returns
to work in person and then reassess
Post-COVID: Consider permanent fare-free policy
DRPT starting new grant program to assist Consider an income-based fare program Resume fare collection
CUE Fare Discussion
CUE Fare Background