Wave SRTP - February Board Workshop

February 14, 2024
F T
R A
D Service Alternatives
Workshop
What are we covering
today?
1 Intro and Wave’s Funding Situation
F T
A
2 Survey & Fall Stakeholder Meeting Findings
R
Summary
4
Service Redesign Process
Redesigned Networks Summary and

D
Benefits
5 Next Steps
2
F T
Introductions & Wave’s
Funding Situation
D R A 1
FUNDING SITUATION
Objectives, Goals &

Priorities
 Create implementable transit plans for an
uncertain funding environment
F T
– Cost Neutral
A
– 30% revenue reduction Average Monthly Ridership
R
– 30% revenue increase 80,000
D
69,337
70,000 65,005
 Planning horizon: FY2024-2028
60,000
 Goal of the SRTP: 50,000
44,736
45,954
42,859
Evolve Wave to make service more 40,000
41,126
efficient, effective, and convenient.

30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
4
FUNDING SITUATION
Wave’s Uncertain
Funding Situation
Reimagine Wave Transit should
provide a vision for what Wave can
T
accomplish with different levels of
F
funding
Wave would like to be able to promise
R A
D
consistent and reliable service to
riders in the long term
The local market for transit can
clearly support more frequent service
for longer hours
5
Survey and Fall Stakeholder F
T
Findings Summary
D R A 2
SURVEY AND STAKEHOLDER FINDINGS
Public, rider, and stakeholder preferences are vital

inputs into our service redesigns
1. Survey respondents’ preferences:
T
– 296 survey responses collected
F
o 192 from frequent riders (about 10% of
A
average weekday fixed-route ridership)
R
– Ran October – December 2023
D
– Distributed online, via stakeholder
listservs, on board, and at transit centers
2. Stakeholders’ preferences
– Gathered during November in-person
stakeholder workshop and last week
during virtual meeting
7
17 Organizations Represented at February 9 th Stakeholder

Meeting
– City of Wilmington – UNCW
– New Hanover County – Downtown Business Alliance
– Carolina Beach
F T
– Wilmington Housing Authority
– Wilmington Downtown Inc
R A
– Cape Fear Housing Coalition
D
– NCDOT – Good Shepherd Center
– Chamber of Commerce – Northside Food Coop
– Cape Fear Community College – NC Public Transit Assoc.
– Novant – NC Ports
– MPO
A key tradeoff we sought feedback on:

Frequency vs. coverage Historic District
 Two types of service: demand- and coverage-based:
T
– Demand-based services operate where demand is highest
F
– Coverage-based services operate where demand is low, to provide at
A
least some service to as many areas as possible


areas than in lightly developed areas
D R
Ridership will always be much higher in densely developed
All transit systems provide both types, but most systems

Myrtle Grove
focus on demand-based services, because transit is

typically considered more useful and effective when more
people use it
9
Survey Respondents Express Similar

Coverage vs. Frequency Preferences
F T
R A
D
Longer walk but more frequent and faster
trips OR
62% 38%
Shorter walk but less frequent and slower
trips
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
10
Service Productivity by Headway
Frequent Service is service that 2.5
is easy to build your life around

201 205 101 108
2
 Shorter waits:
Frequency (Buses per Hour)

– If a bus comes every 15 minutes, your average wait will be
F
203
7.5 minutes.
A
1.5
R
 Faster transfers:
D
– A frequent bus allows you to transfer to another route
104 103, 106, 107 105
sooner if you want to go further than the places on the bus 1
line you happen to be on. 210 202
 Easier recovery from disruption:

– Frequent service is more reliable, because if a bus breaks
0.5
down you don’t have to wait as long until the next one
shows up.
 Spontaneity and Freedom:
0
– When transit comes every few minutes, there’s no need to 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
build your day around a bus schedule.
Ridership (Passengers per Revenue Hour)
11
There was broad consensus on

the regional corridors suitable
for more frequency
1
1. Market Street
F T 4
A
2. Carolina Beach Road 5
R
3. College Road 3
D
4. Oleander Drive
5. Between Downtown and the Medical Center 2
Opinions were mixed on how

