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City of Eugene City Council Page 11 September 12, 2012 ZĞƐƉŽŶƐĞ: bus service, it would be more expensive to continue to increase regular bus service than to expand EmX service. EmX was developed to address the long-term costs and service impacts of traffic congestion on transit. The extension of EmX service to West Eugene will avoid the costs of congestion over at least the next 20 years and will increase transit travel speeds by 14 percent to 37 percent. This will lock in operating efficiency in the corridor and allow the District to stretch operating dollars. More, smaller buses would not be less expensive. LTD would have to purchase and maintain a larger fleet that includes more buses of various sizes. Our primary costs are the cost of bus operators and fuel. Switching from a large to a small bus does not save on driver pay, and the savings in fuel efficiency of smaller vehicles is not enough to overcome higher fleet maintenance costs. Instead, a more frequent, fast, and reliable service provided on major corridors attracts more passengers, LTD's ridership productivity ranks in the top 10 percent of all transit systems nationwide. The heaviest customer loads occur during the peak travel periods, while some routes experience standing loads at various times throughout the day. The investment in an enhanced transit service like EmX provides short- term and long-term benefits. In the short-term, more riders are attracted to fast, frequent and reliable service, which is why EmX has been successful in increasing ridership. The combination of service factors provided by EmX combines to provide a service that people find attractive. Frequency of service, which would increase from four time per hour (current frequency as far as Oak Patch Road) to six times per hour, is a prime factor in making public transportation attractive to non-riders The long-term benefit is that public transportation will play its part in reaching the community's goals. EmX is not intended to be "the solution," but rather a part of the solution. Other transportation system improvements and land-use decisions will be coupled with public transportation improvements to allow our community to keep up with its growing needs. ridership of the regular bus service that preceded it along the Franklin EmX corridor with the same 10 minute frequency. With the addition of the Gateway corridor, EmX now averages between 9,200 and 10,200 boardings each weekday (the variance depends on the time of year). For example comparing ridership from April 2011 to April 2012, LTD ridership increased by 1.5 percent system wide, while EmX ridership alone increased by 8.7 percent. Clearly, EmX attracts more riders than are attracted to regular bus service. Through a variety of measurements, the extension of EmX to West Eugene will improve transit ridership within the corridor and throughout the system. System-wide transit trips have been projected to increase by 500,000 annually in opening year, with as many as 45 percent of all transit trips in the region using the EmX system. Transit mode shareor the shift of people choosing to use transit over other transportation optionswill increase significantly throughout all EmX corridors. And finally, one-third of the new trips will be made by riders with limited transportation options, showing that the service is continues to