FYI here is some info on the AATA’s new fares beginning May 2nd, 2010.  Please note that this increase will not impact go!pass fares for employees.  With a go!pass, your ride will still be subsidized by the DDA so you can have unlimited rides.

AATA to implement fare adjustment on May 2

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) will implement Phase 2 of a two-year fare adjustment for both fixed-route bus and A-Ride and Senior paratransit services, beginning May 2, 2010.

In March, 2009, following an extensive effort to gather public input, the AATA Board of Directors approved implementation of a new fare structure to be implemented in two stages.

The basic adult bus fare will adjust to $1.50. The new fare structure includes maintaining the free fare for Senior and A-Ride card holders on fixed-route service. AATA will continue to offer reduced fares for K-12 students, seniors ages 60-64, Medicare and Medicaid card holders, and income-eligible individuals at half the basic adult fare.

In announcing the fare change, AATA CEO Michael Ford said, “Despite cutting more than $900,000 to balance the 2010 fiscal year budget, AATA still faces the challenges of reduced revenue at a time when the demand for quality public transit solutions is greater than ever.”

Ford explained that a five-year projection showed a decrease in property tax revenue due to lower property values, removal of the Pfizer property from the tax rolls and continued pressures on state operating assistance.

Fares represent a portion of the cost to operate transit service, with total fares covering 23.4 percent of the cost on fixed-route service and 15.2 percent of the cost for the demand-response service for Senior and A-Ride passengers.

Fares are paid directly by passengers and indirectly by organizations like the University of Michigan, City of Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority and Washtenaw Community College.

In addition to increasing fares, over the past several years AATA has taken the following steps to improve efficiencies and reduce projected future deficits:

• Converted employees’ post-retirement health care plan to a portable defined contribution health care savings plan, reducing AATA’s unfunded liability from $10.5 million to $2.0 million.
• Continued to purchase hybrid electric buses to reduce diesel fuel consumption.
• Eliminated 15 employee positions, or 7.5 percent of the workforce, since 2006.
• Increased the hiring of part-time drivers.
• Switched to Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone service.
• Changed to a more cost-effective health care plan.

Upcoming steps to continue this effort include:

• Switching from #1 ultra-low sulfur bio-diesel (10 percent) to #2 ultra-low sulfur bio-diesel (20 percent) fuel
• Upgrading its energy management system to control natural gas and electricity costs at AATA facilities

“AATA is not alone in facing these financial challenges,” Ford said. “The American Public Transportation Association reports that, since January 1, 2009, 84 percent of public transit systems have either raised fares or cut service, or are considering either of those actions.”

Additional adjustments to AATA bus fares include:

• Cash fare, Fare Deal card holders and K-12 students – 75 cents
• 30-day Flex Pass – $58
• 30-day Value Pass – $29
• Day Passes – $4.50
• Full-fare tokens – $15 (bag of 10)
• Half-fare tokens – $75 (bag of 100)

Fares for A-Ride and Senior paratransit services include:

• Advance reservation – $3.00
• Same-day trip – $4.00
• Scrip coupons – $30 (book of 10)

Questions on the new fares may be directed to aatainfo@TheRide.org, or 734.973.6500.

FYI from the AATA:

AATA Easter Transit Schedule Announced

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will not operate regular fixed-route bus service, A-Ride paratransit, or Good As Gold senior services on Sunday, April 4, 2010 in observance of the Easter holiday. Regular bus, paratransit and senior services will resume on Monday, April 5.

Passengers may take advantage of AATA’s Holiday Ride shared-ride taxi service on Easter for just $5 a person. Seniors and persons with disabilities with an AATA identification card may ride for $2.50. Individuals with a current go!pass may ride for $1.00.

The Holiday Ride taxi service operates only within the city limits of Ann Arbor. To schedule a Holiday Ride trip, call 734.528.5432.

Bus route and schedule information is available at 734.996.0400 or on AATA’s web site at www.TheRide.org.

The AATA announced that it plans to continue the A2Express Bus service to Chelsea that began two year’s ago.  The service starts at Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea with stops in downtown Ann Arbor and onto the Uof M campus.  People who use A2 Express really love it.

