Arcadia City Council
September 1, 2026

STAFF REPORT

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
DATE: September 1, 2026

TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council

FROM: Lisa Flores, Development Services Director
By: Alana Johnson, Transportation Services Manager

SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7709 APPROVING ARCADIA STRATEGIC TRANSIT

SERVICE ASSESSMENT FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDED SERVICE

CHANGES
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Adopt

SUMMARY

As a transit service provider, it is important for the City to perio dically assess and evaluate its offerings to the community to ensure strategic alignment with goals, performance, and resource use . The Strategic Transit Service Assessment (“Assessment”) for Arcadia Transit was recently completed following a comprehensive planning process that included two phases of community engagement. The Assessment evaluated the City’s local transit services , including fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride operations, with consideration given to the current travel patterns, ridership trends, system performance, community needs, development patterns, and public input.

The Assessment confirms that Arcadia Transit’s fixed- route system continues to provide important transportation option s for the community, with service connecting major residential areas, activity centers, and regional transportation connections. At the same time, changes in travel behavior, development patterns, and transit use since the COVID -19 pandemic present opportunities to improve the convenience, reliability, connectivity, and the overall effectiveness of the system.

The Assessment recommends targeted changes to fixed- route services, including increased service frequency on selected routes, improved access to key destinations, Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

and stronger connections to the Arcadia Metro A Line Station. Additional recommendations include enhancements to transit infrastructure and technology and expanded marketing and community outreach. The Assessment also recommends maintaining the City’s Dial -A-Ride program due to its continued importance to seniors and individuals with disabilities, while pursuing operational improvements to enhance efficiency and service reliability.

It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7709 (refer to Attachment No. 1) approving Arcadia Strategic Transit Service Assessment Final Report and the recommended service changes to the Arcadia Transit System.

BACKGROUND

Arcadia Transit has provided local transportation services to residents since 1975, when the City established its Dial- A-Ride program to provide demand- response transportation for the general public, with a focus on serving seniors, individuals with disabilities, and residents whose mobility needs were not fully met by regional transit services.

Following the opening of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension in March 2016, the City restructured its transit services to improve local and regional connectivity through a two-tier system of fixed-route and demand-response services. The fixed- route system provides general public service through three color -coded routes (Green, Blue, and Red ), as shown below in Figure 1, connect s residential neighborhoods with major destinations, including the Arcadia Metro A Line Station, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia High School, USC Arcadia Hospital, The Shops at Santa Anita, and other commercial, educational, and civic facilities. The demand- response Dial-A-Ride service complements the fixed- route network by providing curb -to-curb transportation for eligible seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

Figure 1. The Current Arcadia Transit Fixed-Route Network

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

DISCUSSION

The Transit Service Assessment evaluated Arcadia Transit’s fixed- route and Dial -A- Ride services, travel patterns, service performance, and community needs. The system recorded nearly 50,000 combined annual boardings in Fiscal Year 2024, demonstrating conti nued demand for local transit, although fixed- route ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels. Figure 2 illustrates annual ridership trends for Arcadia Transit’s fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride services from Fiscal Years 2018 through 2024. There is no single ridership benchmark that defines successful transit performance, as demand varies based on population, density, service levels, and community characteristics. The Assessment evaluated fixed- route service productivity among comparable nea rby transit systems to provide context for Arcadia’s performance. In Fiscal Year 2024, Arcadia Transit averaged 2.0 boardings per vehicle revenue hour, compared with 3.4 in Monterey Park, a community similar to Arcadia in population. While differences in population density and other local factors limit direct comparisons, the comparison provides useful context for Arcadia’s current level of service productivity and highlights opportunities to improve ridership through enhanced frequency, connectivity, and access to key destinations.

Figure 2. Arcadia Transit Annual Ridership From Fiscal Years 2018 – 2024

The Assessment found that Arcadia Transit provides important connections to residential neighborhoods, schools, medical facilities, shopping areas, civic destinations, and the Arcadia Metro A Line Station. The A Line Station was the system’s highest ridership stop, highlighting the importance of connections to regional transit. Tables 1 and 2 summarize ridership at the stop and route levels during Fiscal Year 2024.

0 10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
FY 18 FY 19 FY 20 FY 21 FY 22 FY 23 FY 24
Annual Ridership
Fixed Route Dial-A-Ride
Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

Table 1. Highest and Lowest Ridership Stops, Fiscal Year 2024 Highest Ridership
Stop Total Boardings Routes Served
Arcadia A Line Station 12,364 Blue, Red, Green
Sunset & Duarte 4,102 Blue
Live Oak & Santa Anita 3,815 Blue, Red
USC Arcadia Hospital 2,825 Green

Lowest Ridership
Stop Total Boardings Routes Served
L.A. County Arboretum 544 Green
Santa Anita Park 385 Green
The Shops at Santa Anita Mall
(On Baldwin Avenue)
232 Green
City Hall 120 Green

Table 2. Fixed-Route Ridership by Route, Fiscal Year 2024 Route Total Ridership
Green 12,369
Blue 11,333
Red 6,080

Overall, the existing system provides a strong foundation for local mobility, but opportunities remain to improve service frequency, reliability, connectivity, access to key destinations, technology, and operational efficiency. Dial -A-Ride continues to provide an important mobility option for seniors and individuals with disabilities, with opportunities to improve scheduling, dispatch, and technology . The detailed analysis is provided in the Transit Service Assessment – refer to Attachment No. 2.

Public Outreach and Key Findings

Community and stakeholder outreach supplemented technical analysis with input from riders, non-riders, operators, community organizations, and local stakeholders.

The City conducted outreach in two phases through surveys, stakeholder meetings, public meetings, onboard observations, operator interviews, and other community engagement activities.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

Phase 1 outreach identified opportunities to improve service frequency and reliability, regional connections, access to major destinations, public awareness, technology, and Dial-A-Ride operations. Based on technical analysis and community feedback, the City developed three concepts for consideration:

1. Concept #1 – Expanded Service on Existing Fixed -Route Lines: Maintains the existing network while expanding service and improving access to key destinations, including areas east of the Arcadia Metro A Line Station.

2. Concept #2 – Two Fixed-Route Loops: Restructures the existing network into two connected circulation loops with a transfer point at The Shops at Santa Anita.

3. Concept #3 – Citywide Microtransit Alternative : Replaces fixed- route service with an on- demand, reservation -based service model providing flexible trips throughout the City.

During Phase 2, the City sought additional stakeholder and community feedback on the proposed concepts . Feedback generally favored maintaining the existing fixed- route system or expanding service on existing routes, while participants expressed concerns about direct connections under the two-loop concept and wait times, fares, and accessibility under the microtransit alternative.

Based on the technical analysis and community feedback, Concept #1 – Expanded Service on Existing Arcadia Transit Fixed- Route Bus Lines , was identified as the preferred alternative. Additional outreach findings are provided in the Transit Service Assessment – refer to Attachment No. 2.

Recommended Changes and Implementation Priorities

The Assessment identifies a phased package of improvements to strengthen Arcadia Transit over the next five years. Subject to City Council approval, implementation would proceed based on operational requirements, funding availability, infrastructure needs, and coordination with the City’s transit operator and regional partners. The recommendations are organized into three strategies:

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

1. Transit Service Changes

Fixed-Route

The Assessment recommends targeted changes to the existing fixed- route network to increase frequency, improve connectivity, and provide better access to key destinations.

The recommended implementation actions are outlined in the table below:

Current Role Recommended Changes
Proposed Service
Frequency
Connects residential
neighborhoods, the Arcadia
Metro A Line Station, and
key destinations.

Extend service east of the
Arcadia Metro A Line
Station to Second Avenue.

Consistent 15-minute
service throughout
the day.

Connects residential areas,
commercial destinations,
and the Arcadia Metro A
Line Station.

Modify northbound service
along First Avenue between
Foothill Boulevard and
Colorado Boulevard and
return southbound service
via Second Avenue.

Consistent hourly
service throughout
the day.

Connects the Arcadia Metro
A Line Station, residential
areas, and commercial
destinations.

Extend service to The
Shops at Santa Anita via
Holly Avenue and Duarte
Road.

Consistent hourly
service throughout
the day.

The proposed route changes are shown in Figure 3 below.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

Figure 3. Map of Proposed Fixed-Route Changes

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

The proposed changes would improve east-west connectivity, create more balanced Red Line circulation, and provide more direct access to The Shops at Santa Anita, a destination identified through community outreach as a priority.

Implementation of the Blue Line extension will require improvements at the Holly Avenue and Duarte Road intersection to allow buses to safely make the necessary turn movement. The City will coordinate these improvements with Blue Line implementation.

Dial-A-Ride Service

The Assessment recommends maintaining Dial- A-Ride service for seniors and individuals with disabilities while evaluating opportunities to improve scheduling, dispatch, and customer -facing technology. In the near term, proposed actions include working with the current transit service provider to improve scheduling and dispatch practices, dispatcher performance, and customer service. The current reservation system is provided through the contracted transit operator, with broader technology enhancements, including online or electronic scheduling options, to be considered as part of the next transit operations Request for Proposals ( “RFP”). An RFP for a new transit operations contract is anticipated in Fiscal Year 20 27-28, providing an opportunity to establish enhanced service and performance requirements for scheduling, dispatch, customer service, and technology. These improvements are intended to enhance reliability, accessibility, responsiveness, and overall quality of Dial-A-Ride service.

2. Supporting Infrastructure and Technology

The Assessment recommends targeted improvements to support the service changes and improve rider experience:

• Holly Avenue and Duarte Road Intersection: Complete improvements needed to support the Blue Line extension.
• Bus Stop Improvements: Update bus stop locations and signage associated with the proposed route changes and coordinate updates to customer-facing transit information.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

• Metro TAP Integration: Continue evaluating integration with Metro’s TAP system to provide electronic fare payment and more convenient connections to regional transit.

3. Marketing and Outreach

The Assessment recommends increasing public awareness of Arcadia Transit through targeted communication, partnerships, and ongoing community engagement, particularly as new routes and schedules are implemented.

As a near-term priority, a scope of work has been developed for a transit marketing and outreach strategy. Upon City Council approval, a Request for Proposals ( “RFP”) for a consultant to develop a comprehensive marketing, engagement, and branding plan.

Implementation of Recommended Changes

The recommended changes would be implemented in phase s beginning in the current Fiscal Year, as outlined in Table 3, and in coordination with the City’s transit operator and regional partners. Table 3 provides a five -year implementation framework that includes near -term actions, major service and infrastructure improvements, and longer -term technology, marketing, and ridership initiatives.

Specific timing may be adjusted based on operational, infrastructure, technology, funding, and coordination requirements, with ridership, service performance, and customer feedback monitored throughout implementation. The improvements would be well underway before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The recommended changes are:

• Green Line: Extend service east of the Arcadia Metro A Line Station to Second Avenue and provide consistent 15-minute service throughout the day. • Red Line : Modify the route to improve circulation and provide consistent hourly service throughout the day.
• Blue Line: Extend service to The Shops at Santa Anita via Holly Avenue and Duarte Road and provide consistent hourly service throughout the day.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

• Dial-A-Ride: Maintain existing service and evaluate improvements to scheduling, dispatch, and customer-facing technology.
• Supporting Improvements : Complete necessary intersection and bus stop improvements; pursue Metro TAP integration to provide a convenient cashless fare option; and implement supporting technology, marketing, and outreach improvements.

Table 3. Proposed Implementation Timeline
Recommended Change FY
2026–27
FY
2027–28
FY
2028–29
FY
2029–30
FY
2030–31
Green Line: Service extension and
frequency improvement
• •

Red Line: Route modification and
frequency improvement
• •

Blue Line: Service extension and
frequency improvement
• •

Dial-A-Ride improvements • • •

Intersection and bus stop
improvements
• • • •

Metro TAP/cashless fare payment
option
• •

Marketing, outreach, and
supporting technology
• • • • •

Together, these recommendations are intended to provide a more connected, convenient, reliable, and accessible transit system that better meets community needs and supports future ridership growth.

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

The proposed action of adopting a final report does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Any environmental impacts resulting from the various recommendations included in the final report will be evaluated and determined before their implementation.

Arcadia Transit Service Assessment and Changes
September 1, 2026

FISCAL IMPACT

Implementation of the recommended improvements will result in one -time and ongoing costs, which will be phased based on project readiness, funding availability, and coordination requirements. It is anticipated that eligible local, state, and federal transportation funding sources, including Measure R and M Local Return, Proposition A and C Local Return, and other applicable programs will be used.

The Assessment evaluated fare revenue and found that farebox recovery is extremely limited, at approximately 0.3%. Individual and monthly fare rates have not been adjusted for many years . Fare options will be considered as service improvements are implemented in the coming years.

No General Fund contribution is anticipated to implement the final report’s recommendations. Procurement and coordination activities will be initiated as implementation progresses, with items requiring Council action, including future consultant agreements, brought back to the City Council for approval.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the City Council determine this action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and adopt Resolution No. 7709 approving the Arcadia Strategic Transit Service Assessment Final Report and the recommended service changes to the Arcadia Transit system.

Attachment No. 1: Resolution No. 7709
Attachment No. 2: Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment Report Attachment No. 3: Map of Proposed Route Changes

1 RESOLUTION NO. 7709
A

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA,

CALIFORNIA, APPROVING ARCADIA STRATEGIC TRANSIT SERVICE

ASSESSMENT FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDED SERVICE CHANGES WH
EREAS, the City of Arcadia (“City”) provides local public transportation services through Arcadia Transit, including fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride services; and WHEREAS, the City initiated the Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment (“Assessment”) in 2024 to evaluate the City's existing transit system, changing transportation needs, travel patterns, ridership, system performance, and community input, and to identify opportunities to improve local transit services; and WHEREAS, the Assessment included technical analysis and community and stakeholder engagement and identified opportunities to improve the accessibility, reliability, connectivity, and effectiveness of Arcadia Transit; and WHEREAS, the recommendations identified in the Assessment are intended to improve local transit services and align City transit resources with current and future community needs.

NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. The City Council hereby approves the Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment.

Attachment No. 1
2 SECTION 2. The City Manager, or designee , is authorized to coordinate with the City’s transit operator, regional transportation partners, City departments, and other appropriate agencies and stakeholders, and to take such actions as may be reasonably necessary to advance implementation of the As sessment recommendations.

SECTION 3. Implementation of the Assessment recommendations shall be phased and may be adjusted as appropriate based on funding availability, operational considerations, community needs, system performance, and other factors affecting the City’s transit services.

SECTION 4. The Resolution is effective upon its adoption by the City Council.

SECTION 5. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution.

[SIGNATURES ON THE NEXT PAGE]

Passed, approved and adopted this 1st day of September, 2026.

