This is the SIXTH in a series of presentations that deals with the question: how can we make public transit systems more effective at attracting new riders and shaping urban regions? Alan Hoffman, an internationally recognized expert in transit markets, discusses the findings of market research he has conducted or supervised, as well as his work advising cities and regions across the planet on how to improve their transit systems. This sixth presentation explores the question: Does mode matter? The role of design in addressing modal differences is given special attention. The Mission Group is a strategy firm that has helped many cities devise strategies to boost the long-term effectiveness of their transit planning so that they can set and achieve ambitious goals for transforming the role that transit plays in their regions. We're the experts in transit markets.

1. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 1© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
A Market-Focused Paradigm
for Public Transit
THE MISSION GROUP
Part 6—Does Mode Matter?
Alan Hoffman ▪ San Diego, California ▪ (619) 232-1776 ▪ info@missionconsult.com
© 2013 by The Mission Group. All Rights Reserved.
PART
6
A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 5: Improving the Customer Experience 1© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
A Market-Focused Paradigm
for Public Transit
THE MISSION GROUP
Part 6—Does Mode Matter?
Alan Hoffman ▪ San Diego, California ▪ (619) 232-1776 ▪ info@missiongrouponline.com
© 2013 by The Mission Group. All Rights Reserved.
PART
6www.missionconsult.com

2. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 2© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
In parts 2-5 of this presentation,
we focused on the three key strategic
variables that drive modal choice:
Here in part 6, we’ll now answer a
pressing question: Does mode matter?
Network
Structure
(Connectivity)
System
Performance
(Time)
Customer
Experience

3. Some people argue that some
modes are necessarily better
than other modes in virtually
all conditions. Is this true?

4. Does Mode Matter?
Yes.
But…
(That’s a bus.) (That’s a train.)

5. Does Mode Matter?
Yes.
But…

6. Does Mode Matter?
Yes.
But…

7. Does Mode Matter?
It Doesn’t
HAVE to.

8. From the blog of an occasional
transit rider in Australia, reporting
on her experience riding one of
Sydney’s T-Ways (busways):
(http://laura-seabrook.dreamwidth.org/503821.html)
Used by permission.

9. Sydney, N.S.W., Australia
Liverpool-Parramatta Transitway (T-Way)

10. “They…have dedicated bus stops
or ‘Stations’, just like a railway.”

11. “I also liked…that the stations are
properly covered against rain and sun.”

12. “I also liked the way they had local maps and other
information that you’d find at a railway station.”

13. “And just like…railway stations… these have LED
boards that tell you when the next buses are due
and where they go. Very neat - I liked it.”

14. “When the T-Way route intersected cross-
roads they had sets of lights that would defer
to the buses in advance. All this means that
it was a smooth and fast trip.”

15. “So yeah, I was impressed with the T-Way.
What a neat idea!”

16. So does mode matter?

17. Not with proper design!
This bus has been
positively called
a “Train on Tires”

This train has been
uncharitably called
a “Bus on Rails”


18. Not with proper design!
Bus Rapid Transit
station, Brisbane

Commuter Rail
station, Brisbane


19. The point isn’t bus vs. rail. It’s that
the Customer Experience can and
should be as important a design
focus as is alignment planning—
and it needs to be market driven.

20. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 20© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Interiors Matter.

21. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 21© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Maps/Info Matters.

22. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 22© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Boarding Matters.

23. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 23© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Vehicles Matter.

24. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 24© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Stations Matter.

25. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 25© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Dedicated ROW Matters.

26. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 26© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
The Social Mix Matters.

27. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 27© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Payment Matters.

28. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 28© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Transfers Matter.

29. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 29© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Walking Matters.

30. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 30© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
Traffic Matters.

31. Underlying the way customers
perceive modes are a host of
real attributes that can be
designed into any mode if their
importance is understood.

32. The Mission Group conducts
Customer Experience Audits
to identify specific steps transit
agencies can take to improve
the attractiveness of their
services to a broader market.
THE MISSION GROUP
We’re the transit market experts.
3725 Talbot Street, Suite E • San Diego, California 92106 USA
+1 (619) 232-1776 • info@missiongrouponline.com

33. A Market-Focused Paradigm for Public Transit, pt. 6: Does Mode Matter? 33© 1998-2013 by The Mission Group. All rights reserved.
THE MISSION GROUP
3725 Talbot Street, Suite E • San Diego, California 92106 USA
+1 (619) 232-1776 • info@missionconsult.com
Transit
Network
Reviews
Transit
Planning
Support
Transit Market
& Ridership
Studies
Customer
Experience
Audits
Innovative
Alternatives
Generation
Long-Term
Vision Plans
& Strategies
“Quickway”
Network
Proposals
Presentations
and
White Papers
Workshops
and Seminars
We’re the transit market experts.