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Report of the Regional Mobility Panel to the Committees on Appropriations
September 30, 1997

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I. Executive Summary

I. 1. Introduction

Public transportation in the Washington metropolitan area provides more than 1,000,000 passenger trips each day and about 18% of the region's commuter travel need. Approximately 43% of these trips are made on buses operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and eight local transit systems in the region. Bus services in the Washington area fill the critical roles of taking passengers to and from the regional Metrorail system, and providing access to markets not served by the rail system. A well coordinated and growing bus system is necessary if the region is to sustain the economic growth it experienced over the last 20 years.

During the past 25 years, the population of the Washington region has increased by more than 40%. However, the extent and quality of bus service serving these citizens has not kept pace. In fact, there is less bus service in the region today than existed l 5 years ago, and, increasingly, that service is uncoordinated and not responsive to today's changing needs and travel markets. Under today's structure, even the Metrobus system is only nominally regional in nature, as its services are governed by policies set by individual jurisdictions, including passenger fares, bus routing and bus schedules.

Further, there is real discontent with the way in which local jurisdictions pay for bus service operated by WMATA. A formula for allocating these costs to local jurisdictions was adopted over 20 years ago and is still in use despite wide-spread agreement that it needs to be updated and modified.

In summary, bus service in the Washington metropolitan area does not serve the taxpayers and the fare payers as well as it can and should. When the states of Maryland and Virginia, the District of Columbia. and the United States Congress ratified the Compact establishing WMATA in 1967, they charged WMATA with developing and "...causing to be operated a unified or officially coordinated transit system for the region." Such a system does not exist today. With this report, approved by the Regional Mobility Panel and adopted by the WMATA Board of Directors, the Washington metropolitan area is establishing the framework for a regionally coordinated bus system that will fulfill the charge established thirty years ago in the WMATA Compact, and will serve a greater role in providing for the mobility needs of the metropolitan area.

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I.2. Summary

In response to report language in the 1997 Appropriations Act for the U. S. Department of Transportation concerning the financial and service implications resulting from the increasing fragmentation of regional bus systems, WMATA was directed to commission a study on this issue and to propose solutions. The WMATA Board of Directors appointed a group of business, government, labor and citizen leaders, designated as the Regional Mobility Panel, to examine the current condition of bus service in the Washington metropolitan area and to identify ways of improving it. The Regional Mobility Panel met seven times between February and September 1997 to review issues regarding the regional bus system, and to develop recommendations intended to stabilize and enhance the network of bus services in the Washington area.

The panel found the following conditions affecting bus service in the Washington region:

  • Diffusion of responsibility: the share of bus service in the Washington area provided by the regional bus transit system (Metrobus) has declined from 99% in 1977 to 74% in 1996 as a result of several local jurisdictions initiating locally based and operated bus systems, and as a result of Metrobus service reductions, which have been necessitated by both the opening of the Metrorail system and budgetary constraints of some local jurisdictions.
  • Bus service has not matched population growth: the amount of bus service provided in the Washington area (both regional and local) has not grown to keep pace with the population and employment expansion that has taken place over the last 25 years.
  • High Metrobus costs: the cost of operating the Metrobus system (exclusive of capital cost considerations) is mid-range when compared to other large metropolitan systems but is higher than the cost of operating locally provided bus services. This is due to negotiated labor provisions which are tied to national trends, the characteristics of metropolitan bus services designed primarily to meet commute oriented travel patterns and the decline in Metrobus service levels that has limited WMATA's ability to hire new employees at negotiated, competitive entry level wages.
  • Outdated cost allocation formula: the methodology for allocating Metrobus subsidies to local jurisdictions is based on outdated and inequitable criteria that provides incentives for reducing Metrobus services and disincentives for remaining in a regional bus system, prevents management from engaging in sound business planning, and has led to a situation where transit policy for regional bus services, including fares and service levels, are set by individual jurisdictions rather than regionally.
  • Uncoordinated and inadequately planned service: the lack of integration among bus systems in the Washington area, the absence of a regional approach to bus service planning and policy, and the declining level of bus service in the Washington region are not compatible with the continued expansion of the Washington region and the changing employment and population growth patterns that have occurred and will occur over the next 20 years. Bus services offer the potential to flexibly meet the needs of a changing marketplace while playing an important role in providing feeder services to the extensive Metrorail system and the markets it serves.
  • Service fragmentation: In the absence of a comprehensive regional transit service plan, it is likely that the shift away from regionally operated bus service will continue to accelerate and will result in further service fragmentation.

