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Hernando Today

21 Percent Of Riders Use Bus To Get To Work

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: June 13, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - A much-anticipated ridership survey for THE Bus released Thursday shows more people are using Hernando County's mass transit system to commute to work than previously believed.

About 21 percent of respondents said they use THE Bus daily for that purpose, which indicates there may be an untapped demand for the system, said County Transportation Coordinator Dennis Dix.

The 21 percent is up from 12 percent in 2003, when the Federal Department of Transportation did the last survey.

"THE Bus, in its current configuration, is not user-friendly for work commute trip purposes because of the one-hour headways," Dix said.

That means stops at individual stations are 60 minutes apart, which presumably makes it more difficult for people to get to work. Other transit systems have 15- or 30-minute headways.

Since its debut in 2002, it was assumed that most people took the bus to get to local stores and doctor offices. That still makes up the majority of users.

The survey showed 27 percent of riders used THE Bus for shopping trips, a modest increase from 23 percent in 2003.

About 80 percent of THE Bus users are "captive riders," those who do not have a vehicle or come from households with incomes near federal poverty thresholds.

More than 67 percent of respondents have been using the service for more than six months, indicating a strong, dedicated core ridership. Most are generally satisfied with the service. Many said they want weekend service and expanded hours.

Other survey findings:

- 47 percent of riders use the system five days per week

- 28 percent use a monthly pass, rather than pay cash on the bus; 2 percent use a daily pass

- More than 88 percent of the respondents are year-long county residents
- About 60 percent of riders are between the ages of 25 and 59, the age group most likely to be part of the workforce

- About 17 percent are age 60 and older; 2 percent are younger than 16.

Tindale-Oliver and Associates, the Metropolitan Planning Organization's general planning consultant, did the study for $19,974. All but $1,600 of the money came from federal transit planning funds.

County commissioners will digest the bus survey data and discuss it at their June 24 meeting.

Dix said the data should guide commissioners as they wrestle with the future of mass transit.

To save money, the county MPO recently identified three cost-saving options: reducing hours of service; cutting back from five to four days per week; and - the most drastic - doing away with THE Bus entirely and resorting to a door-to-door transportation disadvantaged para-transit service.

THE Bus has had its opponents since the service first started in 2002. Many believe the population doesn't warrant spending county money, which has since risen to $600,000 annually.

At last count, about 1 percent of the county's population is using the service. The nationwide average is 5 percent.

County Commission Chairman Chris Kingsley said the growing number of riders using THE Bus to get to and from work reflects the current state of the economy and rising fuel costs.

As gas soars even higher past $4 a gallon, he expects even more people to take advantage of mass transit.

Kingsley said the survey data will help the board make a decision on THE Bus. And, with discussions on the 2008-09 budget already started, that decision is not long in coming.

"It's getting close to crunch time," he said.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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