MassDOT Regional Bus Network Buildout
Technical Advisory Committee Meeting – Tasks 1 and 2
June 23 2015
Purpose: To provide the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) with an update on progress on
Tasks 1 and 2, and obtain their input on service standards and performance metrics for
MassDOT’s BusPlus Program.
Attendees:
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Jonathan Belcher – Central Transportation Planning Staff
Jonathan Church – Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission
Don DeVivo – DATTCO
Alison Felix – Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Larry Field – Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance
Scott Hamwey – MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning
Mike Sharff – Peter Pan Bus Lines
Patrick Tierney – Cape Cod Commission
Kyle J. Emge – MassDOT Rail & Transit Division (Project Manager)
Pete Sutton – MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning (Project Manager)
Abril Novoa Camino – MassDOT Rail & Transit Division
Fred Fravel – KFH Group (Project Manager)
Jill Stober – KFH Group (Assistant Project Manager)
This document highlights the discussion points from the meeting.
Standards:
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Will develop four types of standards for the project:
o Planning guidelines help identify places that should have regional bus service.
o Service standards help evaluate the existing regional bus network and develop
potential routes.
o Performance metrics are used to examine the performance of existing and
proposed routes.
o Program performance measures are used to measure the impact of the program
on statewide access over time.
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Service Standards
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o Intercity bus service to a stop may be deficient if it requires more than one
transfer to reach Boston, Springfield, Albany – add Logan Airport and New York
City
 Examine travel time in comparison to automobile drive time
 Examine opportunities to connect Knowledge Corridor towns to Boston
 Examine demand between regional hubs outside of Boston (e.g.,
Fitchburg/Leominster, Worcester, Northampton/Amherst, Pittsfield, in
Eastern Massachusetts look at connecting towns without going into
Boston)
o Intercity bus service to a stop may be deficient if the span of service allows less
than five hours at nearest regional hub – riders should be able to make day trip
from regional transportation hub (Springfield, Worcester, Pittsfield,
Northampton/Amherst, Greenfield) to Boston, arriving in the AM and leaving in
the PM
o Add frequency as an intercity bus service standard – minimum of 1 roundtrip per
day, 2 roundtrips is better (depends on anticipated demand)
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Performance Metrics
o Add operating cost per mile
o Ridership – note that frequency drives ridership, consider the target audience
 Private carriers examine flexible demand (e.g., demand by college
students for weekend trips)
o Farebox recovery – look at commuter rail as a benchmark
 For private carriers, some trips don’t achieve the 100% goal, but consider
other factors such as feeding into other routes or meeting seasonal
needs. Private carriers may look at the total system rather than specific
routes or trips.
o Consider revenue per passenger mile, which is related to farebox recovery
 May be difficult to collect data on passenger miles
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Program Performance Measures
o Percent of state population with access to regional bus – focus on transitdependent population for intercity bus
 Focus on population that lives in areas with a population density of 5,000
people per square mile or more
 Population within 5-10 miles of a regional bus stop is considered to have
reasonable access
 In places that are served by RTAs, population within walking distance of
30-minute ride on transit is considered to have reasonable access
Analysis of Unmet Need:
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Demographic Analysis
o Determine if places with high transit-dependent populations also have relatively
high population densities (5,000 people per square mile or more)
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Identify destinations for job access
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Narrow down preliminary list of towns with unmet need
o Remove town if in MBTA service area (e.g., served by commuter rail, served by
MBTA feeder bus to rapid transit station)
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Planning Agency Input on Commuter/Regional Service Needs – some would be good
options for coordinated service between RTAs, rather than MassDOT regional bus route
Next Steps:
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KFH Group will draft service and performance standards for intercity and commuter bus
services for MassDOT review, then send to the TAC for review and input.
KFH Group will provide Technical Memorandum 1 – Goals and Service Standards and
Technical Memorandum 2 – Existing Services and Needs Analysis to MassDOT for
review, and then send to the TAC for review and input.
KFH Group and its subcontractor Regina Villa Associates will continue to conduct public
outreach to obtain input on regional bus goals, needs, and priorities.
KFH Group will develop draft service alternatives to review at the next TAC meeting on
July 30, 2015.
o Ask Transportation Management Associations for feedback on alternatives. They
may also be a good resource to promote statewide awareness of regional bus
routes.
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