Transit Comprehensive Operations Analysis

Transit Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA)

The Lawrence Transit System, in partnership with KU on Wheels, conducted a comprehensive analysis of bus service in Lawrence. This study took a detailed look at the city’s existing bus services and provided recommendations for improving service to meet the needs of both city residents and university students. The study project team worked to:

Examine how people travel in Lawrence, so we understood where buses need to go. This analysis looked at the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the city and the university to understand where bus service was needed and where it would most likely be successful.
Collect ideas, comments and thoughts from stakeholders, members of the general public and people who use Lawrence Transit and KU on Wheels. We held focus groups, conducted interviews, and scheduled community meetings.
Conduct a detailed analysis of each Lawrence Transit and KU on Wheels bus route. This analysis was data-driven and examined the number of riders on every route, at every stop, and at different times of days. This was a key part of how we determined if changes were needed.
Update Lawrence Transit’s service guidelines, or general rules for how services should be organized and designed, and how hours of service and frequency should be determined.
Create a series of service improvement scenarios that offer options for how the system might be improved.

The study was completed in January 2017.

Final Report (Approved by the MPO Policy Board on March 16, 2017)
Appendix A – Route Profiles
Appendix B – Demand Response Interviews – May 2016
Appendix C – Technical Memorandum #2 – Transit Survey Analysis
Appendix D – Origin and Destination Travel Flow – Reference Table and Map
Final Transit COA Presentation

Events

Two rounds of public meetings were held during the study process. The project kickoff meetings were held in May, while the scenario meetings were held in October. The Downloads section below contains the presentations from both public meetings.

Proposed Scenarios

Two scenarios were developed by the consultants. The proposed scenarios differ in their approach at the individual route level but both share several common goals, including improving system productivity, providing more direct service to key destinations for most riders, ensuring that coverage aligns well with demand, and maximizing service frequency to the greatest extent possible.

You can explore the scenarios by clicking the links below.

Downloads

Project reports, presentations, and other materials are available to download.

Lawrence Transit COA Scenario Presentation – October 26th-27th, 2016
Route Profiles – KU on Wheels Routes (30, 36, 38, 41, 42, 43)
Route Profiles – Coordinated Routes (11, 29)
Route Profiles – Lawrence Transit Routes (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 27)
Tech Memo #2 – Survey Analysis – August 2016
Tech Memo #1 – Existing Conditions and Market Analysis – August 2016
Lawrence Transit COA Kickoff Materials – May 10th-11th, 2016

Stakeholder and Steering Committee Agendas

The Transit COA had a Steering Committee and met with Stakeholders twice.

Stakeholder Meeting

Steering Committee

Transit Comprehensive Operations Analysis