SCOPE OF WORK

 

This study will determine whether the Springfield Mass Transit District can viably extend its services on weekday and Saturday evenings. Currently, the Springfield Mass Transit District provides service from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with reduced services on Saturdays.

 

To determine service viability, this study’s consultants will determine whether and where demand exists for evening service, identify potential levels of service required to provide evening service, and recommend the most effective way to provide this service (fixed routes, demand response services, flexible routes, etc.). If evening service is viable, the consultants will create a financial, operating, and management plan in another study phase to show how the Springfield Mass Transit District can phase in evening service within existing budgets.

 

This study will be divided into three phases, a Phase I Needs Assessment, a Phase II Study of Alternative Services and Costs, and a Phase III Implementation Plan. Phases II and III will only begin if the Phase I Needs Assessment recommends an expansion of evening bus service. Bidders on this project should, therefore, price Phase I separately from Phases II and III.

 

BACKGROUND:

 

The Springfield Mass Transit District was formed in 1968 to provide public transit service in Capital, Springfield, and Woodside Townships. A referendum was passed, which formed the District and approved a property tax levy not to exceed .05%. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, these combined townships have 131,246 people, an increase of approximately 2% since 1990.

The Springfield Mass Transit District operates 13 fixed routes, 45 additional service routes, and Access Springfield (a subscription and demand response paratransit service). It operates most of these services on Mondays through Saturdays from 6:00 AM to

6:00 PM. A limited schedule is followed on Saturdays and no service is provided on Sundays. In SFY 2004, the Springfield Mass Transit District had the following ridership:

 

                        Mainline and charter service trips             1,231,768

                        Paratransit trips via Access Springfield         55,405

                        Accessible trips provided on mainline buses 6,849

 

The District maintains a fleet of 50 buses and 14 paratransit vehicles. Of the 50 buses,

46 (92%) are lift-equipped and 41 (82%) are operated during peak demand. Of the 14

vehicles in the paratransit fleet, nine (64%) operate during peak demand.

 

Phase I: Needs Assessment

 

1.     The consultant will look at the potential market for evening ridership in the Springfield Mass Transit District’s service area. This analysis should include, but not be limited to the following socioeconomic characteristics within the District’s service area: total population; age cohorts, particularly percentages of the population under 18 years old and over 65 years old; percentages of disabled people; population density; household ownership; household income; and percentage of automobile ownership. The consultant should also look at recognizable gaps in public transportation service within the service area such as activity centers with little or no public transportation service and areas with frequent requests for evening service. Consideration of household ownership (measured by the percentage of rental and subsidized housing) within the community and median household income are good economic indicators of households and can help determine the percentage of automobile ownership in the Springfield Mass Transit District’s service area.

 

2.     The consultant will need to assess geographic characteristics for evening service feasibility including, but not limited to, specific activity centers and land use patterns. Since land use patterns are a key factor for assessing the need for transit service, the consultant will identify major trip attractors that could support evening transit service and assess whether these attractors can be grouped into effective and efficient transit routes or whether they are close enough to existing fixed transit routes.

 

3.     The consultant must assess the current operational and system characteristics, which should include, but not be limited to, the number of fixed-routes currently operating in the service area, service span (days of the week and operating hours), headways (service frequency - time between transit stops), fares, and vehicle types and sizes. The consultant must also assess the ability to transfer from one route to another or from one transportation mode to another, the ability to deliver riders from pickup points to final destinations, and safety considerations for passengers boarding and exiting the bus in the late evening hours. For buses operating within residential areas, the consultant should also consider engine noise as a factor.

 

4.     The consultant is expected to develop and conduct a public participation process to adequately research the expansion of evening service. It is important to solicit public comments during this entire process.

 

The consultant will then determine if a need or demand exists for later evening service on weekdays and Saturdays and how much service would likely be required.

Phase II: Study of Alternative Services and Costs

 

Using the data collected in Phase I, the consultant will develop several alternative public transportation scenarios which can effectively and efficiently meet the demand for evening service. Variables should include, but not be limited to, different vehicle types (e.g. mainline buses, paratransit vehicles, taxis), different service delivery types (e.g. fixed routes, flexible routes, paratransit services, and a taxi voucher program), and different route combinations. Each of these scenarios should effectively and efficiently serve areas that need or want public transportation, that are evening activity centers (e.g. businesses that have evening shifts, evening entertainment districts), and that have significant populations of people who would likely use evening public transportation services.

 

After developing these scenarios, the consultant will estimate the costs of providing service under each of these scenarios, estimate the number of riders that each of them will likely attract, and recommend a preferred scenario.

Phase III: Implementation Plan

 

Under this Phase, the consultant will work with the Springfield Mass Transit District to develop an operations, management, and financial Plan for the preferred scenario. The consultant should also perform the following tasks in order to address several special issues in this Plan:

 

1.     Analyze whether current resources can accommodate the new service levels identified in Phase II, if existing revenues stay the same. If current resources cannot accommodate these new services, the consultant will need to determine whether the Springfield Mass Transit District should cut back or eliminate some of its daytime services in order to provide for the new evening service.

2.     Identify additional funding sources, which may include, but are not limited to, property tax levies (referendums), state and federal grant programs, and sustained public and municipal funding to support the new evening service.

3. Analyze transit security and safety issues for passengers and operators.

This analysis should examine crime statistics, lighting in pick-up

and drop-off areas, police monitoring, and transfer point locations since

these considerations add to daily operating costs.

4. And develop marketing strategies to optimize ridership in the evening.

The consultant should hold a series of meetings at significant mileposts during the study to keep the advisory committee informed. At a minimum, there will be a five member advisory committee that will include representation from the following groups:

 

Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD)

Springfield-Sangamon County

Regional Planning Commission (SSCRPC)

Central Illinois Organizing Project (ClOP)

IDOT – Division of Public and Intermodal Transportation

Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

General Provisions:

 

The services described in this Request for Proposal are to be purchased with funding from the Federal Transit Administration, State of Illinois, and local sources. The successful consultant must comply with all terms and conditions as required by IDOT and the Federal Transit Administration.

 

Deliverables:

 

The consultant will produce a Draft Final for Phase I and present their findings to the SMTD Board of Trustees and this project’s Advisory Committee. Comments from these groups shall be incorporated into the Final Report. The consultant will provide 21 paper copies and a minimum of five electronic copies of the Draft Final and Final Reports.

 

If this project goes into Phases II and III, the consultant will be required to provide the same type of deliverables for this part of the project.