October 28, 2024 Service Change - New Schedules

Last Updated:

New Schedules:

The new schedules and timetables have been finalized, and can be found by clicking on the individual Route numbers below. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we have navigated through this process.

Buses approximately every 15 minutes

Buses approximately every 60 minutes - and Commuter Route 92

Outreach:

People Mover staff was at the locations below to help answer questions and provide any further details regarding the upcoming service change. New paper schedule brochures were available at each place. Online versions have been available since Sept. 27.

  • Oct. 1st - Dimond Transit Center - 11:00am to 1:00pm
  • Oct. 1st - Fairview Rec Center - 5:30pm to 7:00pm
    • Community Room
  • Oct. 2nd - City Hall - 4:30pm to 6:00pm
    • Room 155
  • Oct. 8th - Loussac Library - 4:00pm to 6:00pm
    • Atrium A
  • Oct. 10th - Loussac Library - 5:30pm to 7pm
    • Moose Room - PTAB meeting
  • Oct. 11th - Muldoon Library - 3:00pm to 5:30pm
    • Main Lobby
  • Oct. 16th - Downtown Transit Center - 10:00am to 12:00pm
  • Oct. 23rd - Centennial Village - 11:00am to 1:00pm
    • Activity Room
  • Oct. 23rd - Mountain View Library - 3:00pm to 5:30pm
    • Main Lobby

Final Survey Results:

Your feedback is invaluable to us. We've carefully considered all the votes, comments, and suggestions received during the Public Comment Period, which ended on August 5, 2024. As a result, PTD has made the difficult decision to implement "Option B" for the October Service Change. This means Route 25 will soon operate with a 30-minute frequency throughout the day.

 Unfortunately, to better align our service with current operator and staff levels, additional reductions were also necessary:

 ·     Routes 11, 31, 41, and 51 will end service between 10 PM and 11 PM on weekdays.

·     Route 85 will return to 60-minute frequency throughout the day.

·     Weekend service for Routes 31, & 51 will be reduced to 60-minute frequency.

 We want to give everyone as much time as possible to plan for these changes, so final schedules will be posted on September 27, 2024.

 Thank you again for your patience, understanding, and participation as we navigate these challenges together.

Click the button below for the survey results and all public comments.

Quick summary overview:

67% of all voters chose Option B - reducing Route 25 to half hour service all day.

53% of Route 25 riders voted to reduce Route 25 service.

80% of riders who use Routes 31, 35, 41, 51, 55, & 65 voted to reduce service on Route 25.

Possible alternate reductions:

  • 43% voted for ending service on Routes 11, 31, 41, & 51 at 10pm on weekdays.
  • 32% voted for reducing service on Routes 31 & 51 on the weekend.
  • 25% voted for reducing service on Routes 35, 55, & 65 to 60 minutes after 8pm on weekdays.

Background and Details.

Significant workforce shortages and challenges are affecting attendance and availability to perform the work and impacting the ability to maintain current service levels. This situation is affecting not only riders but also the expectations of the Administration and the Assembly. The Department is working diligently with Municipal partners (Human Resources, Municipal Manager, Legal, and Risk Management) and the Teamsters Local 959 to find solutions. Recognizing this is a hardship for you, your patience and understanding are appreciated as these challenges are addressed.

What does this mean? Below are some of the impacts on the department and riders since 1/22/24.

Data Date Range: 1/22/24 - 6/22/24

Our goals for the October Service Change:

1. Prioritizing Bus Operator Safety: The reductions in service on select routes are primarily aimed at prioritizing the safety of our operations. This has been an ongoing challenge and with new technology in place we can adjust and continue to monitor the situation. The Department is prioritizing the rest and wellness of our bus operators, attempting to reduce overtime, and adhere to the new requirements outlined in the Teamsters Local 959 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

2. Addressing the Customer Experience: The service reductions are intended to improve reliability and reduce the number of cancelled trips riders are experiencing. The Department is committed to communicating service disruptions via the mStop app and People Mover website in advance when possible.

3. Open Lines of Communication: Rider opinions and feedback are vital to the Department’s decision making, during times of change. Please share any concerns or suggestions regarding these reduction options. Your input will guide the hard and necessary decisions for the October Service Change.

Timeline:

What changes were proposed for October 28?

Two (2) options were being considered: both reduce service frequency (how often buses come by). No routes are proposed to be eliminated. These two options are explained in the chart below to make it easy to compare the differences with the service provided today.

Route

Current Frequency

Option A

Option B

10 & 20

15 minutes

17 minutes

16 minutes

30

15 minutes

17 minutes

15 minutes

40

15 minutes

15 minutes

15 minutes

25

15 minutes (8am - 7pm)

17 minutes (8am - 7pm)

30 minutes (all day)

35 & 55

30 minutes

60 minutes

30 minutes

41 & 65

30 minutes

60 minutes

30 minutes

31 & 51

30 minutes

60 minutes

30 minutes

11 & 85

60 minutes

60 minutes

60 minutes

92

---

No change

No change

*Please note: there are no proposed changes of service to Eagle River in either option.

Option A: All standard and neighborhood routes would have buses coming every 60 minutes, but Route 25 would keep its current level of frequent service. So, Routes 31, 35, 41, 51, 55, and 65 would be most impacted and have buses come every hour all day long.

Routes affected by choosing Option A

Option B: Route 25 would have buses every 30 minutes all day, instead of 15 minutes. Route 25 is the busiest route, so this change means that trips might take longer because the buses will be fuller and stop more often. But all the other routes will stay the same as they are now.

Routes affected by choosing Option B

If additional cuts need to be made...

Weekday Frequency

Weekday Span

Weekend Frequency

Reducing frequency from thirty (30) minutes to sixty (60) minutes after 8pm.

Ending service on some routes at 10pm.

Reducing frequency from thirty (30) minutes to sixty (60) minutes on some routes on weekend days.

Routes 35, 55 & 65.

Routes 11, 31, 41 & 51.

Routes 31 & 51.

Public Event Opportunities

Below is a list of events that PTD staff attended to provide opportunities to connect in-person during the Public Comment Period of July 5 - Aug. 5.

Click to play a video presentation of this website and survey.

Video walkthrough of this website.

Contact Us:

  • Email your Comments: transitplanning@muni.org
  • Mail your Comments: Transit Planning, P.O. Box 196650, Anchorage AK 99519
  • Talk to Someone: 907-343-6543 (option #1, then option #2)
  • Visit: Customer Service, 517 W 7th Ave., Ste 200, Anchorage AK 99501

These changes are proposed for October 28, 2024 implementation.  Any additional changes based on public comments will be posted online at  peoplemover.org . Final schedules will be posted September 27, 2024.

Thank you for taking the time to participate and provide your feedback through this process.

Public Comment period closed August 5, 2024.

Translations:

67% of all voters chose Option B - reducing Route 25 to half hour service all day.

53% of Route 25 riders voted to reduce Route 25 service.

80% of riders who use Routes 31, 35, 41, 51, 55, & 65 voted to reduce service on Route 25.

Possible alternate reductions:

Routes affected by choosing Option A

Routes affected by choosing Option B