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7/28/2019 Peterborough: Balancing Needs And Priorities
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Peterborough Transit
A City In Decline Balancing Needs & Priorities
Scott Wannan
0296133
01 04 02013
POST-CAST-GEOG 4555H
City, Economy, and Society
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Peterborough is a city in decline. The lack of industry and an elderly population put strain on
the city to provide public transportation to a community that needs it. This essay will examine the
City of Peterborough's 2012 Transit Operations Review, and position in a wider context of how
public transit operators can work to improve customers perceived value of transit to increase
customers loyalty thus ensuring the sustainability of the public transit system.
This paper will have three parts, the first will discuss the city of Peterborough, a declining city
with an increasingly elderly population. The second part will examine different case studies in the
utility of travel as well as the relationship between customer satisfaction and perceived value and an
easy way Peterborough Transit could do just that, and the third part will examine the City Of
Peterborough's 2012 Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead and assess the cities ability to
provide services to an increasingly elderly population and infrastructure requiring capital investment.
Peterborough as a city is in rough shape. The population of the area that Peterborough Transit
serves is 78 000 while the entire Census Metropolitan Area is just under 134 000.1 It is a very elderly
population as well, there are 35 000 people aged 65+ and only 30 000 people aged 18-352. The
Peterborough CMA is the 33rd largest in Canada and is the oldest CMA in Ontario and fifth oldest in
Canada3, such an elderly population that median age of Peterborough is 45 vs 40 in the rest of
Ontario.
The city already has 50% employment and while the population is expected to grow by 10%
over the next 20 years the city expects only 2% increase in employment (Table 1, The Route Ahead
1Statistics Canada. 2012. Peterborough, Ontario (Code 3515) and Ontario (Code
35) (table).Census Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa.
Released October 24, 2012. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-
pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E
(accessed April 1, 2013).2 Statistics Canada. 2012.3 Canada. City Of Peterborough. Peterborough.ca. By City Of Peterborough. City Of Peterborough, Oct. 2012. Web. 01
May 2013.. P 23
http://www.peterborough.ca/Assets/City+Assets/Transit/Transit+Operations+Review/Transit+Operations+Review+Final+Report.pdfhttp://www.peterborough.ca/Assets/City+Assets/Transit/Transit+Operations+Review/Transit+Operations+Review+Final+Report.pdfhttp://www.peterborough.ca/Assets/City+Assets/Transit/Transit+Operations+Review/Transit+Operations+Review+Final+Report.pdfhttp://www.peterborough.ca/Assets/City+Assets/Transit/Transit+Operations+Review/Transit+Operations+Review+Final+Report.pdf7/28/2019 Peterborough: Balancing Needs And Priorities
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And Appendix).4Meanwhile seven of the ten major employers in Peterborough are either government
offices or educational institutions5.
Peterborough Transit has been operating conventional and paratransit services since 1978.
There are 12 regular routes with express routes to both Trent University Fleming College and
Technology Drive6. Buses run from 6 Am-11:20 PM weekdays and Saturdays and 8 am-7:20 PM on
Sundays, more on this later.7 Transit services are focused downtown around the terminal with
scheduled connections to routes around the city as well as providing connection to inter-city bus
services like Go Transit and Greyhound.
Currently 4.5% of all trips taken in Peterborough are on public transit, an increase of 62% over
the past decade and the city is on track to their goal of 6% of all trips taken in the city to be on public
transit by 2021. While overall ridership is up, Figure 1 (Appendix) from The Route Ahead , the usage
of the paratransit Handi-Van service is down overall with several small increases throughout the years
including 2011 as illustrated in Figure 2 (Appendix) from The Route Ahead
Transit ridership is high at almost 38% per capita with 29 average boardings per revenue
vehicle hour8. There are multiple issues the City admits needs dealing with, including but not limited
to the long times between runs, 40 foot buses in a 35 foot terminal and revamping the Handi-Van
service.
Peterborough transit does many things well and several unique features in their transit services.
For several years now the City has used Transcab for services in low ridership areas. The service is
4 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 15 Kawartha, My. "Peterborough's 82 Major Employers of the past Year." My Kawartha [Kawartha Lakes] 01 Apr. 2012: n.
pag. Print.6 Canada. City Of Peterborough. Peterborough.ca. By City Peterborough. City Of Peterborough, Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Mar.
2013..