In response to these findings, the Panel recommends that the region adopt and implement a comprehensive program designed to reinvigorate bus service throughout the region. The basic thrust of these recommendations is to establish a regionally coordinated bus transportation system that defines the roles and responsibilities of the various bus transit providers in the overall regional bus system. The elements of the program are:

  • A clear market-based delineation between bus routes that are "regional" and "non- regional" in nature based on appropriate criteria that define the two different markets.
  • The establishment of a new, benefit-based regional bus subsidy allocation formula that will equitably distribute subsidies for the regional bus system to local jurisdictions, that provides incentives for sound business planning, decision making and ridership growth, and that will be updated on a periodic basis.
  • An aggressive program of cost controls by the regional carrier (WMATA) that will hold the average bus fare and local subsidy levels constant through 2002. This will be made possible by a regional bus service plan that will provide long-term service stability and predictability.
  • An agreement that no WMATA unionized operating personnel will be laid off as a result of any changes in the regional service plan.
  • A new delineation of bus service planning responsibilities where WMATA, in consultation with all jurisdictions, will be responsible for planning regional bus services, and local jurisdictions, in consultation with WMATA, will be responsible for planning non- regional bus services.
  • A program to develop a simplified and integrated passenger fare system, to build an integrated customer service network and to enhance regional transit service marketing.
  • A stabilization of regional bus service levels, and a regional effort to plan for new services in under-served and unserved areas of the region to meet current and future transportation requirements.
  • An agreement from local jurisdictions to make a long-term financial commitment to participate in the regional Metrobus system in accordance with the regional service plan, the new subsidy allocation formula and an agreed upon transition and action plan.
  • A  recognition that a healthy bus system is dependent upon a fully funded capital rehabilitation and replacement program, and that this requirement needs to be addressed by the region as part of a broader review of the funding requirements for the WMATA bus and rail capital improvement program, as well as that of the region's other public transit systems.

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I.3. Principles

This overall program is incorporated in a series of principles adopted by the Panel entitled "Principles for Coordinated Bus Service in the Washington Metropolitan Area."1 They are:

  • Regional Bus System

The Regional Mobility Panel has defined an integrated regional bus system that is to be planned, funded and operated in a manner similar to the approach that has long existed for the successful Metrorail system. Under the current system, services operated by Metrobus are only nominally regional, as policy decisions on fares and services are largely determined by local jurisdictions.

Under the integrated regional bus system proposed by the Panel, for the first time there will be an ongoing commitment by local jurisdictions to a set of truly regional bus services planned and operated by WMATA in consultation with local jurisdictions. These bus services will be coordinated and integrated with a set of non-regional bus services planned and provided through decisions by local jurisdictions.

  • Regional Service Plan

In the defined bus system, regional and non-regional bus routes are distinguished to serve properly markets in the Washington metropolitan area. The new regional service plan ensures predictability and stability of the existing bus services and fosters the development of new bus services. This includes criteria that will generally define regional routes and non-regional routes for both the present and the future, while acknowledging the services already provided by local jurisdictions.

  • New Regional Bus Subsidy Allocation Formula

A new benefit-based subsidy allocation formula for regional bus routes should be adopted to address inequities and inefficiencies in the existing formula. The revised formula should be keyed to the existing and regionally accepted formula for the Metrorail system, and should be updated periodically to remain current and equitable.

