PEI Public Transit Coalition E-NEWS 15

PTC E-News Tuesday August 29, 2006

1. Local

1.1 ---Let’s save our air
1.2 ---Taxi numbers concern councillor
1.3 ---Environmental groups grade Atlantic provinces' response to climate change

2. National

2.1 ---CANADA'S FIRST HYBRID BUS ARRIVES IN KELOWNA
2.2 ---Calgary's CTrain Turns 25 Years Old!
2.3 ---Transit contract details add fuel to debate

3. International

3.1 ---Calls raised for free transit all of the time. Ridership surges on Spare the Air days
3.2 ---See you at the bus stop
3.3 ---Some AC Transit buses to offer Wi-Fi service

1. Local

1.1 ---Let’s save our air

By Sarah-Jane Bell
Belle River

Editor:
Re: ‘The smog is sitting in the air over P.E.I.’ (The Guardian, Aug. 9, 2006).

No, P.E.I.’s air is not as pristine as we would like to think, and, no, it is not entirely our fault, but we can’t lay all the blame abroad. According to Natural Resources Canada, transportation accounts for 50 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). That is a huge amount, adding carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other particulates into our ‘pristine’ air.

It is true that most of us have to drive to work, school, sporting events, etc. The price of gas is another truth that we have no control over. We can, however, control the amount of travel and the method.

Using 10 fewer litres of gas a month can save one-quarter (0.25) of a tonne in GHG emissions in a year and $12 in fuel costs. That can add up to an annual savings of three tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and $144 of fuel. Taking one less trip to the store, combining trips, carpooling, and using active transportation around the city, including transit, can save a lot and provide you the benefit of fitness. One city bus can take 40 vehicles off the road and keep about 50 tonnes of GHG emissions out of the atmosphere each year. Walk to a bus stop and ride to work, school, or the mall.

Drive the speed limit and avoid quick stops and starts. Not only will this save gas, it will prolong the life of your car. Every 10 kilometres you go over the speed limit, you increase fuel consumption by 10 per cent.

The easiest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation is to not idle your vehicle unnecessarily. If you stop for more than 10 seconds except in traffic, it is better to turn it off and restart than idle.

Another example is aging cars.
We can’t all have new cars, but replacing an old vehicle with a more fuel-efficient model can save up to 2.5 tonnes of GHG.

Last but not least, properly inflated tires can reduce GHG emissions by five per cent.

These are just hints for saving energy on the road. There are many more things you can do at home such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs, washing in cold water, and turning electronics off that are not in use.

So, yes, there is something you can do about our air and save money at the same time. It is a win-win situation. Take control, take ownership of your emissions and lead by example so others close to you will follow.

1.2 ---Taxi numbers concern councillor

Thursday, July 13, 2006 | 7:53 AM AT

The city councillor who oversees taxis in Charlottetown didn't know the number of cabs operating in the city has dropped 25 per cent in two years, and he wants to know whether the new transit system is part of the cause.

Coun. Cecil Villard told CBC News Wednesday he hasn't looked at the effect of the transit system launched in October has had on taxis.
"I'm not sure anybody has taken the time to measure that," said Villard, who is responsible for taxi licences in his role as chair of the police committee.

"But the fact that there has been this 25 per cent reduction, I think, is certainly cause for discussion with the taxi industry to find out what's going on."

Drivers are saying the rising cost of fuel and insurance are the big factors driving them off the road, but also mention the buses in citing a lower demand for their services.

Since 2004, the number of taxi drivers in the city has dropped from 134 to 102.

Charlottetown transit is running four buses on five routes, with about 10,000 riders a month. The buses start early in the morning, and all but one are done by about 7 p.m. The University Avenue bus runs until just before 10 p.m.

Villard said the buses are part of a move to be more environmentally friendly, but they were also meant to help ease parking concerns downtown, a role taxis play as well.

Villard will be bringing the issue to city council. He's concerned about the future of the taxi industry, and he wants to make sure city residents have the transportation they need.