to serve other corridors
• Carolina Beach Road south

• Oleander east to Military Cutoff/Mayfaire
• Downtown Trolley
12
Discussion: Key Public and Stakeholder Feedback Findings
 Provide more frequent service on the region’s major transit corridors
T
1. Market Street
F
2. Carolina Beach Road
R A
3. College Road
D
4. Oleander Drive
5. Between Downtown and the Medical Center
 Where possible, invest in span and frequency, especially on weekends
 Prioritize bus service in core markets, and on-demand service in areas with low density and limited
pedestrian infrastructure
13
Development of Cost-Neutral F
T
and Increased Revenue RA
Scenarios D 3
SERVICE ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT
What other inputs have Informed

how we redesign the system?
1. The findings of the Market Analysis
T
– Opportunity to connect Medical District to more of the region
F
– The strongest travel flows are oriented around Downtown, the
A
Medical District, UNCW, and Monkey Junction
R
2. Redesigned routes to provide as much efficient and
D
direct service as possible
– Designed by stakeholders and refined in a series of Wave staff
and bus operator workshops
3. Cost per passenger analysis to identify where bus

service is very expensive to operate on a per-passenger
basis
– RideMICRO service is less expensive and more comfortable
in some areas
15
Developing Our Service Alternatives

We took a close look at the system to see where we can redesign service to be…
More direct Less duplicative Easier to understand
F T
R A
D
16
Building on strengths: Route

108 Market Street
 Most productive and highest ridership
T
route in the system
F
 Simple and straightforward
A
bidirectional service on Market Street
R
west of Covill Avenue
Indirect loop routing on westbound
D

trips increases trip times and makes
route harder to understand
17
Proposed Redesigned Route

108 Market Street
 Provides bi-directional service along
T
entirety of Market Street
F
– Makes service easier to understand
A
– Shaves 9 minutes off of roundtrip travel
R
time
D
 Nearby Routes 103 and 107 redesigned
slightly to replace Route 107 on New
Centre Drive
– Departure times are timed to provide
seamless transfer to/from Route 108
– Increases the number of jobs and people
reachable within a reasonable commute time
(45 min)
18
Introducing: Tradeoff: Up to a 10
Wave’s first frequent 205
205
210
210
minute additional
walk for some
service existing Route 210
riders.
Wilmington’s center
T
 Stakeholders, riders, and the public are is one of the most
F
asking Wave to provide more frequent
205
205 walkable regions in
A
eastern North
service
R
Carolina.
D
– The strongest demand for frequent service 210
210
exists between Downtown and the Medical

Center
 By increasing the frequency of Route 210 S
17th Street and pairing it with Route 205, we
can provide service every 15 minutes on
weekdays on this important corridor
19
Downtown Trolley
 40-minute frequencies results in very long
transfer times on most trips
Serves many important destinations and also some
T

F
long stretches with no ridership
A
 Duplicates faster and more frequent service
R
two blocks east on 3rd Street
D
 Difficult to remember and seasonal service span:
Service
Statistics Weekdays Saturdays Sundays
96 87
Ridership Rank: 8/12 Rank: 7/12 No service
Riders
8 6.7
Served per Rank: 8/12 Rank: 9/12 No service
20
Downtown Trolley Proposal

 Shorten to serve major downtown destinations only along Front
Street between Padgett Station and Castle Street
 Increase frequency to every 30 minutes to improve transfer and
F T
wait times
A
 Provide seven day/week service
R
Operate later in the evening:
D

– Weekdays 9 PM
– Saturdays 8 PM
– Sundays 6 PM
 Tradeoffs:
– Seasonal service (March-November only)
– Later start time: 10:30 AM daily
21
Replacing very low ridership fixed-route

service with RideMICRO expansion
 Stakeholders helped identify that portions of

eastern Market Street and Eastwood Road
have little to no riderboardings
Route 104 East is Wave’s lowest ridership
F T

A
route
 RideMICRO’s existing per pax average cost

is $29, and that is decreasing over time as the
service matures D R These 8.3 miles of service cost
$700/day to operate.
Only 21 passengers board along these
portions of Route 104, resulting in a
very high per pax cost of $33.30, about
 Proposal: Expand RideMICRO Zone 2 to 3x the average
cover Eastwood Road to replace Route 104 Service
– Extend Route 202 Oleander Drive to Mayfaire Statistics Weekdays Saturdays Sundays
70 41 37
Ridership Rank: 12/12 Rank: 12/12 Rank: 9/12
Riders
5 4.1 4.6
Served per Rank: 12/12 Rank: 12/12 Rank: 9/12 22
Where is Microtransit
Useful?
 Bus feeder to and from low-demand areas
T
– Areas where hourly service or less is supported
F
 Bus feeder to and from hard-to-serve areas
R A
– Poor sidewalks
D
– Difficult barriers like railroads, highways, water
– Circuitous or very narrow streets
 Important to avoid competing with your own bus