  • WMATA Service and Financial Commitment

WMATA commits to maintain constant average regional bus fares and to maintain bus subsidy levels through aggressive cost controls, and pledges to advance service improvement strategies under the Service and Productivity Enhancement Program for the five year period FY 1998-2002.

  • Five-Year Transition Plan

A five-year transition period to the regional and non-regional bus system structure should be adopted, based on staged implementation, which assumes no layoffs of WMATA unionized operating employees. The transition plan should include strategies to improve bus service through coordination of service planning; the establishment of service quality standards, defined jointly by WMATA and local jurisdictions; fare simplification and integration; comprehensive marketing and customer information services; and market- driven service planning.

  • Regional Financial Agreement

Local jurisdictions and WMATA should enter into an interjurisdictional financial agreement to participate in the regional bus system in accordance with the regional service plan, new subsidy allocation formula and five-year transition plan.

Long-term Funding Strategy

The Regional Mobility Panel agrees that there is a need to define the magnitude of the funding requirements for the WMATA bus and rail Capital Improvement Program, and acknowledges its responsibility to address and resolve the issue. It agrees to reconvene upon receipt of the recommendations of the Transit Funding Subcommittee, and to meet and confer during a six-month period resulting in a final course of action designed to ensure a reliable, predictable and adequate amount of funding for this purpose. The region together will pursue, support and implement necessary actions in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and the U.S. Congress during the five-year transition period to fully fund the annual needs of the CIP, as determined by the Panel.

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I.4. Results

These principles form the basis for creation of the coordinated regional bus system envisioned when the region and Congress established WMATA over 30 years ago. Implementation of the various principles agreed to by the Regional Mobility Panel will take commitment and cooperation. The results are well worth the effort:

  • Bus service will be planned and operated systematically, rather than as a series of uncoordinated routes
  • WMATA will be able to address the issue of the cost of service under a service plan that ensures stability and predictability
  • Local jurisdictions will be able to better plan for transit expenditures
  • WMATA and local jurisdictions will be able to carry out capital improvements in a more orderly manner, making service more reliable for customers
  • Transit riders will benefit from customer-responsive service, a better coordinated regional transit system and service improvements meeting today's needs and tomorrow's expectations.

The Regional Mobility Panel strongly urges the adoption of these principles in order to ensure the continued strength and financial viability of the Washington metropolitan area and its transit services. The Panel believes that through renewed regional cooperation and adherence to these principles, the costs of regional bus services will stabilize and eventually decline, while at the same time ensuring the strategic growth of new bus services to properly serve the growing Washington region.

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II. Congressional Mandate and Regional Mobility Panel Charter

II.1. Joint Committee Report: September, 1996

The Joint Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House and Senate. upon the request of Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia, included the following provision in their report on the 1997 Transportation Appropriations Act:

The conferees are concerned that throughout the United States rising costs and fragmentation of regional bus systems may have significant financial and service implications. Nowhere is this more evident than in the national capital region. Accordingly, within the $3,000,000 appropriated for transportation planning, research, and development activities, the conferees direct the Secretary of Transportation to make available sufficient resources to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to commission an independent study to analyze how to meet current and future bus transportation needs for the greater Washington metropolitan region through the year 2020. The report is to be submitted to both the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations by September 30, 1997.2

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II.2. Regional Mobility Conference: January, 1997

In response to this Congressional directive and in recognition that the time was appropriate for a full examination of the region's transit condition, WMATA convened a Regional Mobility Investment Conference of leaders of the region in January 1997. Over 150 elected officials, representing local, state, and Congressional interests, and business and community leaders took part in the conference. The Conference adopted the following action clauses in a resolution which was the basis for fulfilling the mandate of the Congressional appropriations report:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the conference participants here recommit to develop an action plan to address WMATA's role in meeting the region's current and future mobility needs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Regional Mobility Panel composed of local government officials, business leaders, and citizen representatives shall be established by the WMATA Board of Directors to examine the funding needs of the Metro system and to propose and seek a predictable and reliable financing mechanism to meet those needs, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Regional Mobility Panel shall also assess the current and future bus transportation needs for the Washington metropolitan region, shall review the structure, form of funding, and role of Metrobus, and shall determine how to deliver cost-effective, efficient, and coordinated bus service to the region.3

Immediately following the conference, the WMATA Board of Directors moved to formally establish the Regional Mobility Panel. A broad-based committee of elected, business, labor leaders and citizen/rider representatives was appointed and charged with overseeing the independent study of bus transit in the region as mandated by the Congress, and with developing a future financial plan for Metro.

