Three (Updated: Four) things the Atlanta Streetcar needs to get right

The Atlanta Streetcar just celebrated its first year in operation with the introduction of a $1 paid fare requirement ("A buck is fare"). Here are a few things I think officials need to get right for the Atlanta Streetcar to bring a competitive value proposition:

• Service frequency
  Currently, the streetcar runs every 15 mins, with two trains in service out of a fleet of four.
• For a downtown line this short, daytime headways should be 10 mins or less to match MARTA's peak rail service.
  
• Fare integration and transfer policy
  Having to pay separate fares when transferring between MARTA and the streetcar makes the streetcar unattractive money-wise for those who would use the streetcar as a last-mile connection. Here is a suggestion and an opportunity to integrate all regional fares:
• $1 fare
• A one-way single-ride ticket on the streetcar, no transfers.
• $2.50 cash fare (Regional One-Way):
• A single-ride ticket on the streetcar, and
• A transfer to MARTA rail/buses or CCT/GCT local routes.
• $5.00 cash fare (Express One-Way)
• A single-ride ticket on the streetcar, and
• A transfer to MARTA rail/buses and any GRTA, CCT, GCT bus (express/local).
• MARTA fare products accepted. Customers holding MARTA passes (and maybe later regional passes) would receive, upon validation:
• A single-ride ticket on the streetcar, and
• A transfer to MARTA rail/buses.
  In addition, customers transferring from MARTA would receive a single-ride ticket at no additional cost. 
• Of course, this suggestion requires loading transfers on the customer's Breeze Card at the time of validation, and using the financial clearinghouse to distribute fare revenue.
• Traffic signal priority
  The streetcar will often get stuck at traffic lights with long red cycles, drastically slowing travel and service frequency on the already short downtown loop. Sadly, travel speeds are currently so low that walking is only marginally slower than taking the streetcar. Removing wait times at traffic lights would go a long way in improving service speeds and frequency.
• Officials should implement traffic signal priority at all streetcar intersections, with appropriate timing of green and red lights upon train approach (extension or shortening depending on location, accommodating for stops).
• Schedules and real-time information
  Only "hours of operation" for the line are shown. To remove ambiguity in determining if service has ended, especially towards to close of service, here is what needs to happen:
• The times of the first and last trains for each stop/destination should be posted.
• Real-time and other arrival information should be displayed, and data published for OneBusAway to use. Displays may need new electronic signs or using vending machine screens already available at each stop.

In most of my trips to the MLK district, the $1 fare without transfers is not attractive enough to justify paying for it. I would get there faster taking MARTA to King Memorial station and walk a few blocks, rather than waiting at Peachtree Center. On the way back at night, it is already faster for me to time bus 99 rather than waiting for a streetcar and then for another MARTA train.
 
In conclusion, the threefour major gaps in the Atlanta Streetcar operation are around the frequency, transfer policy, travel times, and schedules/real-time signage. Addressing any of these gaps would make the streetcar way more appealing than it is now.

State of MARTA Breakfast Recap

On Thursday I went to the third annual State of MARTA breakfast. Sold out, full house, with invited members of the press and local organizations. I'm summarizing a few highlights in this post, and below I'm including the #MARTAredefined Twitter feed for the event.

#MARTAredefined Tweets
For the highlights:

• The new imperatives for MARTA are S.E.A.T.: Service, Economy, Arts, Technology.  
• MARTA board chairman Robbie Ashe quoted to say "we can't efficiency ourselves to expansion." Moves to push referendum in City of Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb to build the rail line extensions to Alpharetta, Stonecrest, and the Emory/Clifton line.
• MARTA employees were recognized, as well as retired couple who helped a student fix his tie on MARTA.
• Guest speaker and Stanford professor Tony Seba explains the disruptive nature of energy technology on transportation (price point, efficiency, electric vehicles) and that car ownership in cities will decrease over time. New technologies will enable on-demand transportation.
• MARTA CEO Keith Parker announces a MARTA Arts task force, systemwide WiFi for 2018, and hints at a fleet of MARTA autonomous cars that could take you from a transit stop to your final destination.  He speaks of moving from "Happy MARTA" to "Transformed MARTA" to "Super MARTA."
• MARTA Army announces new program for crowdfunding of transit amenities, where communities around select bus stops will be able to pool money towards purchase and maintenance of benches and shelters.