ATTEST:

City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Michael J. Maurer
City Attorney
Mayor of the City of Arcadia
3 Arcadia
Transit
Strategic
Assessment
NOVEMBER 2025

PREPARED BY
Attachment No. 2
P
Table of Contents

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 5

1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 7

2. Transit Service Evaluation .......................................................................................................... 9 Key Terms ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Systemwide Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Ridership .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Service Productivity ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Rider Experience ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Financial Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Fleet and Facilities ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 Technology ................................................................................................................................................................... 25

3. Travel Market Assessment ....................................................................................................... 26 Service Area Characteristics .................................................................................................................................. 27 Key Travel Markets ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 Potential Impacts of Future Development Arcadia Travel Patterns .......................................................... 37

4. Public Outreach and Engagement .......................................................................................... 40 Phase One ...................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Phase Two ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45

5. Areas of Opportunity ................................................................................................................. 47

6. Recommended Service Enhancements .................................................................................. 50 Recommended Transit Service Changes ............................................................................................................ 51 Supporting Strategies ............................................................................................................................................... 55

7. Implementation Plan ................................................................................................................. 64

8. Appendix ..................................................................................................................................... 68

P
List of Figures
Figure 1. Arcadia Transit Fixed-Route System ........................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2. Arcadia Transit Connecting Routes by Regional Providers ................................................................ 14 Figure 3. Ridership by Fare Type, FY24 ...................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 4. Arcadia Transit Ridership by Service, FY24 ............................................................................................ 17 Figure 5. Arcadia Transit Annual Ridership, FY18 – FY24 ..................................................................................... 17 Figure 6. Arcadia Transit Ridership Post-Pandemic Recovery by Service, Jan/Feb 2024 vs. Jan/Feb 2020 ................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Figure 7. Arcadia Transit Average Daily Ridership by Service, FY24 ................................................................ 19 Figure 8. Arcadia Transit Weekday vs. Weekend Productivity by Service, FY24 ......................................... 21 Figure 9. Community Travel Survey Results: Question 8, Fall 2024 ................................................................. 22 Figure 10. Community Travel Survey Results: Question 9, Fall 2024 ............................................................... 22 Figure 11. Arcadia Population Density and Fixed-Route Network ...................................................................... 29 Figure 12. Arcadia Employment Density and Fixed-Route Network ................................................................. 30 Figure 13. Arcadia Household Income and Fixed-Route Network ...................................................................... 31 Figure 14. Total Travel Originating in Arcadia, Fall 2019 versus Fall 2023 ...................................................... 33 Figure 15. Trips Originating within Arcadia to the Mall/Racetrack Area by Start Time ............................... 34 Figure 16. Residential Population Change by TAZ, 2019 to 2035 ...................................................................... 38 Figure 17. Employment Change by TAZ, 2019 to 2035 ......................................................................................... 39 Figure 18. Current Arcadia Bus Stop Amenity Examples ...................................................................................... 57

P
List of Tables
Table 1. Local and Regional Route Frequencies and Key Destinations .............................................................. 13 Table 2. Highest Ridership Stops, FY24 ...................................................................................................................... 19 Table 3. Transit Agency Comparison, FY24 ............................................................................................................. 20 Table 4. Transit Agency Operating Subsidy Comparison, FY24 ........................................................................ 23 Table 5. Selected Financial Information by Arcadia Transit Service, FY24 .................................................... 23 Table 6. Arcadia Transit Fleet Replacement Schedule .......................................................................................... 24 Table 7. Nearby Average Population Densities ........................................................................................................ 27 Table 8. Bus Stop Additions and Removals ............................................................................................................... 56 Table 9. Proposed Implementation Timeline ............................................................................................................ 65 Table 10. Cost Estimates for Potential One-Time Capital or Program Investments .................................... 66

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 5 Executive Summary
The 2025 Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment (STSA) evaluates the transit services operated by the City of Arcadia, ten years after the opening of the Arcadia Light Rail Station for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) A Line (previously the Gold Line) in Arcadia and the launch of the Arcad ia Transit fixed-route system. The in troduction of the fixed-route system was accompanied by the restructuring of the Dial -A-Ride service to se rve only senior and disabled residents rather than the general public. Thr ough analysis of the current transit services’ performance, the demographics and travel patterns of the City’s residents, workers, and visitors, and two rounds of stakeholder and public outreach, t his study identified recommendations for Arcadia Transit to better meet the community’s transit needs and operate more efficiently and sustainably.

This STSA found that Arcadia Transit’s fixed-route system is fundamentally well-designed and generally still aligned with where people live, work, and travel the m ost in Arcadia. However, there are areas of opportunity for targeted improvements. This study recommends main taining a fixed-route system oriented around the City’s regional transit hub at the Arcadia A Line Station, while expanding coverage to new destinations and improving di rect connections between key locations within Arcadia.

Preserving strong transit connections at the Arcadia A Line Station, which will function as a major gateway for 2028 Olympic equestrian event attendees, will importantly also support the City’s Olympic preparations. These route adjustments would be accompanied by improved operating hours and route frequency to enhance the usability and convenience of the system for a variety of riders.

Service Recommended Service Change
; All Routes Extend the span of service to 6:00am to 9:00pm weekdays and 7:00am to 7:00pm on weekends
; Green Line Modify the route to extend east of the Arcadia A Line Station to Second Avenue
; Green Line Improve the schedule to operate regular 15-minute headways throughout the day
; Red Line
Modify the route to continue operating northbound along First Avenue between Foothill Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard but return southbound via Second Avenue
; Blue Line Modify the route to serve The Shops at Santa Anita Mall via Holly Avenue and Baldwin Avenue
; Red/Blue Lines Improve the schedule to operate regular hourly headways throughout the day

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 6 The STSA recommends maintaining the DAR service given its importan ce to the community and its strong ridership recovery post-pandemic, and offers actions to improve efficiency and reliability. The City should explore adopting advanced scheduling software to help improve dynamic trip assignment, which could in turn help address the concerns expressed by riders and the current transit service operator regarding limited vehicle availability during peak morning hours. If future cost pressures arise and fixed-route performance is stro ng, strategies could include DAR fare adjustments to encourage fixed-route use for those who are able to switch, or reducing DAR service hours and vehicle availability.

In addition to the proposed service changes, the STSA team identified a suite of potential supporting strategies to maximize Arcadia’s investments to improve public transit services over the next five years.

x Invest in upgraded infrastructure and technolog y such as intersection improvements at Holly/Duarte, new stop infrastructure, bus st op signage, bus stop improvements, wayfinding, and Metro TAP integration to improve system visibility and rider experience. x Pair transit service changes with a marketing action plan that builds excitement and awareness in the community to help attract riders. The STSA team recommends a two-pronged approach, consisting of 1) upfront investments, and 2) ongoing marketing and engagement. x Monitor system performance over time thro ugh tracking and benchmarking performance measures.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 7

1. Introduction

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 8 The 2025 Arcadia Transit Strategic Tr ansit Service Assessment (STSA) is a comprehensive assessment of the fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride (DAR) services provided by Arcadia Transit. The STSA identifies the transit needs of the community and evaluates potential changes to the existing system.

Arcadia last conducted a transit asse ssment in 2015 to inform the design of the current fixed-route system. Prior to the launch of the fixed-route services in June 2016, Arcadia Transit operated a general- public DAR service to supplement existing fixed-route services provided by Metro and Foothill Transit within the City of Arcadia (“City”).

The Metro Light Rail Foothill Extension brought regional light rail service to Arcadia in early 2016, and presented an opportunity to introduce a scheduled local circulator network with the train station as its hub. The Arcadia Transit fixed-route system worked well in its initial years, connecting commuters to the Gold Line (now the A Line) and visitors and residents to points of interest within the City (such as The Shops at Santa Anita Mall, USC Arcadia Hospital, Santa Anita Park, and the L.A. County Arboretum).

The decline in ridership on Arcadia Transit, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic (“pandemic”), suggests the community’s transit needs, travel patterns, and/or mode preferences have changed. This report seeks to understand these changes, and recommends strategies for meeting the transit needs of Arcadia residents, workers, and visitors today.

The report is structured as follows:
x Transit Service Evaluation reviews Arcadia Transit’s c urrent operations, including routes, schedules, connections, and fare policies. This evaluation looks at the performance of the fixed- route system as a whole, its individual routes, and the DAR service. x Travel Market Assessment uses demographic data, future development projections, and travel pattern data to identify areas where Arcadia Transit resources could be better aligned with the community’s needs.
x Public Outreach and Engagement summarizes insights fr om community engagement activities conducted during Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 with stakeholders, riders, non-riders, and bus operators on Arcadia’s transit system.
x Areas of Opportunity brings together the key findings that informed potential service changes from the travel market assessment, transit service evaluation, and first phase of community engagement. x Recommended Service Enhancements provides recommendations for service changes, supporting investments in infrastructure and technology, and a marketing action plan.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 9

2. Transit Service Evaluation

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 10 The service evaluation provides an overview of the current Arcadia Transit system, including headways, span of service, connecting services, and fare policies. x Current and histori cal ridership data informs our understanding of ridership recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies areas of the city with the greatest transit ridership. x Together with ridership data, annual revenue hours by route and by service allow us to analyze service productivity (passenger trips per revenue hour) by service and day of week. x Fare data and communit y transportation survey data illuminate Arcadia Transit’s different ridership markets and each market’s share of overall ridership. x Results from the Community Transportation Survey , conducted online and in-person at various locations in Arcadia in November 202 4, inform our understandi ng of the rider experience as well as the overall travel patterns of Arcadia residents.

Key Terms
Some important concepts about transit services and how this evaluation addresses them:

Fixed-route services are bus routes following a specific series of stops on a published schedule. Riders must go to a bus stop before the bus is scheduled to arrive and can only exit the bus at a designated stop. Fixed-route buses generally have the capacity to carry dozens of passengers an hour as people get on and off the route, and no reservation or a dvanced tickets are required. Arcadia Transit uses cutaway buses, which can accommodate up to 14 seated passengers.

Dial-a-ride (DAR) service, also known as demand response, refers to reservation-based transit programs that will pick up and drop off an individu al at times and places of their choosing (within a defined service area). Demand-response programs traditionally require riders to request their trips at least a day in advance, although recent advances in techn ology have made it more practical to offer same-day or even on-demand response times. Demand-response programs using this on-demand technology are sometimes called microtransit. DAR capacity is t ypically limited to only serving a few passengers per hour per vehicle.

Service span is how much of the day transit servi ce is offered; for example, between 4:00am and 10:00pm.

Service frequency is how often a given fixed-route bus hea ding in one direction departs a stop. In California, service is generally considered “frequent” if buses come at least every 15 minutes throughout the day.

Fiscal years: Governmental agencies typically follow a fiscal year (FY ) that begins on July 1 st and concludes the following June 30th. For brevity, this report will refer to fiscal years only by the year they end. For example, fiscal year 2023 (FY23) began on July 1, 2022, and ended June 30, 2023. In most cases, this report will refer to fiscal year ridership unless otherwise specified.

Revenue hours and miles are the hours and mileage each day that service is operating to pick up and drop off passengers. Buses driving that are not in passenger (revenue) service are deadheading. Local bus routes generally try to avoid deadhead ho urs and miles. In this report, transit productivity is measured by dividing the annual number of pa ssenger boardings by the annual revenue hours operated.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 11 Systemwide Overview
Arcadia Transit offers three fixed-route bus routes as well as a DAR service. Figure 1 shows the three current bus routes—the Green Line, the Blue Line, and the Red Line. The DAR system operates within City limits.

The DAR service is available for residents with a disability, and to residents aged 62 years or older, but not the general public. Access Services is a Countywide agency that meets the requirements of ADA complementary paratransit service—shared- ride, curb-to-curb public transportation service for individuals with disabilities who are unable to use fixed-route public transit must be provided within ¾ of a mile of fixed-route bus service —and is also available to Arcadia residents with disabilities. The fixed-route services were implemented in 2016 due to the expansion of the Metro A Line (then Gold Line) to Arcadia, as well as in response to gene ral feedback from riders abo ut the DAR service (then available to all residents) being overwhelmed by students around high school bell times.

Fixed-Route Services
Green Line
The Green Line provides connections between the Arcadia A Line Station and the Los Angeles County Arboretum, predominantly via Huntington Drive. This ro ute serves major community destinations including USC Arcadia Hospital, The Shops at Santa Anita Mall, Santa Anita Park, and the civic center.

It runs on weekdays every 15-30 minutes between 6:30am and 7:30pm, and on weekends every 20 minutes between 9:20am and 6:20pm.

Blue/Red Lines
The Blue and Red Lines operate together to fo rm a bidirectional loop between the Arcadia A Line Station and Las Tunas Drive and Live Oak Avenue on the south end of the City. The Blue and Red Lines predominately serve the City’s residential neighborhoods, as well as Arcadia High School, the Arcadia Public Library, and the Arcadia Hub Shopping Center at Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road. The Red Line extends beyond the Arcadia A Line Station, serving neighborhoods along First Avenue in north Arcadia and the retail plaza at Foothill Boulevard and Sec ond Avenue. The Blue and Red Lines each run on weekdays every 45-90 minutes between 6:30am and 8:30pm, and on weekends every 45-55 minutes between 7:00am and 7:00pm.

Fixed-Route Access
In addition to providing access to most educational, civic, recreation, and healthcare facilities in the City of Arcadia, the fixed-route network provides a bus stop within one-half mile of approximately 60 percent of Arcadia’s overall population, or about 33,000 people. This includes:
x 61 percent of Arcadia seniors
x 57 percent of Arcadia youth
x 66 percent of Arcadia households living below the poverty line x 63 percent of Arcadia households without access to a motor vehicle x 68 percent of jobs in Arcadia

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 12 Figure 1. Arcadia Transit Fixed-Route System

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 13 Dial-A-Ride
The DAR service is available for residents with a disability, and to residents aged 62 years or older, to and from any destination within City limits. Th is service requires passengers to complete a one-time pre-registration to confirm their eligibility, must be reserved in adva nce, and may be shared rides, depending on the origin and destination points and demand for services at the time. The DAR service operates on weekdays between 7:00am and 9:00pm and on weekends between 7:00am and 7:00pm.

Connecting Services
Metro and Foothill Transit also provide transit service within the City of Arcadia for local trips and trips to the broader San Gabriel Valley region. Metro operates the A Line Metro Rail service, providing access to Long Beach, Downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena, and points as far east as Pomona in the San Gabriel Valley. The Foothill Extension to Montclair is expe cted to be completed in 20 29. Metro also provides bus service to communities to the south and west such as El Monte, Temple City, and Pasadena. Foothill Transit provides bus service that connects Arcadia to c ommunities such as Monrovia, Azusa, Duarte, and Pasadena.

Table 1 shows transit service frequency by day of the week and key des tinations for regional transit routes that pass through Arcadia. Figure 2 shows a map of these services in relation to Arcadia City limits and Arcadia Transit services.

Table 1. Local and Regional Route Frequencies and Key Destinations Operator/Route Weekday
Frequency
Saturday
Frequency
Sunday
Frequency Key Destinations
Metro A Line 8-10 min 10 min 10 min Long Beach, Downtown LA, Pasadena, Azusa
Metro 179 30 min 45 min 45 min San Marino, South Pasadena, Alhambra
Metro 267 30 min 30 min 30 min Pasadena, El Monte
Metro 268 30-60 min 60 min 60 min Temple City, El Monte Metro 287 40 min 60 min 60 min El Monte, Montebello Foothill 187 15 min 30 min 30 min Pasadena, Duarte, Azusa Foothill 270 60 min 60 min 60 min Monrovia, El Monte Arcadia Transit Green
Line 15-30 min 20 min 20 min
Santa Anita Park, City Hall, USC
Arcadia Hospital, The Shops at
Santa Anita Mall, and L.A. County
Arboretum
Arcadia Transit
Blue/Red Lines 45-90 min 45-55 min 45-55 min
Arcadia schools, commercial,
retail, and residential areas along
and south of Duarte Road
Source: Transit agency websites.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 14 Figure 2. Arcadia Transit Connecting Routes by Regional Providers

Source: GTFS data.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 15 Fares and Transfers
The base fare for the fixed-route services is $0.50, with one free transfer between Arcadia Transit routes. Seniors and persons with disabilities can ride the fixed-route system for free, or pay $0.50 per ride for the DAR service. Additionally, there is a $5.00 monthl y pass available for DAR users that provides unlimited rides. Children under the age of five are also eligible to ride the fixed-route system free of charge. Fares must be paid with cash in exact change; the system does not accept TAP or other farecard media.