7 City Of Peterborough. Peterborough Transit. Peterborough.ca. By Transit Peterborough. City Of Peterborough, n.d. Web.01 Mar. 2013. .
8 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 1
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used as an introductory measure and as population grows the Transcab is replaced with a conventional
transit route.
Trent students make up 7% of the population of Peterborough and because of the close
relationship between the school and the city there is near universal student ridership, students make
up 34% of the ridership of Transit.9 The service is operated at 100% cost recovery with the cost
divided up through a mandatory bus pass for all students.
Peterborough is among the most active cities in terms of work commute. Figure 6 in the
Comprehensive Transportation Plan show that 7.9% of all work trips in 2006 in Peterborough where
walked Figure 6 (Appendix) and Figure 8 (Appendix), both in Peterborough Comprehensive
Transportation Plan, show 2.3% of all work trips in 2006 in Peterborough where cycling. In both
cases Peterborough is second in all of Ontario for most work trips taken on either foot or bicycle.10
Peterborough has encouraged this through the sidewalk policy, any new residential areas must
have a sidewalk with a through pedestrian connection, in 2011 city council reaffirmed their
commitment to the sidewalk policy.11 Peterborough also has an extensive network of both off and on
street facilities, weighted in favour of off-road trails with 38 km versus 15 km off on-road facilities.12
The network isn't perfect, with large gaps where existing routes do not meet up as well as trail
crossings that can be hazardous to both pedestrians and cyclists.
Aside from the economy the other issue the City of Peterborough has to deal with and provide
transit services for is a growing elderly population. The city has the potential to turn the elderly
population into a benefit. Peterborough Transit needs to able to attract the trips an elderly population,
accounting for 28% of the population of Peterborough by 2031, which will help maintain their health
9 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 2710 . City Of Peterborough. Peterborough.ca. Peterborough Comprehensive Transportation Plan P 13,
1511 City Of Peterborough. Peterborough.ca. Peterborough Comprehensive Transportation Plan P 10212 City Of Peterborough. Peterborough.ca. Peterborough Comprehensive Transportation Plan P 123
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and by increasing their loyalty to public transit by increasing their perceived value the elderly
population could become the the loyal base upon which Peterborough Transit can be sustainable and
expand upon.
One thing needs to be made clear at the very beginning when we start discussing the needs of
the elderly, like all age groups the transportation needs of the elderly are not homogenous. Not only
are there differing health situations and physical ability between various ages in general but there are
lifestyle, socio-demographic characteristics as well as changes in income and family dynamics that
combine to highlight the need for mobility options to satisfy the varying demands and contribute to
better quality of life in an aging society.13
There are some general qualities one can pull out of this group, including the relationship
between disability and driving. In Transport policy and the provision of mobility options in an aging
society: a case study of Ontario, Canada Ruben Mercado; Antonio Pez; K and Bruce Newbold find
that the elderly people whom had given up driving had fewer medical conditions than current
drivers14 Because the elderly's use of public transit can be negatively by physical limitations
..changing mobility lifestyle...and the declining quality of public transit systems15 if the move from
automobile to public transit will result in fewer medical conditions, the city would seem to have a
responsibility to provide transit services.
If Peterborough Transit is able to decrease wait times and transfer which have a
disproportionate impact on elderly travel, able to meet the service requirements the elderly, especially
in Peterborough, could become the loyal segment of the population that ensures Transits continuity
and sustainability. In order for any of the recommendations discussed below that require capital
13 Mercado, Ruben, Antonio Paez, and K. Bruce Newbold. "Transport Policy and the Provision of Mobility Options in anAging Society: A Case Study of Ontario, Canada." Journal of Transport Geography 18.5 (2010): 149-661. ScholarsPortal. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. . P 1
14 "Transport Policy and the Provision of Mobility Options in an Aging Society: A Case Study of Ontario, Canada."P 66215 Transport policy and the provision of mobility options in an aging society: a case study of Ontario, Canada P 662
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investment it is necessary for Peterborough Transit be sustainable and continue the path of growth
they are on.
The critical aspect that determines whether a transit service remains and is sustainable is the
role of customer loyalty. Customer loyalty can be seen as a prime indicator of long term financial
sustainability and performance. In Behavioral Intentions Of Public Transit PassengersThe Roles
Of Service Quality, Perceived Value, Satisfaction And Involvement Wen-Tai Lai and Ching-Fu Chen
examine the relationship between passenger behavioural intentions and various factors that affect
them.
