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Bad News for Auto Makers but Good News for Sustainable Transportation

Although Ad Age is a surprising source for public transit information, their recent article about a transformative transportation trend highlighted research that has powerful implications for the future of buses, trains, and automobiles One quick snippet: In 1978, 75% of American 17-year-olds had drivers licenses. 30 years later fewer than half were licensed to drive.

As Ad Age indicates, there is a sea change in behavior among young people that suggests fewer cars on the road and more bus and train riders in the years to come:

The automobile, once a rite of passage for American youth, is becoming less relevant to a growing number of people under 30. And that could have broad implications for marketers in industries far beyond insurance, gasoline and retail.

In fact, the trend extends to overall driving behavior among those 30 or younger who accounted for just 13.7% of miles driven in 2009 versus 20.8% in 1995–that’s an astonishing drop of 34%.

The phenomenon apparently springs from the new digital culture in which young people are so attached to smart phones and other electronic devices that they will readily swap the freedom of car driving for the luxury of interacting with their smart phones, games or more recently, their iPads.

In addition, young people value their time and find that they can work during a public transit commute but not in their cars on the freeway. And, there is also a fair degree of sensitivity to issues of transportation sustainability.

Fewer Drivers Mean More Trains May Be on the Way

Today, only 30 of the 100 metropolitan areas that account for 75% of American population have trains, but, pressure is intensifying to build more.  For example, Denver, Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Ore., are developing systems while Cincinnati is debating the development of a streetcar system that would link its downtown with uptown neighborhoods increasingly popular with young professionals.

The bottom line: The shift away from young folks’ passion for automobiles represents a long-term trend and not a blip on the radar screen. It suggests that there will be a greater aggregation of population in urban centers and a concomitant need for more reliable public transportation.

Variety of Transit Systems Join the NextBus Real-time Passenger Information Family

From the Midwest to New England, the benefits of real-time passenger information will be rolling out for 97 buses on 48 different routes.

Municipal, university, and private bus systems are included—and join four new installations purchased in May of 2010.

Here are the highlights:

University of Iowa (Iowa)

• 37 buses and 3 support vehicles tracked
• 5 APC units
• 37 buses with Wi-Fi for passenger use
• 25 buses with OBD/engine diagnostic interface
• 37 buses with driver silent alarm
• 14 routes
• 1 telephone information system

Iowa City Transit (Iowa)

• 27 buses tracked
• 5 APC units
• 27 buses with Wi-Fi for passenger use
• 12 buses with OBD/engine diagnostic interface
• 20 routes
• 1 telephone information system

Coralville Transit (Iowa)

• 10 buses tracked
• 2 APC units
• 10 buses with Wi-Fi for passenger use
• 6 routes
• 1 telephone information system

Charles River TMA (provides additional service to MIT) (Massachusetts)

• 7 buses tracked and 1 portable spare tracker
• 7 APC units
• 1 route
• 1 telephone information system

Yale New Haven Hospital (Connecticut)

• 13 buses tracked
• 3 24” 2-line LED signs
• 1 52” 5-line LED sign
• 7 routes
• 1 telephone information system

These transit systems join George Mason University, CMRT, University of North Carolina,  and the Washington, DC Circulator as new customers since Jan. 1, 2010.

Bay Area Riders Make Their Commutes Predictable and Efficient

Every municipal transit system is suffering from budget woes relating to high costs that are ironically often exacerbated by increased ridership. San Francisco’s Muni system shares these challenges but benefits from the NextBus real-time passenger information system that tells riders just when they can expect the next bus.  It also provides management tools that empower transit executives to optimize operational efficiency.

Read more

A Resort Professional Counts on Our Predictions—and So Do Her Guests

Fort Myers Beach offers year round fun for residents and visitors who use the friendly Beach Trolley to travel the full length of the sun-splashed island.

In turn, the Trolley leverages NextBus to make for an easy riding experience. As we learned recently it’s also a favorite for a professional who works for Sunstream Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality company whose beautiful properties dot the colorful SW Florida landscape.

Clang, Clang Goes the Trolley Up and Down Fort Myers Beach

LeeTran of Fort Myers operates an extensive system of regular buses throughout the city and in surrounding Lee County–an area covering hundreds of square miles. Most of their buses operate along traditional routes with frequent schedules that empower commuters and shoppers who choose public transit over autos.

For beautiful Fort Myers Beach, they do something much different. They operate a classic trolley that covers the length of the barrier island from Fort Myers on the north to Bonita Springs.

In peak season, the trolley is the most sensible way to travel because the single N-S road is jammed with vacationers and snowbirds. This applies as much for local business professionals as it does for visitors and residents.

