Introduction
Circulator bus transit is a short-distance, circular, fixed-route transit mode that takes riders around a specific area with major destinations. It may include streetcars, rubber-tire trolleys, electric buses, or compressed natural gas buses.
Two common types of circulator bus transit are downtown circulators and neighborhood circulators:
- A downtown circulator circulates through central business districts and dense employment areas. It usually serves as a partnership between transit operators, downtown business owners, and visitors bureaus. A circulator bus system targeted to tourists/visitors is more likely to use striking vehicle colors to be clearly identifiable.
- A neighborhood circulator typically provides service to low-density suburban communities. It connects popular local destinations (schools, grocery stores, and shopping centers) and a large transit system (such as light rail), if present. Neighborhood circulators provide a new mobility option within each neighborhood.
Target Market
Employees, Tourists, and Visitors for Downtown Circulators
Although most downtown circulators address a variety of trip purposes, they are generally oriented toward employee and tourist/visitor markets. In addition, during a certain time of day or week, a downtown circulator may primarily serve a single market, and the circulator service is customized for the single market it is serving. For example, an employee-oriented downtown circulator operating during rush hour may not include local attractions in its route.
Low-Income Workers, Residents with Disabilities, the Elderly, and Youth for Neighborhood Circulators
By circulating through popular local destinations, neighborhood circulators meet the mobility needs of transit-reliant populations, such as low-income and mobility-challenged populations. However, it also provides a new alternative to all residents, which can help relieve traffic congestion.
How Will This Help?
- Improves mobility and circulation of specific areas. Downtown circulators provide greater access for transit riders, an additional way for tourists to get around, and a means for employees to get around activity centers without driving on already congested streets. Neighborhood circulators help residents get to their favorite local destinations, such as the grocery store or the community center.
- Fosters the redevelopment of urban and suburban spaces into walkable mixed-use, high-density environments.
- Improves parking capacity in areas with shortages, especially downtowns where parking is limited and expensive.
- Reduces the transportation impact on the environment by decreasing single-occupancy vehicle trips, which reduces carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Implementation Examples
Application Techniques and Principles
Downtown circulators connect multiple activity centers. These systems are often paired with downtown revitalization initiatives. Neighborhood circulators serve areas that are not well served by the existing transit system and connect popular local destinations within a short distance.
Many factors can improve the successful implementation of circulators, including efficient routing, timed transfer points, frequency of headways (the time between buses), fares, and land use patterns:
- For downtown circulars, customers prefer simple linear routes with frequent and reliable service, no fares, and clock-face headways (same time each hour).
- For neighborhood circulars, customers prefer 5- to 15-minute headways, simple routes designed to capture short trips, and good intermodal connections. 1
In addition, a circulator system with strong local support in the planning process, dedicated financial support for operations, and an aggressive marketing campaign is more likely to succeed.2
Issues
There are many barriers, constraints, and obstacles that planners must overcome to successfully implement, operate, and maintain a circulator bus. However, funding is the only major constraint in most programs. Inadequate funding and costs were the most common reasons that agencies did not implement or continue a circulator.
Lack of interest is another issue for the implementation and planning of a circulator system. Low ridership and productivity may cause the service to end.
Who Is Responsible?
The transit agency, downtown organizations, and cities are typically responsible for operating a circulator system. A combination of other organizations including convention/visitors bureaus, universities, state and county governments, regional planning agencies, and economic development agencies can also play an active role in implementing and continuing support for circulator bus systems.
Project Time Frame
Circulator bus systems are designed for different target areas: downtowns or suburbs. Every target area has specific needs that require a unique solution and project development time frame. Generally speaking, the process should include the following steps:
- Feasibility and Alternative Study
Typically, a planner (or planning team) conducts a survey to determine interest in establishing circulator service and reviews peer agencies’ ridership data and practices. - Circulator Route and Schedule Determination
Planners usually make their decision based on the target areas’ socioeconomic and geographic characteristics and the existing transit service’s coverage. - Performance Measurement
Planners evaluate the circulator’s performance mainly through financing and post-implementation measurement. The agency may revise the route alignment, service frequency, and operating hours after the evaluation to ensure system efficiency and effectiveness.
Cost
Costs vary depending on the length of the bus route, frequency, number of stops, types of vehicles, etc.
Data Needs
Some datasets are critical to the design, implementation, and management of a circulator bus system. These datasets include population, employment, education, and land use.
Besides the limited data available from transit agencies and governments, local surveys can play a significant role in supporting circulator bus systems. Surveys can determine the stop distribution, type, quality of service, and fare per ride.
Circulator Bus Transit Best Practices
- Type of location: Urban areas with high densities of employees, tourists, and shoppers; or suburban neighborhoods with closely located attractions.
- Agency practices: Seek support from transit agencies and elected officials, along with dedicated funding and sufficient ridership. Also, use the following strategies: frequent service, branding the downtown circulator with a unique look, no fare or a nominal fare, and flexibility.
- Frequency of reanalysis: Ideally, annual analysis of commute statistics and local marketing situation surveys. Alternately, every six months.
- Supporting policies or actions needed: Surveys to improve scheduling, route alignment, and stops; consideration of fares for the circulator system and how they are aligned with the overall system-wide fare structure; and long-term local planning.
- Complementary strategies: Parking management, light rail, commuter rail, bike share, fare strategies, technology-based transit improvements, local bus service, pedestrian connections, and land use planning.
For More Information
Transportation Research Board. TCRP Synthesis 87: Practices in the Development and Deployment of Downtown Circulators.
Transportation Research Board. Chapter 4. TCRP Report 55: Guidelines for Enhancing Suburban Mobility Using Public Transportation, Washington, D.C., 1999.
Transportation Research Board. TCRP Report 100: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, Second Edition. Washington, D.C., 2003.
Perk, V., M. Catalla, J. Volinski, J. Flynn, and M. Chavarriaet. Strategies for an Intra-urban Circulator System. Florida Department of Transportation and National Center for Transit Research.
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. “Appendix D: LYMMO Bus Rapid Transit Downtown Circulator (Orlando, FL).” TCRP Web-Only Document 36: Appendixes to TCRP Report 117: Design, Operation, and Safety of At-Grade Crossings of Exclusive Busways, Washington, D.C.,
Krambeck, H., and D. Emerson. “Using Value Capture to Finance the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Transit Circulator.” Rail Conference 2008 Proceedings, American Public Transportation Association, June 1–4, 2008, San Francisco, California.
References
- Transportation Research Board. TCRP Synthesis 87: Practices in the Development and Deployment of Downtown Circulators. Washington, D.C., 2010. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_syn_87.pdf.
- Transportation Research Board. Chapter 4. TCRP Report 55: Guidelines for Enhancing Suburban Mobility Using Public Transportation, Washington, D.C., 1999.