service
 Tradeoff: Cost per passenger is very high (about 3.6x
as of April 2023)
23
F T
R A
Redesigned Network Summary
and Benefits
D 4
REDESIGNED NETWORK & BENEFITS
Existing Weekday
104
Service 203
101
108
106
4 routes provide 30-minute service: 105 108
T
 Route 101
202
F
103
 Route 108
A
 Route 201
R
105
 Route 205
D
Trolley provides 40-minute service 205
106
Remaining 8 routes provide 60-minute service
107
201 210
25
Weekday Cost-Neutral
Redesigned Network
Service begins and ends one hour earlier on the most popular and 101
important routes 203

108
106
105
103
1 paired route provides 15-minute service:
107
T
202
 Route 205Service
Weekday and 210 north
5AMof hospital
6 7 8 9 10 11 12PM 1 2 3
205 4 5 6PM 7 8 9 Frequency
105
F
101 Princess Place 210 30 min
6 routes and 1 paired route provide 30-minute service:
103 Shipyard-College 60 min
A
104 East
 Route 103 and 107 north of Oleander
105 Medical Center
R
202
106 Shipyard Boulevard 103
 Route 101 106
D
107 College Road
 108 Market
Route 108Street 205
201 Carolina Beach Road
 202 Oleander
Route 201
203 Port City Trolley
107
 Route 205
205 Long south
Leaf Park of hospital
210 South 17th Street 210
201
 Route 210 south of hospital
 Trolley (except December – February when route does not
operate)
Remaining 5 routes provide 60-minute service
Route 104 replaced by microtransit
26
REDESIGNED NETWORK AND BENEFITS
Cost Neutral network puts more people and

jobs within walking distance of 30 minute
service
Existing access Proposed Percentage
F T
to 30 minute access to 30 change
or better minute or
A
service better service
Jobs
Population
Households
36,800
64,300
3,432
D
40,300
70,900
3,476
R +10%
+10%
+1%
without a car
Residents
earning 150%
24,434 24,815 +2%
of poverty level
or below
Non-white
24,434 24,815 +2% 27
residents
Thousands more will have access to

frequent service
F T
or better minute or
A
R
Jobs 5,100 23,300 +357%
D
Population 13,200 28,600 +117%
Households
456 1,980 +334%
without a car
Residents
earning 150%
6,204 12,584 +103%
of poverty level
or below
Non-white
3,564 10,582 +197%
residents
28
INCREASED REVENUE
Increased Revenue
Service begins and ends one hour earlier on the most popular and
104
Weekday Service
important routes and ends one hour later on all routes 101
108
105
203 106
1 route and 1 paired route provides 15-minute service: 103
202 107
 Route 108 Market Street
T
205
Weekday Service 5AM 6 7 8 9 10 11 12PM 1 2 3 4105 5 6PM 7 8 9 Frequency
210
F
 101 Princess
Route 205 andPlace
210 north of hospital 10-15 min
103 Shipyard-College 30 min
A
5 routes and 1 paired route provide 30-minute service:
104 East 60 min
105 Medical Center 202
R
 Trolley 103
106 Shipyard Boulevard
106
D
 107 College
Route 101 Road
205
108 Market Street
 Route 201 Beach Road
201 Carolina
202 Oleander
 Route 205
107
205 Long Leaf Park
 Route 210 210
210 South 17th Street
 Route 103 and Route 107 north of Oleander Dr 201
Route Remaining 5 routes provide 60-minute service
Route 104 streamlined to provide faster and more direct service

