6. Conclusions and Recommendations
Education will be the main factor influencing express bus service in North Dakota. Nearly all commuters are unfamiliar with the service and its features. Most, if not all, North Dakotans and western Minnesotans have grown up utilizing personal automobiles for their travel needs. They do not demand alternative transportation service unless it is necessary due to a physical or mental deficiency. This is a main reason public transportation in North Dakota and western Minnesota is viewed as an exclusive service for the handicapped and elderly.
Responses to this study's survey do show that commuters would be receptive to using commuter service if it were available. Most respondents indicated they travel between Wahpeton-Breckenridge and Fargo-Moorhead for employment. The primary goal of a commuter route connecting the communities should then focus on work force commuting. The first functioning routes should focus on transporting employees from their residences to the place of employment early in the morning and home again in the late afternoon. After these routes have been successfully established, more may be added if adequate demand is present.
Convenience is another key factor influencing commuter bus ridership. To persuade commuters to relinquish the convenience of their own automobile, a guaranteed ride home should be offered, at least initially. An often-used excuse for not utilizing public transportation is its lack of convenience. This provides another reason to have the guaranteed ride available to daily commuters providing them with the convenience they demand.
Finally, survey results indicated that most potential commuter service users would be unwilling to wait for a transfer of more than 10 minutes to the Fargo-Moorhead MAT fixed-route service. To satisfy this request, the commuter service must synchronize its schedule with that of MAT. This will require planning and experimenting with different schedules and travel patterns of both services. Careful attention must be paid to this aspect of the service as riders will not tolerate long wait periods when transferring between the two systems.
7. References
- Beaudry, Georgia, E-mail, September 9th, 2005.
- Beaudry, Georgia, E-mail, January 4th, 2006.
- Energy Information Association, US Retail Gasoline Prices. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_home_page.html, August 23, 2005.