People Mover Introduces Improved Transit System

New system focuses on three priorities: less waiting, more hours, better service

Mayor's Corner

4/11/2017

ANCHORAGE – Today, Mayor Berkowitz and Transit Director Hassan announced a new transit system for the Municipality of Anchorage that will reduce wait times, expand service hours and provide better service to residents. The new transit system will launch in October 2017.

The new, innovative system is based on 18 months of community outreach to design a transportation network that gives residents reliable service and contained costs. The design was based on an analysis of the transit market, over 1,200 public comments and 25-plus community meetings.

“These changes are about moving Anchorage forward,” stated Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. “The new schedule will increase ridership and provide better and faster service, helping our neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and commuters.”

The new transit system engages all of the Public Transportation Department’s assets (RideShare, People Mover, AnchorRIDES) and right-sizes the fleet to address Anchorage’s diverse road conditions and geographic span.

Less Waiting

  • 4 new frequent bus routes with buses arriving every 15 minutes during the weekdays.
    • Frequent service improves reliability for you, because if something happens to your bus, another one is always coming soon! It reduces waiting time (and thus overall travel time). It also reduces the need for a schedule, just walk to a frequent bus stop and wait on average, just 7 ½ minutes for the next bus.
  • Buses arriving every 30 minutes on the weekends.
    • Today all buses arrive every 60 minutes on the weekends regardless of the route. In the new bus system, any route that arrives within 15-30 minutes on the weekdays, will arrive every 30 minutes on the weekends too!
  • 8 transfer points outside of the Transit Center where a bus is coming every 15 minutes.
    • Instead of relying on timed transfers or having to go all the way downtown to make a transfer, you can now transfer easily wherever two frequent routes cross each other. These locations are identified on the map with white circles. You won’t need to time your transfer, because a bus is always coming. Transferring on a frequent network may actually get you to your destination faster than having to go all the way to a transit center to make a connection!

More Hours

  • Expanded Service 7 days a week.
    • Weekday service from 6 AM – Midnight (airport service until 2 AM)
    • Saturday Service from 8 AM – 8 PM
    • Sunday Service from 8 AM – 7 PM
      • During Anchorage Talks Transit, we heard from a lot of you that People Mover needed more evening and weekend service. We also heard that some people can take the bus to work, but it stops running before they get off work.
  • 10% more service than today.
    • Using smaller buses for the Neighborhood and Commuter routes saves on operating cost, allowing People Mover to provide an additional 15,350 hours of service annually.

Better Service

  • 13 total routes, all made simpler and redesigned for faster travel times.
    • The new routes are made up of more straight lines and direct paths, meaning that the buses travel faster and get you to your destination quicker. The overall system is less complex and easier to understand.
  • 3 new neighborhood routes right-sized for the local community.
    • These routes are operated with smaller buses which means they are safer for the local neighborhood roads, reduce noise in residential neighborhoods, and provide a means for people to access the new frequent network.
  • 48,665 people will be within ¼ mile of a bus that arrives every 15 minutes.
    • 86,552 people will be within ½ mile of a bus that arrives every 15 minutes. Today there are no frequent bus routes.
  • 61,170 jobs will be within ¼ mile of a bus that arrives every 15 minutes.
    • 85,070 jobs will be within ½ mile of a bus that arrives every 15 minutes. Today there are no frequent bus routes.
  • Bus service will improve for 58% of the People Mover’s current riders.
    • 58% of current riders who use existing bus stops will now be within ¼ mile of frequent bus service. 63% will be within ½ mile of frequent bus service.
  • 0 increase to the local tax base
    • People Mover’s new bus system doesn’t cost any more money to operate. It simply uses our existing resources in a more efficient manner based on the feedback we heard from you during the Anchorage Talks Transit outreach events. By eliminating duplication of services, right-sizing the fleet for neighborhood and commuter routes, and asking some riders to walk a bit further for better service, the new bus system is possible.

    To view side-by-side maps of the new and existing bus system, click here:

    http://www.muni.org/Departments/transit/PeopleMover/ Documents/ Anchorage%20Talks%20Transit/Comparison%20Maps %20on%20letterhead.pdf

    For more information, contact Myer Hutchinson at (907) 343-7133.

    ###