DDOT 415 Plan: is it working?

Effective April 30, the Detroit Dept. of Transportation initiated its "415" Plan:

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On the Dexter [[#16), Grand River [[#21), Gratiot [[#34) and Woodward [[#53) routes, the transit system will introduce The 415 Plan. Effective April 30, The 415 Plan will provide service to DDOT’s four busiest routes every 15 minutes, weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additionally, service will increase on the same four routes after 6 p.m.

“Thirty four percent of our customers travel on these four routes, making them our busiest. It is clear they need more predictable service along the routes,” said DDOT Chief Executive Officer Ron Freeland. “The 415 Plan will do precisely that. Four routes – 15 minute service – all day long.”

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http://www.detroitmi.gov/News/tabid/...5/Default.aspx

Amid all of the service reductions and woefully shoddy service of the past DDOT decade, while I don't know if this is a bright point [[since it's something which should be at least some kind of standard on every transit system), but it certainly is a positive change from most recent DDOT announcements.

My question is, is the 415 plan working? Are buses on those important routes actually on a 15 minute headway? I *hope* that they have managed to at least get this plan to be the regular norm. And hopefully service on other routes isn't suffering as a result. I admit I'm slightly suspicious....if you look on the DDOT website, the May and June "pull out" statistics show 100% pull-out every single day....which while a great thing to strive for, based on prior history and experience, it seems to me somewhere, someday, something would have happened causing less than 100% pull-out.

So, how is 415 working? How about those new Gillig DDOT buses?

Ah yes the days of 100% pull-out. I remember them well.

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Originally Posted by Rocko

My question is, is the 415 plan working? Are buses on those important routes actually on a 15 minute headway? I *hope* that they have managed to at least get this plan to be the regular norm. And hopefully service on other routes isn't suffering as a result. I admit I'm slightly suspicious....if you look on the DDOT website, the May and June "pull out" statistics show 100% pull-out every single day....which while a great thing to strive for, based on prior history and experience, it seems to me somewhere, someday, something would have happened causing less than 100% pull-out.

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Ah, somebody finally asked! Allow me to explain.

First of all, this "415" plan represents a very significant reduction in service along the routes involved. Most of these routes were on 8 to 12 minute headways before the change.

Having said that, the whole point of this was to stop publishing fictitious schedules. The previous schedules represented a level of service which DDOT simply could not operate with the buses and personnel available to them. That's why the pull-out stats were always God-awful; those schedules required 300 buses at PM peak and there just weren't anything like 300 buses available.

By reducing the publicized service levels to something they can actually operate, they have perhaps provided a great and important service. The post-schedule-change pull-outs appear to be legitimate and they appear to actually be operating the schedule they publish for the first time in many years.

Having said that, this doesn't guarantee your bus will be there on time; buses still break down en route.

To answer your direct questions: first, the 100% pull-out is legit, since the schedules now call for few enough buses that they have more than they need on any given day. Second, they have massively reduced service on many routes, but again, it is only the published schedules that look worse. The whole idea is to publish what you can actually deliver, and I applaud DDOT for [[finally!) being honest about this.

So on balance this is a good thing, but it would be even better if the City provided DDOT with enough money and support to run more than a threadbare service.

Not specifically about the 415 routes, but this does discuss DDOT current bus service. The video at the link at the bottom is a Detroit News test of the new text-messaging service for DDOT.....which seems to be a success!

September 18, 2012 at 10:32 am
Bus advocates seek restoration of routes

Service boasts technological advances, small rise in monthly ridership

In the automotive capital of the world, bus riders are often a forgotten faction in Detroit.

Even so, more than 106,000 people rely on Detroit Department of Transportation bus service every day.

And while subcontractor TransPro boasts technological advancements and a small rise in monthly ridership, residents are fighting to improve mass transit service.

The North End Woodward Community Coalition, which began as an advocate for the Woodward Light Rail project, will present nearly 1,000 signatures and video testimonials asking officials to restore bus routes at tonight's scheduled City Council meeting at Wayne County Community College. The system suffered several route closures and delays in March, April and June.

DDOT CEO Ron Freeland said he can't comment on the group's petition to restore some routes, but he believes bus service has improved for the majority of the riders.

"We have to perform and give our customers the best service that we can within the financial budgetary restrictions that we have. From my perspective, we are doing that. Now that may mean that someone isn't happy because a bus that was available to them in March, April or February wasn't available today, but we really are accommodating the overall majority of the people."

To further assist customers, DDOT released the Text My Bus system, which allows users to text their location to a number, which then texts back arrival times based on automatic vehicle locator technology on buses.

The Detroit News visited several bus routes Friday and found the text system was accurate. For example, a text from the corner of Schoolcraft and Ewald Circle correctly predicted a Route 43 DDOT bus arriving at that location 18 minutes later.

