Most mass transit systems were designed with downtowns in mind.
People hopped on buses — or took trains — that shuttled them to and around the center city where they worked and shopped.
But that model doesn’t work anymore in many communities such as Akron, where jobs and shopping centers have migrated to the suburbs.
With that issue in play, Metro RTA plans to shake up its routes — a major overhaul that could push buses farther into the suburbs and, in some cases, no longer require a trip to the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center downtown.
Armed with detailed ridership data, the bus company may eliminate some routes, add others and alter frequencies to meet changing demand as part of its “Driving Metro Forward” project.
The plan is to abandon the hub-and-spoke model and move to more of a grid system that has been adopted in some other communities.
“We’d like to design a system that will get you there from anywhere,” Metro RTA Executive Director Richard Enty said.
The transit agency hopes to unveil the redesign this year following input from the community and put it into place early next year.
The redesign
Metro RTA Director of Planning and Development Kris Liljeblad and transit service planner Alex Harnocz ventured into a Metro RTA board meeting in November and broached the subject about redoing a couple of the routes.
The board’s response?
Go bigger. There was no need to make a series of minor changes, it concluded.
The last time the bus company did a major change with its routes was in 1998.
Metro RTA opted to do this latest analysis and create a new system itself instead of hiring an outside consultant.
Liljeblad and Harnocz are now working on an aggressive redesign — a complicated puzzle involving roads, businesses, times, stops and riders.
They are relying heavily on technology that can pinpoint ridership anywhere along a route, even down to how many people are getting on and off at individual stops.
That level of detail can help determine where and how frequently buses run.
“Now that we have the data coming in every day and we can see the riders per segment even down to the stop level, we can say, ‘OK, what times of day do we really need to go to Norton and what times of day would it be more productive for us to short turn in downtown Barberton?’ ” Harnocz said. “We can really make some better decisions about where to put our time and our money.”
Metro RTA has seen expenses growing at a faster pace than its revenue over the last five years.
Expenses hit $52 million last year, up nearly 18 percent from 2011. Meanwhile, revenue was $55.9 million last year, up 14.5 percent over the same time period.
Bus ridership, while down from the last couple of years, is about the same as five years ago at 5 million.
Not alone
Akron isn’t alone in facing this route problem.
“This is an issue confronting every single metro area in the country,” said Adie Tomer, a fellow at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, D.C.
Transit agencies have known about the issue for a long time but it’s not easy to change established routes, which were designed to support specific areas and businesses.
More agencies, though, including those in Houston and Omaha, Neb., have redesigned their systems in recent years.
For many communities, the old hub-and-spoke model, which relies on a strong central business district that remains the center for economic activity, no longer works.
“That’s fine as long as your behavior is very, very traditional,” said P.S. Sriraj, interim executive director at the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The reality is that jobs have sprawled away from downtowns.
Transit systems exist to get people — especially those with lower incomes and no access to a car — to jobs and services, whether it’s a doctor’s appointment or the grocery store.
With more people not only working in the suburbs but also living in the suburbs, “right now the networks don’t really work for them,” Tomer said.
The 2011 Brookings report “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America” noted that transit systems needed to get better at connecting riders with their jobs.
The report stated that only 25 percent of jobs in the Akron area were reachable by bus within 90 minutes — below the national average of 30 percent.
The solution isn’t as simple as adding a route deep into the suburbs. Liljeblad and Harnocz know that they can’t send a loaded bus one way and have it return empty.
Indeed, Metro RTA’s most productive routes are along Main Street and South Arlington in Akron, and heading out to Barberton.
Rider reaction
Metro RTA doesn’t expect everyone will be thrilled with the upcoming changes.
The bus company knows that some of its riders and even its drivers may be unhappy.
It has scheduled a series of public meetings next month to gather feedback about the general proposal and hopes people show up with recommendations. (See companion article for locations and times.)
“We want people’s input and suggestions” before finalizing the plan, Metro RTA spokeswoman Molly Becker said.
Many people who ride buses every day — whether it’s to get to work, school, a grocery store or medical appointments — say they are happy with the service now and they are curious about what changes the transit agency will make.
“It works well,” Tammy Harper, 55, of Akron said while waiting for a bus at the terminal on South Broadway.
Mike Kloos, 63, of Akron agreed.
“I personally love the bus,” he said. “We plan our days on when you can go on the bus.”
When asked what they would do to improve the service, many suggested running buses farther into the suburbs and more often on weekends and holidays.
“You’re dependent on their schedule,” Brian Ward, 58, of Akron said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.