1.3 ---Environmental groups grade Atlantic provinces' response to climate change

By The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia is making improvements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the province needs to do more if it wants to meet the targets it set five years ago, environmental activists warned Monday.

The province earned a grade of C for its response to climate change in an annual report card released by the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.

Similar report cards, produced by other environmental groups, were issued for the other provinces in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the New England states. The reports marked five years since the premiers and governors from those regions committed to cut carbon pollution to 1990 levels by 2010.

Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador scored between B-minus and C-minus, though their grades were lower than in 2005.

Elsewhere, Quebec fared the best of the six states and five provinces with a grade of B-plus. New Hampshire scored the worst, rating a D-plus.

While Nova Scotia scored a lowly C, it was the only Atlantic province to show overall improvement.

``We've seen some nice things happening here, but no consistent policies,'' said Brendan Haley, energy co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre.

Haley applauded improved transit services and provincial programs, including one that offers a 10 per cent rebate for solar water-heating systems. But he's afraid those programs will suffer following Ottawa's decision to pull out of the Kyoto treaty on climate change and cut the Energuide program for household energy conservation.

Still, Nova Scotia could still meet the 2010 target if it makes more investments in public transit and offers rebates for drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles, he said.

Nova Scotia's energy minister said the province plans to introduce a home retrofit program, similar to the federal Energuide program, in the coming weeks.

``We're going to pick up until the feds can come through with their programs and assist us,'' Bill Dooks said from Whitehorse, where he's attending a meeting of energy ministers.

``We're moving in the right direction and we're moving conservatively, but we're moving appropriately.''

Dooks pointed to the creation of Conserve Nova Scotia, a Crown corporation that will focus on energy conservation.

Meanwhile, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick said the province's emissions in 2004 were nearly 47 per cent higher than those in 1990.

The environmental group also said the province, which had the lowest grade in the Atlantic region, is not doing enough to reduce emissions from the transportation sector or establish a plan for reducing emissions.

``That plan should include regulations to govern emissions from the power plants and cars.'' spokesman David Coon said in an interview.

The province was applauded for establishing Efficiency NB, which offers homeowners energy audits and incentives to promote energy efficiency.

``We are continuing our work with the New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers to have a (greenhouse gas) reduction strategy for the whole region and New Brunswick wants to participate in that,'' Premier Bernard Lord said while campaigning ahead of the Sept. 18 provincial election.

``I have made the environment one of our top five priorities over the next five years ... and I want to work with the Conservation Council and other New Brunswickers to make sure we pass on a cleaner province to our children.''

Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland received B-minus grades -- the highest in Atlantic Canada.

Newfoundland was praised for its emission reduction initiatives, including a $6.9-million low-income energy efficiency program.

In P.E.I., a new public transit system in Charlottetown was highlighted as a success, as was the Island's use of wind power.

