Operational Plan

Organization

Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc. (TCAT) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides public transportation for Tompkins County and portions of Tioga County. TCAT's current fleet of 49 buses includes 6 hybrid-electric diesel buses, which travel a combined 1.6 million miles each year and growing.

From 1995 to 2009, public transportation ridership in the US increased 31 percent. ¹ In just half that time, from 2002 to 2009, TCAT ridership increased over 29 percent, reaching a milestone with record ridership of 3.35 million last year.

Building upon this steadily rising trend towards opting for public transportation, beginning in the spring of 2012, TCAT BAT will operate in ferrying people between major destinations within the city of Ithaca by way of a cable-supported aerial tram system.

With a route connecting Cornell’s Collegetown to Downtown Ithaca at the Commons, the BAT will supplement the existing TCAT bus service by bridging the heavily used routes and easing the number of buses needed for those routes. This will allow TCAT buses to expand coverage to a larger, more rurally-accessible area while diminishing the unneeded service between these major hubs within the city. The following autumn see the addition of additional routes connecting Ithaca College and Tops Plaza with downtown Ithaca at the Commons.

Ownership

TCAT BAT, subsidiary of Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit

The Board of Directors is made up of representatives from the City of Ithaca, Cornell University and Tompkins County. The current Chair is Frank Proto. Board members include ²:

• Dan Cogan

• Jennifer Dotson

• Henrik Dullea

• Kathy Luz Herrera

• David J. Lieb

• Pam Mackesey

• Nancy Schuler

• Frank Proto

• Kyu-Jung Whang

Staff

• • 3-5 person maintenance crew

  • 2-3 persons at each station, since each car can be automated

Timeline

Building Stages: Phase I = Route A; Phase II = Routes B, C, D

Routes

Phase 1

• Commons to CollegeTown [Route A]

  • 2868 ft: 1 min 45 sec travel time

Phase 2

• CollegeTown to Cornell [Route B] (combines with Route A to form the full Cornell-to-Commons route)

  • 4707 ft = 2 min 35 sec travel time

• Commons to Ithaca College [Route C]

  • 5438 ft = 2 min 55 sec travel time

• Commons to Tops Plaza [Route D]

  • 3857 ft = 2 min 10 sec travel time

Additional routes for consideration:

• • Hospital route (to Cayuga Medical Center)*

  • Airport route (to Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport)*

  • Lake route (to Stewart Park shore of Cayuga Lake)*

* Low feasibility due to necessarily tremendous cable run lengths and prohibitive cost-to-benefit ratios with relatively infrequent ridership

Interactive Map

Cars

• • Doppelmayr-Garaventa/CTEC enclosed tram cars

    • 25 passenger capacity

    • Interior dimensions: 10' long x 8' wide x 8' tall

    • All-weather resistant w/ 25 year warranty

A Doppelmayr-Garaventa/CTEC tram car in use in Portland, OR

Source: Cacophony

Power

Electric motors (sourced by discrete power distribution station provided by NYSEG, including backup diesel generator), powering cable bullwheel in both travel directions in tandem

Velocity of Travel

• • 22 miles per hour (Industry's fastest) at nominal speed

    • Ramp-up and ramp-down are approximately 10 seconds in duration to avoid abrupt start/stop

Number of Cars

• • 8 cars

  • Each of 4 routes will have 2 cars – one traveling uphill in simultaneous, tandem symmetry with one traveling downhill

Rate of Carriage

• • 25 passengers per car maximum

  • 12 passengers expected as aggregate mean number of one-way riders through span of daily operating hours (6:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.) throughout routes [half capacity]

Departures

Peak-Hour travel (7:00 – 10:00 a.m.; 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. M-F): 12 one-way rides per hour on each route (departures every 10 mins.)

Off-Peak-Hour travel (6:00 – 7:00 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. M-F; All hours during weekends): 6 one-way rides per hour on each route (departures every 20 mins.)

During Peak Hours: 10 minutes between cycles †

During Off-Peak Hours: 20 minutes between cycles †

† One cycle = Initiation of motion, route travel (including velocity ramp-up and ramp-down time), docking time, unloading/loading of passengers, and re-initiation of return motion

Departures are identical and synchronized for all trams so as to simplify operational planning and personal trip planning difficulties, as there will be no need to remember departure times with such constant service (every 10 clock minutes during peak hours and every 20 clock minutes during off-peak hours).

Projected Ridership

• • 2012: 1.65 million

  • 2013: 1.90 million

  • 2014: 2.38 million

  • 2015: 2.77 million

(Calculated as quantity of one-way rider; See Financial Plan: Ridership table for ridership projection details)

Fare Structure

Adult (ages 18-59) $1.50

Youth (ages 6-17) $1.25

Senior Citizens (age 60+) / Persons with Disabilities $1.00

Round-trip passes available via TCAT-issued Tcards as well as Cornell University and Ithaca College student IDs.

References

1. The Ithaca Journal. "TCAT urges motorists to 'dump the pump' and ride a bus instead for Earth Day." Ithaca Journal 22 April 2010: n. pag. Web. 26 April 2010. <http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100422/NEWS01/4220360/TCAT-urges-motorists-to-dump-the-pump-and-ride-a-bus-instead-for-Earth-Day>.

2. "TCAT Bus : Boards & Committees : TCAT | Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, New York." Home : TCAT Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit. Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit. Web. 2 May 2010. <http://www.tcatbus.com/content/view/boards-committees.html>.