Who's Riding the Manchester Airport Bus? No One

MANCHESTER -- Anyone who has been stuck in a Brown Avenue traffic backup knows that hundreds of people want to get to the Manchester Airport at any hour.

But the city buses that travel to the airport are nearly empty, a symptom of an inefficient system of bus routes that critics say needs to be reshaped in order to improve efficiency, convenience and ridership.

Consultants with the firm Edwards and Kelcey presented an analysis of the Manchester Transit Authority route system to elected city officials last night. They suggested changes to all 13 city bus routes.

Some, such as the two routes that serve the Manchester Airport, could be combined, the consultant urged.

Findings also show the need for a single downtown spot to serve as the beginning and end to all routes. Also, time-consuming loops that ply neighborhoods should be abandoned in favor of quicker, straight routes to key destinations.

"Although there's a little bit of service to everybody, there's not really good service for anybody," said Geoff Slater, who prepared the comprehensive operations analysis.

Previous revisions of city bus routes in 1999 and 1994 were made to confront financial problems. But the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission funded the analysis in order to expand bus routes into towns outside Manchester.

But before city buses hit the suburbs, the city routes have to become more efficient, said David Preece, executive director for the planning commission.

Slater's firm examined the ridership of each route.

The airport routes were some of the lowest in the system. Slater said the route times are oriented toward traditional work schedules, but most airport jobs operate on different shifts. He called for consolidation of the two routes and connecting service to the Mall of New Hampshire.

Routes 5 and 6 on the West Side also have low ridership. The Pinard/Bremer Street Route 5 could be eliminated. Gossler Bremer Street could be restructured, the report said.

Meanwhile, buses that service the Mall of New Hampshire and Bedford Mall have the highest ridership level. Because employees are the majority of the riders, Slater suggested the mall buses run late to accommodate retail hours.

Slater said loops into neighborhoods could be replaced by flex-route service, which picks up riders at their door and drops them off at a bus route.

"As a general rule, you try to avoid loops," Slater said. "Nobody likes loops."

Despite the critique, the Manchester Transit Authority has experienced ridership growth of 10 to 20 percent in each of the last three or four months, said MTA director David Smith. He attributes it to the economy and high gas prices.

The next phase of the analysis will focus on specific route changes, costs and the effect on ridership. Smith expects recommended changes will go before the MTA board in early summer.

The comprehensive operations analysis of the MTA is available on-line at www.snhpc.org.

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