Management Support for Stop Elimination and Performance Initiatives

For a multi-model regional transit authority, we provided analytical and project support for a line manager who sought to accomplish two goals: eliminate several underutilized stops on a trolley line, and improve en-route timekeeping at key interchange stations.  We identified the target stops to be eliminated using a composite scoring method on several criteria: daily patronage, distance to adjacent alternative stops, and proximity to major demand generators that serves limited-mobility populations.  Stops that we identified were subject to a closure process beginning with six month temporary service suspension following public consultation.  For on-time performance improvements, we designed schedule “paddles” similar to those carried by railroad enginemen in Asia, which provided quick reference of scheduled times at intermediate timing points.  We also provided updated “simplifier” sheets to en-route supervisors (similar to a pre-printed train register), which made it easier for each supervisor to determine whether a trolley was running early or late at their location, or if an interval had been missed entirely by the departure terminal.  The on-time performance initiatives proved too resource-heavy for production implementation, however, the elimination of underutilized stops did result in slight journey time improvements with minimal impact to total ridership.