Wen-Tai Lai and Ching-Fu Chen have a specific view point, they argue that Public transport
systems need to become more market oriented and competitive, as they tend to be viewed as service
products16 and customer loyalty is seen as a prime determinant of a firms long-term financial
performance and is considered a major source of competitive advantage17. While we disagree with
their perspective that transit systems need to be market oriented and competitive in order to exist, for
example Peterborough Transit is operated by the city and aside from some scheduling issues works
well, we agree that customer loyalty is a good indicator of the future success of the transit system,
and in the context of Peterborough where the city is trying to increase the use of Handi-van and other
paratransit services specifically for the elderly population, customer loyalty and how to increase it
needs to be examined.
Lai and Chen examine the relationship between service quality, satisfaction, behavioral
intentions, and perceived values to find implications for public transit companies. They found that
passenger behavioral intentions or loyalty relies heavily on passenger satisfaction which can be
16 Lai, Wen-Tai, and Ching-Fu Chen. "Behavioral Intentions of Public Transit PassengersThe Roles of Service Quality,Perceived Value, Satisfaction and Involvement." Transport Policy 18.2 (2010): 318-25. Scholars Portal. Web. 1 Apr.2013. P 318
17 Behavioral Intentions of Public Transit PassengersThe Roles of Service Quality, Perceived Value, Satisfaction andInvolvement P 318
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increased through service quality and perceived value. There is a fine line to walk because while
better service quality increases customer satisfaction and therefore loyalty those increased quality
services can also increase the pricing of transit which reduces the perceived value which then reduces
customer satisfaction and loyalty thus offsetting any benefits gained through increased service.
18
What this means for Peterborough is that passenger satisfaction is not guaranteed by quality of
service alone, that passenger satisfaction and therefore loyalty will not increase without a
commensurate increase in perceived value which results in re-patronage/word-of-mouth behavior,
and consequently customer loyalty.19
In terms of capturing and maintaining mode share, understanding the travelers enjoyment of
both commutes and other travel is essential. Outside of the elderly population there is growth
potential in terms of providing commuting services to employees or students traveling to or from
work or school. In their article Enjoyment of commute: A comparison of different transportation
modes Antonio Pez & Kate Whalen examine opinions about commutes by students at McMaster
University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Their thesis is that a positive utility is found even in the most utilitarian of trips, the commute
to work....increasing use of public transit means increasing the utility of the trip.20 They argue that
utility for travel has three parts, the utility for the activity at the destination, the utility for activities
that can be conducted while traveling and the enjoyment of the act of travel itself.21 Though this
research was conducted around the opinions of students the idea of the utility of the trip and
increasing both satisfaction and usage of transit by increasing that utility can be applied to various
18 Behavioral Intentions of Public Transit PassengersThe Roles of Service Quality, Perceived Value, Satisfaction andInvolvement P 324
19 Behavioral intentions of public transit passengersThe roles of service quality, perceived value, satisfaction andinvolvement P 324
20 Pez, Antonio, and Kate Whalen. "Enjoyment of Commute: A Comparison of Different Transportation Modes."Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 44.7 (2010): 537-49. Scholars Portal. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.. P 538
21 Enjoyment of commute: A comparison of different transportation modes P 538
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groups using transit.
One finding that seems particularly relevant to Peterborough revolves around the length of the
trip in regards to if the traveler feels the commute serves a buffer between home and school. Paez and
Whalen found that regardless of whether the subject agreed or disagreed that their commute served as
buffer between home and school transit users in Hamilton wanted their commutes to be shorter.
In the context of Peterborough where the majority of routes still run on 40 minute schedule this
supports the move to 20 minute schedules as the Peterborough Transit Plans to in over the next 5
years.22 Cutting the routing down to 20 minute schedules would directly impact many of the
complaints about Peterborough Transit and would have a big impact on the perceived value of the
service as well as usage of it.
As part of the 2012 Transit Operations Review the City produced a Summary Of
Recommendations and Implementation plan. There are 87 recommendations, ranging from
Peterborough Transit continue to operate a radial based system with a secondary emphasis on other
key nodes including the Lansdowne Mall and Chemong corridor to "Peterborough Transit establish a
capital budget for the acquisition of an upgraded GPS and for a Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
program.
