April 2016 Monthly Ridership Report

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April 2016 (Fiscal Year 2016) Ridership Summary

Monthly Total Ridership

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Average Daily Ridership

Parameters

The following parameters are used in this workbook:

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This report reflects ridership results as of June 14, 2016

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Executive Summary

Ridership Factors This Month

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The above table serves as a snapshot of the typical factors that impact ridership, and illustrates the differences which exist between the current month and the same month in the previous year. If a change occurred, it is categorized to represent a (typically) positive, negative or neutral impact on ridership. More details on the observed impacts are noted in the description of ridership results below.

Local Network Overview

Local Bus

Monthly Total

There were 4,522,974 boardings in April 2016 on local bus service. This is a decrease of 296,675 boardings (or 6 percent decrease) compared to April 2015. Significant rain and flooding on Monday April 18 initiated a complete shutdown of METRO services. Although the majority of fixed route bus and rail was back in service the following day, residual impact of this severe weather event is noticeable in reduced ridership. Cypress Park & Ride and Addicks Park & Ride remained closed through the remainder of the week, and some of those affected customers traveled to alternative lots. With one less weekday (compared to the previous year) in addition to the shutdown, METRO would have expected a ridership decrease of approximately 500K. For comparative purposes, April 2015 contained the Good Friday and Easter holidays, but was free of any major weather impact. Increased rail ridership, in part due to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Final Four basketball tournament – which was hosted at NRG Stadium, George R. Brown Convention Center, and Discovery Green – and continuing growth in bus ridership on weekends offset a large portion of the expected decrease.

Average Daily Ridership: Weekday / Saturday / Sunday

Average Weekday ridership decreased by 2,436 boardings (or approximately 1 percent) in April 2016 compared to 2015; one-third of this loss could be attributed to the exclusion of Operator Shuttle ridership in the current Fiscal Year. Large ridership growth on Saturday (approximately 17 percent) and Sunday (approximately 30 percent) continue a healthy trend post-New Bus Network implementation.

Light Rail

Monthly Total

There were 1,521,209 boardings on all three light rail lines in April 2016. This is an increase of 348,645 boardings (or 30 percent increase) over April 2015. Aside from the opening of the Green and Purple lines in May 2015, the NCAA Final Four tournament (April 1 – 4, 2016) had a positive impact on rail ridership. The Championship game, between North Carolina and Villanova, was held Monday April 4 in the evening. During the preceding hour, 7pm – 8pm, there were approximately three thousand alightings at Reliant Park/NRG Station on the Red Line. The two-car trains contained up to 300 excited fans, eager to see the game.

Average Daily Ridership: Weekday / Saturday / Sunday

Average daily ridership on Weekday, Saturday, and Sunday all increased in 2016 compared to 2015. The increases are largely due to three factors: the opening of the Green and Purple lines in May 2015; the increase of service on the Red line in May 2015 (6 minute service on North Line portion); and the bus-rail interface (a component of the New Bus Network).

Total Local Network

Monthly Total

Local network ridership increased in 2016 compared to the previous year by 51,969 boardings (an increase of 1 percent). The positive change in rail ridership offset more than the total local bus ridership loss from the severe weather.

Average Daily Ridership: Weekday / Saturday / Sunday

Average daily ridership increased on Weekday, Saturday, and Sunday on the local network, by 4 percent, 25 percent, and 33 percent, respectively. This is the highest year-over-year growth on Saturday since New Bus Network implementation. Saturday and Sunday experienced large increases in 2016 compared to 2015 due to increased service levels on the weekend in the New Bus Network, as well as other factors noted earlier.

Commuter Network Overview

Park & Ride

Monthly Total

There were 629,787 Park & Ride boardings in April 2016 compared to 746,175 boardings in April 2015, a decrease of 116,388 boardings (or a loss of 16 percent). This decrease in total boardings is primarily due to the calendar mix (one less weekday in 2016) and the flooding event, which disrupted commutes for an entire week.

Average Daily Ridership: Weekday

Average weekday ridership in April 2016 was 33,328 boardings, a decrease of 1,507 boardings compared to April 2015 (approximately 4 percent loss).

Entire Network Summary

Monthly Total

Ridership on the entire fixed-route network in April 2016 decreased by about 1 percent, a marginal loss from the previous year. Relevant factors were noted earlier and are included in the table above.

Average Daily Ridership: Weekday / Saturday / Sunday

Average daily ridership for the entire fixed-route network increased on Weekday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the weekend showing large gains due to increased service levels on local bus and a more robust light rail network as compared to last year.

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