AG 1999 06 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

· South Route 17 miles 27 minutes · Central Route 15 miles 36 minutes The travel times may be higher depending on the number of stops and more detailed route analysis. Instead of staying on major roads, it may be advantageous to get closer to major apartment and other housing areas to attract more riders. Clearly there is a trade off between speed and riders. The fewer the number of stops the fewer the potential riders but the higher the average speed for the buses. With the above routes and travel times, it would appear that four buses/vans would be neces~-y for normal operations with a fifth available as a spare. This would depend upon whether the operating authority wished to buy the buses or contract with a private (or public) operator to provide the service. This level of service represents a modest start for scheduled operations, while providing end to end connectivity through the corridor. This would be an important factor in providing access to many of the social service and medical deStinations. Operating Cost Estimates The operating cost estimates for the routes are based on North Carolina State average costs for similar services in similar sized areas. The costs could also vary depending on whether they are authority operated or a purchased service. The, daily operating costs~ by route, are estimated to be in the range of: · North $281 to $312 · Middle $216 to $240 · South $367 to $408 · Central $324 to $360. Total estimated daily costs to operate all four routes would then be $1,188 to $1,320. On an annual basis (250 days) this would be $297.000 to $330,000. Since this chapter of the report was initially written, a cost scenario has been developed using an hourly rate for service as opposed to a cost/mile of operation as shown above. These new costs are shown in Chapter 6 of this report. §unnett Fleming ENGINEERS AND PLANNERS