RIDERS GIVE EmX THUMBS UP.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

A newly released survey suggests that most passengers on the Lane Transit District's EmX Bus Rapid Transit line are happy travelers, and they may include a growing number of riders who are opting for the bus even though they own a car.

A majority of riders also say the EmX is faster than the previous Route 11 service that ferried them between downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield, according to survey results. But some riders have lingering concerns about quality of service, driver performance and the accommodation of bicycles on the EmX, the survey found.

The analysis compares the responses of 1,283 riders on the old Route 11 in November with those of 1,833 EmX riders in May. Route 11 now carries LTD riders only between downtown Springfield and Thurston to the east.

The survey was conducted by the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute in Florida and underwritten by the Federal Transit Authority.

LTD spokesman Andy Vobora said transit officials are only beginning to scrutinize the findings. "But there seems to be a lot of really positive things about what people are feeling about the service and how it's working," he said.

The EmX debuted Jan. 14 and easily surpassed the old Route 11's mark of 2,667 daily average weekday riders. EmX daily ridership reached 5,064 in May, then fell to 4,333 during the summer months when university and K-12 students were out of school. The resumption of school this month is expected to push the ridership figures back up above 5,000, Vobora said.

Unlike the former Route 11 standard bus, the 60-foot-long EmX buses travel 60 percent of their four-mile trek in bus-only lanes.

Four of the diesel-electric hybrids ply the route along Franklin Boulevard at any given time, aiming to reach each of eight bus stops every 10 minutes.

The EmX typically requires 16 minutes to get from one downtown to the other.

Most EmX riders appear satisfied with the service - four in five rate it as "good" or "very good."

In response to open-ended questions, many said they particularly like how the doors on the EmX can open from either side, and the fact that the EmX service is free.

The typical rider uses EmX five days a week, consistent with the finding that students and workers make up the largest customer bases.

University of Oregon student Micaela Kaiser, for example, said she relies on the service twice a day for part of her journey between campus and her residence along Coburg Road.

"I really like EmX because it's quick and it comes very often," she said Thursday at the Dad's Gate Station next to the UO.

Colin Kiley, a UO sophomore from Junction City, said he relies on EmX to run errands, such as his trip Thursday to his bank in downtown Eugene. Kiley said he's not surprised by the recent survey's mostly upbeat appraisal of EmX.

"It's just speedy and convenient, and it's usually not full since they go all the time," he said.

"I really haven't heard any complaints about it; it's just a great tool to get around Eugene."

Most EmX users - nearly 58 percent - are what's known as "captive riders": They don't own or have access to a private car.

But some survey answers suggest that EmX may also be attracting coveted "choice riders' - those who do own a car but nonetheless opt to take the bus.

For example, nearly 15 percent of EmX riders said they used to cover the same route by private vehicle.

The survey also found a 4 percent increase in EmX riders, compared with Route 11 riders, who said they were new to riding the bus.

EmX also may be attracting more "leisure riders' - those who said they boarded the bus to visit friends or family or for recreational pursuits, to avoid traffic or because they considered it more convenient than other ways of getting around.

Regarding travel times, more than 60 percent said EmX is faster than previous LTD service between the downtowns. However, Route 11 users in east Springfield - who now face an extra bus transfer because of EmX - are less enthusiastic: 40 percent say EmX is faster, 30 percent say there's no difference and another 30 percent say EmX is actually slower in getting them to their final destination.

Local residents' affection for their bikes - 7 percent of all EmX riders pedal to their bus stop - is one area of concern. When respondents were asked to offer any additional comments about EmX, 13 percent said EmX needs to find a better way to secure bikes or should consider adding exterior bike racks.

The EmX buses accommodate up to three bicycles, whose owners are expected to stand next to them.

Often, however, riders lean their bikes against a wall and then take seats on the bus, leaving the bikes unattended and susceptible to crashing around, Vobora said.

LTD has ordered stabilizing front-tire racks for use inside all of the EmX buses and is looking at other strategies for making the bikes more secure, Vobora said.

Another idea is to erect more secure bike storage areas at the two EmX terminals, so that round-trip riders will feel more comfortable leaving their bikes there, he said.

The EmX buses are not designed to allow for bike racks on the exterior, he said.

Nearly 23 percent of respondents said EmX needs better service - presumably, longer operational hours or more frequent service - and 10 percent voiced dissatisfaction with drivers: leaving stops before everyone can board, driving too fast or jerkily, failing to control rowdy passengers or otherwise enforcing bus rules.

Vobora said some dissatisfaction may be related to the fact that EmX drivers are physically more removed from riders than are drivers on regular LTD buses, where passengers board at the front of the bus.

"If people perceive that the drivers don't care, that's not accurate," Vobora said. "EmX is just a different kind of service where drivers are not able to interact with passengers."

WHY ARE YOU RIDING EMX TODAY?

No car available: 33%

I don't drive: 15%

More convenient: 12%

Less expensive: 12%

I have a bus pass: 11%

To avoid traffic: 7%

Parking problems: 6%

Other: 4%

HOW DID YOU GET

TO YOUR EMX STOP?

I walked: 46%

I transferred from another bus: 35%

I biked: 7%

I drove: 5%

I was dropped off: 4%

Other: 3%

- National Bus Rapid Transit Institute