We were delighted to learn that Stacy Stahl, a Reservations Consultant with Sunstream Hotels & Resorts finds NextBus invaluable:

I wanted to let you know how much I value your NextBus service! I live and work on Fort Myers Beach, and I depend on this service to provide up-to-the-minute information for myself as an Island resident, as I use the trolley for transportation to and from work. It helps me get to and from work on time.

The service is also a very helpful tool for our guests. If they come into our office, I can jump onto your website and let them know when the next trolley will be coming by to take them where they want to go. It’s a great service, and I am going to be sure to let my friends and family know about it so they can be informed about it as well. Keep up the excellent work!

Even in sunny SW Florida, it’s important to know when the next bus—or trolley—is going to arrive. Thanks, Stacy, for sharing your positive thoughts about the value of our predictions for you and for your clients and friends.

More than $12,000/year in San Francisco and $9,000 in Washington, DC

Public transportation riders can save on average $9,242 annually based on the January 11, 2010 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate.  Of course, they also miss traffic jams—and when NextBus is available as in San Francisco and Washington, DC, they can travel quickly and reliably, too.

Compared to last year at this time, the average cost per gallon of gas was $1.79 which is nearly $1 less than the current price of gas at $2.75 per gallon.  This increase in cost equates to an additional $600 in savings per year for transit commuters as compared to last year’s savings amount at this same time.

“The Transit Savings Report” released monthly by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) calculates the average annual and monthly savings for public transit users.  The report examines how an individual in a two-person household can save money by taking public transportation and living with one less car.

Transit riders can save on average $770 per month.  The savings amount is based on the cost of the national averages for parking and driving, as well as the January 11 national average gas price of $2.75 per gallon for self-serve regular gasoline as reported by AAA.

Taking public transportation provides a safe and affordable way for individuals and families to cut costs, according to APTA.  In addition, local public transit offers a travel option that has an immediate positive impact in reducing an individual’s overall carbon footprint while helping reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

The national average for a monthly unreserved parking space in a downtown business district is $154.23, according to the 2009 Colliers International Parking Rate Study.  Over the course of a year, parking costs for a vehicle can amount to an average of $1,850.

The top 20 cities with the highest transit ridership are ranked in order of their transit savings based on the purchase of a monthly public transit pass and factoring in local gas prices for January 11, 2010 and the local monthly unreserved parking rate.*

 

Top Twenty Cities – Transit Savings Report

	City	Monthly Savings	Annual Savings
1	New York	$ 1,147	$ 13,765
2	Boston	$ 1,030	$ 12,362
3	San Francisco	$ 1,013	$ 12,156
4	Chicago	$  946	$ 11,357
5	Seattle	$ 932	$ 11,185
6	Philadelphia	$ 927	$ 11,121
7	Honolulu	$ 887	$ 10,639
8	Los Angeles	$ 838	$ 10,052
9	San Diego	$ 824	$ 9,894
10	Minneapolis	$ 824	$ 9,884
11	Cleveland	$ 803	$ 9,639
12	Portland	$ 798	$  9,581
13	Denver	$ 795	$ 9,539
14	Baltimore	$ 782	$ 9,383
15	Miami	$ 752	$ 9,022
16	Washington, DC	$ 751	$ 9,015
17	Dallas	$730	$ 8,756
18	Atlanta	$722	$ 8,658
19	Las Vegas	$716	$ 8,591
20	Pittsburgh	$ 680	$ 8,162

 *Based on gasoline prices as reported by AAA on 1/11/10.

Easy explanations of how to use NextBus for Efficient Public Transit Travel

The San Francisco Bay area boasts excellent public transit systems in the city itself and in surrounding counties. AC Transit is notable not only for a well-run system, but for its effectiveness in marketing the benefits of public transit to its passengers.

AC Transit is the third-largest bus-only transit system in California, serving over 400 square miles of the East Bay. For over forty years, AC Transit has been dedicated to providing quality mass transit. Every weekday, over 230,000 people ride their fleet of nearly 800 buses.  They run buses on 105 routes with more than 6500 stops.

They have committed to NextBus to improve bus travel for their millions of annual passengers.  To make the most of their NextBus implementation, they have recently added advertising to their bus shelters.  Now, even passersby get the message about how easy it is to use public transit and to stay on time.

Learn about More Examples of Effective Marketing from AC Transit

AC Transit has created ACT for Me as “Your Guide to the Future of Public Transit.”  They illustrate why AC Transit should be an integral part of your life by sharing a creative range of content—from user-generated videos, to a savings calculator, to a discussion of community and environment benefits, and the exciting future of transit. Click here to read more about ACTforMe.org

35% Growth Includes 7 New Municipal and 15 University Systems

Real-time passenger information systems pioneer strengthens its leadership role in the United States and Canada.  Millions of passengers,  thousands of buses, and hundreds of new routes now benefit from NextBus technology.  Total installations approach 65 with more on the way.

