Connecting

COMO
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HAOTIAN MAI/Missourian
CoMO Connect is the only public transit system operated by the City of Columbia. The system features a loop system with two major connector routes that serve
the areas with the most passengers, while the remaining nine neighborhood routes would cover as many areas of the city as possible. CoMO Connect was
launched in 2014 as a result of the citys effort to rebrand the system and to conduct major changes to the serving areas. But just three years into the new CoMO
Connect system, though, the city once again is planning an overhaul of the bus system due to significant decreases in ridership. Compared with 2014, 16.5
percent fewer passengers rode the buses in 2015, and in 2016 the decline was 28.2 percent. That's a loss of more than 23,000 rides.

Fewer rides the buses Passengers down, but budgets aren't

Compare to 2014 data , COMO Connect saw a 16.5% decrease Despite the decline in ridership, the money the city allocates for the
of total ridership in 2015 and a 28.2% decrease in 2016. buses remains about the same.

100,000 6 $5.83 million

Annual ridership (per ride)

Annual budget ( in million)

$5.52 million $5.51 million
5
75,000 2014 total:
820,595 4

50,000 2015 total: 3

685,168
2
25,000 2016 total:
589,438
1

0 0
Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017
2014 2015 2016

Routes The 11 routes of CoMO Connect show huge disparity in the bus service: of the 11 bus routes that CoMO Connect operates,
just two the Black and Gold routes comprise 70 percent of the passengers who use the transit system. The other nine

Disparity
routes each carry 1 percent to 6 percent of the bus system's total passengers. Buses running through the neighborhood are
almost empty. For instance, in January, passengers boarded buses on the Dark Green route 810 times. That means an
average of about 1.4 people were riding the bus each time it completed the loop. Still, the bus repeats the route 27 times
Ridership & Punctuality every weekday, from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each trip takes around 25 minutes.
Buses are 69 percent on-time
Moreover, the CoMO Connect average on-time performance is 69 percent in 2016. The Dark Green route has the
poorest on-time performance rate. The bus arrives late more than half the time. In some cases, the bus is nearly empty

1 2 3 4 5
North/South CONNECTOR East/West CONNECTOR Brown route Orange route Blue route
Routes

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North/South CONNECTOR COMO connect

1 Blue Ridge to Nifong

2 East/West CONNECTOR
performance

Delay: Delay: Delay:

Conley to Park De Ville Delay: On-time: Delay: 44%
34% 41%
76% 41%
On-time

24%
3 Burning Bush to Whitegate AVG delay: AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: On-time:
2.22 mins 2.26 mins 66% 2.76 mins 59% 2.54mins 59% 2.98mins 56%
4 Starke to Whitegate

5 Battle HS to Conley *Data of 2016

6 Grindstone to I-70 SE 30 30 30 30
(thousand)

30
(thousand)

(thousand)

(thousand)

(thousand)
Ridership changes

25 25 25 25
7 Old Plank to Green Meadows 25
20 20 20 20 20
8 Scott to Forum
15 15 15 15 15

9 Chapel Hill to Bus. Loop 70 10 10 10 10 10

5 2015 5 2015 5 2015 5 2015 5 2015
10 Downtown Orbiter
0 2016 0 2016 0 2016 0 2016 2016
0
11 Prathersville Rd Commuter
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Pink route Dark green route Light green route Purple route Red route Aqua route
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GO TIGER!

Delay: Delay: Delay:

performance

53% Delay: 16% 42%

Delay:
22%
On-time

34%
Delay: AVG delay:
AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: On-time: AVG delay: On-time: On-time:
41% 0.94 min
0.69 min 76% 5.5 mins 2.82 mins 78% 2.94 mins 84% 4.29 mins 58% 59%

On-time:
47%
*Data of 2016

30 30 30 30 30
30
(thousand)

(thousand)

(thousand)

(thousand)
(thousand)

(thousand)
Ridership changes

25 25 25 25 25
25

20 20 20 20 20
20

15 15 15 15 15
15

10 10 10 10 10
10

5 2015 2015 5 2015 5 2015 5 5

5 2015 2015
0 2016 2016 0 2016 0 2016 0 0
0 2016 2016
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WABASH

Looking Trunk routes Flex zones High frequency

Ahead
Trunk routes would replace Canceling regular buses in By shortening the wait time from
current bus loop routes with neighborhoods with the fewest 30 to 35 minutes to every 20
straighter routes that join at passengers, people living there minutes, the city would focus its
Citys proposed changes Wabash Station. The city hopes call 24 hours in advance to transit service on the ares that
people can use the facilities schedule a vehicle to pick them have the highest ridership. The
City hired consultant company to there more often and provides up. Passengers would pay change is expect to improve the
design alternative options of the bus them an in-door location to double the bus fare and be taken on-time performance of the city
system. The city plans to use at least a transfer. to a nearest regular bus stop. buses.
full year to hear the public input.

Source: CITY OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC TRANSIT DIVISION *Partial ridership data of individual route is missing due to Citys system error.