1. Title
Evaluating the potential for Bus Rapid Transit and MnPASS Express Lanes in the southwest metro
Investigating options for improved bus service between the Twin Cities and Mankato
2.Introduction
Highway 169 Mobility Study is made up of two tasks:
Task 1: Evaluate cost effective options for improving transit and reducing congestion on Highway 169 between Shakopee and Golden Valley, and
Task 2: Evaluate potential for Intercity Bus Service between Mankato and the Twin Cities
Highway 169 Mobility Study Area
3.Task 2: Introduction
The Highway 169 Corridor between Mankato and the Twin Cities is a critical link for educational institutions, businesses, and interregional freight and passenger transportation.
Task 2 Outcomes:
Identify potential Highway 169 Intercity Service Travel Markets, Needs and Opportunities
Service options, both short and long term, will be developed
Task 2 Study Area
4.Task 2: Project Team
Project Management Team(PMT)
Provides oversight of project activities
Representatives from MnDOT Office of Transit, MnDOT District 7, Mankato Transit, Minnesota State University at Mankato, City of Saint Peter, Scott County, and the Metropolitan Council
Stakeholder Working Group
Representatives from cities, counties, planning organizations, transit providers, colleges, business and economic development, and human services
Task 2 Service Providers
5.MnDOT’s Intercity Bus Program
Program goals and objectives:
Support the connection between rural areas and the larger regional or national system of intercity bus service;
Support services to meet the intercity travel needs of residents in rural areas; and
Support the infrastructure of the intercity bus network through planning, marketing, and capital investments.
6.MnDOT’s Intercity Bus Program
Definition of intercity bus service
FTA defines intercity bus service as “regularly scheduled bus service for the general public that operates with limited stops over fixed routes connecting two or more urban areas not in close proximity.
MnDOT Office of Transit further specifies that intercity bus service may include local and regional feeder services, if those services are designed expressly to connect to the broader intercity bus network.
7.Stakeholder Workshop # 2 Outline
Three Breakout Discussions
Define the Market for Transit Service
Barriers and Gaps
Strategies and Opportunities
Large group discussion after each breakout
Summary Discussion/Findings
8.Next Steps
Perform web survey targeted at colleges and universities
Define problem statement, opportunities and trends, and perform a market analysis
The second stakeholder workshop is proposed for mid-March 2016 for review of:
Problem statement, market analysis and service options