Metro Magazine, February 2020

20 METRO MAGAZINE COM FEBRUARY MARCH 2020 cial to Washington state For example the Grape Line runs through wine country Every line makes connections that did not exist before and the Apple Line and the Gold Line even serve rural areas that previously didnt have transit service opening up mobility and access to thousands of people for medical care employment and more The routes have served over 92000 riders over the past three years and ridership continues to grow WSDOT conducted a study in 2018 where they analyzed the existing intercity routes recommended future network expansion alternatives and identified funding and match scenarios Looking at the map it may appear that there are gaps in the state new routes can fill but the reality of it is some of those areas are populated by mountain ranges and forests rather than people The analysis identified the highest need for expansion in southeast Washington Planning is underway to determine whether this is best accomplished by extending a line or developing a new route This project highlights the value of private sector investment and public private partnerships WSDOT took advantage of existing services and strengthened them to improve rural access 3 SCTDD MULE TOWN TROLLEY SERVICE Mount Pleasant Tenn THE SOUTH CENTRAL Tennessee Development District SCTDD provides public transportation in 13 counties in Tennessee as well as intercity connections The organizations mission includes prioritization to seniors low income individuals and persons with disabilities SCTDD established their Mule Town Trolley Service in 2013 Why did they choose an old fashioned trolley First because they already had some in their fleet and second because people seemed to really like old fashioned trolleys Also there is so much history in this area of Tennessee that the agency wanted to commemorate According to the official Mule Day website Mule Day is an annual celebration that began in 1840 of all things related to mules The day is held in April in Columbia Tenn the Mule Capital of the world Mule Town isnt actually a town but has become an iconic symbol of this rural neck of the woods When Mule Town Trolley debuted in Maury County with a new deviated fixed route in 2013 with only two trolleys operating five days a week people became excited and the service just started growing and growing In 2019 Mule Town Trolley has expanded to 12 vehicles and 62 bus stops transporting over 3000 commuters a month and more than 118000 rides since it began operating The service operates from 6 a m to 6 p m and each of the four lines has routes that run every hour Fares are 1 and transfers are free The service connects to the commuter bus and provides access to many places the rural residents of Maury County need to go including the local hospital Health De WSDOT MOBILITY RURAL SERVICES 2 TRAVEL WASHINGTON INTERCITY BUS PROGRAM Intercity Wash INTERCITY BUS SERVICE can provide meaningful connections and mobility in rural areas and fill gaps by leveraging the existing national intercity bus networks An important goal of the Washington State Department of Transportation WSDOT for the Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program is to provide mobility and access for rural residents with previously unmet transportation needs WSDOT leadership had been talking about how to best meet this goal for a long time About 77 of Washington state residents live within 10 miles of existing intercity stops and roughly 96 live within 25 miles of one stop Like many other states Washington originally managed their intercity bus program on a grant basis so the routes covered only what the grants covered Washington wanted to expand the intercity bus program by going beyond existing routes and developing a comprehensive network plan Rather than talk about just getting to the next town over we wanted to look at intercity transportation as a way for people to get from Walla Walla Washington all the way to Miami Beach explains Don Chartock WSDOT deputy director Planning began in earnest in 2005 when Greyhound entered into a pilot project with WSDOT After Greyhound cut some of their existing routes in Washington state they were able to offer WSDOT data and assistance in piloting new routes on a contract basis The Northwest Motorcoach Association local chambers of commerce and locally elected officials also stepped up to be involved in the project identified issues and needs and contributed to project success Many community business owners offered assistance such as convenience store owners allowing bus shelters on their property The intercity buses now board in local public transit bays and the transit system staff sell the intercity transit tickets This was a pilot project that just grew and grew and became successful because there was a state piece and an industry piece that worked together to form a whole says Chartock The private part of the network counted as a match and the public portion came from FTA funding This public private partnership which started out as a pilot was codified as part of the subsequent reauthorization MAP 21 Not only has this been a highly successful project its been exciting and innovative All the lines see map were named for something spe All lines of the state of Washingtons intercity bus service were named for something special to the state for example the Grape Line runs through wine country About 77 of Washington state residents live within 10 MILES OF EXISTING INTERCITY STOPS Roughly 96 of Washington state residents live within 25 MILES OF ONE STOP