Currently less than a quarter of riders pay the full fare, as shown in Figure 3. Seniors make up nearly 82 percent of Green Line ridership and about half of Blue/Red Line ridership, making them Arcadia Transit’s largest ridership market.

Ridership data also indicates that 19 percent of Bl ue/Red Line riders are transferri ng from the Green Line to the Blue/Red Lines. Irregular schedules of every 45-90 minutes on the Blue/Red Lines and every 15-30 minutes on the Green Line limit the opportunity for timed connections between these routes at the Arcadia A Line Station. More than half of all Blue/Red Line trips require waiting more than 15 minutes to transfer to the Green Line and nearly two-thirds of Green Line trips require waiting more than 15 minutes to transfer to the Blue/Red Lines.

Figure 3. Ridership by Fare Type, FY24
There are currently no transfer agreements in place with regional transit providers like Metro or Foothill Transit. Passengers transferring from an Arcadia Transit bus to a Metro or Foothill Transit route must pay both fares. Full fare on either connecting system is $1.75, but both Metro and Foothill Transit offer reduced fare options for seniors, students, and those with disabilities; there is also a countywide low- income fare subsidy program called LIFE . Riders must also pay the $0.50 Arcadia Transit fare when transferring from Metro or Foothill Transit routes onto Arcadia Transit services, unless they are eligible for free fare.
11%
3%
4%
82%
Green Line
Full Fare Transfers ADA Seniors
24%
19%
8%
49%
Blue/Red Lines

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 16 Public Awareness
Low awareness of Arcadia Transit services is a significant factor affecting rid ership potential. Nearly half of all respondents to the Fall 2024 com munity transportation survey indicated they were not familiar with Arcadia Transit. The need to grow awareness of Arcadia Transit was also a common theme raised during conversations with operators and stakeholders, which included representatives from the Arcadia Unified School District, Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, Arcadia Recreation š Community Services, Santa Anita Park, and several local hotels. Several stakeholder representatives acknowledged their assumption was that Arcadia Transit services were primarily for senior citizens.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 17 Ridership
Arcadia Transit had just under 50,000 total annual boardings across its services in FY24, which translates to 83 average daily fixed-route boardings and 55 average daily DAR boardings. Fixed-route services accounted for about 60 percent of total Arcadia Transit ridership, while DAR accounted for the remaining 40 percent of ridership. Figure 4 sho ws the breakdown between the Blue/Red Lines, Green Line, and the DAR service.

Figure 4. Arcadia Transit Ridership by Service, FY24
Post-Pandemic Recovery
Fixed-route ridership reached a high point of over 53,000 total annual boardings in FY19, before a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. DAR ridership also peaked that year with almost 24,000 total annual boardings. DAR ridership declined during the pandemic, though not as drastically as fixed- route ridership. Since 2020, ridership recovery on the fixed-route services has been slower than on the DAR service, which has nearly returned to pre-pandemic ride rship. In FY24, the fixed-route services had nearly 30,000 total annual boardings (53 percent of FY19 total boardings), while DAR had just under 20,000 total annual boardings (83 percent of FY19 total boardings).

Figure 5. Arcadia Transit Annual Ridership, FY18 – FY24 Note: FY18 data is for October-July only.
17,364
(35%)
12,570
(25%)
19,615
(40%)
Blue/Red
Green
DAR
0 10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
FY18 FY19 FY20 FY2 1 FY22 FY23 FY24
Annual Ridership
Fixed Route Dial-A-Ride
Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 18 Ridership recovery since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been uneven across Arcadia Transit services. DAR weekday ridership has nearly recove red to pre-pandemic l evels and weekend DAR ridership is around 80 percent of pr e-pandemic ridership. Weekday ride rship has been slower to recover than weekend ridership across the fixed-route services, though the Blue/Red Lines have seen stronger ridership recovery than the Green Line on both weekdays and weekends. Figure 6 shows the ridership recovery for each transit service by day of the week, comparing January and February 2024 ridership with January and February 2020 ridership.

There are several possible reasons for these differences in ridership recovery. The Green Line is more dependent on employment centers for weekday ridership, including the civic center and USC Arcadia Hospital, than the Blue/Red Lines, which receive mu ch of their ridership from senior facilities and schools. Additionally, the Green Line might be more dependent on ridership recovery of the Metro Rail system, as it predominantly connects the Arcadia A Line Station to important regional destinations in the City. August 2024 weekday Metro rail boardings were about 23 per cent lower than August 2019 weekday rail boardings1. Lower racetrack attendance and fewer race days at Santa Anita Park since the pandemic may be another contributing factor.

Figure 6. Arcadia Transit Ridership Post-Pandemic Recovery by Service, Jan/Feb 2024 vs.

Jan/Feb 2020
Ridership by Day of Week
During the week, the Blue/Red Lines carry nearly three times as many dail y passengers as the Green Line. However, the Green Line experiences significantly higher ridership on weekends compared to its weekday levels. In fact, Green Line average daily weeke nd ridership surpasses the average daily ridership of the Blue and Red Lines on both weekdays and weekends—despite the Green Line only recovering 40–50% of its pre-2019 ridership levels. These trends may be related to the destinations served by each service. The Blue/ Red Lines serve schools and se nior facilities, which are largely oriented around weekday programming, while the Green Line serves a major shopping mall and recreational attractions. DAR services serve seniors and people with disabilities, helping them access 1 LA Metro. “LA Metro’s August Ridership Marks 21st Consecutive Month of Year-Over-Year Growth,” September 2024.
67%
88%
105%
30%
50%
43%
97%
79% 84%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Weekday Recovery Saturday Recovery Sunday Recovery
Recovery Rate
Blue/Red Green DAR
Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 19 appointments for healthcare or other needs, which are also more likely to occur Monday through Friday.

Figure 7 compares the average daily ridership in the most recent fiscal year between different Arcadia Transit services on weekdays and weekends.

Figure 7. Arcadia Transit Average Daily Ridership by Service, FY24 Ridership by Stop
Arcadia Transit relies on driver counts for stop-le vel ridership information. As a result, stop-level ridership is not available for all stops, as drivers only record stop-level boardings at major stops/timepoints.

Amongst stops where stop-level boardings are track ed, the Arcadia A Line Station has the highest ridership in the system. This stop had over 12,000 boardings during FY24, averaging 34 boardings per day. Other high ridership stops are spread out across the system but are predominantly on the Blue/Red Lines. The USC Arcadia Hospital was the only Green Line stop with greater than 1,000 annual boardings in FY24, which translates to just under four boardings per day. Table 2 lists Arcadia Transit stops with more than 1,000 annual boardings, as counted by operators in FY24.

Table 2. Highest Ridership Stops, FY24
Stop Total FY24 Boardings Routes Served
Arcadia A Line Station 12,364 Blue, Red, Green
Sunset š Duarte 4,102 Blue
Live Oak š Santa Anita 3,815 Blue, Red
USC Arcadia Hospital 2,825 Green
Baldwin š Duarte 1,916 Blue
Camino Real š Second 1,404 Red
58 22
67 27
67 29
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 Blue/Red Green DAR
Average Daily Ridership
Weekday Weekend

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 20 Service Productivity
Overall fixed-route productivity in FY24 was 2.0 boardings per revenue hour, with the lowest productivity service being the Green Line on weekdays, which averaged 1.1 boardings per revenue hour.

This is considered low for fixed-route transit. In FY24, other comparable systems operating in the nearby communities of Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, and El Monte had productivity values of 3.4, 3.3, and 10.7 boardings per vehicle revenue hour, respectively—although these communities all serve areas with greater population density than Arcadia. The City of Monterey Park is closest in size to Arcadia in terms of population, and operates a transit service that was 60 percent more productive than Arcadia Transit in FY24, as shown in Table 3. The Spirit Bus, Monterey Park’s transit service, serves a mix of residential areas, commercial corridors/plazas, and public buildings throughout the community, as well as East Los Angeles College. Unlike Arcadia Transit, the Spirit Bus only operates on weekdays.

Table 3. Transit Agency Comparison, FY24
City
Population
Density
(Pop.
per
Square
Mile)
Fixed-
Route
Ridership
Number
of
Routes
Operating
Days
Fixed-
Route
Revenue
Hours
Fixed-
Route
Boardings
per
Revenue
Hour
Arcadia
Transit 56,697 5.2k 29,934 3 Mon-Sun 15,330 2.0
Spirit Bus
(Monterey
Park)
61,828 7.7k 64,354 4 Mon-Fri 18,944 3.4
Baldwin Park
Public
Transit
76,056 10.9k 70,849 3 Mon-Sun 1 21,584 3.3
El Monte
Transit 201,889 20.2k 264,012 5 Mon-Sun 24,698 10.7 Source: City of Arcadia; Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database, “Transit Agency Profiles,” 2024.

Note:
1 Baldwin Park Public Transit’s Express Line operates on weekdays only. The Pumpkin and Teal Lines, which follow the same route but operate in opposite directions, offer service seven days a week.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 21 During the weekdays, the Blue/Red Lines serve more passengers per hour than the Green Line.

However, this trend reverses on weekends, when the Green Line becomes nearly four times more productive than the Blue/Red Lines, as shown in Figure 8. Weekends on the Green Line are the most productive service and time period operated by Arcadia Transit by a substantial margin, and the only time period to exceed four boardings per hour. This level of productivity remains low compared to similar fixed-route systems but is approaching the level at which fixed-route transit surpasses the maximum efficiency demand-response service could achieve. Pre-pandemic, the Green Line was even more productive on weekends, carrying twice as many passengers as it did in the most recent fiscal year.

Figure 8. Arcadia Transit Weekday vs. Weekend Productivity by Service, FY24

2.2 1.1

1.8 1.3

4.2 1.7
0 1
2 3
4 5
Blue/Red Green DAR
Boardings per Revenue Hour
Weekday Weekend
Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 22 Rider Experience
Arcadia Transit riders are generally satisfied with their on-board experience. In the Fall 2024 community transportation survey, riders identified top areas f or fixed-route service improvement as on-time performance, service freq uency, and convenience of bus st op locations. Top areas for improvement for DAR services were trip availability and the trip reservation process. As shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10, these areas of opportunity are among the most important features for riders when considering taking transit. Arcadia Transit bus operato rs confirmed that these are the areas of improvement they hear most about from passengers as well. Many non-riders shared that one of their top reasons for not using Arcadia Transit was that it does not come often enough, suggesting greater frequency could be a lever for growing ridership in addition to improving existing rider satisfaction.

Areas with the most rider satisfaction across Arcadia Transit se rvices were ease of payment and affordability.

Figure 9. Community Travel Survey Results: Question 8, Fall 2024 Figure 10. Community Travel Survey Results: Question 9, Fall 2024 01 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 9 0
Physical accessibility (bus and bus stops)
I have not considered/will not consider Arcadia Transit fixed-route service Ease of payment
Availability of seats
Comfort (bus and bus stop)
Hours of operation
Travel time
Connections to other transit services (e.g. Metro A Line) Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Safety
Affordability/cost
Frequency (how often a bus comes)
Convenience (proximity of bus stop to your home and/or destination) Q8 - When considering taking a fixed-route bus, what are the three most important features to you?
Most important Second most important Third most important 01 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0
Physical accessibility of bus
Pre-registration process (applying to confirm eligibility status) Customer service
Ease of payment
Comfort of bus
Trip reservation process
Availability of trip reservations
Hours of operation
Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Affordability/cost
Q9 - When considering taking Dial-A-Ride, what are the three most important features to you?
Most important Second most important Third most important

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 23 Financial Overview
Arcadia Transit spent around $2.6 million delivering transit services in FY24, with nearly half of contract operations expenditures supporting DAR operations. For fixed-route service, the operating cost per passenger trip generally decreases as ridership increases. In FY24, the per passenger trip operating cost for DAR services in Arcadia was $59.00, which is typical of the industry average. However, at $49.29, the operating cost per passenger trip in Arcad ia for fixed-route service is considered high.

Table 4 shows the operating cost per passenger trip for Arcadia in FY24 compared to other transit agencies serving nearby communities.

Table 4. Transit Agency Operating Subsidy Comparison, FY24 City Population
Fixed-Route
Boardings per
Revenue Hour
Fixed-Route
Operating Cost
per Passenger
Trip
Fixed Route
Operating Cost
per Revenue
Hour
Arcadia Transit 56,697 2.0 $49.29 $97.35
Spirit Bus (Monterey
Park) 61,828 3.4 $45.92 $155.98
Baldwin Park Public
Transit 76,056 3.3 $26.89 $88.28
El Monte Transit 201,889 10.7 $11.35 $121.37
Source: Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database, “Transit Agency Profiles,” 2024.

The average fare collected per passenger ranged from $0.08 to $0.19 depending on the Arcadia Transit service, leading to a farebox recovery ratio of around 0.3 percent. Given the farebox revenue being collected, it is likely that charging fares is costing Arcadia Transit more than the net proceeds in fares collected, and that fares represent a negligible line item in the annual operating budget. Assuming four hours a week of staff time at $100 per hour to collect, account for, a nd deposit fares, this amounts to $20,800 annually to collect fares compared to $7,500 in total fare revenue in FY24. Table 5 summarizes fare-related metrics across Arcadia Transit services for FY24.

Table 5. Selected Financial Information by Arcadia Transit Service, FY24 Blue/Red Lines Green Line DAR
Ridership 17,364 12,570 19,615
Average Fare Collected per Trip $0.16 $0.08 $0.19
Farebox Recovery 0.4% 0.2% 0.4%

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 24 Fleet and Facilities
As of 2024, the Arcadia Transit fleet included a to tal of 18 paratransit vehicles—12 Starcraft Allstar cutaway buses and six Dodge Entervan minivans. The fixed-route service fleet is comprised of ten cutaway buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and can seat 12 to 16 passengers. The DAR service operates six minivans with a seating capacity of five, and two cutaway buses with a seating capacity of 12, all powered by gasoline. Most of the Cit y’s fleet was manufactured in 2019, with two cutaway buses manufactured a year later in 2020.

The replacement schedule laid out in the City of Arcadia’s most recent Transit Asset Management Plan is summarized in Table 6. While only a subset of the City’s fleet was procured with FTA funds, Arcadia’s 2024-2028 Transit Asset Management Plan describes the City’s intention to use the FTA’s Useful Life Benchmark (ULB) rule2 to determine the replacement schedule for the entire fleet. This replacement schedule is being revisited since the City is no longer proceeding with its plan to build a Compressed Natural Gas fueling facility. The contracted transit operat or, Transdev, shared that some DAR riders have expressed concerns with the minivan vehicle size and would feel more comfortable traveling in larger vehicles. The City may want to consider this feedback ahead of purchasing new minivans in 2028. Arcadia Transit does not own any other equipment or facilities.

Table 6. Arcadia Transit Fleet Replacement Schedule
Vehicle Type Fuel Type Number of
Vehicles
Primary
Service
Approximate
Cost Project Year
Cutaway bus (26 ft) CNG 5 Fixed-Route $655,000 2026 Cutaway bus (22 ft) CNG 2 Fixed-Route $234,000 2026 Cutaway bus (22 ft) To be
determined 2 Fixed-Route $234,000 2028
Cutaway bus (26 ft) CNG 3 Fixed-Route $393,000 2028 Minivan Gasoline 6 DAR $702,000 2028
Source: City of Arcadia Transit Asset Management Plan 2024-2028.