Topics that could have been more developed:

• CEO Parker mentioned about the comprehensive operations analysis and a resulting service overhaul, but still no word yet on what the outcomes are going to be.
• Parker mentioned about the gap between rail and bus customers. I would have liked to hear more about streamlining connections between the two modes.

In conclusion, it was a well attended event with recaps of the initiatives taken to date and directions for future improvements that we can't wait to happen. Good job MARTA!

Fw: Getting over Uber

Via medium.com and Slashdot

Requesting car service - Photo Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images via Mark Warner/Flickr

Here is an interesting view of why Uber, the ever popular rideshare service, may not live up to its potential to improve public transportation in urban areas. The writer makes a case of rules that apply to taxi companies (for the good of the public?) but not Uber. A critique said the competition that Uber provides helped improve transportation options. Let's see how Uber, its competitors (Lyft, ...) and taxi service respond to each other in the next few years.

Operation TimelyTrip in the making - Part 1: Mininum Viable Product

As the creator of MARTA Army's Operation TimelyTrip, I wanted to pause a moment and write about how Operation TimelyTrip went from the proof-of-concept stage last year to full launch. This post focuses on the short proof-of-concept (the minimum viable product) stage. Operation TimelyTrip is MARTA Army's first initiative, with volunteers ("soldiers") adopting 50 bus stops on the first day at Transportation Camp, and more stops being adopted and outfitted with printed schedules as MARTA Army visits different communities in Atlanta.

Because it is independent of MARTA, MARTA Army can execute experiments and fast pivot/persevere cycles that otherwise would be very difficult to implement. TimelyTrip is the poster example of a fast-cycle experiment that will lead to recommendations on how MARTA and the Atlanta region can successfully implement a system-wide bus signage program. 

MARTA Army Operation TimelyTrip signs.

 

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A minimum viable product (MVP), sometimes called proof-of-concept, is the cheapest thing I needed to show to prospective clients/sponsors that embodies the concept you are trying to promote. You should be able to do live demonstrations with it.

For TimelyTrip, the concept is to draw people to take the bus. So, the minimum viable product was a sheet of paper with printed schedules inserted into a job ticket holder that as already attached at one bus stop in Midtown Atlanta. 

TimelyTrip proof-of-concept

If you compare the minimum viable product and the "finished" product, they don't look anywhere close. The minimum viable product does not include names, logos, colors, and only includes core features:

• A simple call to action: "Take the bus to X and Y..."
• Routes serving the stop.
• Combined schedule by service days for that particular stop (two routes on identical routing from the stop).
• A QR code that points to the old OneBusAway site, and some text telling people that it was something they could scan and what they would get from it.
• Disclaimers.

Behind the scenes:

• I pulled the times for that stop from the database that MARTA publishes in GTFS format (the same data that goes on Google Maps), so yes there is quite a bit of tech involved even for a minimum viable product.
• I pasted the times into a spreadsheet for basic formatting.
• I pasted the old OneBusAway URL into a QR code generator and captured the picture.
• I printed the sign on letter paper and black and white.

Note that bus stops with printed schedules already exist in Atlanta, however there is a gap with the information provided and the information needed:

• In Cobb County, most CCT bus stops signs show route numbers and have a smaller sign with printed schedules.
• Only MARTA shelters and a few other stops provide printed schedules.
• MARTA CCT printed schedules at bus stops only provides departure times at time points, not the times for a specific stops.
• Neither CCT or MARTA provides access to real-time arrivals for people waiting at a particular bus stop. To access real-time arrivals, riders must go to a website or navigate an app on their smartphone. 

 

First Milestones

In the innovation accounting principle from Eric Ries's Lean Startup, the performance of minimum viable products should be measured, and a decision of whether to persevere or to pivot is to be made.

The first thing I wanted to know was how long the makeshift sign was going to last under early Fall weather. I was surprised the sign lasted three weeks before the job ticket holder was removed. (I don't know who removed it).
Conclusion: Persevere. Bus signage can probably last a few weeks in the Atlanta wild environment.

Surprisingly, there were not many scans from the QR code. The QR code was scanned less than 10 times during the three-week period, mostly for trial purposes.  It would be necessary to create more signs and point out to users to the QR code that they can use with their smartphone.
Conclusion: Persevere. QR codes are not difficult to add to a sign, we can keep them for now.

Of course, I had to reach out to MARTA to get their feedback. The entire TimelyTrip experiment would not have gone this far if MARTA's response was not encouraging from the get go.
Conclusion: Persevere. 

