Web Of Public Transportation – Destination Shuttle

About this pattern

Shuttle buses offer free or low-cost transportation between main destinations (for instance between transit hubs and university or corporate campuses or to specific venues such as museums, shopping centres or swimming pools). They complement and address shortfalls in other forms of mass transit such as trains or buses that cover greater distances along specific routes.

Shuttle bus services of this sort can be provided directly by the municipality. The Santa Barbara electric shuttle bus, for instance, runs from the edge of the city district to the downtown areas and to numerous destinations along the waterfront. The electric bus service is an important component of the Innovative Clean Transit Standards being adopted by the California Air Resources Board (Sustainable Bus n.d.). In Parramatta, The Shuttle is a free transport solution run by Transport for NSW through the Transdev mobility company, running seven days a week, that connects tourists, residents and commuters to commercial, retail and recreational landmarks. Alternatively, shuttle buses can be wholly or partially subsidized by the benefiting institution (for instance shuttles that cater to university students and staff).

Pattern Conditions

Enablers

• Rapid transit by shuttle bus is enabled by bus lanes. The use of a shuttle bus is enabled by infrastructure that ties it into other transit infrastructure such as rail, light rail or ferries, in particular designated stop points that incorporate shade and/or shelter.
• Municipal policies for clean air and reduced congestion can encourage the formulation of shuttle bus services and local business that benefits from reduced congestion and better customer footfall might also be enrolled as sponsors.
• Websites or mobile phone applications are a good way to enhance the use and awareness of a shuttle bus service.

Constraints

• Buses require significant outlays of capital to purchase and maintain. This can make a free service hard to sustain, especially when hitting other targets, such as net zero emissions, necessitates upgrades. The Santa Barbara electric shuttle was free, but nowadays riders pay 50 cents per ride, or buy a day pass for one dollar (Santa Barbara Car Free n.d.); the service is cheap but not entirely free, signifying tension in the enactment of a commons.
• Given the expense providers may also operate only during the hours that benefit a sponsoring organisation (such as Universities) and they may not cater to the needs of a whole population.

Commoning Concerns

Destination shuttle as social commons/transit.

Ownership: Various (municipality, university or another sponsoring organisation).

Access: Open to commuters (particularly those bound for particular destination)

Use: Commuters using the service.

Benefit: Reduced fossil fuel emissions, reduced congestion, socially inclusive transport.

Care: Municipality, University, Body Corporate, other.

Destination shuttles work effectively in connection with other forms of mass transportation. They solve the last kilometre problem in getting to and from major destination such as universities, shopping centres and conference centres, and benefit a larger public by reducing congestion.  A major concern is that they tend to be site specific forms of transit that do not directly benefit the public at large. This can lead to ongoing negotiations over who maintains/pay for these services and how much the public can be expected to support a transit form that only benefits a subset of the population.