Research

N.D. Transit Agency Explores Fixed-Route System

James River Transit in Jamestown, N.D., may blaze a new trail for transit systems in small cities across the region.

The agency is exploring development of a fixed-route transit system to complement its existing paratransit operation. The study is being conducted with funding from the North Dakota Department of Transportation and expertise from SURTC. Del Peterson, associate research fellow at SURTC is conducting much of the research.

"Over the course of the last three to four years we've found that many of our clients are unable to afford much extra transportation. We want to look at ways to make transit more affordable to them," says Carol Wright, executive director of James River Community Center and Senior Services, the agency that operates James River Transit.

As in many small cities, younger families are migrating to larger urban areas, leaving behind a larger proportion of individuals with special needs. Those individuals often rely heavily on transit systems and have a limited ability to pay for them. At the same time, declining tax bases pose serious challenges to transit funding.

The cost of providing a paratransit ride for a James River Transit client is about $5.96 per passenger. The cost of providing fixed-route service in Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., is $2.72 per passenger and $2.36 in Minot, N.D. The proposed system in Jamestown would have stops at common paratransit destinations like clinics, grocery stores and service agencies.

"We're hoping our system can be a model," Wright says. "If adding some form of fixed-route system would work for us, other communities could modify our plan for their systems." Only four of North Dakota's 45 transit systems offer fixed-route service.

Currently, SURTC is evaluating how a fixed-route service might serve riders in the Jamestown area. Researchers conducted surveys and focus group meetings. "It was important for the researchers to see first hand the issues that we face." Wright says. She notes that 97 percent of current riders are elderly, physically disabled, diagnosed with a chronic mental illness or developmentally disabled.

"We have large number of support services here, so we have a higher than average number of people with special needs," Wright explains. "That's all the more reason to explore development of a transit option like this. But we have to be sure that it meets the needs of the riders and not just the needs of the agency."

Once survey and focus group results are analyzed, researchers will work with James River Transit to analyze a proposed fixed-route system. The researchers will also evaluate the system's cost effectiveness and how it can be integrated with the existing demand-response paratransit system. The study is scheduled to be completed this fall.