Of those 87 recommendations the grand majority, 52, are not started, nine have been initiated,
six are ongoing and 14 have been completed. They gathered these recommendations through several
methods of community engagement. Through a combination of a study web page gathering opinions,
a drop-in session at the Evinrude Centre, stakeholder interviews, focus groups and public information
centers the city was able to communicate with a wide range of people who use transit and gather their
opinions about transit and how to improve it.23
22 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P ii23 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 31
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One of the significant deterrence to ridership growth is the 40 minute route times, the city
intends to convert all routes to 20 minute times as part of the overall goal of a transit mode share of
6% by 201724. Key efficiency measures include combing the Trent East Bank and Route 9 Nichols
Park, converting Route 12 Major Bennet to a peak period employment express, the elimination of first
run Saturday for all routes25as well as improvements to the Handi-Van program.
Alongside the improvements to conventional transit the City has multiple improvements for the
Handi-van paratransit service. Handi-Van usage has been going down slightly over the years as seen
in Figure 18 but the city expects the elderly population to continue increasing and as such need to
continue to provide and improve paratransit services.
The first improvement is in making conventional transit more accessible. The city has a policy
that clarifies the definition and intention of the priority and courtesy seating on conventional transit.
Clear signage should resolve any issues surrounding who occupies those seats and in the event that it
does not the city intends to create a program where if a person with a disability is waiting a stop other
than the downtown terminal and the priority seating is occupied, the driver will notify dispatch and if
there is no bus due at that stop in the next 20 minutes dispatch will range a pickup with Hand-Van or
accessible taxi.26
Secondly the city intends to implement a Taxi Scrip program with a target of 5-8,000 annual
trips increasing to 15 000 annual trips in the long term with a net cost OT the city of $5 a trip in the
short term. An initial budget of $40 0000 functions at 50% cost share to $80 000 in taxi vouchers
good for approximately 8 000 trips with users purchasing books of $20 a month subject to the
municipal budget.27
The third recommendation is for a a community bus service focused primarily on serving
24 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P ii25 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P ii26 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 9727 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 98
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seniors and those with mobility related disabilities. The focus would be on assisted living centers,
clinics, shopping and personal service areas and other activity centers.28 Initially there would be one
route on the north side of the city and one in the central-south, additional routes would be added once
specific financial and performance targets are achieved. The routes would be designed to directly
connect origins with destinations with short travel times while recognizing that need for service
close to the entrance at both origins and destinations29
Those are the improvements that the City reports can be done without any major capital
expenses, the City expects the 2013 budget requirements for Transit to be roughly equivalent to 2012
levels but given the last general fare increase was in 2009 the report suggest a $.25 increase on cash
fare.
The current mayor Daryl Bennet, elected in 2010 replacing Paul Ayotte, is the owner of Capitol
Taxi30. In 2012 when the Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead report was released
with the proposed cuts to weekend service and the fare increase there was some controversy because
of the perceived conflict of interest because of his taxi company. This was the first move from his
administration with anything to do with Peterborough Transit and people assumed that the fare
increase and service cuts where influenced by the his business holdings. Hundreds of people packed
the Evinrude Centre31 opposing the cuts and the hike while urging the city to move forward on the
shorter term goals such as the change to 20 minute route times. The major eventually removed
himself from the debate did not cast a vote32 but the damage was done and city council held off on the
proposed rate hikes.
28 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 9929 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 10030 Wiebe, Joel. "Mayor Declaring a Conflict." My Kawartha. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
.31 Wedley, Brendan. "Peterborough Transit Riders Group Urges Council to Hold off on Fare Increases until after
Improvements." Peterborough Examiner. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013..
32 Wiebe, Joel. "Mayor Declaring a Conflict."
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Most of the recommendations and improvements the city has in their report can be
accomplished without significant fare hikes or capital expenses but two of the major issues facing the
city do require some significant capital outlay. One of the major issues Pete borough Transit has been
dealing with for quite a while now is the size of the buses vs the size of the terminal. The terminal
was designed for 35 foot buses but most of Peterborough Transit's fleet are 40 feet long. This creates
some danger when loading and unloading passengers at the terminal, with passengers running around
buses and drivers not having completely visibility and the dispatcher having to verbally direct the
buses in the correct order out of the terminal to avoid collision.
The 10 Year Capital Program allocates $1 million for renovations and upgrades to the operation
areas, waiting areas and customer service facilities but the budget states that the renovations will not
be complete until the design of the Municipal Operations Centre is finalized.