between Mayfaire and Forden Station
29
With 30% more revenue, additional

thousands will be within walking
distance to frequent service
T
F
A
or better minute or
R
D
Jobs 5,100 28,200 +453%
Population 13,200 40,000 +203%
Households
456 2,327 +410%
without a car
Residents
earning 150%
6,204 16,800 +171%
of poverty level
or below
Non-white 30
3,564 16,000 +349%
FUNDING SITUATION
Weekday Reduced-Revenue Recommended
System
A reduced revenue system would
Span
require of service2 is
discontinuing protected
routes and so that riders can continue to access
operating remainingservice at the same times they101do today
10 routes
hourly 205 108
106
105
103 210
107
2 paired routes provide 30-minute service:
T
202
Weekday Service 5AM 6 7 8 9 10 11 12PM 1 2 3 4 5 6PM 7 8 9 Frequency
105
F
 101103
Route Princess
andPlace
107 north of Oleander 60 min
103 Shipyard-College
A
202
 104205
Route East and 210 north of hospital
R
105 Medical Center
Trolley106
Discontinued
Shipyard Boulevard 103
106
D
107 College Road
Route 104 East Street
108 Market (to Mayfaire) discontinued and replaced by 205
microtransit
201 Carolina Beach Road
202 Oleander
 No fixed-route service to Mayfaire/Military Cutoff Rd
107
205 Long Leaf Park
210 South 17th Street 201 210
31
REDESIGNED NETWORKS AND BENEFITS
With 30% less revenue, only College Road,

Downtown, Southside, and Medical Center
jobs and residents are located near 30 minute
service
T
F
A
or better minute or
R
D
Jobs 36,800 29,800 -19%
Population 64,300 35,400 -45%
Households
3,432 2,296 -33%
without a car
Residents
earning 150%
24,434 15,222 -38%
of poverty level
or below
Non-white 32
24,434 12,390 -49%
REDESIGNED NETWORK
Microtransit Proposed Service

 Work with vendor to roll out state-of-the-art booking
technology and easier-to-use app
T
 Discontinued Zone 1 service to Leland due to very low ridership
F
and lack of dedicated local funding
A
 State grant may enable more reliable service and faster pick-ups
R
in Zone 4 (North New Hanover County):
D
Refined zone boundaries that discontinue service to areas with

no ridership and eliminate competition with bus
– Expanded Zone 2 south to provide service to discontinued Route 104
corridor (except in increased revenue scenario)
33
Using transit, how accessible

is the region’s housing today?
Population access maps show the number of residents that
T
can be reached from every corner of the County within a 45
minute transit trip.
A F
Population access represents how much of the County’s
housing is within a reasonable commute as compared to
R
today.
D
Today on weekdays, high access to people is concentrated:
 Downtown
 Along Randall Parkway
34
Our cost-neutral network

broadly improves population
access
T
High access is expanded to:
F
 Most areas within Wilmington’s core
A
 Entire 17th Street Corridor
R
 South of Forden Station
D
 Most of Northside and Southside communities
35
Increased revenue network

expands access to population
for even more of Wilmington
T
F
 Market Street corridor
R A
D
36
Decreased revenue network

will reduce access to
population for many residents
T
Moderate access remains:
F
 Along Wrightsville Ave
A
 Along College Road
R
Access is reduced:
D
 Along Princess Place
 Along Market Street
 In Northside and Southside communities
 Along Carolina Beach Road
37
Using transit, how accessible

are the region’s jobs today?
Job access maps show the number of jobs that can be reached
T
from every corner of the County within a 45 minute transit
trip.
A F
Access to jobs represents not just employment opportunities,
but shopping, retail, services, and schools
R
Today on weekdays, high access to jobs is concentrated:
D
 Downtown
 Medical Center
 Small pockets of Market Street
 Intersection of Carolina Beach Road and Shipyard Blvd
38
Our cost-neutral network improves

job access, especially to the biggest
job centers
T
 Most areas within Wilmington’s core
F
 Entire 17th Street Corridor
A
 Entirety of Medical Center job center
R
 Entirety of College Road between Forden Station and
D
Monkey Junction
 Most of Northside and Southside communities
39
Increased revenue network

expands access to jobs for
even more of Wilmington
T
F
 More of the Northside community
A
Moderate access is expanded to:
R
 Market Street corridor
D
 Near Forden Station
40
Decreased revenue network

will reduce access to
population for many residents
T
Access is reduced:
F
 Near Medical Center
A
 Downtown
R
 Along Randall Parkway
D
 Along Carolina Beach Road
 Market Street
41
Cost-neutral network significantly improves 1

access to major destinations
4
Percent change in access to key destinations within 45 minutes on fixed-route transit, with average
wait times at noon:
Population Jobs
F T 2
A
6
R
5
1) Forden
D
+9% +33%
Station
2) Greenfield
+69% +21%
St & 8th St
3) Monkey
+27% +134%
Junction
4 ) Padgett
+20% +7%
Station
5) Medical
+61% +17%
Center
6) College Rd
+7% +10%
& Oleander Dr
3
42
Benefits are especially concentrated for Wave’s 1

