The Benefits Of On-Demand Transit In Belleville: Findings From A User Survey

Abstract

In September 2018, the City of Belleville launched an on-demand transit (ODT) pilot that allows riders to book stop-to-stop bus trips at night. The service was launched with the agency’s existing busses, bus-operators, and network of bus stops. However, the busses do not follow fixed routes. Instead, routes are dynamically optimized in real-time according to riders’ trip requests. Riders can request trips online, using a mobile app, or by telephone (during business hours). The technology enabling this service is developed and provided by Pantonium Inc., a Toronto-based mobility technology company. This service placed Belleville at the forefront of transit innovation in North America. The on-demand transit service serves residents that have travel needs at night. After one year of operation, the service has approximately 3,000 users registered, with ridership steadily climbing. Despite the technology platform enabling the analysis of an exhaustive dataset of fleet operations, little is known about the profile of the riders, their trip purposes, or the impacts of the new night-bus service on activity participation and wellbeing. Such understandings are required to assess the social and economic benefits and burdens of the service. This information will inform decision makers who are considering the adoption of on-demand transit technologies and services. One year after the launch of the pilot project, an independently funded research team from University of Toronto, working in partnership with Pantonium Inc., conducted interviews and collected survey data on pilot riders. This data enabled the team to learn more about the ridership profile, trip purposes, and self-stated impacts on quality of life and activity participation rates of pilot users. First, in August 2019, the team conducted three user interviews to gauge user experiences and satisfaction levels, as well as inform the design of an online user survey. We also interviewed two managers of transit operations at the City of Belleville,and three ODT bus drivers to obtain operator perspectives. Interview questions centered primarily on the goals and expectations for the ODT program, and on the types of changes that could be made to increase its social benefits. We also participated in a 2-hour ride-along, to observe operations of the service first-hand. Next, from November 12th to December 21st 2019, a 15-minute survey was conducted to collect information on user profiles and the travel experiences of the ODT service. At the time of data collection, there were 2,744 ODT accounts, and 1,342 of them had used the service at least once. The research team sent online survey invitations to these active users through email via an online survey platform. Paper flyers containing an invitation link to the online survey were also distributed to riders of the ODT night buses. The survey received a 19.60% response rate (263 respondents). A $10 gift card was provided to all survey and interview participants as an incentive for participation in the study.