As part of the September 2008 service changes, ETS has "added" 3 new super-express routes to NAIT. Route 95 from Southgate, 97 from Mill Woods and 98 from West Edmonton Mall. ETS is bragging about how service to NAIT will be improved with these "new" routes. The problem is that these aren't new services. These 3 routes already existed, albeit as "school special" routes. The only change is that these routes are now numbered in the regular route series. To claim these as new services is misleading, as no actual service increase has occurred. Similarly, it is claimed that route 1 has several new trips between Downtown and West Edmonton Mall in the midday. Again, these trips already existed, but were operated as a "school special" route, which was signed up as a regular route 1. That opens up a whole other issue, where ETS makes overload/extra trips on a lot of routes officially "school specials" instead of the regular route.
Beyond that, these routes will do little to actually improve service to NAIT. Each of the routes only has two AM and PM trips. And the trips are both around the same time, meaning these routes only serve people travelling at one particular time. Compare that to the routes running out of the University, which operate from the start of rush hour right through to the end.
Overall, these three new NAIT routes gives ETS something to brag about (and will doubtless be brought up when negotiations for a U-Pass at NAIT begin), while doing nothing to improve service.
August 18, 2008
August 10, 2008
Keeping Trolleys = Denying Service to New Areas?
Looking over the service changes for September, there is an impressive slew of improvements to outlying areas. A lot of routes that were peak hours only now get midday and Saturday service, other routes have been extended into the evening and Sundays, and new late night service is being added to Terwilleger and Heritage Valley. Suburban service is seeing a major increase this fall, just as it has pretty much every fall for the last few years. The budget increases for these new services would have been approved back in December 2007 as part of the 2008 budget, which also included funding for the operation of the exisiting trolley bus system.
What makes this striking is the fact that in June during the debate on the trolleys, the city's transportation manager, Bob Boutiller, made the case that suburban areas were crying for service, being denied needed service increases and would continue to be so, because of the trolleys. He famously said that all the new ridership was coming from the new subdivisions, with no growth in the inner city (in spite of all the new condos springing up in Downtown and adjacent areas).
The service increases this year prove that new subdivisions are not being denied service. If anything, the area that is being denied service is the inner city, which is only gaining a few slight increases, despite overcrowded buses at all hours of the day, in some cases. The local buses along Jasper Ave between 124 St and Downtown are all carrying heavy loads, and are at near capacity. Indeed, some of the routes that need service increases the most are the trolley routes. Of course, increasing trolley service would reduce the cost of running each bus, since the fixed cost for the overhead would be divided over more service. Plus, increases on inner city routes is more cost effective, since there is an established ridership base to build on.
It is clear that new subdivisions are not being unreasonably denied service, and that the whole arguement was made by mangement, to make it seem as though they had a legtimate reason to get rid of trolleys.
What makes this striking is the fact that in June during the debate on the trolleys, the city's transportation manager, Bob Boutiller, made the case that suburban areas were crying for service, being denied needed service increases and would continue to be so, because of the trolleys. He famously said that all the new ridership was coming from the new subdivisions, with no growth in the inner city (in spite of all the new condos springing up in Downtown and adjacent areas).
The service increases this year prove that new subdivisions are not being denied service. If anything, the area that is being denied service is the inner city, which is only gaining a few slight increases, despite overcrowded buses at all hours of the day, in some cases. The local buses along Jasper Ave between 124 St and Downtown are all carrying heavy loads, and are at near capacity. Indeed, some of the routes that need service increases the most are the trolley routes. Of course, increasing trolley service would reduce the cost of running each bus, since the fixed cost for the overhead would be divided over more service. Plus, increases on inner city routes is more cost effective, since there is an established ridership base to build on.
It is clear that new subdivisions are not being unreasonably denied service, and that the whole arguement was made by mangement, to make it seem as though they had a legtimate reason to get rid of trolleys.
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