ADD YOUR VOICE on potential changes to CAT’s service!
Transportation is the leading source of carbon emissions, both in our community and in Virginia as a whole. Tackling climate change requires that we reduce vehicle emissions, and an improved transit system is essential to that goal. Over the coming weeks, there will be key opportunities to have your voice heard on transit.
CAT Public Input Sessions
The Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) has already shown that it is ready to rise to the occasion, by moving to a fare-free system in March 2020, and committing in March of 2021 to maintaining its fare free service for at least the next three years.
CAT has also been leading behind the scenes, by planning a Regional Transit Vision study in coordination with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) and the Regional Transit Partnership (RTP) to determine long-term solutions to our regional transit needs. Meanwhile, in the short-term, our local transit agency has also commissioned a study with the Connetics Transportation Group to determine early improvements that could be readily deployed to enhance CAT’s service’s reliability and frequency throughout its system. As a result, CAT has recently announced the intention of implementing the following measures:
Provide service on South 1st Street South (Route 6)
Provide service to The Center on Rio Road (Route 11)
Restore Sunday service to pre-Pandemic levels or better
Provide consistent 30-minute or better weekday service (all-day) on/along:
US 29 corridor (Routes 5 & 7)
Avon Street (Route 2)
5th Street (Route 3)
Richmond Road (Route 10)
No route to have frequencies worse than 60 minutes.
Improve Trolley service levels back to 15 minutes.
Route 2 would operate bi-directionally on Avon Street.
These potentially temporary measures would also come with modified route designs, as depicted in the following picture (the yellow dotted circles highlight some of the areas with most important route changes):
Image from CAT presentation to City Council (May 25, 2021)
CAT has set two virtual meetings to hear from the public — the first at noon July 16 and the second at 6 p.m. July 21. Both meetings will be held over Zoom and registration is available here (under the title of “Transit Public Input Session: Proposed Route Changes”).
Community input, from a large and diverse number of households, is always paramount to any successful planning initiative. We encourage everyone to share your thoughts about them with CAT. Don’t lose this opportunity to highlight what changes work for you, what changes need to happen but were not included, and what changes might reduce the service quality for you!
Coming Soon: C3’s Transit and Equity Report
For some extra inspiration, C3 has conducted a major community survey and a series of focus groups’ sessions to listen and learn more about the experiences that community members have had with CAT. That, coupled with an extensive review of literature on equitable transit solutions and some analysis with local data, will culminate in the development of a Transit and Equity report that aims to elevate voices of our community and best practices from around the country to identify key recommendations that CAT should move to evaluate and implement. While the report is not ready, yet, here is a sneak peek of our top recommendations:
Make fare-free transit in Charlottesville permanent. Case studies of fare-free transit systems in other parts of the country have shown that eliminating fares virtually guarantees rapid increases in ridership. The more important impact, however, is on the pocketbook of riders, especially those who do not have any other transportation options.
Set a goal of doubling transit ridership by 2024. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership will naturally increase. Fare-free transit will turbo-charge this upward trend as well. To make the most of this momentum, setting a target for ridership can help to focus CAT, the City, and community partners on what is necessary to achieve the goals.
Set a goal of having no route frequencies worse than 30 minutes. The frequency of buses has a disproportionate impact on whether using public transit is viable for some, particularly those that want to use the service to commute to work and have to arrive at a specific time
Relax overly restrictive rules. Our focus groups surfaced a common complaint among CAT riders—rules around eating and drinking are overly restrictive and should be relaxed. This is especially important for individuals that spend a lot of time on the bus, including daily commuters. Riders in our focus group and survey have also reported unreasonable restrictions on carrying bags on the bus, which negatively impacts those who have no alternative choice but to use the bus to do their shopping.
Invest in technology upgrades to improve customer experience. According to focus groups participants and survey respondents, CAT’s app has proven to not be reliable. Real-time information on the location and on-time status of buses is not available, often leading to confusions and eroding trust in the app.
Move swiftly to invest in increasing safety at bus stops. If the CAT app is the first impression a rider has of CAT’s transit service, the bus stops are the second. In our community survey, 37% of respondents rated bus stops “Unsatisfactory” or “Unacceptable”. Over half listed bus stop improvements as one of their top requested improvements for the CAT service.
Improving our transit systems is essential to extending opportunity and access to all that can break the cycle of poverty many underserved households find themselves in; mitigating climate change; and freeing ourselves from the expense, pollution, and hassle of a car-dependent region. Stay tuned to learn more about the results from our upcoming Transit and Equity report, due out late July, and help us shape and organize the advocacy needed to build a strong transit system for our community.
Do not hesitate to contact policy@theclimatecollaborative.org with any questions, comments, or suggestions related to this topic! Thank you for your support!
Caetano de Campos Lopes
Other References:
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC)
Regional Transit Partnership (RTP)
Connetics Transportation Group