Here is the list of 22 new NextBus installations

California-Northern	Unitrans ASUCD/City of Davis
California-Southern	UCLA
District of Columbia	WMATA Washington
Florida	Nova Southeastern University
Maryland	Charm City Circulator
Maryland	Towson University
Maryland	University of Maryland
Maryland	University of Baltimore
Massachusetts	MBTA
New Jersey	New Jersey Transit
New Jersey	Rutgers Univ. Newark College Town Shuttle
North Carolina	East Carolina University
North Carolina	University of North Carolina
Ontario	Niagara Falls Transit
Ontario	Toronto Transit Commission
Pennsylvania	Allegheny College
Pennsylvania	Slippery Rock University
Quebec	Societe de transport de Laval
Texas	University of Houston
Texas	Texas State University

Welland to Install Real-time Passenger Info and Stop Annunciation System on 15 Buses

NextBus^® will soon be helping bus passengers in the city of Welland, Ontario thanks to a contract won by its parent company, WebTech Wireless.  The NextBus^® real-time passenger information solution including the first sale of the NextBus^® Stop Annunciation System, which provides riders with visual and audio information on the bus’ route and next stop.

The contract includes an initial installation of the system on 15 buses and represents an approximate value of CDN $140,000. The City of Welland, located in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, has a population of 50,000 and currently operates buses on 14 routes.

Owen Moore, COO at WebTech Wireless said, "NextBus^® is also proving to be highly adaptable to customer needs, and we’re very pleased that when Welland Transit needed a very cost-effective bus stop announcement system, they chose our NextBus^® suite over that of competitors."

Commenting on the sales, Scott Edmonds, WebTech Wireless’ President and CEO said, "We’re seeing that activity in the government sector for our InterFleet^® and NextBus^® solutions is strong and growing as more and larger government agencies are becoming aware of the technological superiority and potential for customization that our products provide. I’m very pleased with the work of our InterFleet ^®and NextBus^® teams as they continue to outpace our competitors in pursuit of rewarding contracts such as these and others on the horizon."

As our nation’s capital and much of the East Coast prepares to be blasted by yet another storm, WMATA passengers will be able to minimize the time they spend freezing outdoors thanks for the NextBus real-time passenger information system.

Before the DC area’s WMATA agency implemented the NextBus solution, passengers were forced to rely on static schedules that did not reflect the kind of havoc a winter storm can bring. Although there are printed schedule might have shown that the bus would arrive at 10 AM, the effect of blizzard conditions would be felt all day long–and certainly disrupt normal arrival times.  Even in normal conditions, buses often arrive somewhat early or late, but severe weather circumstances can create drastic delays that would leave uninformed writers stuck in frosty conditions for an uncomfortable length of time.

Because NextBus predictions are continually adjusted based on actual conditions, riders need suffer interminable waits at bus stops for snow delayed buses. Instead, they can access real-time data on their PC, on their smart phone or even by dialing in on a regular phone to get the most current arrival information.

Passengers can also watch bus progress in real-time on the NextBus Live Map or Google Maps for a further reality check.

Thanks to NextBus, riders DC area riders can stay warm even in the worst of winter storms.

Bus Information Anywhere Proves Life Changing for DC Area Bus Commuter

In the 3 months since its official launch in the Washington DC metro, the NextBus real-time passenger information solution has proved invaluable for 1000s of busy commuters who have to negotiate the complex local transit system.

Blogger, Eyder Peralta, is an NPR associate producer on social media and has grown to love the NextBus service and the related iPhone application. As he writes in a recent post, Practical Technology Can Be Sexy:

Having used it for more than a month, I haven’t waited for a bus more than three minutes.

It has literally changed my life. It means an extra 10 minutes playing with my baby in the morning. It means finishing off my cup of coffee, when in the past I’d drop it off in the sink completely full. It means that I don’t have to curse under my breath when a bus — 30 minutes delayed — finally arrives with three others right behind it. It means I don’t have to agonize about whether I just missed a bus by a minute so I’m stuck.

Eyder is particularly fond of a DC-specific iPhone application, NextBusDC that provides a rich variety of functions:

• The ability to find nearby bus stops instantly
• Bookmarking of favorite stops and routes for convenience
• Interactive route maps, zoom and click on a stop for bus times
• Supports arrival predictions for WMATA buses

Eyder concludes, “Most technology now is about coolness; it’s about ways to entertain your eyes and ears and hardly ever about the simple, practical things in life. But what something like NextBus taught me is that practical tech is the sexiest tech.”

There’s nothing better than technology that makes daily life easier.  At NextBus, that’s our objective: To make life easier for transit execs and riders alike. It sure looks like we’ve achieved our objective for Eyder Peralta.

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