2.1---National

2.1 --CANADA'S FIRST HYBRID BUS ARRIVES IN KELOWNA
4 May 2005, Reference: BCT 5032
KELOWNA - Today, Canada's first new hybrid electric bus was unveiled in Kelowna. This new technology for heavy duty vehicles will set the standards for fuel efficient, environmentally-friendly bus fleets in Canada.
"The hybrid-buses are an excellent example of using technologies to help address climate change," said Mayor Walter Gray. "When using the buses in urban areas, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced when compared to conventional diesel buses."
BC Transit purchased six hybrid buses to evaluate environmental and economic benefits of operating hybrid electric buses in the Kelowna and the Victoria regions. Under the transit agreement, the local governments cost-share vehicle operating and debt retirement expenses with the provincial government through BC Transit.
"BC Transit is committed to identifying and adopting new technologies for public transit," said Greg Slocombe, Chair of BC Transit. "As well as environmental quality advantages, the hybrid electric bus has major advantages in lower fuel costs as well as operating and life cycle costs."
This hybrid system uses dual electric motors for regenerative braking that slow the bus down and capture the energy into the battery system. This captured electrical energy is then used to assist in powering the bus using quiet electric motors and adding to the vehicle's efficient use of the diesel engine.
The vehicle supplier is New Flyer, headquartered in Winnipeg with two facilities in the U.S. and is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North America. General Motors , the world's largest automaker, developed and manufactures the hybrid system that is used in the hybrid bus.
Backgrounder
How the Hybrid Electric System Works
A "hybrid drive" means there is a combination of more than one type of motive power on the bus. Hybrid electric buses utilize two power sources: a smaller than normal internal combustion engine and an energy storage unit (the battery). The engine-generator combination works in parallel with the battery, providing electrical power to keep the battery charged. As a result, the engine operates only in its most efficient ranges. For example when accelerating from a stop, the electric transmission accelerates the vehicle to a speed of about 12 kmph.
Once the vehicle is underway, the parallel hybrid system blends both the diesel engine and electric motor power to maintain speed. At highway speeds, the vehicle is powered solely by the diesel engine. During this time, the engine also charges the energy storage system (battery).
Significant fuel economy is achieved when the vehicle runs at its optimal speed, offering top engine performance and low exhaust emissions. The vehicle also uses regenerative braking to charge the batteries.
The hybrid electric bus has three major advantages: reduced fuel consumption, reduced emissions, and lower operating and life cycle costs.
1. Reduced Fuel ConsumptionShort demonstration tests indicate up to a 58% reduction in fuel consumption depending on the vehicle usage profile. The fuel savings could be as high as 100,000 litres per year for the first order of six buses.
2. Reduced Emissions
"Greenhouse" gas emissions, believed to contribute to global warming, are reduced up to 60 per cent. Applying this figure to this initial 6 bus fleet, the estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be 403 tonnes per year and up to 90% fewer particulates (the visible black smoke from older diesels.)
3. Lower Costs
The hybrid electric system results in lower operating costs due to reduced stress and maintenance on mechanical components such as brake linings. The hybrid transmission has fewer component parts and therefore requires less maintenance. The hybrid bus option has about a 40 per cent premium on capital. The operating costs savings means the break even point in total expenditures is estimated at 10-12 years dependent upon future petroleum price trends. Buses are typically kept in service for 20 years.
The delivery cost of a regular 40-foot vehicle manufactured according to BC Transit specifications is $530,000. The premium for the hybrid technology is an additional $300,000.
First in Canada
With the purchase of the six hybrid electric vehicles, BC Transit will evaluate environmental and economic benefits of operating these buses. Three buses will be operating in the Kelowna region and three in the Victoria region. After final inspection, staff familiarization and decaling, the buses will go into service early this summer.
BC Transit was the first public transit agency to use low-floor conventional buses (Victoria 1992), low-floor double deck buses (Victoria 2000) and now hybrid buses (Kelowna 2005). As a leader in public transit technologies, BC Transit continues to actively participate in supporting emerging technologies for the future.
BC Transit coordinates the delivery of public transportation through British Columbia outside the Vancouver area. With a fleet of over 700 vehicles, BC Transit provides planning, funding, marketing, fleet management and contracting services to 77 transit systems, carrying over 39 million passengers annually.
New Flyer
New Flyer, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the largest manufacturer of transit buses in North America. The company serves many of the largest transit agencies in the United States and Canada, and has supplied BC Transit with buses for many years. New Flyer has worked closely with General Motors to take a leadership role in developing and producing hybrid electric transit buses.
New Flyer has recently delivered 235 hybrid electric buses to Seattle, both 40-foot vehicles and 65-foot articulated vehicles. Another fleet order is in production for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The six BC Transit buses destined for Kelowna and Victoria, will be the first production-line hybrid buses in Canada.
General Motors
General Motors, the world's largest automaker, supplies the parallel hybrid system used on the hybrid bus. GM's vision is to reduce vehicle emissions to zero, and ultimately remove the automobile from the environmental debate. Its strategy is to focus on the highest fuel-consuming vehicles first, like buses, full-size trucks and SUV's since that is where the hybrid technology can have the greatest fuel savings impact.
Kelowna Regional Transit
The Kelowna Regional Transit System is a partnership between the City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, District of Lake Country and BC Transit. The transit system is operated by Farwest Transit Services Inc.
The three-bus fleet supports the City of Kelowna's commitment for transportation demand management options for the region's residents.

