The King County Metro Transit Department in Seattle is expanding a project to use “advanced service management” (ASM) technology, which helps to prevent the “bunching” of buses on high-capacity routes. The idea is to space buses evenly on the route, rather than having several buses moving as a group, which can have the effect of disrupting schedules. The goal is to have buses arrive at a stop every six minutes, rather than at a particular time, explained Al Sanders, a King County Metro public information officer.
The project has been in pilot mode on three high-volume routes, he said, with plans to introduce the concept to a fourth line.
Metro operations use an existing technology platform known as INIT, which now includes a new feature to provide “headway operational functionality,” Sanders said.
“This functionality enhances situational awareness for operators by displaying real-time data to improve bus spacing,” he added via email. “Furthermore, this technology has the potential to support transit signal priority (TSP) integration, which would allow delayed buses to receive priority at intersections for more reliable service delivery.”
In the Chicago region, Pace Suburban Bus, which serves more than 3,600 square miles, has just broken ground on a new facility to support an all-electric bus fleet, a milestone it aims to reach by 2040. The goal is part of a long-term strategy, known as Project Zero, to “deliver more sustainable service to the communities we serve,” said Maggie Day Skogsbakken, Pace chief communications officer.
Pace currently has two battery-electric buses and one electric paratransit vehicle in operation. The agency is awaiting the delivery of 22 more electric buses this year. Its entire fleet numbers approximately 730 buses and 1,250 para-transit vehicles, Skogsbakken said.
Back in Seattle, real-time awareness of issues like bus bunching, when buses arrive too close together, and gapping, which results in long intervals between buses, has allowed King County Metro to dynamically adjust its service based on real-time conditions, Sanders said, improving the rider experience.
Company officials stressed ASM is not only technology, but part of a coordinated culture at King County Metro where the entire staff works as a team to meet rider needs.
“This iterative process helped Metro to continuously evaluate and identify operational roles that best fit scalability needs while improving reliability,” Sanders said.
The ASM program is still in the pilot stage, but officials hope to structure it in a way for wider deployment.
“Metro continues to learn and we expect the open and honest feedback we’re receiving from our operators and our riders to help enhance how this program operates,” Sanders said.
A top priority for Pace, in Chicago, is reducing its carbon footprint and the transit agency’s contribution to air pollution in the region. But it’s not just for environmental reasons the agency is transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, said Skogsbakken, who noted an electric fleet is cheaper to operate.
“Over the lifetime of a bus, reduced fuel and maintenance costs can make electric buses more competitive,” she said via email. “That said, achieving cost parity remains a challenge.” All the agency’s buses are federally and state funded, she said, so it will continue to rely on federal and state funding opportunities, from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Transit Administration, and elsewhere.
The new bus charging facility, located in Waukegan, Ill., is part of Pace’s Project Zero. It is being built to house and charge up to 60 buses, and is part of a $2.5 billion plan to transition the fleet to zero emissions. The facility is expected to be completed by 2027, officials said.
As of July 2024, the number of zero-emission transit buses in the United States stood at 7,028, up 14 percent from 2023, according to a report by CALSTART. Its March report, Zeroing in on Zero-Emission Buses, noted battery-electric buses (BEB) are on pace to pass the 15,000 units mark by 2030. California continues to be the top zero-emission bus market in the country with at least 2,285 buses, followed by New York (779), Florida (516), Washington (356) and Massachusetts (292). Illinois includes 167 battery-electric transit buses and 12 fuel cell electric buses, according to the CALSTART report.
“We’re taking a thoughtful, phased approach to this transition,” Skogsbakken said, noting the agency is investing in the facilities, training and partnerships necessary to ensure long-term success. “At this time, there are not enough manufacturers for the BEB demand across the nation, but manufacturing is scaling up and we will continue to explore alternative fuels.”