In order to lower the cost for a monthly pass, the AATA is going to be running the service in house rather that contracting it out.  This will allow them to offer monthly passes for $99/month rather than the current price of $125/month.

As we have been doing in the past, the getDowntown Program will pay 1/2 the cost of a monthly pass for this service for employees with a go!pass.  That means you could ride the A2Express for just $50/month, which is about $2.50 a day.  We can offer this price because of a generous grant from the Ann Arbor DDA.

For more information on A2 Express or the go!pass discount for this service, please contact getDowntown.

Mike is the type of person you might not typically think of as a sustainable commuter. He’s the President and COO of a growing company. He’s a dad. And he has a free parking spot in the back of his building.

But don’t let those details fool you. From my interview with Mike it’s clear that commuting sustainably fits perfectly into his life and has some unexpected benefits. Mike Felkey works at Intersect Digital, a small web development firm with some big clients. Intersect has worked with such companies as Subaru and Saatchi & Saatchi. The company’s headquarters is in downtown Ann Arbor (on First Street) and they also have a location in New York (who doesn’t, really). Depending on the amount of work available, Intersect employs anywhere from 17 to 60 employees. Currently, business is on the upswing.

The first clue into Mike’s interest in sustainable commuting comes when we talk about the company’s culture. Intersect is very supportive of telecommuting for its employees. Since many of the company’s employees live in places like Southfield and Novi and since many of them are working mothers, this benefit really helps cut down on a stressful commute. As far as Mike’s concerned, as long as employees get the work done, it doesn’t matter where they do it. We then chatted a bit about Daniel Pink’s new book, Drive, which describes how the businesses of the future are finding ways to motivate their employees through giving them freedom rather than imposing tons of rules. And according to Mike, this philosophy really pays off.

So what about the employees who do commute to work? Since Intersect offers the go!pass to employees, some of them happily take the bus. Other employees walk or ride their bikes. As far as Mike goes, he likes to walk, bike or take the bus to work. His commute isn’t super short either. If he chooses to walk, it can take him about 40 minutes.

So what’s Mike’s motivation for walking, biking or busing to work? He’s got a free space out back, and could probably get to work by car in less than 40 minutes. A big benefit Mike sees in leaving his car at home is that walking, biking and busing are all great for his health. He gets to build some exercise into his day, which might otherwise be a challenge to find the time for. Now that there are Zipcars downtown (a couple just a block from him office), Mike can bike, walk or bus to work even when he needs to go to a meeting out of town.

As we start to chat a little about Mike’s kids (his son goes to Tappan and his daughter goes to Burn’s Park Elementary), I find out another great benefit of Mike’s commute. Both of his kids have grown up watching Mike walk to work and now they want to walk to school. With all of the current news about childhood obesity, the example that Mike is setting for his kids is really inspiring.

When I asked Mike what he might like to see improved about transportation in our community, he lists fixing the lights so they are more in sync, improving the parking downtown, and adding more bike lanes to make cycling safer. We also talked a little but about the possibility of light rail, which is a topic he’s really interested in. Mike even said he’d contemplate giving up his car if there were light rail, especially since there are Zipcars available.

Mike’s biking, walking and busing ways are not unique among leaders in downtown Ann Arbor. Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, frequently bikes to work. Grace Singleton, Managing Partner at Zingerman’s Deli, is also a bike commuter. Bonnie Valentine of the Whole Brain Group often takes the bus to work. Curtis Sullivan and Liz DellaRocco, owners of Vault of Midnight walk and carpool to work.

Any downtown commuter can join this great list of leaders. All you have to do is hop on a bus, grab your bike, or strap on your walking shoes. If you work downtown and would like some help figuring out which commuting option is best for you, getDowntown can help! Simply give us a call, check out our website or send us an email for personal commuting assistance.

The AATA has a couple of service alerts out because of the snow.  If you want to get these send directly to your email inbox, subscribe to MyRide.  Many AATA buses are running about 10 minutes behind.

To check on the status of your bus, you can go to AATA’s Routes and Schedules page and select a route, or you can go to the Mobile RideTrak, which works better for mobile devices.