Q&A
Background
BC Transit has purchased three hybrid electric buses to replace aging buses in the Kelowna region. The hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by converting energy normally wasted in braking into electricity and using it to help accelerate the bus.
Another three buses will be used in Greater Victoria. These are the first production-line hybrid vehicles in Canada.
Research on hybrid vehicle applications encourages the transit industry to move toward this technology. A key advantage is that the technology does not impact existing infrastructure or daily business operations, providing a simple step toward improved performance.
How much will it save?
BC Transit staff is projecting up to a 50 percent fuel reduction in stop and go applications, or 22,500 litres. An average bus uses 45,000 litres over a year, traveling 75,000 km.
An additional maintenance savings of 30-50 percent is anticipated in maintenance costs of some major vehicle components.
Fuel-efficiency and maintenance data will be collected and analyzed as the fleet goes into service.
How clean is the bus technology?
In stop and go applications, each year greenhouse gasses are reduced by over four times the weight of a regular bus. That's 60 metric tonnes.
Particulate Matter (PM) is reduced by up to 90 percent over the cleanest diesel buses now in BC Transit's fleet
Carbon Monoxide (CO) reduced by up to 90 percent
Hydrocarbons (HC) reduced by up to 90 percent
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) reduced by up to 40-60 percent
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) reduced by up to 50 percent
How will bus riders benefit from these new buses?
Up to 50 percent emission reduction
Improved fuel and maintenance efficiency to keep fares and local taxes down
Improved on-road performance through smoother acceleration and no shifting
Low floor makes for easier boarding and exiting
Fabric covered seats
Rear-facing wheelchair position to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to get on
Air-conditioned
Better results for people participating in the One Tonne Challenge
What is the cost of this bus?
Today a regular 40-foot low floor bus costs approximately $530,000. The premium cost for the hybrid technology is an additional $300,000. Based on current fuel costs, the bus should recuperate the additional cost in 10-12 years. The average life span of a transit bus is 20 years.
Is special training required?
Transit mechanics will receive training on the new technology associated to electronics. The hybrid bus has a voltage of 600.
In addition, information will be provided to emergency response staff to understand the electric features of these new vehicles.
Transit drivers will notice little difference in the New Flyer vehicle. There will be a smoother acceleration as there is no transmission shift.
How does it work?
The parallel system provides both a mechanical and an electrical path through the drive unit. As the bus accelerates from a stop, the electric drive predominates. Mechanical drive gradually blends with electric until at highway speeds when the drive is purely mechanical.
The regular bus transmission is replaced by an electric transmission that acts as a transmission, generator and electric motor.
The batteries are located on the roof of the bus and weight approximately 400kg (900lbs)
Why a Hybrid?
The Kelowna region takes clean air seriously and demonstrates this through its commitment to public transit, offering transportation choices to its residents. The decision to include clean-air, hybrid buses is an important step toward protecting the area's environment while reducing traffic congestion. Transit buses are required to meet the emission standards in effect when the bus is built. Heavy-duty diesel engines used in transit buses must meet more stringent standards than diesel engines used in heavy-duty trucks.
Since the early 1990s, Kelowna Regional Transit has been using #1 diesel, the cleanest low-sulphur diesel available. This low sulphur diesel eliminates visible exhaust.
Presently, Kelowna Regional Transit operates a fleet of 49 buses ranging in age from 1982 to 2005. Some vehicles are now at the end of their 20-year useful life.

2.2 -- Calgary's CTrain Turns 25 Years Old!

HAPPY 25TH!

