February_2022 - 21

RTS CONNECT,
the fixedroute
local
bus
service, was
streamlined
to improve
routes and
increase
frequency.
M
ore than 40 years ago,
when shifts were Monday
through Friday,
employees in Rochester,
N.Y., could take a
fixed-route bus directly
to their office complex
thanks to a business
model the Regional Transit
Service (RTS) offered at the time,
where an employer would pay RTS
to deviate a bus from the public
road and go directly to their
building. And 40 years ago, this
worked-for some.
" It wasn't cost effective for us
or flexible enough for the customers
on many occasions, " shared
Bill Carpenter, CEO, RTS.
The customization worked for
a select group of riders going to
unique destinations, like office
parks, because employers could
dictate what times the bus should
come. But this meant headways
changed throughout the day and
riders needed to be near experts
on knowing the schedules. Plus,
over the years, jobs at these locations
shifted to seven days a week
with multiple shifts.
Customers were " frustrated "
by the hub and spoke system and
that RTS " only had one tool in our
toolbox, " explains Carpenter. In
resulting in a consistent and flexible
rider experience.
" The public outreach that we
did, developing goodwill with
stakeholders, coming up with
innovative solutions, that really
helped us be successful, " Carpenter
said.
Establishing Goals
to Ensure Success
The agency began its network redesign
project, called Reimagine
RTS, by establishing five guiding
principles to help direct the
decision-making process: maximize
ridership by increasing the
number of boardings; coordinate
with community initiatives to encourage
community development
around the frequent transit network;
expand transit service to
THE CONNECTION hubs mark the end of the 40-foot bus network.
2017, RTS began revaluating how
well the system was serving its
community. What RTS found was
that a new network was needed
due to changes in demographics
and needs of the community, as
well as new mobility options that
could better serve the customers.
By establishing credibility and
All photos courtesy of RTS.
working closely with stakeholders,
RTS simplified the system and
introduced new mobility options,
include more mobility options
by increasing the mix of services
available; ensure system sustainability
by decreasing the net cost
per passenger; and enhance the
customer experience by decreasing
wait and travel time.
Each principle had a list of
three to four actionable items for
RTS to measure its success in adhering
to them. Carpenter believes
his team followed the guiding
FEBRUARY 2022 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 21

http://www.MassTransitmag.com

February_2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February_2022

Editor’s Notebook
People & Places
SkyTrain
Bolstering the Mobility Toolbox
2022 Mobility Outlook
Outfitting Networks with Improved Connectivity to Create a Better Rider Experience
Products
February_2022 - 1
February_2022 - 2
February_2022 - 3
February_2022 - 4
February_2022 - 5
February_2022 - Editor’s Notebook
February_2022 - 7
February_2022 - People & Places
February_2022 - 9
February_2022 - 10
February_2022 - 11
February_2022 - SkyTrain
February_2022 - 13
February_2022 - 14
February_2022 - 15
February_2022 - 16
February_2022 - 17
February_2022 - 18
February_2022 - 19
February_2022 - Bolstering the Mobility Toolbox
February_2022 - 21
February_2022 - 22
February_2022 - 23
February_2022 - 24
February_2022 - 25
February_2022 - 2022 Mobility Outlook
February_2022 - 27
February_2022 - 28
February_2022 - 29
February_2022 - Outfitting Networks with Improved Connectivity to Create a Better Rider Experience
February_2022 - 31
February_2022 - 32
February_2022 - Products
February_2022 - 34
February_2022 - 35
February_2022 - 36
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