Here are the alerts that most impact downtown Ann Arbor Commuters:

• Route 17: Due to road conditions, Route 17 cannot serve Fifth Ave from Beakes to Depot via the Blake Transit Center.
• Route 13: Due to road conditions, there is no service north of Sunset.
• Route 14: Due to road conditions, Route 14 cannot serve Overridge.

Keep in mind that all AATA buses are still running, despite the bad weather.

Some benefits for choosing to ride the bus instead of driving your car on days like this:

• If you take the bus, you don’t have to shovel your car out and deal with residential streets.
• If you take the bus, you don’t have to warm your car up.   AATA buses are heated already.
• Buses are a lot bigger than small cars, which can feel comforting on a snowy day when your car might not handle as well.
• You don’t have to stress out about driving in the snow–leave the driving to an experienced bus driver.
• You can enjoy the snow rather than cursing it.
• Rides are free on all AATA buses with your go!pass.

Some great new services for downtown employees and employers from getDowntown:

If you’re a little hesitant about busing, biking or carpooling to work downtown, you’re not alone. The world of sustainable transportation can be a little daunting.

That’s where we come in.  The getDowntown Program has experience with every commuting option you could think of (except maybe a pogo stick).

To make your life easier, we’ve created this handy Commuting Question form. All you have to do is type in your commuting question and we’ll send you a personal response.  Please note, this service is only available for employees/employers  in downtown Ann Arbor.

Click here to send us a Commuting Question.

Don’t have a question now?  Our Commuting Question form is on our website whenever you need it: getdowntown.org/resources/commutingquestion.html

Attention Downtown Employees, Managers, Admin Assistants, and HR Directors:

Wish you had a packet of commuting information for your employees?  Wish you could get all of your commuting materials delivered to your door? Wish granted!

You can now request materials from the getDowntown Program for all commuting options to downtown Ann Arbor.  From AATA Ride Guides to bike maps to new employee orientation guides, we have it all.

And every order comes with a free getDowntown pen!

Please note: this service is only available to downtown Ann Arbor employers/employees

Click here to request commuting materials from getDowntown.

Bonnie Valentine loves the getDowntown Program!

I’ve decided to share my passion for public transportation in hopes of encouraging you to curb your car. It was through the getDowntown Program that I’ve reduced our household to only one vehicle by using public transportation. The benefits are too many to list. Therefore, I’ve narrowed it down to my top ten list.

For those of you who know me I love to create my own lyrics to popular tunes, but this proved to be extremely difficult for me to communicate my lyrics via the Blog posting. However, if you get the opportunity to sit next to me on the bus I’d gladly hum a few bars. Without further ado, drum roll please:

When it comes to encouraging people to bike, bus, walk or carpool, no one sets a better example than your boss.  That’s why the getDowntown Program is taking a moment to highlight some downtown business managers who demonstrate a commitment to using sustainable transportation and encourage their employees to do the same.  These interviews provide insight into why these leaders use sustainable transportation, how it benefits their employees and much more.

Our first interview is with Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.  The Whole Brain Group is a small women-owned business that provides custom web-based software for a variety of clients from academic institutions to hospitals.  The Whole Brain Group is based in downtown Ann Arbor.

Now, on with the interview . . .

Leading by Example: Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.

getDowntown (gDt): Do you try to walk, bike, bus, carpool etc to work?
Bonnie Valentine (BV): My primary methods of transportation are a combination of walking and  the bus.  However, once I reach my downtown office I’ll carpool with  co-workers to meetings or events outside of downtown limits.

gDt: Why is  sustainable commuting important to you?
BV: My reasons for walking and using the bus to commute are many.  Most important to me is reducing my carbon footprint and setting an example to others that an automobile isn’t necessarily the answer for
transportation.

gDt:  What do you do to encourage others at your workplace to try biking, busing, walking, etc?
BV: Continue talking about my personal experiences from meeting other’s  during my commute.  Remind them of my dollar savings from reducing the  need of a second family car, insurance, gas, less parking tickets and  monthly parking expense.  Lead by example in working from home -  telecommuting – a couple days of week.

gDt:  Have all of the different transportation options there are to get to downtown benefited your employees and/or your business?  If so, how so?  If not, why not?
BV: The bus has assisted our employees getting to and from the Ann Arbor Office  on 5th Avenue/Washington.  In the past we had an employee that  commuted from Chelsea using the Chelsea Express Bus.  Many employees
telecommute – one employee from New York – and we use conference  phone, online tools (documents, chat, presentation) not only with employees, but clients on our national roster saving cost on air transportation.