Over its 25 years of operation, the CTrain has made great strides to expand and service a fast-growing community. Our CTrain, in fact, has become the most highly-used Light Rail Transit System in North America.
To commemorate the celebratory event, a CTrain car has been vinyl-wrapped illustrating the CTrain's history and great success after "25 years on track!" Calgary's CTrain is 100 percent emissions-free, the only light rail transit system in North America to be powered by wind-generated electricity.

CTrain Facts
After a modest beginning opening May 25, 1981 on 12.9 kilometres of track from Anderson Station to City Hall, today's CTrain carries 230,000 customers every weekday.
Calgary's LRT system has the highest ridership (both in total and on a per capita basis) of any North American system. For a prairie city with a population of just under a million, this is a significant achievement.

Planning for rapid transit in the city of Calgary began in the 1960s and in 1976 a decision was made to invest in light rail transit.

The CTrain system began operation in 1981 with the opening of a 12.9km south LRT line from Anderson Station to City Hall.

The northeast line followed in 1985 and the first section of the northwest line was opened in 1987 just prior to the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.

The northeast leg of the CTrain system will be extended to McKnight-Westwinds next year and a further extension of the northwest leg will open in 2008.

Today, Calgary's CTrain system stretches 42.1 km with 36 CTrain Stations. The total represents an investment of over $1 billion CDN.

Calgary Transit operates 116 CTrain cars and an additional 33 CTrain cars are on order with the first cars to arrive later this year.

Over the next 10 years, and additional $1 billion will be invested in expanding and maintaining both bus and LRT infrastructure.

82 percent of Calgary's LRT is at grade, 8 percent in tunnel, 5 percent on bridges, 5 percent within the downtown transit mall on 7 Avenue.

In its first year of operation, the CTrain carried over 40,000 daily passengers. Daily weekday ridership now exceeds 230,000 averaging over 600 boardings per operating hour. During peak periods, boarding range from 720 to 780 per operating hour.

The CTrain plays a major role in carrying Calgary's 112,000 downtown workers. Calgary Transit carries over 42 percent of those workers.

Peak hour travel by LRT entering the downtown is equivalent to the capacity of about 16 free flow traffic lanes.

Since 1995, Calgary's population has risen by 23 percent but even more dramatic has been the 45 percent increase in transit ridership.
In 2005, Calgary Transit carried 82 million CTrain and bus passengers.
Every weekday, CTrains travel a total of 12,089km - with a total running time of 420 hours per day.Every Saturday, the total distance traveled is 6,523 km.On Sundays, a total of 6,316 km is traveled. That's 73,284 km per week, and 293,136 km per month - To put that into perspective, the CTrain travels around the world at the equator more than 7 times per month, and travels to the moon and back 4.5 times per year!

2.3 ---Transit contract details add fuel to debate

JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Key details of an exclusive bid by Bombardier to sell a new generation of subway cars to Toronto will give political comfort to Mayor David Miller and other supporters of the deal, but still leaves critics unimpressed.

Yesterday, the mayor and others commented on the public release -- details of which were reported Wednesday by The Globe and Mail -- of the proposed sole-source Bombardier contract, to be debated by the Toronto Transit Commission at its next meeting on Aug. 30.

Backed by the conclusions of two outside transit experts that the deal is "fair and reasonable," TTC staff have recommended accepting Bombardier's offer to build 234 subway cars for a base price of $499.3-million. With other contract-related costs, the overall Bombardier price rises to $674.7-million.

But the total price tag for the project, including the TTC's own costs, will reach $710-million, less than the previously budgeted figure of $750-million. The subway cars are supposed to be ready for service in 2009, mostly to replace aging vehicles (some now 30 years old), but neither the province nor the federal government have confirmed yet how much money they will chip in as their share of the project.
Yesterday, supporters and critics used the fresh details to buttress their view of the proposed contract, which has been dogged by controversy because it was not put out for competitive bid, as is the norm for city departments.

