Project Purpose
Fort Bend County Transit, METRO, and Central Houston are working on developing a one-seat, seamless-fare ride for commuters from Fort Bend County, Texas to downtown Houston. Stakeholders would like to identify the ways, means, barriers, obstacles and resources for seamless transit service. Texas A&M Transportation Institute: Transit Mobility Program (based in Houston) is providing technical assistance and stakeholder facilitation to develop the one-seat ride with a single fare for peak hour service between Fort Bend County and downtown Houston.
Phase 2, Continued Support to Working Group
The Working Group continue to engage TTI to provide continued technical assistance during Phase 2. Based on the significant latent demand identified in Phase 1 and local policy considerations, TTI conducted further research on implementation of Option 4 – service between Fort Bend County and Central Houston operated at high-frequency by FBC Transit. TTI assistance included updated financial projections for service and capital costs.
MAP-21 and Seamless Regional Transit in Houston
TTI create both a one-page summary and PPT presentation about MAP-21 and funding for transit in the Houston urbanized area; MAP-21 is the most recent federal transportation authorization Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). The materials were shared at the working group’s meeting held September 16, 2013. To download the files click on the images (the file will open in a new browser tab).
Phase 1 Interim Report, July 2013
TTI completed a draft interim project report in early summer 2013. The working group reviewed the document and provided comments back to TTI. The revised interim project report is now available for distribution to the working group and any other relevant stakeholders. To download the interim report click here or on the image at right.
Five Service Options: Current and Options 2, 3, 4, or 5
The following sections provide detailed information about each of four service options. Option 1 is continuing service similar to current services. Options 2, 3, 4 and 5 each represent an increasing amount or type of park & ride service with potential to improve transit connectivity between Fort Bend County and Central Houston. Option 2 could potentially be in operation near-term and would not necessarily require additional park & ride lot spaces. Options 3, 4 and 5 are high-level park & ride service to Central Houston and would necessitate acquiring additional park & ride spaces at existing sites or the construction of a large park & ride lot prior to operating the service. The following two sections document researcher findings for each service option as well as comparative analysis.
You can download all of the service option descriptions and comparative analysis at the same time by clicking here.
Descriptions and Analysis of Service Options
Information about Option 1 is found in the comparative analysis in the next section. Detailed information about Options 2, 3, 4 and 5 is below.
Comparative Summary: Local Share and Advantages/Disadvantages
TTI researchers created the following document in order to provide the working group with summary analysis. The analysis includes a detailed look at required local share in operating years 1 thru 4; as well as bulleted lists discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each option. To download the file click here, or on one of the images below.
Demand Estimation Model
The Adobe PDF file at right documents the general process and outcomes used by Texas A&M Transportation Institute researchers to model demand for park & ride service connecting Fort Bend County to Central Houston.
Options for Seamless Fare Service
One of the original aims of the Central Houston – Fort Bend Commute Working Group was to evaluate all service options in relation to a seamless fare service for users. This document discusses the findings of Texas A&M Transportation Institute researchers based on work group discussion and investigation of the issue. Download the seamless fare document by clicking here.
Profile of Houston-Galveston Regional Transit Services
Transit providers in the Houston-Galveston area demonstrate several examples of regional transit services that cross jurisdictional boundaries:
- Harris County and METRO sponsor the Baytown Park & Ride to downtown Houston.
- Connect Transit in Brazoria County is working with METRO to build and operate a park & ride from Pearland to the TMC (to open 2014).
- Fort Bend County operates the Fort Bend Express to Uptown/Galleria, Greenway Plaza, and TMC.
- Brazos Transit District operates The Woodland Express from Montgomery County to downtown Houston, Greenway Plaza, and the Texas Medical Center (TMC).
Case Studies of Regional Transit Services in Other Areas
The following sections synthesize information from case studies of six regions of the United States where coordination and integration of transit services may represent valuable lessons learned or best-practices for the Houston-Galveston region. The documents are drafts that will be incorporated into the final project report.
City of Mesquite: Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides a commuter transit service for the City of Mesquite. Mesquite is not a DART member city. DART operates express Route 282, known as Mesquite COMPASS, offering non-stop service from a park & ride facility in the City of Mesquite to the Lawnview Station in East Dallas on the DART Light Rail Green Line. Service began in March 2012 and represents the first agreement between DART and a non-member city. The service is managed by a local government corporation (LGC).