The community coalition remains unconvinced.

"What bus riders have been telling us since early this year is that the bus system is broken, andDDOT'sdysfunction has hampered their basic mobility, including getting to work and school," said the Rev. Joan C. Ross, director of the North End Woodward Community Coalition.

In May, the group filed a formal complaint against DDOT for not providing adequate bus service. But instead of seeing routes brought back, riders could see more delays and discontinued lines starting Sept. 29 when DDOT implements more schedule changes.

The changes are part of a broader plan by DDOT in which the four busiest routes [[Woodward, Dexter, Grand River and Gratiot) will have a bus available every 15 minutes. Freeland said the restructuring was a sensible solution because 37 percent of the ridership uses these four routes.

Detroiter Lawrence Jackson, 43, said the major routes aren't the problem. The smaller routes as you venture farther away from downtown are less reliable.

"The main routes come every 10 to 15 minutes like clockwork," Jackson said.

"It's the outlying ones that you have to worry about."

Freeman said bus locator technology and Text My Bus have helped in terms of timeliness and reducing "bus-bunching."

"We are getting some very positive feedback," Freeland said.

"It's amazing how smart people are with this special technology."

However, many riders, including Jackson, didn't know about the Text My Bus system.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26 president Henry Gaffney isn't sold on the changes or efforts to help riders.

"They have destroyed transportation in Detroit," said the former bus driver.

"I've been involved in the transit system for more than 25 years, and this worst I've ever seen it.

"It's easy for them [[TransPro) to make all these cuts since they aren't out there at 5 or 6 in the morning," trying to get to work, he said. The only viable solution is to work with the suburbs to make a regional bus system, Gaffney said.

"Until we get a regional transit system, we will never get the system we deserve. We need to put all our differences aside. I know what we're capable of, and we can do better than this"

tbriscoe@detnews.com


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz26yGy6IsM

Ridership would increase if most of the routes were running on a timely manner. Start up the lines that were shut down such as the Hayes, Imperial and Vernor. The planners and elected officials of the "Motor City" are conditioned to be so car depenedent that they don't want to or develope a more common sense plan for a better transit system. The common rider should sit in some of these meetings pertaining to the improvement of the laughable transit system southeast Michigan has. This is the home of the Big 3 isn't it? Increase the bus lines and extend the hours. Include Michigan, Jefferson, and the mile roads bus lines into this plan. Allow SMART to pick up and drop off in the city after 6pm for those lines such as Woodward, Jefferson, and Michigan. They could only pickup in the city after 6pm but only drop off in the suburbs and vica versa. The money the system makes off of it's then increasing ridership should go back into the system and not into the city's general funds. Set up a Transit Authority or something of the kind. I guess that me and others who ride the bus can come up with ideas such as these and others for we are not controlled by companies or organizations who don't have any type of mass transit in their best interest.

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Originally Posted by stasu1213

Ridership would increase if most of the routes were running on a timely manner. Start up the lines that were shut down such as the Hayes, Imperial and Vernor. The planners and elected officials of the "Motor City" are conditioned to be so car depenedent that they don't want to or develope a more common sense plan for a better transit system. The common rider should sit in some of these meetings pertaining to the improvement of the laughable transit system southeast Michigan has. This is the home of the Big 3 isn't it? Increase the bus lines and extend the hours. Include Michigan, Jefferson, and the mile roads bus lines into this plan. Allow SMART to pick up and drop off in the city after 6pm for those lines such as Woodward, Jefferson, and Michigan. They could only pickup in the city after 6pm but only drop off in the suburbs and vica versa. The money the system makes off of it's then increasing ridership should go back into the system and not into the city's general funds. Set up a Transit Authority or something of the kind. I guess that me and others who ride the bus can come up with ideas such as these and others for we are not controlled by companies or organizations who don't have any type of mass transit in their best interest.

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Do you really believe if there was money to be made in mass transit it would not be readily available?

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Originally Posted by Wheels

Do you really believe if there was money to be made in mass transit it would not be readily available?

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The money would probably be used for something else if there was money to be made in transit. It is not a money making system. There is nothing wrong with having the money that DDOT recieve through ridership to go back into DDOT. It is like the money that Belle Isle would make through charging motorist to get on the island. The money would go back into the island itself and not the city's general fund. I didnt read no one challenging that. So no one should challenge the money DDOT recieves through ridership goes back into the system . The only entity that will so call make money is the system itself. Let us face it. This is a carcentric town. It will not be versatile in it's forms of transportation until we elect leaders who does not bend over for the corporations and special interest groups or persons who don't want to see any other reliable transportation to come into this city other than a car. Go figure everyone