In a statement released by the mayor's office, Mr. Miller described the Bombardier proposal as "good for city taxpayers and good for Ontario." Noting that the Bombardier cars would be manufactured in Canada (the Montreal-based company has an assembly plant in Thunder Bay), the mayor added "this purchase will improve our transit system while enhancing the domestic economy."

But budget chief David Soknacki, among a minority on council that has called for open competition, said "for those who want to believe this is the right choice, it becomes an easy choice. But it is the wrong choice."

TTC vice-chairman Adam Giambrone, a supporter of the proposal, is confident that his side has enough votes at the TTC -- and at council next month -- to endorse it.

"Once it comes through that this is a good deal, independently verified, I am not too worried," he said.

A key piece of political ammunition for backers of the Bombardier bid is the positive assessment by two international firms that were hired to compare the proposal with recent subway car purchases in North America.

"Despite the sole-source procurement approach, the TTC appears to have a reasonable price," concluded consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the two outside experts.

3. National

3.1 -Calls raised for free transit all of the time. Ridership surges on Spare the Air days

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Ridership on the Bay Area's public transit systems spiked during the six Spare the Air days when passengers were offered free rides in exchange for parking their polluting cars, prompting some local officials to call for making mass transit free all the time.

The higher numbers generated complaints from some regular commuters who were unhappy with the crowded trains, buses and boats, and the associated delays in service. Reported crime also was up on BART, possibly because paying customers are less likely to vandalize vehicles or torment passengers, said several transit officials.

Despite the scattered gripes, some Bay Area officials want to use the popularity of the Spare the Air no-fare days to push for making free passage the norm.

Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty is one of the most vocal proponents.

"We're not going to be able to pave our way out of the congestion we have today,'' said Haggerty, who also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional transportation planning agency. "We have to look at expanding ridership on public transit.''

Offering free rides is one way to do that, he said.

But free is relative. Public transit agencies in the nine Bay Area counties collect nearly $517 million a year at the fare box to help fund operations, many of which are subsidized by grants, taxes and tolls. Revenue to replace fares would have to be found elsewhere.

There are costs associated with collecting fares, but they are nowhere near the half-billion dollar mark, said Randy Rentschler, legislative and public affairs director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Some cities, such as Portland and Seattle, provide free bus service in their downtown districts. Others, including San Francisco, give free rides on New Year's Eve with the intent of keeping drunken drivers off the roads. Several cities across the country mirror the Bay Area municipalities in offering free service or reduced fares when air pollution is particularly bad. But no major transit agency in the United States has free service year-round.

There are various ways to subsidize a free-fare program in the Bay Area but all would face tremendous political hurdles.

With about 5 million trucks and cars in the Bay Area, officials could tack a $100 surcharge onto annual registration fees. Or they could raise the sales tax or bridge tolls to fund a free-transit program.

Another option is to cut public transit service to reduce operational costs.

San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said the notion of year-round free transit "is something that should be pursued. The question, of course, is where would we get the money for this?''

One idea Ammiano has unsuccessfully pushed was to impose a special assessment on downtown businesses to help fund the Municipal Railway.

Haggerty says the federal government should assist in setting up a 1-year pilot project to provide free transit with the goal of reducing air pollution. The government can withhold federal transportation funds when regions exceed federal air pollution standards.

The Bay Area already has blown through this year's budget for free-transit on Spare the Air days, spending nearly $14 million in subsidies to transit agencies that lost fare revenue.

The designation for the free-fare days -- three in June and three earlier this month -- came when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District projected that smog might exceed federal health-based limits. Originally, there was enough money for three days, but the unusually hot, wind-free conditions prompted the expenditure of additional money for three more days.

The program -- formed with the dual goal of lessening air pollution and generating interest in public transit -- proved to be a success, with an increase of ridership throughout the more than two dozen public transit systems that participated. It also helped to keep air pollution levels in check, officials reported.