2 The FTA defines the ULB as the minimum acceptable period a capital asset purchased with FTA funds should be used in service. The FTA’s service life categories indicate the City’s cutaway buses have a minimum service life of five years or 150,000 miles and that the minivans have a minimum service life of four years or 100,000 miles.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 25 Technology
The primary rider-facing technology for Arcadia Transit riders is the Passio GO! app, which can be used to track the location of fixed-route buses in real time and see the estimated time of arrival for a given stop. The app is free and available in the Apple and Google Play app stores. Real-time arrival information can also be accessed via th e Google Maps, Apple Maps, Trans it, and Moovit apps. There are currently no technological soluti ons supporting fare payment or DAR trip reservation on the customer side. Ease of payment did not rank as a top issue area for fixed-route or DAR riders in the community travel survey, though expanding fare payment options could help reduce barriers for new riders looking to try the service. The trip reservation process and availability of trip reservations ranked as the biggest pain points for DAR riders, pointing to a potential opportunity to leverage technology to improve current processes.

Arcadia Transit uses several technol ogies to support its fixed-route and DAR operations: Connected Signals Inc. powers the transit signal priority (TSP) system and TripMaster by CTS Software is used to manage DAR. TSP is a traffic management technique that adjusts signal timing at intersections to favor public transit vehicles, helping reduce delays and improve schedule reliability. It typically involves extending green lights or shortening red lights when a bus is approaching. Arcadia’s TSP system is adaptable to different transit systems and is begi nning to be accessible to reg ional transit service providers such as Metro. The benefits of TSP in Arc adia have not yet been fully realized as individual Arcadia Transit operators’ use of the technology is inconsistent. Arcadia Transit should work with Connected Signals to analyze usage statistics, and partner with operators to deve lop a plan for more consistent use of the technology. The TripMas ter solution for DAR is meeting the agency’s needs according to Transdev management. Trip availability issues are driven more so by uneven demand throughout the day, with a dis proportionate number of trip requests for the 8:00am-10:00am period.

This challenge may be better addressed through a rider-facing trip reservation solution.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 26

3. Travel Market Assessment

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 27 The travel market assessment uses data to explore where, when, and how people travel in and around Arcadia. This, in turn, highlights the opportunities to provide transit t hat will serve the greatest need and the most people. The following data sources informed the assessment:
x Census data from the 2022 American Community S urvey (ACS) five-year estimates identifies demographic factors that correlate with higher tra nsit usage, such as concentrations of lower income households, seniors, and school-age children.
x Data from 2022 from the U.S. Census Longitudinal Employer -Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) dataset provides information about the location and concentration of employment in the City.
x Replica data models travel patterns between census block groups by time of day. Replica uses land use characteristics, mobile app data, traffic counts, and other data sources to estimate travel demand, trip purposes, and other factors which can be used to identify travel markets where transit may successfully compete with other modes.
x Anticipated changes in population and employment from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Travel Demand Model define where travel demand may grow in the coming 5-10 years as new developments are constructed and occupied. x Results from the Community Transportation Survey , conducted online and in-person at various locations in Arcadia in November 202 4, inform our understanding of the rider experience as well as the overall travel patterns of Arcadia residents.

Service Area Characteristics
As a component of the Trans portation Services Division within the City’s Development Services Department, Arcadia Transit’s primary responsibility is to address the transportation needs of Arcadia residents, students, and visitors within the City’s boundaries. The Arcadia Transit service area spans approximately 10.9 square miles with just over 54,000 residents and around 25,000 jobs.

Population Density
Average population density within Arcadia is about 4,900 people per square mile. For comparison, Monrovia has a density of around 2,700 people per sq uare mile, Pasadena has a density of around 5,800 people per square mile, and West Covina has a density of around 6,600 people per square mile.

Table 7. Nearby Average Population Densities
City Average Population Density
(people per square mile)
West Covina 6,600
Pasadena 5,800
Arcadia 4,900
Monrovia 2,700
Source: 2022 ACS 5-year estimates.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 28 Higher density areas have a larger potential ridership market within walking distance of a transit stop, and as a result, generally have a higher demand for transit services. The most densely populated areas of Arcadia are along Duarte Road, including east of Santa Anita Avenue as well as west of Baldwin Avenue to the City limits. Figure 11 visualizes population density across the City by census block group, in relation to the existing fixed-route transit routes and stops operated by Arcadia Transit. The current fixed-route system is well aligned with the most densely populated areas of the City.

Job Density
Arcadia’s 25,000 jobs are generally concentrated within a few areas of the community, most of which are served by the existing fixed-route system. The area around The Shops at Santa Anita Mall and Santa Anita Park, and the area surrounding USC Arcadia Hospital along Huntington Drive are the City’s largest job centers. Over 1,000 jobs are concentrated in the area surrounding the mall and racetrack. Additional employment centers include the retail and medical facilities located near Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road, the commercial area just east of Downto wn Arcadia along Hunting ton Drive, and the industrial park in far southeast Arcadia. Figure 12 shows job density across the City by census block group.

Arcadia Transit does not currently offer fixed-route stops along Huntington Drive east of First Avenue or in the industrial and warehouse district in the sout heast, though the former is served by Foothill Transit Line 187.

Income
Arcadia’s median household income is above the countywide average. In 2022, Arcadia had a median household income of $108,000, higher than the L.A. County average of $83,000.

From an equity perspective, an important role of transit is to make key destinations more accessible to the lowest-income households in the communi ty, thereby supporting their participation in the economy, and access to healthcare, social, and recreational opportunities. Households with median incomes below the City and countywide averages are concentrated in the western portion of the city along Duarte Road west of Baldwin Avenue.

As shown in Figure 13, the Blue Line serves the census tracts with the lowest median household incomes. The northern portion of the City has the highest median household income and the least amount of Arcadia Transit fixed-route service coverage.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 29 Figure 11. Arcadia Population Density and Fixed-Route Network

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 30 Figure 12. Arcadia Employment Density and Fixed-Route Network

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 31 Figure 13. Arcadia Household Income and Fixed-Route Network

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 32 Vehicle Access
Most households in Arcadia have access to at least one vehicle. Concentrations of households with zero vehicles generally have higher demand for public transportation services. In Arcadia as a whole, 96 percent of households have access to at least one vehicle, which is higher than the L.A. County average of 91 percent. There is no single area with a notable concen tration of zero-car households.

Transit still has opportunity even where vehicle ownership is high; young adults and seniors in particular are less likely to drive and may be going to different places at the same time as driving adults in the household. There are also many adults who would pre fer not to drive for every trip, even if they have access to a car. Regardless, the high percentage of vehicle access presents a greater challenge than a clear opportunity for transit adoption.

Senior Population
Twenty percent of Arcadia’s population is over the age of 65, with the largest concentration of seniors living in the southern portion of the city, and in the neighborhoods west of Baldwin Avenue between Hugo Reid Drive and Colorado Boulevard. Seniors may be less comfortable driving and have a range of local destinations they visit throughout the day compared with working adults, including medical appointments and shopping centers. Arcadia Transit offers at least one fixed-route stop in every census block group where seniors account for 40 percent or more of all residents. Seniors with limited mobility also typically make up a high proportion of DAR program users, which is provided throughout the City.

Youth Population
Twenty-one percent of Arcadia’s population is under the age of 18 . The youth population is generally spread out across the City, though there are more significant concentrations south of Huntington Drive, in the southwest portion of the city between Longden Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue, and north of Foothill Boulevard. Areas with a higher concentration of youth may have a higher demand for transit services, particularly because high school students in California often rely on public transportation services to reach school. Young people may also have limited resources to spend on private vehicles.

Arcadia Transit fixed-route services are well aligned with areas with higher concentrations of youths today.

Population with Disabilities
The areas of Arcadia with a higher concentration of individuals with disabilities include the racetrack and mall area, as well as along Duarte Road west of Baldwin Avenue. Persons with disabilities may utilize public transit to get around if their disability prevents them from operating a motor vehicle. In Arcadia,

8.1% of the population has a disability.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 33 Key Travel Markets
This section analyzes travel within Arcadia and regional tr avel patterns between Arcadia and neighboring communities using data from the Replica Fall 20233 model for a typical weekday to better understand how well Arcadia Transit serves key travel markets. Travel demand markets are measures of total estimated travel between different places and can be distinguished by the type of traveler (such as seniors or students) or the p urpose of the trip (such as work or recreation). Data from the U.S.

Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) datas et was also analyzed and provides additional context on commute patterns. 4 The travel market analyses considered travel volumes and trends at three scales:
x Overall travel: Total volume of trips within, to, and from Arcadia x Local travel: Common origins and destinations for key areas across the City x Regional travel: Common origins and destinations for work-based travel in the City Overall Travel Demand
Overall travel in Arcadia in 2023 reflected a return to pre-COVID levels, despite lower transit ridership, as shown in Figure 14. Approximately 228,000 trips originated within the City of Arcadia on an average weekday, per the Replica travel demand model from Fall 2023. Of those trips, about 35 percent remained within Arcadia, with the remainder having a destination outside city limits. The following areas generate the most trips in the city.

1. The area encompassing the Shops at Santa Anita Mall, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia High School, and the civic center

2. The Arcadia A Line Station and adjacent commercial corridor and hotel cluster along Huntington Drive

3. The area surrounding the interse ction of Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road Figure 14. Total Travel Originating in Arcadia, Fall 2019 versus Fall 2023 Source: Replica, Fall 2023.
3 Replica is a nationwide activity-based travel demand model developed using connected vehicle data, location- based services, and public traffic and transit data.
4 LEHD is a program run by the Center for Economics Studies and the U.S. Census Bureau that provides a quarterly database covering over 95% of employment in the United States. It integrates administrative data (e.g. unemployment insurance earnings data, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages) on jobs, businesses, and workers with existing census and surveys. 230,000
76,700
228,000
78,900
0 50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
All Trips Starting in Arcadia Trips Starting and Ending in Arcadia Annual Trips
2019
2023
Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 34 Local Travel
The Arcadia Transit fixed-route transit system was designed to connect the city’s commercial areas, civic center, and residential neighborhoods with the Metro Rail system at the Arcadia A Line Station.

Given the increased reliance on telework and othe r remote technologies post-pandemic, this study sought to understand whether trip patterns within Arcadia still align with Arcadia Transit’s existing fixed routes. The local travel market analysis relies on Replica data to/from the three areas of the City generating the most overall trip activity: the Shops at Santa Anita Mall and Santa Anita Park, the Arcadia A Line Station, and Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road.

Mall, Racetrack, and Surrounding Area
The Shops at Santa Anita Mall and Santa Anita Par k (“mall/racetrack area”) are important community destinations, and are also some of the largest employers in the area. Currently, the Arcadia Transit Green Line provides fixed-route connectivity between the mall/racetrack area and the Arcadia A Line Station. Although a significant portion of trips to the mall/racetrack area begin at the Arcadia A Line Station, many other trips to the mall/racetrac k area begin in the area surrounding the intersection of Baldwin Avenue and Durate Road, and the area surrounding the intersection of Santa Anita Avenue and Live Oak Avenue. For most Arcadia residents, taking Arcadia Transit to the mall/racetrack would require taking the Blue/Red Lines to the Arcadia A Line Stat ion, then transferring to the Green Line. Providing more direct circulation between Arcadia neighbor hoods and the mall/racetrack area is a potential untapped market for Arcadia Transit. Trip volumes are largely consistent throughout the day but peak in the late afternoon and stay relatively high into the evening past the 8:00pm hour as shown in Figure

15. Figure 15. Trips Originating within Arcadia to the Mall/Racetrack Area by Start Time Source: Replica, Fall 2023.

Arcadia A Line Station
Replica travel pattern data suggests that Arcadia Transit fixed-route services remain well aligned with the most frequented destinations for trips starting near the Arcadia A Line Station. The most common destinations for trips starting near the Arcadia A Line Station are served by the Green Line. The next three top destinations—the area south of Duarte R oad near Arcadia Library, the commercial area at 0 100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800Daily Trip Volume

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 35 Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road, and the area directly north of Arcadia A Line Station—are served by the Blue/Red Lines.

Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road
The service area demographics analysis highlighted the area around Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road on the western side of Arcadia as an area with potentially higher transit propens ity; relative to other parts of Arcadia, this area has a higher pop ulation density, lower househo ld incomes, and high proportions of seniors and people with disabilities. This area also includes large retail plazas and a cluster of medical offices. The Replica travel de mand analysis indicated high levels of trip volume between this area and destinations along Huntington Drive and Duarte Road. Nearly 37 percent of travel to this area is for retail and dining, while 40 per cent of travel is home-bound trips for residents from other parts of the city. This demonstrates strong bi- directional travel demand from this area to other parts of the community throughout the day, underscoring the importance of all-day transit service in this area.

Regional Travel
Even with the growth of remote work , work-based travel remains a key market for public transit.

Understanding where employees commute to and from can help Arcadia Trans it better serve these trips, including the first/last mile component for r egional trips. This section relies on Replica data as well as data from the 2022 Census LEHD Survey of employee home and work locations to identify the common commuter travel patterns in Arcadia.

Where Arcadia Residents Work
Approximately 24,000 Arcadia residents commute to jobs across the City and region. Areas within the City with the highest concentration of jobs held by Arcadia residents include The Shops at Santa Anita Mall, Downtown Arcadia, and the commercial and hotel dis trict along Huntington Drive east of Santa Anita Avenue. However, a much larger proportion of Arcadia residents commute to jobs elsewhere in the region. Important employment destinations for Arcadia residents include Irwindale, Pasadena, and Central Los Angeles. There are also concentrations of workplace locations in El Monte and La Puente to the south and southeast of the community.

Where Arcadia Workers Live
Approximately 28,000 w orkers commute to jobs in Arcadia. Most people who work in the City of Arcadia live in Arcadia or commute in from neighboring communities like Monrovia. A high concentration of Arcadia workers live in the census tract north of Duarte Road and east of Santa Anita Avenue around Downtown Arcadia. Many Arcadia wor kers also live in the southwest and southeast portions of the City.

Mall, Racetrack, and Surrounding Area
As the largest employment destination within the Arcadia community and one of the larger retail facilities in the surrounding areas, travel demand to The Shops at Santa Anita Mall/Santa Anita Park area extends beyond City limits. Understanding where these trips originate and where the strongest travel patterns are can help Arcadia Transit plan services that facilitate better first/last mile connections to the mall/racetrack area. The Replica travel demand analysis found that trips from

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 36 outside Arcadia to the mall/racetrack begin in areas served by the A Line, underscoring the role of Arcadia Transit as a first/last mile connection for regional trips.

Top origins for regional trips ending in the mall/racetrack area include the East Pasadena/Caltech area, Monrovia, and Temple City. The first two geographies are well served by the A Line and highlight the value of maintaining transit connectivity between the mall/racetrack area and the Arcadia A Line Station in Arcadia. Metro Bus Line 268 offers a direct transit conne ction between Temple City and the mall/racetrack area in Arcadia and provides service along Huntington Drive via Line 179. Regional work- related trips peak during the AM and PM peak commuting hours, while shopping and recreational trips are highest between 3:00pm and 7:00pm.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 37 Potential Impacts of Future Development Arcadia
Travel Patterns
Growth or decline in the residential population, jobs, and student population can alter the demand for public transit services. The SCAG Travel Demand Forecast Model (TDFM) was used to estimate the future demand for transit and transportation in Arcadia. 2035 was chosen as the horizon year for this analysis, as a 10-year horizon provides an appropriate view of development for transit service planning purposes.

Residential Population Change
The TDFM projects residential population growth in Arcadia to reach 66,000 residents by 2035. The model predicts that much of this growth will occur in Downtown Arcadia, within walking distance of the Arcadia A Line Station transit hub. Additional growth is expected just ou tside city limits in North El Monte and Mayflower Village. These areas are within walking distance of existing Arcadia Transit fixed- route bus stops. Figure 16 shows the anticipate d population change between 2019 and 2035 by transportation analysis zone (TAZ).

