February 2014 – County Connection

County Connection Wins Gold

CW Awards 787-redCounty Connection received the Gold Award for Location-Based Services at the annual Connected World Awards Gala hosted by Connected World Magazine. County Connection teamed with Clever Devices, Source Inc., and Sprint to successfully launch the web based real-time Bus Tracker in early 2013. Bus Tracker uses existing GPS data to predict real time arrivals of buses at any bus stop in the system. Bus arrival times and service alerts are also available by text messaging when internet access is not available.

The new Bus Tracker system is an example of the latest in machine-to-machine (M2M) technology which effectively sends information to and from the buses over the Sprint wireless network to a custom web-based application that lets dispatchers and customers monitor the location and status of the buses remotely.  It is the product of collaboration between several companies, Clever Devices, Sprint, and SourceInc. – each bringing expertise to create this leading edge solution for County Connection.

The Connected World Awards honor the companies that have successfully leveraged M2M in order to solve a critical pain point within their business, all with quantifiable results.  Emphasis is given to the process of combining multiple technologies, such as device, connectivity, hardware, radio modules, network service, and application software to create a winning solution.  For the County Connection Bus Tracker solution, CW recognized Clever Devices for the development and customization of the Bus Tracker application, Sprint for providing the wireless data connectivity for the solution, and SourceInc for helping to integrate the solution into the County Connection system.

Both Sprint and Clever Devices have partnered with County Connection for communication needs for many years. Sprint has been the cellular provider for a variety of communications needs ranging from mobile service for the maintenance and transit road supervisors, to mobile dispatching services in the ADA paratransit division.

County Connection chose Clever Devices to provide automated voice announcements in compliance with ADA requirements. At the time County Connection was interested in the modular system offered by Clever Devices system which made it possible to add functions over the year as funding became available. Over the years, County Connection added passenger counting and reporting functions, headsign controls. Finally, Source Inc. provided the digitized routers that made the Sprint connection to Clever Devices possible, transmitting real time data over a safe, reliable network.

Free Mid Day Program An Immediate Hit

4 Seniors on Bus-Small

The numbers are in. Since County Connection re-introduced the once popular free mid day program for senior and disabled passengers, ridership in this category increased by 13% in January 2014 over January 2013.

The free mid day program which began December 22, 2013, allows senior (65+) and disabled passengers to ride any fixed-route bus for free between 10AM and 2PM. Some happy passenger comments:

“Thank you for re-starting this program.Being disabled I’m on a very fixed income and every penny I can save helps.”

“Thanks, a lot of us disabled people only get out in the midday….. Thanks again”

The long-running program was discontinued in 2009 when transit agencies across the state lost a significant funding source, resulting in service cuts and fare increases. With the economy slowly improving finances have stabilized, which led to the County Connection Board of Directors approving the re-introduction of this popular program.

Changes Coming To Hillcrest Park ‘n Ride

The long awaited new Park ‘n Ride lot at Hillcrest Ave. in Antioch is scheduled to open on February 16, 2014. Parking Lot A will open first, and the current parking lot will be closed. Until parking lot B opens to drivers the bus stops will not be marked. Buses will circulate to load and unload passengers in the stalls located closest to Parking Lot A to minimize the walking distance. See the map below.

Hillcrest Lot Change

 

A Model Private-Public Partnership

For nearly 20 years, County Connection has enjoyed a very positive and productive private-public partnership with Sunset Development, the owners of Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon. As a result of this partnership, County Connection provides over 13,000 annual service hours in direct shuttle service between Bishop Ranch and both the Walnut Creek BART station and the Dublin BART station.

Sunset Development invests over $500,000 per year in fare and operational subsidies that help County Connection meet the BART trains at both stations during peak travel times.  This financial support enables County Connection to provide over 200,000 passenger trips on our Bishop Ranch shuttles annually. That translates to a lot less cars on I-680 during commute hours. Employees of companies located at Bishop Ranch have a great commute alternative that allows them the option to not drive to work, but rather relax or work as they let County Connection do the driving. Bishop Ranch workers ride free, because Sunset Development covers the fare for them.

The benefit of the private-public partnership, however, goes beyond the Bishop Ranch employees. Anyone can ride the Bishop Ranch shuttles. Open to the public, riders not associated with a Bishop Ranch employer simply pays the fare. With Sunset Development helping with the cost of operating the service itself, County Connection is able to run more buses in the I-680 corridor, providing the general public with additional service.

=In short, we offer a public service that is significantly supported by a private partner that benefits the entire public, not just those employed by the organizations that make up Sunset Development. This is an important distinction because this model is in contrast to what is happening in San Francisco. In the Bay Area, privately sponsored buses – not open to the public and not financially supporting public transit – are proving to be a potential competitor to public transit and are often controversial as a result. A recent guest editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle Why we protest the ‘Google’ buses by Michael Barnes discusses this trend. The County Connection partnership with Sunset Development is exactly what the author is advocating.

Sunset Development has been working with us since 1996! No one has ever tried to protest a County Connection bus heading to Bishop Ranch.

Another benefit of this partnership is that County Connection can identify the buses used for service to Bishop Ranch, as Bishop Ranch branded buses. This helps create the sense that users are riding a service tailored to employees of Bishop Ranch businesses. We also work closely with Sunset Development on the scheduling of the buses serving Bishop Ranch Business Park to help us provide the most convenient service possible.

County Connection is very proud and thankful for our long and successful private-public partnership with Sunset Development. It allows us to provide a better service to the public whether one works at Bishop Ranch or not. And, it enables the employers of Bishop Ranch to offer their employees an effective alternative to the daily congestion of I-680.

We believe that this serves as a model private-public partnership in giving the public high-quality mobility options that are cost effective and contribute to congestion management.