BART, for instance, saw an increase of between 16,000 and 33,000 additional boardings on the days when there was no charge. That's on top of the 315,000 or so typical weekday boardings. The number of people using ferries operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District ballooned, as well. On July 21, for example, ridership on the Sausalito ferry jumped 510 percent, with nearly 12,000 boardings.

A push to fund more free-fare days may come as early as today when the governing board of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission meets.

"Can we scare up a few million dollars more? Sure,'' said Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which allocates about $1.5 billion a year for various transit and roadway projects. But, he noted, the extra allocation likely would mean less money for something else.


3.2 ---See you at the bus stop

Thursday, August 24 2006

BUS RAPID TRANSIT — The Next Generation of Public Transportation’ is the title of the latest brochure by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB). Yes, the Transport Ministry’s consultant leading the Trinidad Rapid Rail Project.

In it PB says, “Around the world, transit owners are turning to bus rapid transit (BRT) to provide communities with efficient, flexible, affordable transportation….Whether in congested urban areas or suburban travel corridors, BRT is attracting new riders by combining the high-performance characteristics of rail with the flexibility and economy of buses. Transit providers are discovering that BRT achieves the excellent quality of service that customers associate with rail—but at significantly reduced cost.” Yes, I know that the Government has instructed PB to introduce rapid rail to Trinidad at any cost, but I wonder how this is resting on the mind of one of the world’s largest specialist transportation consultants, seeing that they know better. It must be nothing short of immoral.

What is BRT? I refer to my article examining BRT, published in Newsday’s Business Day on December 22, 2005, “The BRT system is based on the concept of utilising the most popular features of Light Rail Transit (LRT) with the flexibility and cost advantages of traditional roadway transit. It can come in a variety of different forms, from dedicated busways that have their own rights-of-way (including traffic signal preferential treatment and pre-emption at intersections) to bus services that utilise High Occupancy Volume (HOV) lanes, and dedicated highway lanes to limited stop buses on conventional routes.”

PB continues “On BRT projects worldwide, system owners have chosen PB to help tailor BRT technology to local needs. To the riding public, BRT looks, feels and performs like rapid transit. Service is frequent, speedy and comfortable. To the owner, BRT is an innovative alternative that can be built faster and with less expense than comparable rail systems…With innovative features inside and out, BRT transports passengers with smooth, quiet comfort at average speeds up to twice those of conventional buses. In fact, vehicles on the O-Bahn, in Adelaide, Australia, whisk along at 100 kph on a bus guideway for which PB provided preliminary engineering design and operational planning. The O-Bahn system has reduced travel times and improved schedule reliability, with service every 20-30 seconds during peak hours.

“Specialised BRT vehicles can be outfitted like modern streetcars and accommodate 120 to 160 passengers. Low floors make for easy boarding, and multiple doors cut dwell times to improve headways in high-travel corridors. Propulsion may be low-sulphur clean diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), fuel cells, electric or hybrid engines.

“BRT can also be the backbone of a metropolitan transit system. PB is assisting planners in Beijing, China, with review of a citywide BRT network, providing advice on corridor capacity analysis, intermodal integration approaches and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies. In Brisbane, Australia, PB assisted Queensland Transport in expanding its BRT network with detailed design of a 15-km extension to Logan City. PB is providing design and engineering services for alignments, stations, and park-and-ride facilities. PB also contributed planning and design services to Brisbane’s South East Busway, which opened in 2001, and the Inner Northern Busway, which opened in 2004.

“BRT’s adaptable infrastructure is a great benefit to system owners. The running ways on which vehicles operate range from highway medians and reserved street lanes to downtown transit malls, tunnels and exclusive rights of way. BRT also allows transit operators to directly serve major activity centres such as universities and shopping malls that would be too costly to access via other transit modes…In other applications, BRT vehicles share portions of their routes with autos on city streets. In any case, BRT reduces land requirements because it needs few specialised structures; owners can rely on the existing pool of roadway contractors. Typically, existing transit maintenance and storage facilities can be reused for BRT.