core market of riders
4
wait times at noon:
T
People earning
F
Number of Car
at or below Non-White
Population Jobs
150% Poverty Residents
Free 2
A
Households
Level
6
R
5
1) Forden
D
+9% +33% +5% +14% +22%
Station
2) Greenfield
+69% +21% +31% +30% +22%
St & 8th St
3) Monkey
+27% +134% +53% +58% +109%
Junction
4 ) Padgett
+20% +7% +7% +7% +8%
Station
5) Medical
+61% +17% +32% +27% +22%
Center
6) College Rd
+7% +10% +10% +14% +6%
& Oleander Dr
3
43
Increased revenue network expands access 1

even further
4
wait times at noon:
Population Jobs
F T 2
A
6
R
5
1) Forden
D
+26% +46%
Station
2) Greenfield
+78% +25%
St & 8th St
3) Monkey
+26% +134%
Junction
4 ) Padgett
+33% +16%
Station
5) Medical
+66% +18%
Center
6) College Rd
+8% +10%
& Oleander Dr
3
44
Decreased revenue network will have mixed 1

effects
4
wait times at noon:
Population Jobs
F T 2
A
6
R
5
1) Forden
D
-31% -13%
Station
2) Greenfield
-2% 0%
St & 8th St
3) Monkey
-28% -44%
Junction
4 ) Padgett
-46% -32%
Station
5) Medical
0% -8%
Center
6) College Rd
+7% +7%
& Oleander Dr
3
45
F T
R
What’s next for Reimagine
Wave Transit?
D
A 5
NEXT STEPS
What’s ahead for Reimagine Wave Transit

 Work with stakeholders and officials to confirm Wave’s upcoming operating budget
– April 2024
 Produce public materials related to final recommended network
T
– Begin public education campaign several months in advance of any service changes
A F
 Document Reimagine Wave Transit recommendations in a final plan
R
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
D
Public and Local Participation P P
Program S S
Existing Conditions and Service
Improvements Analyses
Develop Service Alternatives and
Implementation Recommendations
Final Plan
We are here
Thank you
F T
R A
D
Keaton Wetzel
kwetzel@nelsonnygaard.com

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February 14, 2024

Redesigned Networks Summary and

Objectives, Goals &

efficient, effective, and convenient.

Public, rider, and stakeholder preferences are vital

17 Organizations Represented at February 9 th Stakeholder

A key tradeoff we sought feedback on:

 Two types of service: demand- and coverage-based:

All transit systems provide both types, but most systems

focus on demand-based services, because transit is

Survey Respondents Express Similar

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Frequent Service is service that 2.5

is easy to build your life around

Frequency (Buses per Hour)

 Easier recovery from disruption:

There was broad consensus on

Opinions were mixed on how

• Carolina Beach Road south

Discussion: Key Public and Stakeholder Feedback Findings

 Provide more frequent service on the region’s major transit corridors

What other inputs have Informed

1. The findings of the Market Analysis

3. Cost per passenger analysis to identify where bus

Developing Our Service Alternatives

More direct Less duplicative Easier to understand

Building on strengths: Route

 Most productive and highest ridership

Proposed Redesigned Route

 Provides bi-directional service along

exists between Downtown and the Medical

Downtown Trolley Proposal

Replacing very low ridership fixed-route

 Stakeholders helped identify that portions of

 RideMICRO’s existing per pax average cost

 Important to avoid competing with your own bus

important routes 203

Remaining 5 routes provide 60-minute service

Route 104 replaced by microtransit

Cost Neutral network puts more people and

Existing access Proposed Percentage

Thousands more will have access to

Route Remaining 5 routes provide 60-minute service

Route 104 streamlined to provide faster and more direct service

With 30% more revenue, additional

With 30% less revenue, only College Road,

Microtransit Proposed Service

Using transit, how accessible

Population access maps show the number of residents that

Our cost-neutral network

Increased revenue network

Decreased revenue network

Using transit, how accessible

Our cost-neutral network improves

Increased revenue network

Decreased revenue network

Cost-neutral network significantly improves 1

Benefits are especially concentrated for Wave’s 1

Increased revenue network expands access 1