Riders ask for more bus routes
♦ A consultant hired by Rome Transit shares survey results with stakeholders.
The first two of five Rome Transit stakeholder roundtable discussions were held Wednesday at Rome City Hall by consulting firm Moore & Associates.
The firm was brought on board in November to help Rome “rebrand” its transit system after the city lost its Tripper service for public schools. It began by collecting data from riders and other community members through anonymous surveys both online and on board Main Line and Paratransit buses.
“About 90% of the historic customers were going to be shifted over to the city school system,” Moore & Associates President Jim Moore said. “That alone would be a significant enough catalyst to evaluate what your business plan is going forward, but it was also time to look at a lot of other things.”
Over the span of a week in November, about 160 Main Line riders completed a survey as they rode to work, shopping, medical appointments or other destinations.
More than 65% live in households with an annual income of $15,000 or less; 94% of them do not have access to a personal vehicle; 52% ride the bus to work or healthcare services; 78% ride three or more times per week; 60% were at least 45 years old; and 45% of them are employed.
Nearly half said they’d been riding the bus for at least five years and 66% reported the experience as “excellent.”
When asked what could be improved, 46% said they’d like to see more buses with increased frequency and 39% wanted to see buses operate longer hours.
The online community survey results of 348 respondents painted a different picture, however. Nearly 85% of those who took the survey said they have never used public transportation, with 41% of them saying they preferred taking their own vehicle and 20% saying the buses weren’t traveling where they needed to go.
When asked for the top two changes to the transit system that might motivate them to begin using it, 44% said adding more destinations, 24% said later hours of operation and 24% said more frequent service.
“Overall, respondents generally agreed RTD is beneficial to Rome,” the survey report concluded. “Eighty-five percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed RTD is a valuable community service.”
Those at Wednesday’s roundtable discussion agreed it would be beneficial to expand bus service to the colleges and more rural areas outside the city, as well as increasing frequency and hours.
“If you could bring in a rural transit service, that would be phenomenal,” said Barbara Hurst, CEO of the nonprofit Transit Alliance Group that contracts with the City of Rome to provide transportation for seniors and those with developmental disabilities.
Moore told the group that he’s scheduled to give a progress briefing to the Rome City Commission on Monday.
After that, community information workshops will be scheduled for the next two months.
Final recommendations for moving forward should be ready by this summer, he said.