“Bus rapid transit is a practical, powerful tool for sustainable community planning and achieving transit-oriented development…BRT also helps owners bring transit to growing areas, such as ‘edge cities,’ where land use density is relatively low but the need to reduce auto congestion is urgent. For example, to provide alternative methods of travel in the rapidly growing outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia, PB developed a comprehensive strategy for the 90-km Western Sydney Transitway Network.

And in Kansas City, Missouri, PB helped the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority define its Metro Express BRT route—a package of low-cost improvements (reserved bus lanes, skip-stop service, enhanced bus stops, signal priority, special vehicles) to improve service and increase ridership.”

Well stated PB, I could not have done it better. The world is also looking on with interest to see your recommendations for Trinidad and Tobago in the Comprehensive National Transportation Study.

3.3 ---Some AC Transit buses to offer Wi-Fi service

Wireless Internet on crossbay routes to S.F., Peninsula

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, August 24, 2006

AC Transit is set to become the first public bus system in Northern California, and one of a handful nationwide, to offer free wireless Internet service -- a potential tool to increase ridership in the tech-savvy Bay Area.

"Folks will be able to surf to work and back," said Aram Boyd, senior marketing representative for AC Transit.

The agency plans to provide Wi-Fi access on the crossbay routes that link the East Bay to San Francisco and the Peninsula. Testing is scheduled to begin next week, with the goal to have service running by midfall, Boyd said.

A few local transit agencies either already provide Wi-Fi service or are planning for it, including Caltrain, the Altamont Commuter Express and some ferries. It is available on public buses in Seattle, Riverside in Southern California, Cincinnati, Tampa and Cedar Rapids.

Part of the challenge for AC Transit will be to provide uninterrupted service on vehicles moving through varied terrain and maintaining a connection fast enough to keep users' nerves from frazzling.

The wireless capability will be available on AC Transit's 79 MCI-manufactured buses that cross the Dumbarton, San Mateo and Bay Bridge spans. Passengers using their specially equipped laptops, personal digital assistants and MP3 players will be able to send and receive e-mail and use the Internet.

AC Transit administrators view the program, which is funded with $340,000 in state transportation funds, as an opportunity to "provide a significant competitive advantage over auto travel and BART usage, neither of which allows for Internet connection and use,'' according to a briefing memo prepared for AC Transit's board of directors.

BART has entered into preliminary discussions with potential vendors to provide Internet service on its trains, but there are no concrete plans to move forward, said Jim Allison, a BART spokesman.

"For the time being, we're concentrating on cell phone service in the Transbay Tube,'' he said.

San Francisco's Municipal Railway, the largest public transit operator in the region, has no plans at this time to provide wireless Internet on its fleet of street cars, buses, trolleys and cable cars, according to agency spokeswoman Maggie Lynch. "It's not at the top of our list,'' she said.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which operates in San Jose and surrounding communities, doesn't have Wi-Fi available yet, but is working to outfit its light-rail trains. "We're not doing anything specifically with our buses right now," said VTA spokeswoman Jayme Kunz.

The same goes for Golden Gate Transit buses. Mary Currie, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, said wireless Internet has been available on the ferries for the past six months as part of a demonstration project. Glitches, such as a dead spot near Angel Island, are still being worked out, she said, as is the ultimate business relationship with the vendor.

SamTrans buses don't have Wi-Fi service, "but that doesn't mean we won't someday,'' said agency spokesman, Jonah Weinberg. Its sister rail operation, Caltrain, is planning to provide high-speed Internet service, but full coverage is still a year or so away, Weinberg said.

Other rail systems serving the Bay Area -- the ACE trains that run between Stockton and San Jose and the Capital Corridor trains traveling between San Jose and Sacramento -- have been offering Wi-Fi connections for almost three years.

Patrick Flynn, a human resources manager who commutes between San Francisco and Berkeley on AC Transit two or three days a week, said he'd make use of the Internet service during his morning commute.

"I'd be able to get a jumpstart on my work," Flynn said. "By the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is get back on my laptop. I just want to look out the window and relax."