Transit Link dial-a-ride service transition going smoothly
With only a few regular bus routes in the White Bear Lake area, Jean Schaffhausen used to rely on her sister and a few friends to provide rides to such destinations as her frequent dentist appointments, to the nearby Workforce Center, or even to shop at the Maplewood Mall.
Since March, Schaffhausen has been able to choose the Transit Link public dial-a-ride service for weekday trips, which has allowed her to plan without having to coordinate a ride with someone else.
Harold Sharp, Transit Link driver for Midwest Paratransit, relaxes behind the wheel at the Maplewood Mall Transit Station during a break between runs.
“It’s a very nice service,” said Schaffhausen, who doesn’t drive. She said she appreciates how Transit Link allows her to have some independence, “so I don’t have to bother my sister.” And she’s said she is impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.
Schaffhausen is one of thousands of metropolitan area residents who now have access to transit as a result of the new Transit Link program, though they don’t live in an area served by regular routes.
Service restructured for efficiency, consistency
Since early 2010, the Metropolitan Council has been reorganizing the region’s dial-a-ride transit service to streamline and lend consistency to the service throughout the seven-county metro area. Previously, as many as 20 providers received regional funding for dial-a-ride service, and each group operated under its own guidelines and within limited service areas.
“The restructuring assures the availability of a public transit option for areas not served by regular transit routes,” said Gerri Sutton, assistant director in the Council’s Metropolitan Transportation Services department. “Anytime you have to meld so many different services into one it can be challenging, but the transition has gone well.”
Since February, the Council has been phasing in the Transit Link service in Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties – the four counties that chose to have the Council administer service contracts. Anoka, Carver, and Scott counties manage their own dial-a-ride service, though all seven counties are part of the Transit Link service and operate by the same parameters.
As of May 1, the Transit Link system is fully implemented region-wide, which means any member of the public can call a single number to reserve a ride, and travel anywhere in the seven-county metro area, either by Transit Link or a combination of Transit Link and regular-route service.
Midwest Paratransit Services has a contract for service in Hennepin, southeast Ramsey, and Washington counties. DARTS provides service in Dakota County.
Some passengers combine Transit Link, regular bus service
Paul Swanlund, Woodbury, uses Transit Link to travel between his home and the Woodbury Lutheran Church Park and Ride lot, where he catches a Metro Transit express bus to get to work.
Another goal of the restructuring was to avoid duplication with regular transit routes, which was occurring in certain parts of the region. If a passenger can take a regular route to reach a destination, that trip is not eligible for Transit Link. In some cases, passengers reach their destination through a combination of regular-route transit and Transit Link trips.
Woodbury resident Paul Swanlund uses the Transit Link for his daily commute. He rides from his home to a park-and-ride facility where he catches an express bus to downtown St. Paul. He rode the Woodbury dial-a-ride service prior to the new Transit Link system, and he admitted he was somewhat anxious about how well it would work.
He said the new service is an improvement because he is picked up shortly after 6 a.m. and can always catch his bus downtown. Previously, he was picked up 90 minutes later and sometimes had to get a ride all the way to Sun Ray Shopping Center in order to catch a bus to work. “It was more unpredictable,” he said.
Swanlund said he appreciates having a transit option in his community, where he and his wife have lived for the past eight years. “I was worried that we might have to move closer to other bus services,” he said. “I’m happy with the new (service).”
Anne Lyman, customer service supervisor for DARTS, said that despite a few adjustments, the transition there has going well. DARTS previously provided dial-a-ride service in the county, so riders were familiar with the service. However, some riders have struggled with the changes that require them to use any regular transit routes available, or to walk some distance to catch a bus, Lyman said.
This will likely increase the number of riders who apply for ADA certification, which qualifies them for additional assistance and service such as Metro Mobility, she said.
Lyman also said many new riders are using the service, and they’ve been able to provide people the option of using transit for trips that couldn’t have before. For example, Lyman said, DARTS recently helped a woman from Red Wing get to the new Target Field – she was able to get to Hastings where the Transit Link bus picked her up and took her to the Burnsville Transit Center. From there she took an express bus to the Mall of America where she caught the Hiawatha line to the stadium – a trip of more than 30 miles previously impossible via public transit.
Council making adjustments with service experience
Transit Link buses operate in areas not served by regular-route transit.
Early experiences with the Transit Link service are already prompting a few changes in the operation. For example, the Council approved an amendment to the contract for southeastern Ramsey and Washington counties at its May 26 meeting to provide additional resources to meet the demand in that part of the region. Sutton noted that the trip demand in that area has been high, due primarily to a fewer number of regular transit routes.
In addition, the Transit Link Coordinating Advisory Committee (CAC), which includes representatives from each county and oversees the operating parameters for the service, is considering a policy that will allow Transit Link to operate in a limited boundary outside the seven-county metropolitan area on a demonstration basis. Currently, the Council only has the authority to operate within the seven counties. However, in a few parts of the region, activity centers, health care facilities and regional centers just across the boundary are common destinations for residents within the metro area. The CAC will craft a proposal for the Council’s consideration, for implementation later in 2010.
Both Schaffhausen and Swanlund said they’d put weekend service on their wish lists, but they both said they’re grateful for the existing service.
“It’s nice that I can just take it on the spur of the moment, too,” Schaffhausen said. “I hope it will be here for a long time.”