ARPA
ARPA Service Improvements and Fare Promotion
The Pandemic And Its Effect On Metro
The COVID-19 pandemic had sudden and drastic impacts to the day-to-day lives of most everyone, including those in Greater Portland. People who had commuted to 9-5 office jobs for decades were suddenly working remotely, restaurants became take-out joints, and people avoided enclosed spaces with other people. Needless to say, this had a jarring effect on Metro ridership and transit ridership across the country. Ridership on Metro plummeted to less than a quarter of 2019’s monthly totals, eventually settling in at about 40% of 2019 ridership by the end of 2020. Ridership recovery has been steady but slow — as of December 2023, monthly ridership is at about 81% of 2019 ridership. Nationally, ridership recovery stands at about 77%, so Metro is outpacing the national trend.
Temporary Fare Reduction And Schedule Improvements
In Winter/Spring 2022, Metro applied for federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a series of initiatives and service improvements intended to encourage people to take transit after ridership dropped sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2022, the split letter approving the allocation of this funding was signed by all parties, allowing this funding to be allocated for use beginning in 2023. Metro’s initiatives, that were funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) to support agencies in the aftermath of the pandemic, were designed to make transit more accessible, more frequent, and faster. Each project, with an approximate timeline for implementation, is discussed below.
Temporary Half-Price Fare Promotion (Spring/Summer 2023)
Along with our regional transit partners South Portland Bus Service (SPBS), Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit (BSOOB), Metro implemented a temporary 50% reduction in fares for the majority of 2023. After a year of inflation and high gas prices, a reduction in fare prices helped Greater Portland save money by switching to transit. With a DiriGo pass, a passenger spent just $1 per trip to ride local routes, and paid no more than $3 per day or $30 per month thanks to our fare capping system. The program began on March 1, 2023 and ran through September 30, 2023. The Fare Deal increased ridership by an estimated 10-15% during the promotional period, with no evidence of a significant decline in ridership once the Fare Deal ended.
Transit Signal Priority (Summer/Fall 2024)
Many people prefer to travel in their car because it is faster than taking the bus. Transit signal priority (TSP) helps level the playing field by prioritizing vehicles that carry more people (namely buses) at traffic signals. Signals can be programmed to turn green faster for an approaching bus, or stay green longer to allow a bus to get through a red light. METRO plans to procure and install TSP systems on Washington Avenue and Forest Avenue in Portland in the winter/spring 2024, helping Route 2 and Route 9 buses move faster and more reliably along some of Greater Portland’s more congested roadways. Additional locations along Congress Street and Brighton Avenue are also being equipped, helping even more routes.
Bus Stop Accessibility Improvements (2024 & 2025)
For transit to work for you, you need to be able to get on and off the bus safely no matter where you’re going. Many Portland-area bus stops are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meaning they can be difficult, dangerous, or impossible to navigate for people with mobility needs. In order to be considered accessible, bus stops need to be level, clear of obstacles, and located near safe and accessible crossings so that bus stops on either side of the street can be accessed for both ends of a trip. A regional Transit Stop Access Project (TSAP) was already underway prior to ARPA funds being awarded. Metro, SPBS, and BSOOB are utilizing ARPA funding to increase the number of bus stops to be improved as part of the TSAP project.
Route Improvements
August 2023 – Husky Line service extended to the Portland Waterfront.
June 2024 – Route 7 and Route 5 modifications. Route 7 extended to the Portland Jetport and DHHS, providing better and more frequent service. Route 5 provides direct service from downtown Portland to the Mall.
Microtransit Pilot
Metro currently serves much of East Falmouth with fixed route service that we refer to as the “Falmouth loops”. These “loops” serve as the northerly terminus for the Route 7, providing access to Town Market/Route 88 as well as to Oceanview. However, the ridership in these loops are very low, and it is difficult to justify the amount of time it takes to serve these more suburban areas. While fixed route service is ideal for dense, urban areas, it is often challenging to run in suburban areas where the latent transit demand is lower and more spread out. Demand-response transit service, or “Microtransit”, aims to solve this issue by serving a large area with a more flexible service. Metro envisions truncating the Route 7 at Shaws in Falmouth Village, then running microtransit services in the coverage area of the existing “loop” service — and beyond. Microtransit is expected to replace the “loops” serving Town Landing Market and Oceanview in Fall 2024.