Bus Use Nearly Doubles in Three Years

Small to medium sized towns all over the United States struggle to get people to take the bus. Wait times are long, there are often no bus shelters and making a transfer can be a nightmare. But in Petaluma, ridership has nearly doubled over the past three years, the result of route restructuring in July 2010.

“Previously, there was a high level of service on East Washington Street and downtown and very poor service everywhere else, so we tried to even it out,” said Joe Rye, the city’s transit manager.

This included increasing the frequency of a bus running up and down McDowell, one of the city’s main thoroughfares, from once an hour to every 30 minutes and putting in a new bus traveling from downtown, across Washington and to the eastside every 30 minutes.

Overall bus service actually decreased, but also become more focused, saving the city a total of $75,000 a year. “It really is a win-win,” Rye says.

Last summer, four sleek clean diesel buses were put on the streets and new bus stop shelters are in the works. Last fall, paratransit buses with onboard real time dispatch capabilities were implemented, making it easier to coordinate pick-ups and drop offs of handicapped and senior passengers.

Despite the city’s effort in trying to appeal to all residents—even those with cars— the bulk of bus-users in Petaluma and elsewhere in Sonoma County remain seniors, low-income residents and students. To target the latter demographic, the city is offering a pretty sweet deal: a three month pass to students 18 and under for just $23. 

Now that should be a good reason to get on the bus.