KCRag Forum

enough wrote: transit action network reports on new jct service to begin in july:
http://transactionkc.com/

route 556/856 - 135th and metcalf to the plaza via metcalf and shawnee mission parkway.

route 575/875 - jccc to waldo via quivira and 75th street.

these routes will have three midday round trips each. 

enough wrote: ^ these routes do have morning and evening service -- see blog post.  

midday service on these routes is noteworthy because right now the jct system has only one midday round trip, route m, which connects olathe with downtown kcmo.  the new midday trips expand opportunities for transit travel between johnson county and the rest of the region via transfer to max or other kcata routes.

enough wrote: the business journal carried an article about the jo the other day and the jo tweeted about it:

JoCoTheJO - Great article about The JO - go here to read http://tinyurl.com/2fl754u
7:12 AM Jun 15th

the article includes a ranking of the top 25 routes in the region, all kcata.  here are just the top ten (with average ridership rounded to the nearest 10):

2009 average weekday ridership
1    25   Troost            7,840 
2    71   Prospect          5,240
3    58   MAX               4,000
4    24   Independence    3,410   
5    39   Thirty-ninth St   3,180   
6    28   Blue Ridge        2,100   
7    31   Thirty-first St   1,910   
8    12   Twelfth St        1,710   
9   101   Minnesota         1,370   
10    47   Roanoke           1,330   

the article also includes the jo's ridership
The Jo Systemwide ridership           1,780
The Jo K-10 Connector to Lawrence   451  (rank #1)
The Jo A-Antioch                            170  (rank #2)

so if the jo's entire system were a kcata route, it would rank #8.  the jo's top route, k-10, wouldn't make the kcata's top 25 list.

transit ridership in johnson county obviously has some catching up to do.  the new and expanded service beginning in july should help.

enough wrote: jct has published new schedules:
http://www.thejo.com/pdf/Rider/Schedule ... 6-2010.pdf

unfortunately, it looks like they are publishing separate schedules for routes 575 and 875 (which follow the same streets, but with the midday 875 trips able to go off-route to make pickups), and for routes 556 and 856 (which follow the same streets, but with the midday 856 trips able to go off-route to make pickups). 

i do so wish they could think like transit riders instead of like bureaucrats. 

enough wrote: jct has posted new schedule brochures (including route maps) on their website:  http://www.thejo.com

+ routes 575 and 875 (new 75th street route, waldo to jccc and edwards campus via 75th street and quivira road) - separate schedule brochures
+ routes 556 and 856 (replaces route h, 47th and troost to 135th and metcalf via shawnee mission parkway and metcalf avenue) - separate schedule brochures
+ route 664 (replaces route c, downtown to 135th and metcalf)

btw, why they want to run all 556/856 buses to 135th and metcalf baffles me.

Starting today, the county will embark on one of its biggest bus service expansions, including a new route connecting Johnson County with the Waldo area and downtown Kansas City.

The nearly $3 million expansion will provide 16 daily rush-hour trips, plus less frequent midday service, between the University of Kansas Edwards Campus and Kansas City?s Waldo bus hub near 75th Street and Wornall Road. From there, riders can catch an express bus to downtown.

The buses will run along Quivira Road and 75th Street, also serving Johnson County Community College and Oak Park Mall while feeding the K-10 Connector route to Lawrence.

Johnson County also will increase service on Metcalf Avenue, where Overland Park is planning a high-tech bus route to promote the increased population densities the city envisions for that area.

One Metcalf route will run to the Country Club Plaza via Shawnee Mission Parkway, while the other will go downtown on Interstate 35.

enough wrote: but will viral marketing actually work for public transit in johnson county?