Conclusion of Part 1

The TimelyTrip concept looked like it could last if there was a good way to get signs at some of these bus stops. I had a minimum viable product that embodies the concept I wanted to draw new and potential rides to the bus. Now the next challenge was to get some traction, and that will be the topic for Part 2. Stay tuned!
 

MARTA Army launched this past weekend with bus stop program

 MARTA Army launched this past weekend at Transportation Camp South. MARTA Army is an independent grassroots organization that aims at making MARTA better through hands-on, small-scale volunteer-led initiatives (also referred to as "tactical urbanism"). I am involved with MARTA Army, in particular setting up their first initiative named "Operation TimelyTrip", allowing volunteers to adopt and attach printed schedules to MARTA bus stops to bus stops. (More on the TimelyTrip story in the next few days.)

At Transportation Camp, MARTA Army recruited about 50 volunteers who adopted bus stops around Atlanta, and MARTA Army printed signs for each of the adopted stops. About 20 more signed up to the mailing list during Atlanta Streets Alive this past Sunday.  The printed schedules that will be attached to these stops look as follows:

MARTA Army Signs for Operation TimelyTrip.

This past weekend is seen as quite successful and validated the necessity of knowing bus schedules, for way MARTA buses are set up. Many uncertainties became answers, and there are new things that MARTA Army leadership including myself will have to measure.

The communities that MARTA Army contacted were all really excited about Operation TimelyTrip, and MARTA Army will be there to recruit volunteers and print schedules. The next community events are with East Point and Latin American Association, both in the Atlanta close suburbs. Stay tuned for more info, or follow MARTA Army directly on social media: facebook.com/martaarmy, or #martaarmy on Twitter!

Traveling on Delta's Medium-Haul International Business Class

Introduction

I don't normally discuss travel on this blog, but I wanted to review Delta's lesser-known Business Class product, available on it's medium-haul international routes. I had the chance to fly on it recently after receiving medallion upgrade at the gate. Business Class is not as glorious as Delta One's flat beds, and it has noticeable differences with domestic First Class.

Comparison

Feature	Business Class	Delta One	First Class
Seat features
Seat type	Armchair	Flat Bed	Armchair
Pillows, blankets	Westin Heavenly Bedding	Westin Heavenly Bedding	Standard
Amenity kit	Tumi	Tumi	No
Headphones	Earbuds (Billboard)	Noise-cancelling headphones	Earbuds (Billboard)
Markets and perks
Markets	US to Central America/ Northern South America	Long-haul international and JFK-LAX/SFO	US/Canada
Lounge access	Yes	Yes	No (w/ exceptions)
Elite Upgrades	Yes	No	Yes
Food/service onboard
Menus distributed	Yes	Yes	No
Pre-departure snack	Champagne/mimosa Bag of almonds	Champagne/mimosa Bag of almonds	Beverage
Meal quality	Chef-curated	Chef-curated	Snack basket or standard meal
Pre-arrival snack	No	Yes	No

Pictures!

Westin Heavenly Bedding and Tumi amenity kit on Delta medium-haul Business Class.

Menus distributed (in English and Spanish).

Pre-departure snacks/beverages.

Chef-curated main course on Business Class (uhh... plate was a little bit overheated?)

Conclusion

The main difference between Delta Business Class and Delta One is the seat. Business Class flights are typically shorter, and get the standard armchair, not the flat bed. Also, medallion complimentary upgrades and regional upgrade certificates can be used on Business Class, but not Delta One.

Lookback: Mark Ruffalo campaigns for 100% renewables in the Daily Show

In a recent appearance in the Daily Show (just before Jon Stewart left), Mark Ruffalo comes to discuss his film "Infinitely Polar Bear" then brings up his campaign for 100% renewable energy in the U.S. by 2050. The details of his campaign are at thesolutionsproject.org.

A quite ambitious plan that will have many hurdles to clear. You can watch the Daily Show interview below (June 11, 2015).

The Daily Show
Daily Show Full Episodes, More Daily Show Videos, Comedy Central Full Episodes

Fw: Public Transit Should Be Uber’s New Best Friend

Via FiveThirtyEight.com

Uber has become a common household name. As dealt in the article's topic, travel and cost of travel can be optimized by combining Uber and transit options. The article uses New York City as an example, and compares the use of Uber, taxis, and public transit availability versus household income. The cost break even decision? Buying a car, or, where available, use public transit complemented with Uber for 15-30% of trips.

What the article doesn't fully address is the alternatives to Uber, such as cycling, carpools, or even using car rental services such as ZipCar that are available in cities other than New York.