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II.3. Regional Mobility Panel Charter: February, 1997

At its first meeting on February 11, 1997, the Panel adopted by consensus the following charter:

  • Assess the current and future bus transportation needs for the Washington metropolitan region; review the structure, form of funding, and the role of Metrobus; and determine how to deliver cost-effective, efficient and coordinated bus service to the region.
  • Develop an action plan to address WMATA's role in meeting the region's current and future mobility needs.
  • Examine the funding needs of the Metro system and to propose and seek predictable and reliable financing mechanisms to meet these needs.

Back to Regional Mobility Report Table of Contents

III. Panel Structure and Process

III.1. Panel Structure

The Regional Mobility Panel listed on the title page of this report was appointed by the WMATA Board of Directors. It included chief government officials, the business community, labor, and citizen representatives.

The Panel met approximately monthly beginning on February 11, 1997 according to the schedule set out in the following table. It approved this report at its seventh meeting on September 26, 1997. Between meetings of the Panel. a Technical Committee composed primarily of staff supporting the respective Panel members met to review the progress of the study, to discuss various options under consideration, and to prepare advice to their respective principals on the Panel.

Meeting Date Panel Decision Points
February 11
  • General discussion of Panel objectives, working arrangements and study issues
  • Adopt Panel work plan and establish meeting schedule
  • Approve Technical Committee
  • Review Regional Bus Study work plan with consultant
April 8
  • Approve criteria to evaluate strategies for developing a coordinated regional bus service
  • Agree to alternative strategies to be studied for service delivery, organization and institutional arrangements, allocation, and support functions
  • Overview of current allocation procedure and sources of funding
May 20
  • Review initial assessment of solutions and refinement of strategies for coordinated regional bus service
  • Review implementation activities
  • Review regional transit funding strategies from other major metropolitan areas
June 17
  • Approve the strategy for coordinated regiorial bus service and institutional framework
  • In light of the regional bus strategy, review analysis of funding requirements for bus and rail services
  • Discussion of funding options
July 22
  • Discuss criteria for applying strategy for coordinated regional bus service and institutional framework on a route-by-route basis
  • Review alternative bus subsidy allocation methods
September 9
  • Review and comment on draft final report to Congress
  • Agree to action plan for a coordinated regional transit service
  • Further discussion on a regional funding strategy
September 26
  • Approve final report to Congress on bus study
  • Adopt resolution endorsing final report
  • Next steps: developing an action plan for future mobility needs, including a strategy to fully fund the annual needs of the WMATA CIP

The Panel took action by consensus throughout its proceedings, with the exception of the acceptance of the final report, which was accepted by vote. A majority of the Panel members were present at each meeting. The Panel did not adopt any rules of order but consented to the rule of the chair. Minutes of each of the Panel meetings are contained in the Technical Appendix.

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III.2. Public Involvement Process

The Panel oversaw a comprehensive public involvement program to ensure responsiveness to fundamental public interests and accountability for its decisions. Citizen members of the panel were appointed by the WMATA Board and participated actively in the Panel proceedings, including the development and implementation of the Panel's public involvement program, as described below:

  • an allotment of time at the beginning of each meeting for public comments; members of the public addressed the Panel regularly at these times
  • taped interviews by various Panel members about the Panel's activities for broadcast on cable stations throughout the region
  • regular press contact through news releases and media / press briefings by the Panel Chairman

The most substantive elements of the public involvement program were stakeholder interviews, a series of public forums held throughout the region and a public opinion survey.