A new Municipal Operations Centre is crucial. The report states Efficient, cost effective
vehicle maintenance programs cannot be realized until a more modern properly
designed maintenance facility is provided33The current maintenance garage is too
properly store the entire fleet. Ofthe 49 buses in the conventional fleet only 43 can be
brought into the indoor storage area and all 10 Hand-Van vehicles are outside all
year long34
Alongside a new Municipal Operations Centre and a new Terminal, a significant
portion of the buses need to be replaced. There have been no new buses
acquired since 2009 and no orders placed in 2012 with a delivery lead time of
around 13 months. The Road Ahead report updates the 10 Year Capital Program
by increasing the number of buses ordered per year so as to meet the goal of
33 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 14934 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 149
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100& accessibility by 2015.35
These four items will require a significant capital outlay from the city, not to
mention longer term planning and commitment to improving transit while the
increase in route times and manipulating of routes can be done with very
minimal cost increases.
Some of these recommendations don't stand up very well, especially in the
light of the conflict of the interest of the mayor. The cutting of first run on
Saturdays as well as both the combination of the East Bank and Route 9 Nicholls
Park and the reduction of Route 12 Major Bennet to an employment express
would seem contrary to increasing ridership and mode share. The increase in
route times to 20 minutes is the easiest and most obvious solution which would
directly address multiple issues and complaints about Peterborough Transit and
don't require commitment to city council.
Some of these other problems like the the downtown terminal and the
maintenance garage require more commitment and a capital investment that so
far the city seems unwilling to agree to. The lack of movement on the new
Municipal Operations Centre is more frustrating when it impeeds the renovation
of the downtown terminal which hasnt seen any refurbishment since the 1990's.
The basics of the system is there, one is able to access Peterborough Transit
services from 95% of the city36 but the 40 minute routes make any trip take
hours and decrease customer satisfaction, perceived value and usage.
If the city is able to commit to a plan for a new terminal that fits the current
35 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 15136 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route Ahead P 11
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fleet of buses as well as new Municipal Operations Centre that can properly store
all those buses in conjunction with changing the routes and increasing
paratransit services then Peterborough Transit will be in good shape. But if city
councils future actions are to be judged by their previous non action then there
won't be any major improvements in the near future.
Which is not necessarily as bad as it sounds, ridership is on track to
continue to increase and as the population that requires Handi-Van and related
paratransit services increase those services will be there or will be developed to
serve that market. So long as Peterborough Transit can continue to serve the
growing elderly demographic the service should continue to grow.
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Appendix
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Works CitedCity Of Peterborough. Peterborough Comprehensive Transportation Plan.Peterborough.ca. By CityPeterborough. City Of Peterborough, Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.
.City Of Peterborough. Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review The Route
Ahead.Peterborough.ca. By City Of Peterborough. City Of Peterborough, Oct. 2012. Web. 01May 2013.
.City Of Peterborough. Peterborough Transit.Peterborough.ca. By Transit Peterborough. City Of
Peterborough, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013..Lai, Wen-Tai, and Ching-Fu Chen. "Behavioral Intentions of Public Transit PassengersThe Roles of
Service Quality, Perceived Value, Satisfaction and Involvement." Transport Policy 18.2 (2010):318-25. Scholars Portal. Web. 1 Apr. 2013..Mercado, Ruben, Antonio Paez, and K. Bruce Newbold. "Transport Policy and the Provision of
Mobility Options in an Aging Society: A Case Study of Ontario, Canada."Journal of TransportGeography 18.5 (2010): 149-661. Scholars Portal. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
7/28/2019 Peterborough: Balancing Needs And Priorities
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.My, Kawartha. "Peterborough's 82 Major Employers of the past Year."My Kawartha [Kawartha Lakes]
01 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Print.Pez, Antonio, and Kate Whalen. "Enjoyment of Commute: A Comparison of Different Transportation
Modes." Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 44.7 (2010): 537-49. ScholarsPortal. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
.Wedley, Brendan. "Peterborough Transit Riders Group Urges Council to Hold off on Fare Increasesuntil after Improvements."Peterborough Examiner. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013..
Wiebe, Joel. "Mayor Declaring a Conflict."My Kawartha. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013..
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/11/14/peterborough-transit-riders-group-http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/11/14/peterborough-transit-riders-group-Recommended