Arizona: Valley Metro
The Phoenix region is within Maricopa County, Arizona. Maricopa County is located in south central Arizona, has a population of 3,817,117, and covers 9,200 square miles. The Phoenix region is comprised of two urbanized areas, Phoenix-Mesa and Avondale-Goodyear. The region contains multiple jurisdictions involved in the facilitation of transit services. The region contains entities that operate and fund service and entities that purchase from the operating agencies. These transit services operated under a unified brand name, Valley Metro. The following list provides the cooperative/coordinated public transportation activities within the Phoenix region:
- In 1993, the transit providers voted on a unifying name for transit within the region, Valley Metro. This set into motion unifying regional transportation decision-making and coordination as well as unifying the passenger fare structure.
- The transit providers offering the majority of fixed route bus service within the region are Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA), City of Phoenix, and Tempe. Jurisdictions enter into intergovernmental agreements with transit providers for service. Transit providers buy and sell service by revenue mile in order to compensate for cross-jurisdictional issues.
Georgia: Cobb County
TTI selected Cobb Community Transit (CCT) in the Atlanta region as a peer example for coordinated transit services. CCT contracts with Veolia for local and commuter bus service. CCT also has an agreement with the regional transportation authority, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) to provide commuter routes in Cobb County. CCT coordinated transportation activities include the following:
- GRTA routes provided by Cobb County are included in the CCT contract with Veolia
- CCT participates in the regional fare card, Breeze Card
- Passengers transfer between MARTA and CCT services without additional fare with the Breeze Card
- CCT uses MARTA and GRTA stops, park and ride, and transit centers based on verbal agreements
- Regional transit providers are working on a transit sign at bus stops shared between multiple providers
Virginia: Loudoun County
Loudoun County Transit (LCT) operates multiple rush hour service routes from park and ride lots in Loudoun County to destinations in Arlington County and Washington D.C. Loudoun County operates the Tysons Express Bus Service, which includes two routes one originating in Leesburg, VA and the other originating in Hamilton, VA. Both routes travel to Tysons Corner (employment and shopping center) in Fairfax County, VA. The service began operation in 2010 and is funded by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, as a strategy of the Transportation Management Plan (TMP). LCT is responsible for coordinated transit activities within the region. LCT is involved in the following activities:
- LCT utilizes multiple WMATA bus stops and rail stations through verbal agreements with WMATA
- WMATA allows LCT to put up signage at bus stops; however LCT must go through the DOT or the local municipality for sign approval
- LCT participates in the regional electronic fare collection system, SmarTrip card
- LCT has implemented a popular service to Tysons Corner temporarily funded by the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. LCT plans to continue operating after project funds expire.
Washington: Snohomish County Swift
Swift bus rapid transit(BRT)is a partnership between two transit agencies (Community Transit and Everett Transit) in the Central Puget Sound Region, WA. Community Transit directly operates Swift. Community Transit and Everett Transit developed an interlocal agreement calling for Everett Transit to contribute 0.05 percent of its sales and use tax toward Community Transit to fund Swift operations. The agreement also calls for Everett Transit to construct the northern terminus for Swift at Everett Station and to provide up to $4 million for construction of Swift stations within the city limits of Everett, as well as installation of transit signal priority technology at intersections along the Swift route. This case study describes the details of the Swift service and the interlocal agreement.
Washington: Puget Sound Orca Fare Card
Seven transit providers in the Central Puget Sound region came together to develop the ORCA fare card system. The providers include Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit and the Washington State Ferry system. This case study provides an overview of the fare card system.
Reference Material
Regional Transit Examples Originally Provided to Working Group on July 26, 2012
The purpose of this working document was to provide an overview of seven selected metropolitan areas as background prior to a key project meeting with the working group. The document includes data and maps to highlight political jurisdictions, population, transit systems, and the level of transit services in selected metropolitan regions of the United States. The overview of each region includes preliminary identification of regional transit services that represent regional coordination and integration of services.
Literature Review of Regional Transit Coordination
Transportation systems throughout the U.S. must increase coordination to meet the needs of passengers due to factors such as long‐range commuting by workers, spread‐out activity centers across different transit districts, and decreasing funding from federal and state transit sources. Now more than ever, agencies must work together and pool resources to provide needed transportation service in both urban and rural areas. Through improved coordination and integration of the provision of transit, agencies can provide seamless transit service that is more cost‐effective, efficient, and beneficial for individuals. Transportation systems throughout the U.S. must increase coordination to meet the needs of passengers due to factors such as long‐range commuting by workers, spread‐out activity centers across different transit districts, and decreasing funding from federal and state transit sources. Now more than ever, agencies must work together and pool resources to provide needed transportation service in both urban and rural areas. Through improved coordination and integration of the provision of transit, agencies can provide seamless transit service that is more cost‐effective, efficient, and beneficial for individuals.