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III.2.1 Stakeholder Interviews

Over 40 interviews were conducted with individual government, labor, civic, consumer, and business representatives throughout the region. Interviews ranged from an hour to four hours long. Interviewees were asked their views about current bus service effectiveness and efficiency, future needs, funding methods, and possible institutional structures.

Themes that were frequently voiced during the interviews included:

  • the process for allocating subsidies among local governments is "broken," and needs to be fixed
  • Metrobus operating costs are higher than local jurisdiction systems
  • bus service generally has a low profile and public image, "Metro" means Metrorail to most people
  • service reductions in recent years have frustrated Metro's efforts to realize the benefit of lower entry level wage provisions negotiated in recent labor contracts
  • customers want and need more coordinated public information and a more integrated fare system
  • better regional bus planning and service, particularly for suburb-to-suburb markets, is needed
  • although a new funding source for transit might benefit the region in the long run, concerns about cost levels and institutional issues undermine interest in addressing the issue as an immediate priority
  • the status quo is not an acceptable condition

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III.2.2 Public Forums

The Regional Mobility Panel, as part of its public participation process and to disseminate information on the study, convened three sets of public forums. Each set of forums included individual meetings in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

The first set of forums were conducted in early June 1997. The forums attracted more than three hundred participants. The major themes identified by the public participants focused on the need to maintain a regional bus system, a need for a dedicated source of funds for transit, a need for new inter-jurisdictional service to meet current travel needs, improvements to current bus service levels, and the ability to modify transit services as travel demands change in the future. In addition, many concerns were raised regarding the possibility of "privatizing" bus services as a result of the study. Some participants felt that "privatizing" bus service would lead to an overall degradation of service through reductions of bus service, increases in fares and a lack of public input.

The second set of public forums were held in mid-July 1997. These forums attracted more than four hundred-fifty participants. Participation was about one-quarter public and three-quarters Metrobus employees. The public reiterated many of the themes identified at the first set of forums and strongly requested the Regional Mobility Panel to address their concerns in any decision about the region's bus services. Metrobus employees expressed their concerns about the impact this study would have on their livelihoods and their families. They stated that Metrobus employees are dedicated to providing quality service to the public and have demonstrated this during many weather and service emergencies experienced in past years. They also pointed out that they have provided many concessions to management in past labor negotiations to improve productivity and to control costs.

A public information session was conducted on September 23, 1997 prior to the Panel's adoption of this report. The final set of public forums has been scheduled for mid-October 1997 to focus on the recommendations of the Regional Mobility Panel and to continue discussions regarding funding of the region's transit services.

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III.2.3 Public Opinion Survey

The Panel commissioned a public opinion survey designed to gauge public attitudes about mobility in the region.4 Over 1000 citizens throughout the region took part in this survey.

Key findings are:

  • the public has a positive view of current bus and transit service
  • the public believes shared responsibility between Metro and local governments for providing bus service is appropriate
  • the existing service provider (whether regional or local) is generally favored
  • Metrobus was perceived as the service provider that would:
  • best respond to the region's future needs
  • be least likely to increase government spending

PUBLIC IMPRESSIONS OF BUS SERVICE

  • people depend on bus service
  • people generally have a favorable impression of bus service
  • the availability of public information needs improvement
  • the region needs more and improved bus service

In addition to this survey, the union representing Metrobus employees also commissioned independent public opinion surveys. As reported to the Regional Mobility Panel by union representatives. the results of the surveys show strong public support for regional bus service and Metrobus and a need to expand the region's bus system.

1. See Volume 2, Technical Appendices for the complete text. [Volume 2 is not online.]

2. 104 H. Rpt. 785, "Making Appropriations for the Department of Transportation And Related Agencies for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1997, and for Other Purposes;" September 16, 1996 (Joint Explanatory Statement Of The Committee Of Conference: Amendment No. 2).

3. Complete text of the resolution is found in the Technical Appendix.

4. A complete presentation of the survey is contained in the Technical Appendix Section 2.4.1.

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Forward to Regional Mobility Report Sections IV and V


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