Student Population Change
Mirroring statewide and national trends of a declining fertility rate and an aging population, the SCAG TDFM shows flat or declining K-12 student populations across all TAZs in the city. Between 2019 and 2035, the model predicts that Arcadia as a wh ole will see a reduction of around 1,500 K-12 students, representing a 15 percent decreas e. Arcadia Transit may eventually see a gradual reduction of youth trips on the system, especially to and from school campuses.

Employment Change
Between the present day and 2035, the SCAG TDFM projects modest employment growth throughout Arcadia. There are no large concentrations of employment growth anticipated, suggesting there are no large commercial developments planned. Local employment change sho uld have a minimal effect on the demand for public transit in Arcadia. Figure 17 shows the modeled change in employment between the present day and 2035 by TAZ.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 38 Figure 16. Residential Population Change by TAZ, 2019 to 2035

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 39 Figure 17. Employment Change by TAZ, 2019 to 2035

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 40

4. Public Outreach and Engagement

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 41 This section summarizes engagement activities and feedback gathered during the two phases of community outreach for the STSA. The first phase of community engagement focused on gathering perspectives on what is working well or could be improved with the existing transit system in Arcadia from the perspective of transit riders, non-riders, and bus operators. The STSA team used feedback from this first phase, along with transit service analysis, to develop potential future transit concepts.

These concepts were then shared for feedback during the second phase of engagement.

Phase One
Phase one engagement took place during Fall 2024 and, alongside the transit service evaluation and travel market assessment, helped identify the opportunities to improve Arcadia Transit summarized in Chapter 4 of this report.

Engagement Activities
During the fall of 2024, the STSA team conducted a series of community engagement activities spanning conversations with key stakeholders, in-person events designed to reach both riders and non-riders, and two survey efforts. The events and community transportation survey were open to all community members and advertised via the project website, social media, City newsletter, and flyers.

To ensure these outreach channels were accessible to a diverse range of community members, all print and digital materials were produced in English, Chinese, and Spanish.

Stakeholder Meeting
Date: November 19, 2024, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Location: Virtual meeting

To spread awareness about the project and the community survey, the STSA team hosted a virtual kick-off meeting with key stakeholders. The kick-off included a presentation on the Arcadia Transit system, the goals of the STSA, and the phase one engagement strategy as well as a discussion about how the system could be improved. Eleven stakeholders representing several City departments, USC Arcadia Hospital, Santa Anita Park, local hotels, Arcadia Unified School District, and Metro attended.

Stakeholders expressed a need to increase community awareness of Arcadia Transit service and brainstormed expansion opportunities, the most popular being an expansion to destinations east of the Arcadia A Line Station.

Transdev Interview
Date: November 20, 2024, 10:00am-11:00am
Location: Arcadia Transit Plaza

Fehr š Peers staff met with Transdev managers to discuss what aspects of Arcadia Transit Services are working well and what could be improved. The interview included discussion of fixed-route operations, Dial-A-Ride operations, the rider experience, and bus operator experiences. Growing awareness of the fixed-route system and optimizing Dial-A-Ride scheduling emerged as key themes.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 42 Tabling Events
Date: November 20, 2024, 8:30am-5:30pm
Location: Arcadia Transit Plaza, Arcadia Senior Center, Arcadia Library The STSA team conducted tabling events at the Arcadia Transit Plaza, the Arcadia Senior Center, and the Arcadia Public Library over the course of a day to promote the project and community survey. The team successfully engaged with many community members, many of which were youth, parents, and seniors.

Onboard Observations
Date: November 20, 2024 8:30am-3:00pm, November 23, 2024, 10:00am-12:00pm Location: Green Line, Blue Line, Red Line

Fehr š Peers staff rode each of the fixed-route bus service lines (e.g., Green, Blue and Red) to observe operations and engage with both riders and drivers. Weekday observations included all three Arcadia Transit fixed-route lines while Saturday observations focused on the Green Line. The team observed low levels of ridership (fewer than five people per hour) during the observation period.

Riders were mostly seniors and youth who were using Arcadia to complete a trip to or from a specific destination of interest like the Arcadia A Line Station, a park/recreational facility, or school. The onboard observations also presented an opportunity to pass out flyers with project information and a link to the community transportation survey to riders.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 43 Community Transportation Survey
Date: November 20, 2024 – December 9, 2025
Location: Online survey available on project website, paper surveys distributed during onboard observations and tabling events

The STSA team created and distributed a community transportation survey to understand current travel patterns in Arcadia and to obtain feedback on how to improve Arcadia Transit services. The community survey was framed towards both riders and non-riders and was available online as well as in hard copy format during in-person engagement events. The survey was open for 20 days, available in English, Chinese, and Spanish, and received a total of 183 responses—comprised of 145 online responses and 38 hard copies. The results of the survey indicated that Arcadia Transit serves respondents’ top weekly destinations, however roughly half of survey respondents were not familiar with any transit services in Arcadia and another thirty percent identified as occasional transit riders (i.e., a few times a year). See Appendix A for more details on the community transportation survey results.

Bus Operator Survey
Date: November 2024
Location: Distributed directly to bus operators
An operator-specific survey was also developed and distributed to current Arcadia Transit bus operators to better understand their experiences and pain points. The survey received 12 responses, captured equal representation among all Arcadia Transit service lines and DAR, and represented a blend of work experience ranging fro m less than a year to more th an 10 years. While most operators reported that the fixed-route system is operating well, th ey noted that rider awareness of the service and its procedures could be improved across both the fixed route and DAR services.

Key Findings
The following key themes emerged from the phase one engagement activities, which helped the STSA team identify opportunities for improving transit service. These findings informed the potential transit service concepts that were shown to the public during the second phase of engagement and the final recommended service changes.
x The stakeholders value Arcadia Transit and shared that the service is especially important for seniors and youth. For example, one stakeholder recounted that approximately 20-30 people use transit daily to arrive at the clubhouse at Santa Anita Park. Another stakeholder noted that many seniors use transit daily—primarily DAR— to travel to and from class es and special events at the Arcadia Senior Center.
x Despite its value to existing riders, overall awareness of Arcadia Transit service is low. Ideas raised to grow awareness included a general marketing campaign that reintroduces Arcadia Transit in the post-COVID context, improved transit signage at a nd around the Arcadia A Line Station, making bus stops more visible and accessible for the visually-impaired, marketing Arcadia Transit as a way to access special events that occur in the City, brochures for hotel guests, and messaging at The Shops, particularly aimed at students.
x Community members expressed a desire to expand fixed-route bus service to a variety of locations, most frequently Huntington Drive east of the Arcadia A Line Station. Other locations of interest included H Mart, Wilderness Park, and Michilinda Park. Gaps in service coverage raised by

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 44 the stakeholder group included serving those who work overnight shifts, and the area around Duarte Road and Sixth Avenue since Metro cancelled Line 264. x Fixed-route improvement priorities for riders include ease of connections to other transit services (e.g., Metro A Line), frequency, convenience, and reliability. x The top areas for improvement from the operator perspective are route schedules, vehicle reliability, and bus layover conditions.
x Drivers indicated riders would like more and eas ier access to updated maps and schedules and real-time arrival information.
x DAR is struggling to meet demand during the AM peak hour with the current supply of vehicles and riders noted that the trip reservation process could be improved.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 45 Phase Two
Phase two engagement took place during Spring 2025 and directly informed the recommended service enhancements in Chapter 6 of this report.

Engagement Activities
During the project’s second phase of engagement the project team presented and sought feedback on three potential future transit concepts for Arcadia Transit. These potential future transit concepts were developed based on feedback from the first phase of community engagement and an analysis of existing transit service performance and travel patterns. See Appendix B for additional detail on the three potential future transit concepts explored during this phase of the study. x Concept #1 – Expanded service on existing Arcadia Transit fixed route bus lines x Concept #2 – Two fixed route loops with a transfer point at the Shops at Santa Anita Mall x Microtransit Alternative – Citywide microtransit service that would replace fixed-route service The phase two engagement approach applied a mixed-media strategy in May 2025 and early June to gather feedback from key stakeholders and community members. Participants included current riders, non-riders familiar with the City’s transit services, and folks with limited knowledge and experience with Arcadia Transit.

Stakeholder Meeting
Date: May 13, 2025, 11:00am-12:00pm
Location: Virtual meeting
The STSA team held a second virtual stakeholder meeting as part of this phase of engagement, inviting the same list of key stakeholders identified via collaboration with the City for the first stakeholder engagement event in 2024. Ten stakeholders attended the meeting. There was generally a positive reaction to both Concept #1 and Concept #2. However, a subset of stakeholders expressed concerns over the loss of a direct connection to the Arcadia A Line Station and the loss of service to Foothill Middle School and along First Avenue under Concept #2. Several stakeholders expressed the importance of retaining an option to make reservations via phone under the microtransit alternative. Others noted that shifting to microtransit may be redundant, given residents already have the option to use app-based ride hail services (i.e., Uber, Lyft, and Waymo).

Public Meeting
Date: June 4, 2025, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Location: Arcadia Public Library
A public meeting was held to share draft public transit concepts with the public and gather feedback in an in-person setting. Fifteen people attended the meeting, which took place at the Arcadia Public Library Auditorium on a weeknight. The meeting began with a presentation of the transit concepts, followed by group discussion, and ended with an open house format. During the open house portion, attendees could review poster boards of each proposed concept, ask questions to individual project team members, and provide additional feedback. Participants placed sticky notes directly on the poster boards to share what they liked and did not like about each concept. Twenty-two written comments were submitted at this event. Public meeting attendees generally preferred Concept #1

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 46 due to the importance of service to the plaza at Foothill Blvd and Second Avenue. Riders shared that removing Arcadia Transit service here would impact their ability to access grocery stores and medical appointments. There were also requests to update the payment system (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay, TAP compatible) and bus stop amenities (e.g., shelters, shade, real-time bus arrival information).

Community Survey
Date: May 9, 2025 – June 14, 2025
Location: Online survey available on project website, paper surveys distributed at Resource Fair and STSA public meeting
To encourage broad community participation, the STSA team developed an online survey to supplement the public meeting and collect feedback on the proposed transit concepts for Arcadia Transit. The survey received a total of 122 responses (104 online and 18 paper). City staff marketed the survey via the City’s website, social media account, and at a Resource Fair at the Community Center. Paper surveys were available at the Resource Fair and at the public meeting. Overall, Concept #1 was the narrowly preferred concept among survey respondents, though the current system and the microtransit alternative received strong support as well. The preference for the current system was greatest among respondents who indicated that they ride Arcadia Transit often.

Key Findings
The data gathered during the second phase of engagement highlighted advantages and disadvantages of each potential future transit concept from different community perspectives and informed the recommended service enhancements in Chapter 6 of this report. x Overall, community feedback indicated that the current system and Concept #1 would best serve the needs of the Arcadia community. This finding was consistent across engagement channels. x The microtransit alternative was the second most preferred concept in the survey; however, respondents expressed a low tolerance for wait times above 20 minutes and fares above $2, suggesting microtransit would require substantial financial investment to meet community expectations.
x General areas for improvement highlighted by the public included fixed-route reliability— particularly with regard to on-time bus performance—and fixed-r oute frequency. These focus areas align with commentary heard during the first phase of engagement.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 47

5. Areas of Opportunity

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 48 Findings from the transit service evaluation, market assessment, and phase one community engagement highlighted a variety of opportunities for Arcadia Transit to optimize operations and better serve the transit needs of the community. The fo llowing key takeaways guided the exploration of potential service changes and this report’s final recommendations.

Arcadia Transit’s fixed-route system is well aligned with the m ost population dense areas of the City and with current trip patterns to/from the Arcadia A Line Station, but overall awareness of Arcadia Transit service is low in the community. Testing a marketing-focused strategy ahead of any major service redesign could be a low-cost way to grow ridership in the short term.

Seniors and school-aged youths are key ridership markets in Arcadia, given most residents own cars, the density is largely suburban, and incomes are high. Service planning should explore whether attracting more riders in these demographics is practical, and consider what strategies will help retain these riders, especially given the projected decline of student-age population in the next decade.

Arcadia is a suburban community with high car ownership rates , so attracting larger proportions of working adults to Arcadia Transit will be a c hallenge. Service planning should explore how transit can be useful to working-age adults in this context, whether that be on evenings, weekends, or connecting people to regional transit without having to drive and park at the Arcadia A Line Station.

The Blue/Red Lines serve neighborhoods with strong transit rider potential but require transferring to reac h destinations along Huntington Drive and have low weekend ridership. There may be an opportunity to provide more direct access to The Shops at Santa Anita Mall, Santa Anita Park, and the USC Arcadia Hospital/civic c enter area for Arcadia residents, potentially avoiding a transfer for them at the Arcadia A Line Station between routes and boosting weekend ridership.

The area around Baldwin Avenue and Duarte Road has the highest transit propensity in the City across a variety of factors including population density, senior population, income levels, and percentage of residents with disabilities, and is a top trip generator.

Arcadia Transit serves this area today but there may be a benefit in providing more direct connections between this area and other key destinations in the City.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 49

Green Line ridership has the lowest weekday productivity despite serving two of the City’s top trip destinations for regional and local trips, while weekend service on the Green Line is the most producti ve service and time period operated by Arcadia Transit. The Green Line has also been slowest to recover post-pandemic , but its historic strength indicates great opportunity . These trends suggest a mismatch between travel demand and the awareness and/or desire to use Arcadia Transit, which could be addressed through additional marketing efforts. The area around the Arcadia A Line Station, together with the commercial corridor and hotels along Huntington Drive east of the station, gene rates the second largest a mount of trips in the C ity, pointing to a potential expansion opportunity for the Green Line.

Many non-riders shared that one of their top reasons for not using Arcadia Transit was that it does not come often enough, suggesting greater frequency could be a lever for growing ridership across all fixed-route services.

Dial-A-Ride is struggling to meet demand during the AM peak hour with the current supply of vehicles. Riders also noted that the trip reservation process could be improved. Exploring strategies to spread out demand throughout the day, as well as considering technologica l solutions for scheduling and dispatching, could improve DAR productivity and rider experience.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 50

6. Recommended Service Enhancements

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 51 The STSA identifies three key recommendations to strengthen Arcadia Transit’s offerings based on community and stakeholder feedback, transit service and market analysis, and best practices for transit service design.

1. Transit Service Changes – Enhance the fixed-route design and transit service operations to better meet community needs.

2. Supporting Infrastructure and Technology – Consider investmen ts in infrastructure and technology that would improve reliability, accessibility, and rider experience.

3. Marketing and Outreach – Increase awareness and ridership through targeted communication and partnerships.

Together, these recommendations provide a com prehensive approach for improving service quality and expanding Arcadia Transit’s role in the community.

Recommended Transit Service Changes
Fixed-Route Recommendations
The STSA recommends maintaining a fixed-route system oriented aroun d the City’s regional transit hub at the Arcadia A Line Station, while expanding coverage to new destinations and improving direct connections between key locations within Arcadia. The pr oposed fixed-route concept would expand the Green Line east of the Arcadia A Line Station to Second Avenue and modify the Red Line and Blue Line to serve additional destinations. These route adjustments would be accompanied by improved operating hours and route frequency to enhance t he usability and convenience of the system for a variety of riders.