gDt: What would be the single best thing that downtown Ann Arbor could do to make it easier for people to get downtown by biking, walking, busing, etc.?
BV: It would be great if the downtown A2 would create a partnership with a  local gym facility for biking commuters requiring a shower and  clothing change.  Possibly a discount or flash your pass to gain
access to showers and lockers at YMCA, UM, or other gyms.  My co-workers and I have biked in the past.  Our main hang up for not  continuing via bike transportation is due to our offices not having  showers.  It is hard to sit across from a client after an aerobic work- out.

gDt: What do you hear from your employees about what they would like to see related to commuting to work in downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: The Zipcar fleet was a nice addition, but the main issue continues to be parking downtown.  We can walk to a meeting location faster than signing up for Zipcar and then finding and paying for parking for
shuttling between client meetings.

gDt: What is the best thing about having your business downtown?
BV: The best thing about having a downtown office is the close proximity  to clients and networking events.  In addition, our office is the central meeting point for all employees.  We have employees from Yspilanti, Ann Arbor, and Dexter.

gDt: What would you like to see happen downtown in the next 10 years?
In the next ten years, I’d like to see a mass transit plan implemented with connections from downtown to access outside the City Limits of  Ann Arbor.  Including transportation hooks to move people across the townships of Ann Arbor into the current bus routes of downtown Ann Arbor.  Increase bus access moving across town on the edges of city limits via bus services without going downtown through the bus depot i.e. North Campus Plymouth Road to Arborland.

Possibly, have the AATA and AAPS work together to provide adequate transportation services to middle and high school (not elementary school) students access to school via public transportation methods.  Finally, I’d like delivery
vehicles which idle in the downtown streets and alleys be electric or a form of non-petro fuel to further reduce pollution and carbon.

gDt: What is one thing the getDowntown Program could do to help your employees with getting to work by busing, biking, walking etc?
BV: The getDowntown May Commuter Challenge is a great motivator to get employees using different methods of transportation.  Usually habits are formed after the 30 days that create lasting effects.  Maybe add
another Commuter Challenge against another town similar in size.

gDt: Any advice or words of wisdom for new businesses moving into downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: Words of advice for new businesses moving into downtown A2 are to consider incentives for employees to commute.  New employees generally look to receive compensation for having to pay for their parking downtown.  The employer can offer an incentive to employees who commute to by providing them a stipend for curbing their car.   Employers can offer telecommuting on certain days of the week.

Come one, come all, it’s the Fall Commuting Fair at Kerrytown Shops

When: Thurs. October 22nd, 3-5pm

What:

–Free bike tune ups to go!pass holders (compliments of Wheels in Motion)
–Free apples and cider
–Check out a Zipcar
–Other fun stuff!

Stop by and say hi!  We’ll be over by the Sweetwaters entrance.  Inside if the weather is rainy.

The bottom line: If you have a go!pass, you can now get $5 off any fall ’09 session class at the Ann Arbor School of Yoga.  Read on for details, or just go and get your discount!

When it comes to exercise, I can be a little lazy.  You see, I used to take a yoga class on Packard.  It would take me about 15 minutes to bike to that class after work and then 25 minutes to get home after the class.   This trek got a little less pleasant as fall became winter and I was biking in the snow.

Then I discovered the Ann Arbor School of Yoga, located on Huron Street right across from the Ann Arbor YMCA.

Now I can easily  bike to my Yoga class after work and then get home in less that 10 minutes.

If you work downtown and are time conscious like me, but also want to do something great for your body, I highly recommend checking out the Ann Arbor School of Yoga (AASY).

To help sweeten the deal, AASY Instructor Laurie Blakeney is offering all current go!pass holders $5 off any fall session class. Just tell her you have a go!pass for the discount.

This fall, Laurie is offering a variety of classes from early morning, to lunch time, to evening.  Click here for the schedule.

If you want to check out a free class, come to an Open House either Wednesday, Sept 9th or Thursday Sept 10th from 5:30-7:30pm.