Service Proposed Change
; All Routes Extend the span of service to 6:00am to 9:00pm weekdays and 7:00am to 7:00pm on weekends
; Green Line Modify the route to extend east of the Arcadia A Line Station to Second Avenue
; Green Line Improve the schedule to operate regular 15- minute headways throughout the day
; Red Line
Modify the route to continue operating northbound along First Avenue between Foothill Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard but return southbound via Second Avenue
; Blue Line Modify the route to serve The Shops at Santa Anita Mall via Holly Avenue and Baldwin Avenue
; Red/Blue Lines Improve the schedule to operate regular hourly headways throughout the day

Green Line
Red Line
Blue Line
Arcadia
Fairview Ave
BaldwinAve
Campus Dr
Lon gden Av e
Lemon Ave
HollyAve
ElM o n t eA v e
ElMonteAve
Las Tun as Dr
El Camino Real Ave
SunsetBlvd
GoldenAve
Genoa St
Colorado Blvd
4th Ave
Santa Cl ara St
Huntington Dr
Duarte Rd
Duarte Rd
La Porte St
Sycamore Ave
Foothill Blvd
Fano St
California St
Dia mond St
Longden Ave
Live Oak Ave
2nd Ave2nd Ave
Greenȴeld Ave
SantaAnita Ave
LenoreAve
HempsteadAve
1st Ave
6th Ave
6thAve
4th Ave
Newman Ave
El Cami no Real Ave
Norman A ve
Lemon Ave
Wist ar ia Ave
WarrenWy
SantaClara St
SantaAnitaAve
1st St
HuntingtonDr
HuntingtonDr
HollyAve
Christina St
Los Angeles
County Arboretum Santa Anita
Park
USC Arcadia
Hospital
Arcadia
Community
Center
Police Dept
Arcadia Station
Arcadia
High School
The Shops at
Santa Anita
Arcadia
Public Library
210
gdddeenn AAvvee
SSSuunnsseettBBllvvdd
ddeennAAvvee
LLeennoorreeAAvvee
HHeemmppsstteeaaddAAvvee
dd
SSStt
DDDDr
01 0.5
Miles
Bus Routes & Span Of Service

PROPOSED ARCADIA

TRANSIT
Service Assessment

PROPOSED EXISTING
Frequency Weekdays Weekend Frequency Weekdays Weekend Green Line Every 15 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm Every 15-30 minutes 6:30 am - 7:30 pm 9:20 am - 6:20 pm Red Line Every 60 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm Every 45-85 minutes 6:30 am - 8:30 pm 7:00 am - 6:15 pm Blue Line Every 60 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm Every 40-90 minutes 6:30 am - 8:30 pm 7:45 am - 7:00 pm

SPAN OF SERVICE

PROPOSED

FIXED-ROUTE

BUS SERVICE

CHANGES

DESTINATIONS
Removed Service
& Stops
New Service
& Stops
Green Line
Green Line
Red Line
Red Line
Blue Line
Blue Line
Removed Stops
Green Line Only
Metro A Line Station
Civic Facilites
Parks & Recreation
Medical Centers
Schools
Shopping Centers
Maintain service
that’s oriented around
the city’s transit hub
at Arcadia Station
while reaching
new destinations
and creating direct
connections where
you need them, all on
a more regular and
frequent schedule.

THE CONCEPT
Blue Line Red Line
Green Line

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 53 Dial-A-Ride Recommendations
While our recommendations do not include any imm ediate changes to the DAR service, adopting advanced scheduling software would help improve dynamic trip assignment, which could in turn help address the concerns expressed by riders and the current transit service o perator regarding limited vehicle availability during peak morning hours. If future cost pressures aris e and fixed-route performance is strong, strategies could include DAR fare adjustments to encourage fixed-route use for those who are able to switch, or reducing DAR service hours and vehicle availability.

Expected Benefits
These recommendations are based on multiple iter ations of service planning alternatives developed and refined throughout the process by the project team. The STSA team collected feedback on a set of alternatives from stakeholders during a virtual meeting and from the public through an online survey and an in-person workshop in May 2025 and conducted preliminary route testing of the concepts with the transit operator. The recommended fixed-route concept reflects the preferred public alternative— maintain a system oriented around the Arcadia A Li ne Station—while addres sing areas of opportunity identified during the transit service evaluation, market as sessment, and initial phase of community engagement. Operating convenient and reliable service to and from the Arcadia A Line Station will also be critical in preparation for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as the Arcadia A Line Station will be a primary entry point for spectators accessing the Olympic venue at Santa Anita Park. The STSA team did not identify any adverse effe cts, disparate impacts, or disproportionate burdens that would result from these service changes, as service frequencies would remain the same or better across all routes and all residents living within a quarter mile of an existing Arcadian Transit stop would remain within walking distance of an Arcadia Transit stop.

Area of Opportunity Recommendations Benefits
Arcadia Transit’s fixed-route
system is well aligned with the
most population dense areas of
the City and with current trip
patterns to/from the Arcadia A
Line Station.

Maintain a direct connection
to the Arcadia A Line Station
for all three Arcadia Transit
fixed routes
- Continues to serve the
travel needs and limit
change for existing riders

- Will support access to and
from Olympic equestrian
events during the 2028
Olympic and Paralympic
Games
The Blue/Red Lines serve
neighborhoods with strong transit
rider potential but still see low
ridership. Trips within town to
reach destinations along
Huntington Drive currently require
transferring at the Arcadia A Line
Station.

Add service to The Shops at
Santa Anita Mall on the Blue
Line

Expand operating hours (see
span of service
recommendation below)
- Offers a direct connection
to the mall (a top-
requested destination
during community
engagement) for Arcadia
High School students and
residential areas in the City
- The new transfer
opportunity to the Green
Line at the mall may
reduce travel times to
additional destinations like
the Arcadia Community
Center, USC Arcadia
Hospital, and Arboretum

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 54 Area of Opportunity Recommendations Benefits
The area around the Arcadia A
Line Station, together with the
commercial corridor and hotels
along Huntington Drive
east of the
station generates the second
largest amount of trips in the
City,
but Green Line weekday ridership
is low.

Extend Green Line east of the
Arcadia A Line Station to
Second Avenue

Expand operating hours (s
ee
span of service
recommendation below)
- Expands Arcadia Transit
access to hotel guests and
employees
- Maintains or improves
existing service frequency
Existing riders value Red Line
service to commercial
destinations and medical services
along Foothill Boulevard, but
other potential transit demand is
lower in northern Arcadia
compared to other areas.

Add service to Eisenhower
Park on the Red Line
- Maintains service to
destinations north of the
Arcadia A Line Station
- Expands destinations
served by the northern
segment of the Red Line
Arcadia is a suburban community
with high car ownership rates, so
service planning must explore
how transit can be useful to
working-age adults in this
context.

Extend weekday span of
service to 6:00am-9:00pm on
the Blue/Red Lines and Green
Line

Extend weekend span of
service to 7:00am-
7:00pm on
the Green Line

Standardize span of service
across routes
- Meets the needs of more
commuters
- Offers more reliable
transfers between routes
-
Simplifies rider experience
for existing and new riders
alike
- Does not exceed City’s
current budgeted revenue
hours for fixed-route
service
Many non-riders shared that one
of their top reasons for not using
Arcadia Transit was that it does
not come often enough
Implement consistent
frequencies throughout the
day (Green Line comes every
15 minutes, Blue/Red Lines
come every 60 minutes)
- Offers more reliable
transfers between routes
- Simplifies rider experience
for existing and new riders
alike
- Prioritizes high frequency
on Green Line to minimize
wait times for transfers
to/from Metro A Line, and
improve regional access to
employment, shopping,
and entertainment
destinations within Arcadia

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 55 Supporting Strategies
In addition to the new transit service concept, the STSA team developed a suite of supporting strategies to maximize Arcadia’s investments to improve public transit services. These strategies detail how Arcadia could approach infrastructure and technology investments, develop a marketing action plan to build stronger relationships with riders and partners, and monitor system performance.

Infrastructure and Technology Investments
Expanding Blue Line Service to the Mall through Holly Avenue and Duarte Road Intersection Improvements
The intersection improvements descr ibed below at Holly Avenue and Duarte Road will allow bus operators to turn safely onto Holly Avenue from Duarte Road, and are needed in order to expand Blue Line service to the Shops at Santa Anita Mall.

1. Restripe Holly Avenue (north of Duarte Road) – Widen the northbound lane to accommodate the new Blue Line bus route, which will turn right from westbound Duarte Road to northbound Holly Avenue. New traffic signal loops would be installed for southbound Holly Avenue in parallel with the striping changes.

2. Install Signal Improvements on Holly Avenue – Install Protected-Permissive Left Turn (PPLT) phasing and add northbound and westbound right-turn arrows to better facilitate those turning movements.

3. Upgrade Traffic Signal Cabinet – Upgrade to an Advanced Tr ansportation Controller (ATC) cabinet to improve signal reliability, supp ort video detection, and enhance overall traffic management; capabilities that the current equipment does not provide.

Initial restriping is estimated to be relatively low co st and quick to implement. Depending on the availability of funding and construction timelines, t he proposed improvements could be made all at once or in a phased approach.

New Stop Infrastructure
The recommended fixed route adjustments include th e introduction of new stops and the removal of some existing stops. These changes will better ali gn service with demand and improve operational efficiency. Each line has at least one new proposed bus stop. The Green Line is the only route with suggested stop removals. Table 8 summarizes t he recommendations for bus stop additions and removals.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 56 Table 8. Bus Stop Additions and Removals
Line Location Stop Type Investment Required
Blue
WB Holly/Duarte New Only signage required
EB Holly/Huntington New Only signage required
The Shops at Santa Anita1 New Only signage required
WB Baldwin/Huntington New Only signage required
EB Baldwin/Fairview New Only signage required
WB Baldwin/Fairview New Only signage required
WB Duarte/Baldwin New Only signage required
EB Duarte/Baldwin New Only signage required
Red SB 2nd/Newman
(Eisenhower Park) New Only signage required2
Green
WB 2nd/East Arcadia
Hotels New Only signage required
WB Santa Clara/2nd Ave New Only signage required
WB Santa
Clara/Huntington New Only signage required
The Shops at Santa Anita1 New Only signage required
EB Huntington/Huntington New Only signage required
EB Huntington/Santa
Anita New Only signage required
EB Huntington/1st Ave New Only signage required
WB Huntington/Baldwin Remove Removal costs
WB City Hall Remove Removal costs
Note: Sidewalks at bus stops must have a length parallel to the curb of at least 5 feet and a width perpendicular to the curb of at least 8 feet to be ADA compliant. T he 8’ x 5’ boarding area should align with where the wheelchair ramp or lift of the bus would land to board or alight a passenger using a mobility device. 1 The Blue Line and Green Line stop at The Shops at Santa Anita Mall would be located at the existing Metro and Foothill Transit bus boarding island in the mall parking lot. 2 This study recommends locating the stop immediately be fore the park parking lot entrance on the western end of Forest Avenue. City staff should plan to widen the sidewalk at the bus stop to be ADA compliant in the long term but can pull up to the parking lot driveway to enable wheelchair boarding in the short term.

Bus Stop Improvements
Suggested bus stop improvements include bus shelters, shade where bus shelters are not viable, benches, lighting, trash receptacles, and service in formation (e.g., system m ap and schedule) which could include real-time bus arrival information.

All current Arcadia fixed-route stops have signage indicating the line that serves the stop (e.g., red, blue, or green); however, the signs do not offer other route information, and can be difficult to see from a distance due to their relatively small size. Other bus stop amenities vary by stop, with some but not all providing benches, trash receptacles, and shade. Figure 18 shows the amenities most commonly found at Arcadia fixed-route bus stops today.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 57 This report recommends equipping Arcadia Transit bus stops with essential bus stop amenities such as benches, shade, and lighting to improve system visi bility and rider comfort. The City should also consider installing bus shelters with additional enhanced amenities (e.g. real-time tracking information, trash receptacles, etc.) prioritizing loc ations that are most likely to generate ridership and especially those that are more likely to serve seniors or people with disabilities. Suggested locations to prioritize for bus shelters with enhanced amenities include:

1. Arcadia A Line Station (Santa Clara Street)

2. Community Center/Senior Center

3. Arcadia High School

4. Arcadia Library

5. Live Oak at Santa Anita Avenue

6. Duarte Road at Baldwin Avenue
Generally, installing bus shelters in residential neighborhoods is a more significant challenge. However, the combination of more consistent schedule patterns, improved access to trip planning, and real-time bus location services (through apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Transit) can reduce the need for stop improvements near homes. This is bec ause dependable, app-bas ed information about schedules and bus arrivals allow riders to time departures from their home more effectively, and spend less time waiting at a stop.

Figure 18. Current Arcadia Bus Stop Amenity Examples
Green Line – Santa Anita Park (Gate 3) Green Line – Arcadia A Line Station (Santa Clara St)

Red Line – Duarte Rd and First Ave Blue Line – Duarte Rd and Baldwin Ave

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 58 Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
TSP is a technology that modifies traffic signal timing so transit vehicles either encounter a green light, or experience reduced wait times at intersections with traffic lights and signals. Arcadia Transit launched an initial TSP program in 2019. However, TSP is not being used consistently across trips and routes. Route testing conducted over the course of this study indicated substantial time savings when TSP was employed. Going forward, this study recommends City staff work with the contracted transit operator to operationalize the use of TSP across all Arcadia Transit bus operators.

In addition to working with bus operators to use th e TSP system, the City should budget for staff and equipment to maintain the TSP system in the sa me way they maintain other functions of the traffic signal system. Typical TSP systems can provide statistics to help staff monitor the health of the system, providing extra value to the transit operation.

Over time, staff should also use data provided by the contractor to monitor on-time performance (OTP) metrics by route and time of da y. When the TSP system is providing its maximum benefit, it may be possible to reduce “slack” in the schedules by decreasing the published time between major stops and provide more recovery time for operators between trips. This provides better service for riders by decreasing their travel time, and reduces the likelihood that operators will have to wait at certain stops to avoid running ahead of schedule . Operators tend to use this strateg y when there is too much variability in travel time on the route, which TSP should correct for.

DAR Software
The technology available for scheduling demand-response trips has improved dramatically in the past decade. New software platforms can quickly batch-process the entire trip schedule and optimize the vehicle assignments in seconds, a process that traditionally takes a hu man scheduler (even with software assistance) minutes to hours, depending on the volume of trips. This has allowed a proliferation of truly “on-demand” services where requests can be taken and assigned to vehicles within minutes for same-day service. By comparison, DAR has traditionally req uired riders to make their appointment no later than close of business the day prior.

Because Arcadia Transit employs a contractor to handle all trip reservations (call-taking), dispatching, and operation of the service, the City can work with the contractor to update and modernize their software. The vendor currently uses a computer-aided dispatching program and may be able to further optimize service delivery. The City should also require detailed monthly reporting of operating efficiency metrics (or direct access to the performance metrics dashboard that some platforms offer), and monitor the performance to ensure the contractor is providing the most efficient and high-quality service possible within the contract parameters.

Some elements to consider as requirements for future contracts include:
x Dispatch assistance
o System that automatical ly processes incoming trip requests (from user-end and dispatcher-created), batches upcoming trips, and assigns them to available vehicles following service parameters defined by Arcadia Transit (number of vehicles, operating hours, staff availability, service area, etc.)
o Ability to override the booking algorithm and assign riders as needed o Ability to enter client eligibilities, categories, disabilities, and equipment required o Ability to add/cancel rides in the system

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 59 x A customer-facing app that provides:
o Ability for customers to both schedule ahead and book in real time (same day) o Flexible booking methods such as an ADA-compliant web option, and call-in option o Estimated arrival / drop off times before booking
o Multiple languages for customer needs
o Ability to identify a passenger count a nalysis (PCA) from a number of companions riding along
o Ability to view service zone in the mobile/web app on the customer side x A driver app or mobile data terminal (MDT) that provides real-time audio / visual directions and notifications for the driver
x A performance reportin g system or dashboard that provides easy-to-read and clear operational efficiency metrics including:
o Average passengers per reve nue hour/mile by day and ability to analyze peak versus off-peak efficiency
o Shared ride percentage
o On-time performance
Based on the experience of other similar cities in Southern California, with the deployment of modernized dynamic dispatching software, coupled with best practices in negotiating trip times and managing subscription trips, it may be possible to actually reduce the reve nue hours and staff hours associated with the DAR program whil e still serving the same number of people. Results have varied depending on prior contractor performance and other factors.

TAP Integration
During community engagement efforts for the Ar cadia Transit Service Assessment, the STSA team received multiple comments requesting that the fare payment system be upgraded and/or made more seamless. City staff have begun to engage with Metro to explore a TAP integra tion. TAP is a fare payment system, owned and administered by Metro, that uses a physical card or a mobile app to pay for rides on Metro buses and trains, as well as on 27 other participating transit agencies, including Foothill Transit. The system allows for virtual payment, managing multiple fares, and using your phone to tap and pay via the TAP mobile app. Another benefit of TAP is fare capping, which ensures riders never pay more than the cost of a daily, weekly, or monthly pass—even if they pay per ride. In addition to the benefits to riders, City participation in LA Metro’s TAP enables the City to access a suite of tools and reports including real-time access to TAP data, transaction data, revenue, and route/vehicle data to aid with performance monitoring and operations.

Marketing Action Plan
In the Fall 2024 Community Survey, nearly half of respondents reported not being familiar with Arcadia Transit fixed-route bus services, and just over half report ed not being familiar with the City’s DAR services. Improvements to the Arcadia Transit system will only be useful if the community knows about them. Pairing transit service changes with a ma rketing action plan that builds excitement and awareness in the community will help attract ride rs. The STSA team recommends a two-pronged approach, consisting of 1) upfront investments, and 2) ongoing marketing and engagement.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 60 Upfront Investments
Upfront investments are focused on improving transit service visibility and community understanding and awareness.

Improving branding and public information: The City of Arcadia is already working on updated logos and branding guidance. It’s important for Arcadia Transit’s branding to be consistent with the City’s, but it would also benefit from a distinctive element that is welcoming to residents and conveys its mission to the public. In other words, people should recognize the City’s transit vehicles and published materials as a profess ional service open to all, and buses should look distinct from the vehicles the City uses for employee or “official” business and utility-type services.

A strong brand includes consistent use of col or palette, typography, and iconography, and applying these elements across all touchpoints: vehicles, bus stop signage, shelters, maps, and digital platforms. Because these elements form the foundation for other improvements, brand development would best occur before implementing upgrades like enhanced bus stop signage and wayfinding.

Bus stop signage: Good signage can boost branding and communicate how to navigate a new or familiar space. All current Arcadia fixed-route stops have signage indicating the line that serves the stop (e.g., Red, Blue, and Green); however, the signs do not provide any information about the service and can be difficult to locate , particularly at a distance. A new standard for bus stop signs should use a more pro minent logo consistent with the above branding recommendation. Bus stop signs should identify the service and routes operating at their location, and additional information—name of the stop, the direction of the route, the transit schedule for that location, and how to access real-time arrival information—should be provided at eye-level for riders. Many transit providers now include a QR code for fast access to the service webpage.

Wayfinding: Effective wayfinding helps users—especially ne w or infrequent riders—navigate to transit stops more easily and strengthens the overall user expe rience by making the system feel more intuitive and welcoming. Gateway signs should be considered at the Arcadia A Line Station, LA County Arboretum, The Shops at Sa nta Anita Mall and Santa Anita Park. These gateway signs can welcome individuals to the sy stem and guide them through the various pathway options. Determining the loca tion of signs should include a walk-audit of the site, considering how people enter the area and may be looking to find their connection to Arcadia Transit. For example, at the Arcadia A Line Station, people may be coming from the train or the adjacent parking garage. Walking from the platform and from the gr ound level of the garage, identify each point at which someone unfamiliar with the area would be faced with a choice of where to go to connect with Arcadia Transit (“Do I turn left or right?”) and consider any paths along the way where a sighted person would not be able to determine if they’re still headed the right way.

In addition to physical wayfinding, digital wayfind ing is now an essential strategy for public transit. Ensure that Arcadia Transit service is publishing a GTFS feed that is compliant with the latest specification, and work with third-party vendors including Transit App and Google Maps to ensure the feed is accessible across a spec trum of user apps. This helps potential riders consider Arcadia Transit when they search for map directions.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 61 Ongoing Marketing and Engagement
Ongoing marketing and engagement keep existing riders informed while encouraging potential, new riders to try Arcadia Transit. The key messages to convey by market segment are:

Who What
All Residents Arcadia Transit routes are a safe and reliable way to get around town and are open to all (not just seniors)
Employees who
work in Arcadia
Improved service on the Green Line is your connection to job centers with consistent, 15-minute frequency seven days a week
Tourists and
visitors staying
at hotels
The Green Line is your connection to Arcadia and the rest of Los Angeles; service every 15 minutes between hotels and the Arcadia A Line Station to Pasadena, Los Angeles, and other regional destinations plus local attractions including the L.A.

County Arboretum.

Seniors in
Arcadia
Improved schedules on all Arcadia Transit routes mean better transfers between the Red, Blue, and Green Lines, and more dependable ways to get to key destinations like the library, senior center, mall, and medical centers.

EXISTING MARKETING CHANNELS
Current marketing channels for Arcadia Transit include a dedicated webpage, social media posts (specifically the City’s general Instagram page), email-based listservs, and direct contact with strategic partners. These tools and channels are in line with best practices to keep existing riders informed about existing services, short-term system changes, and other initiatives. These channels are important to maintain and to retain and reach more users and partners.

ENGAGING WITH EXISTING RIDERS
Consistent content production: Produce schedule updates and r ider engagement (such as a monthly newsletter) on regular intervals. Schedule updates should generally be limited to once or twice a year at the same time of year; transit agencies often publish a new schedule in the late summer to adjust service schedules to local school bells, for example. Rider engagement strategies could include a monthly newsletter highlighting upcoming events that riders can attend (e.g. special events at the library, City festivals, free fare day, take the bus to school day). Creating these resources will give exis ting riders a reason to regularly engage with Arcadia Transit and has the potential to build riders’ trust with Arcadia Transit as a resource for reliable and useful information.

Themed content: Creating clear themes for engagement can boost its effectiveness. For example, Arcadia Transit could create a weekly social media post on Sundays called “Sunday Stories” that highlights the stories of transi t riders, bus drivers, or representatives of establishments (e.g., business owners, community center leaders, etc.) along the fixed-route service lines. Other theme examples could be holiday content or service updates. Themes help City staff (or a contracted marketing team) plan ahead to deliver consistent content and build community around relatable ways people use Arcadia Transit in their daily lives and for special occasions.

Facilitating dialogue: Feedback channels should offer riders of different ages and backgrounds an easy way to provide feedback on system performance and to communicate recommended

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 62 improvements. These could take the form of inviting users to engage in the comments section of social media posts or a more formal channel like an online f orm, City email address, or in- person “office hours.” Offering clear and consistent responses is an important component of collecting feedback, as it creates a culture of transparency and encourages participation. Rider engagement and feedback through online chann els should be integrated with traditional customer input databases.

EXPANDING RIDERSHIP
Transit providers must invest time in informing th e community that their ser vice is a great option for getting around. Improved Arcadia Tr ansit service presents the per fect opportunity to reinvigorate interest in the community locally and expand awareness for visitors from around the region. To reach the fullest extent of potential new riders, consider these key market segments:
x Resident students and parents, schools, and after-school organizations x Resident seniors and senior-oriented programs and community organizations x Employers and employees along Huntington Drive and at The Shops at Santa Anita Mall x Tourists and visitors interested in the L.A. County Arboretum x Visitors from the nearby San Gabriel Valley of the Shops at Santa Anita Mall x Visitors staying in local hotels
x Patients of the hospital and associated medical specialists in the City Each of these market segments, and potentially others , may need tailored messaging and different engagement techniques.

Multi-channel Targeted Marketing: Multi-channel targeted marketing involves several strategic investments in diverse media in various geographic and digital locations where there is the greatest opportunity for ridership growth. Arcadia Transit already deploys diverse media to engage its riders—to enhance its reach, Arcadia Transit will need to amplify and/or deepen its presence with the tools it already wields.
x Participate in and/or sponsor community events where crowds are drawn locally and regionally. Some public transit providers have showcased their newly branded transit vehicles to such events to increase awareness of brand identity. x Cross-promote service enhancements on region al routes (e.g., Metro and Foothill Transit) to expand the audience of re gular and occasional riders who directly benefit from improved transit connections. This could include working with their social media and blog staff to work on a cross-pro motional feature, purchasing interior “car card” advertising, and informational updates at appropriate committee meetings such as the San Gabriel Valley Service Council.
x Conduct outreach to local school districts and after-school programs to promote service and seek input for improvements. Offer informational flyers and travel training workshops for parents or student programs.
x Connect with local businesses, entertainment venues, and community centers for promotional opportunities. How d oes the new span of service support employee access to work or for general entertainment? Offer promotions for businesses to be featured “on the route” to riders and vice versa. Furthermore, Arcadia Transit could provide printed materials to these establishments.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 63 x Promote and provide incentives for current DAR users to try new fixed routes; offer travel training through commu nity organizations such as senior programs, libraries, schools/after-school programs, and local business associations.

When the medium is fitting, targeting key travel market areas like the Arcadia A Line Station or the mall are promising geographic locations to begin such marketing.

Partnerships: Take every opportunity to promote the transit service to City Council, at college and high school events and fairs, adult educati on programs, community events, and more.

Regular communication with the strategic partn ers that were engaged during the Transit Service Assessment—like school district administrators, business representatives, after-school clubs, senior center program directors, and other community leaders—can help educate people about Arcadia Transit.

Partnerships will recognize the importance of two principles:

1. The partnership offers benefits in both directions, and

2. The collaborative partnership is cultivated via some level of continuing interaction and exchange of information.

Where Arcadia Transit can offer something of value to their partners, this can build relationships and generate advocates. The value or benefit most readily offered is infor mation. This can include:
x Information about the transit network (and improvements being made) x Free fare promotions for target groups (e.g., free youth fares) x Special fare promotions for all ridership (e.g., free fares on Transit Equity Day or Earth Day)
x General information on how to access public transportation x Specific information on how to use trip planning tools (i.e. Google, Transit App, Passio Go! etc.)
Some ideas for Arcadia Transit partnerships include:
x L.A. County Arboretum—coordinating transportati on to the A Line for special events and peak visitor days, with shared marketing on Metro A Line, social media, etc. x Arcadia Senior Services, and Library Yout h/Teen programs—hosting informational seminars at least twice a year, that include basic travel training and updates on service improvements; organizing group trips on regular service to local destinations x Chamber of Commerce—per iodic members forum to hear issues at bus stops, patron and business need for informati on, and exploring opportunities related to special events
x Hotels—coordinating with hotel managers to promo te the Green Line as a convenient way to access local attractions through guest welcome packets, talking points for front desk staff, and featuring the Green Line in hotel newsletters, social media posts, and local tourism guides.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 64

7. Implementation Plan

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 65 The STSA proposes implementing the recommended service changes and supporting strategies over a five-year timeline, beginning in FY26 and aiming for completion in FY30.

The implementation plan also discuss es performance monitoring considerations for both fixed-route service and DAR. Evaluating perfor mance will enable Arcadia Transit to measure the effectiveness of the system changes that are implemented and further address any gaps that are identified through evaluation.

Implementation Timeline
The STSA recommends that the service changes , Holly/Duarte intersection improvements, new stop infrastructure, bus stop signage branding, and TAP integration be initiated immediately and completed by the end of FY27. Intersection improvements at Holly/Duarte and ne w stop infrastructure will be required to make the proposed r oute configurations possible, and install ing new bus stop signage in conjunction could have a compounding effect on the visibility of changes made. If the Holly/Duarte striping does not occur before the service recommendations are made, the proposed service changes can still go into effect without t he Blue Line deviation to the mall . TAP integration is another improvement that would offer a high return on investment from a system usability perspective.

The bus stop improvements and wayfinding will c ontribute to the overall quality and legibility of the system, however, they are not crucial to th e implementation of the proposed service changes and require additional planning and funds.

DAR software modernization may be beneficial considering the productivity levels analyzed, although for a program of this scale, achieving improved produc tivity should be well within the means of traditional scheduling and dispatching methods.

Lastly the marketing actions should be implemented early on and continue indefinitely to provide consistent, dependable, and visible engagement with riders and partners.

Table 9. Proposed Implementation Timeline
Category FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30
Infrastructure š Technology
Service Changes • •
Holly/Duarte Intersection
Improvements • •
New Stop Infrastructure • •
TAP Integration • •
Bus Stop Improvements • • •
DAR Software •
Marketing Action Plan
Bus Stop Signage • • • • •
Wayfinding • • •
Engaging with Existing
Riders • • • • •
Expanding Ridership • • • • •
Partnerships • • • • •

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 66 Cost Estimates
The proposed service improvements include extended ho urs of service seven days a week, and an increase in revenue hours on the Green Line to provide consistent headways throughout the day. These improvements are estimated to incr ease annual revenue hours for the fixed-route service from approximately 15,000 to just over 20,000. The City currently budgets for 22,000 fixed-route revenue hours annually, so the recommended schedule adju stments would fit within the City’s current transit operations budget if implemented.

Other recommendations with ongoing costs include marketing, promotions, and partnership development. To calculate these costs, the team assumed these marketing efforts would account for approximately 20 percent of a full -time employee’s responsibilities, or about one day a week of ongoing attention. The staff time on marketing projects does not necessarily include budget for promotional materials such as advertising campaigns (digital and print), event organization and space reservation, etc. A budget of up to $100,000 for marketing collateral in the first year is recommended to ensure the long-term success of the improvements, in addition to the ongoing dedicated staff time.

In future years, reasse ssing the marketing collateral budget bas ed on what approaches were most effective could bring the ongoing costs down and rely more on staff time to maintain partnerships.

Potential one-time capital or program investmen ts include the intersection improvements, new bus stop infrastructure, enhancements to existing stop comfort and safety, new signage, and wayfinding.

Table 10 shows the cost estimates for the one-time capital or program investments. Because a wayfinding project involves design and planning work to suit the City’s scope, an estimate is not provided here.

Table 10. Cost Estimates for Potential One-Time Capital or Program Investments Potential Investment Unit Cost Quantity Total Cost
Holly/Duarte Intersection Improvements - - $130,000
New Stop Infrastructure $500 16 $8,000
Bus Stop Improvements (shelter, bench,
lighting and digital signage, trash bin) $100,000 12 $1,200,000 Bus Stop Signage $200 16 $3,200
Total $1.3M

Performance Monitoring
An important aspect of the STSA implementation is monitoring Arcadia Transit’s performance over time through tracking and benchmarking performance measures. Too often, communities see “buses driving around empty,” and incorrectly interpret that there is no demand for transit. Low utilization does not necessarily reflect low demand. It may instead indicate that people are unaware of, or unable to use the service in its current form. These issues can be addressed directly.

When considering a route’s performance, the City should first confirm that the route’s design follows all appropriate industry-standard guiding principles, an d that they have employed the marketing strategies described above. If thes e conditions are met, and the service still fails to attract sufficient

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment | 67 ridership, it is reasonable to conclude that t he service may be fundamentally underperforming, and more significant actions are warranted.

Minimum Performance Thresholds and Considerations for Fixed Routes The fixed-route services should expect the following outcomes at a minimum:
x Average daily productivity of at least 6 passengers per revenue hour, with a goal of 10 x Peak ridership periods, typically falling between 7:00am to 9:00am, and between 2:00pm and 5:00pm; and at least a few riders per trip th roughout the day, even if certain trips are significantly lower than peak periods
x When ridership and crowding are monitored by time of day, loading standards generally should not exceed 1.2 passengers per seated capacity for more than two peak hours per day5 For any local route, there will naturally be peak and off-peak ridership periods. There is an important distinction between the first metric (average of at least 6 passengers per revenue hour) and the idea of carrying at least a few riders per trip throughout the day. A very peak-heavy ridership pattern could still result in an average of 6 passengers per hour, even if nearly all ridership occurs on the first and last trips of the day. This is why monitoring both daily averages and trip-level statistics is important.

Minimum Performance Thresholds and Considerations for DAR For demand-response service, the top priorities should be per-trip efficiency and customer service.

Below are minimum performance thresholds that DAR should meet, which may require upgrading DAR software to support dynamic trip assignment.
x The DAR program should strive for 3 or more passengers per revenue hour x Earn average satisfaction ratings of at least 4 out of 5 x Have shared rides represent at least 40% of all rides served x Balance available vehicle capacity (sometimes measured as “failed searches” where users are unable to request a trip) with total program budget
x Meet the published response time for 95% of trips
Performance Evaluation
The performance standards above describe a minimum threshold for evaluating routes or services for corrective action, but the bar to strive for should be significantly higher. If certain performance metrics are not being met, it is important to evaluate the causes and understand the context. First, evaluate to understand if the unmet performance standards are a short-term problem or a long-term trend. Having a long enough period of ridership data to identify problems is key. Consider external factors that may skew results and any service changes, such as new routes. Service changes can take 18 months or more to achieve suggested goals as new routes and services need time to build awareness and ridership. If Arcadia Transit has fully implemented all recommendations from this STSA and conducted a thorough assessment of the root causes of poor performance, additional service redesign may need to be considered.

5 The current Arcadia Transit fleet uses small cutaway style buses that may not permit standees, in which case analyzing ridership by time of day becomes even more important. Bus operators should alert supervisors whenever ridership exceeds seated capacity and Arcadia should be prepared to consider higher-capacity buses and/or “tripper” service if peak loads are regularly reaching capacity.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment

8. Appendix

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment
Appendix A: Fall 2024 Community Transportation
Survey Results

December 2024
TOPIC:

COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS

ARCADIA

SERVICE ASSESSMENT
• Survey overview and demographics
• Travel behavior
• Transit preferences & experience

OVERVIEW

ARCADIA

SURVEY RESPONDENT PROFILE

ARCADIA
• Survey was open for 20 days (Nov 20-Dec 9)
• 183 survey responses
• 145 online
• 38 hard copy
• Who completed the survey?
• Respondents skewed female and higher income ($100,000 or more). • Most respondents were working age or seniors.
• 54% of survey respondents identified as Asian, 25% as white, and 10% as Hispanic or Latino/a/e.
• 68% of respondents live in Arcadia.
• 30% ride Arcadia Transit at least a few times a year . • 25% of respondents are a parent of one or more children enrolled in school in Arcadia.
• 18% identified as having a disability.
27%
24%
17%
10%
9% 8%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
I live in
Arcadia and
am currently
not
employed
I live in
Arcadia and
work
elsewhere
I live in
Arcadia and
work in
Arcadia
I am a
visitor/other
I go to school
in Arcadia
I work in
Arcadia and
live
elsewhere
I live and
work in
Arcadia, but
do not
commute to
work (i.e.
remote work,
home office)
Q1. What is your relationship with the City of Arcadia?

OVERVIEW AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Top weekly destinations are well-served by
Arcadia Transit today
• Top weekly destinations:
• Arcadia Hub Shopping Center Blue
• Arcadia Public Library Blue
• The Shops at Santa Anita Mall Green
• Arcadia High School Blue
• Downtown Arcadia District Red
• Other common destinations visited monthly
or yearly:
• H Mart Arcadia
• LA County Arboretum Green
• Medical Office Building (W. Duarte Road) Blue

ARCADIA

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR
y
7%
15%
15%
16%
17%
20%
24%
27%
28%
34%
39%
9%
11%
7%
24%
6%
6%
22%
7%
33%
16%
20%
23%
39%
39%
25%
21%
28%
23%
26%
13%
30%
20%
13%
72%
45%
36%
52%
38%
48%
51%
27%
54%
10%
30%
28%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
USC Arcadia Hospital
Medical Office Building (612-622 W. Duarte Rd)
LA County Arboretum
Santa Anita Park (racetrack)
H Mart Arcadia
Arcadia Light Rail Train Station (Metro A Line)
Arcadia Community Center
Downtown Arcadia District (Huntington Drive & First Ave) Arcadia High School
The Shops at Santa Anita Mall
Arcadia Public Library
Arcadia Hub Shopping Center (Baldwin Ave & Naomi Ave)
Q4 - How often do you travel to the following local destinations? Weekly Monthly A few times a year Rarely or never
Nearly half of survey respondents’ primary
mode of travel is transit, walking, or biking
• Driving alone or with others accounts for
half of survey respondent’s primary mode
of travel.
• 1 in 5 respondents get around via walking or
biking.
• 1 in 5 respondents use transit (bus and rail)
to get around.

ARCADIA

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR
37%
19%
14%
12%
8%
4% 4%
2% 0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Q3 - On a typical day, how do you normally get where
you need to go?
Transit awareness among survey respondents
was low across transit providers
• Survey respondents were most familiar with
Metro, followed by Arcadia Transit.
• Among Arcadia Transit services, survey
takers reported more familiarity with the
fixed-route bus services than DAR.

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
h
14%
16%
20%
25%
35%
31%
36%
32%
53%
54%
45%
43%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Dial-A-Ride for seniors and persons with disabilities
Foothill Transit (bus lines 187, 270, 492)
Arcadia Transit fixed-route bus services (Green, Blue, and Red Lines)
Metro (Metro A Line, bus lines 78, 179, 268, 287)
Q6 - How familiar are you with the following public transportation options in Arcadia?
Very familiar Somewhat familiar Not familiar
Survey respondents ranked convenience and
frequency highest in importance for fixed-route

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0
Physical accessibility (bus and bus stops)
I have not considered/will not consider Arcadia Transit fixed-route service Ease of payment
Availability of seats
Comfort (bus and bus stop)
Hours of operation
Travel time
Connections to other transit services (e.g. Metro A Line) Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Safety
Affordability/cost
Frequency (how often a bus comes)
Convenience (proximity of bus stop to your home and/or destination) Q8 - When considering taking a fixed-route bus, what are the three most important features to you? 1 2 3
Convenience and frequency also ranked high on
fixed-route features needing improvement
• Frequency, convenience, and
reliability were rated as needing the
most significant improvement.
• Survey respondents were relatively
satisfied with Arcadia Transit fares
and safety.

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 0
Availability of seats
Ease of payment
Safety
Affordability/cost
Travel time
Physical accessibility (bus and bus stops)
Connections to other transit services (e.g. Metro A Line) Comfort (bus and bus stop)
Hours of operation
Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Convenience (proximity of bus stop to your home…
Frequency (how often a bus comes)
Q11 - How would you rate the quality of existing Arcadia Transit fixed- route bus services (Green, Blue, and Red Lines) in the following areas?
Needs significant improvement Needs some improvement
Survey respondents ranked affordability and
reliability highest in importance for DAR

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 0
Physical accessibility of bus
Pre-registration process (applying to confirm eligibility status) Customer service
Ease of payment
Comfort of bus
Trip reservation process
Availability of trip reservations
Hours of operation
Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Affordability/cost
Q9 - When considering taking Dial-A-Ride, what are the three most important features to you? 1 2 3
Respondents indicated DAR trip reservation
process & availability need most improvement
• Trip reservation process and
availability of trip reservations
ranked highest in needing
improvement.
• Hours of operations also ranked third
highest in needing improvement.
• Respondents are relatively satisfied
with DAR reliability.

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Ease of payment
Comfort of bus
Physical accessibility of bus
Affordability/cost
Reliability (consistent and on-time arrival and departure) Customer service
Pre-registration process (applying to confirm eligibility status)
Hours of operation
Availability of trip reservations
Trip reservation process
Q12 - How would you rate the quality of existing Arcadia Transit Dial- A-Ride services in the following areas?
areas?
Needs significant improvement Needs some improvement
Convenience and frequency were top cited
reasons for not using Arcadia Transit.
• Top 3 reasons for not using Arcadia
Transit:
• There are no routes or stops that
serve the places people want to go
• People prefer to drive
• It doesn’t come often enough
• Another major obstacle for people is a
need for information regarding how to
use transit

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 0
Costs too much
It is difficult to transfer between providers
Uncomfortable riding for health reasons
Arcadia Transit service is unreliable
Does not run early or late enough
I don’t feel safe riding public transit/I don’t think transit is … I was not aware of Arcadia Transit services
Arcadia Transit is too slow
I don’t know how to use transit
Does not come often enough
I prefer to drive myself
No routes between home and where I need to go or no…
Q10 - What top 3 reasons best describe why you don’t ride Arcadia Transit often or at all?
1 2 3
Blue Line had the most requests for greater
frequency
• Approximately 25% of survey respondents
indicated support for greater frequency on
the Blue Line

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
16%
25%
19%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Green Line Blue Line Red Line
Q13 - Are there any existing Arcadia Transit fixed-
route bus services you wish ran more frequently
(less time between buses)? Select all that apply.

Note: Percentages are relative to the total number of survey respondents 15-20% of respondents expressed wanting to
expand span of service across fixed routes & DAR
• Less than 20% of service respondents
indicated interest in expanding the
operating hours of Arcadia Transit services
• Referencing back to questions asking survey
respondents to rank features needing
improvement:
• 39% of survey respondents indicated fixed-route
hours of operation need significant or some
improvement
• 25% of survey respondents indicated Dial-A-Ride
hours of operation need significant or some
improvement

ARCADIA

TRANSIT PREFERENCES & EXPERIENCE
15%
18%
16%
15%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
Green Line Blue Line Red Line Dial-A-Ride Services
Q14 - Are there any existing Arcadia Transit
services you wish ran at earlier or later hours?
Select all that apply.

Note: Percentages are relative to the total number of survey respondents DRAFT

APPENDIX

ARCADIA

DEMOGRAPHICS

ARCADIA
DRAFT
54%
1%
10%
0% 1%
25%
8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Asian Black or
African
American
Hispanic or
Latino/a/e
Native
American
or Alaska
Native
Native
Hawaiian
or other
Pacific
Islander
White Prefer not
to answer
Race or Ethnicity
12%
5%
45%
29%
4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Under 18 18-24 25-64 65-79 80 or older
Age Groups
9%
18%
13%
25%
35%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Less than
$20,000
$20,000 -
$59,999
$60,000 -
$99,999
$100,000 or
more
Prefer not to
answer
Annual Income
Female,
56%
Male,
36%
Non-binary, genderqueer, or gender fluid, 2%
Gender Identity
Yes, 18%
No, 72%
Mobility Disability
Q2 - Are you a parent of one or more children
enrolled in school in Arcadia?

ARCADIA
DRAFT

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR
25%
70%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Yes No Prefer not to answer
Q2 - Are you a parent of one or more children enrolled in school in Arcadia? A third of survey respondents take Arcadia
Transit at least a few times a year

ARCADIA
DRAFT

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Fixed-Route
Dial-A-Ride
Q7 – How often do you use Arcadia Transit services?
Weekly Monthly A few times a year Rarely or never I used to but don't anymore Most Dial-A-Ride riders are seniors, though
seniors also make up 25% of fixed-route riders

ARCADIA
DRAFT

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Fixed-route
Dial-A-Ride
Q7 – How often do you use Arcadia Transit services? (Responses who answered yearly or more frequently) 18 or under 18-24 25-64 65-79 80 or older
Requested Stop Locations

ARCADIA
DRAFT
Operator Survey
• Requests for stops included:
• Blue Line: Palm/Holly, Colorado/2nd
• Green Line: Route back to the Mall
• Red Line: Huntington/1st
• General additions: Huntington/5th, Foothill/5th, Orange Grove/Santa Anita, Camino Real/7th, Camino Real/Sunset, Monte Station Free Responses

ARCADIA
DRAFT
Community Survey
Systemwide:
• It is difficult to obtain information about Arcadia Transit services. • Customer service incident reports are not followed up on. • Being assured of safety would incentivize greater ridership. • Wheelchair lifts have not worked in the past.
• Passio Go app is useful.
• Suggested implementing a system similar to Monrovia’s GoMonrovia which provides discounted Lyft rides for residents. • Desire for buses to be able to transport bikes, e-bikes and scooters. • Traffic is a concern for bus effectiveness.

Fixed route:
• Arcadia transit works well for senior citizens and or people that cannot drive and that don't have a vehicle of their own. • There is a desire for an updated payment system because quarters are uncommon to keep on-person; recommended to incorporate TAP system. • Drivers do not stop for riders waiting at bus stop and are consistently late. • Fixed-route needs to come with greater frequency; this will also help parents when sending their kids on the bus for travel to/from school. • Concerned that the fixed-route system lacks ridership to justify the existence of the service. • Walkability of Arcadia, particularly lack of sidewalk and safe walking space, prevents people from using transit. • Shade covering at stops is desired.

Dial-A-Ride:
• There are issues with Dial-A-Ride scheduling including technical issues, and availability of preferred times (even when booking a week in advance). • There is a desire for people of all ages to use Dial-A-Ride, which would particularly benefit people without a car.

Arcadia Transit Strategic Transit Service Assessment
Appendix B: Alternative Transit Service Concepts
Considered

Current System
Fixed-Route Current Fixed-Route Sy stem with Minor Modifications Concept #1
Green Line: Every 15-30 minutes
Blue Line: Every 40-90 minutes
Red Line: Every 45-85 minutes
Arcadia Transit Service Assessment – Concept Maps
Green Line: Every 30 minutes
Blue/Red Lines: Every 60 minutes
Concept #1
Current Fixed-Route System with Minor Modifications Two Fixed-Route Loops Concept #2
Green Line: Every 15 minutes
Purple Line: Every 30 minutes
Arcadia Transit Service Assessment – Concept Maps
Green Line: Every 30 minutes
Blue/Red Lines: Every 60 minutes
Current System
Fixed-Route On-demand transportation service
Microtransit Alternative
Green Line: Every 15-30 minutes
Blue Line: Every 40-90 minutes
Red Line: Every 45-85 minutes
Arcadia Transit Service Assessment – Concept Maps
Wait times and
reservation
availability will vary
based on available
vehicles and demand
Arcadia
Fairview Ave
Campus Dr
Lon gden Av e
Lemon Ave
El Monte Ave
El Monte Ave
Las Tunas Dr
El Camino Real Ave
Sunset Blvd
Golden Ave
Genoa St
Christina St
Colorado Blvd
4th Ave
Santa Cl ara St
Huntington Dr
Huntington Dr
Huntington Dr
Duarte Rd
Duarte Rd
La P orte St
Sycamore Ave
Foothill Blvd
Fano St
California St
Dia mond St
Longden Ave
Live Oak Ave
2nd Ave2nd Ave
Greenfield Ave
Santa Anita Ave
Santa Anita Ave
Lenore Ave
Hempstead Ave
1st Ave
6th Ave
6th Ave
4th Ave
Newman Ave
1st St
El Camino Real Ave
Norman Ave
Lemon Ave
Wistaria Ave
Warren Wy
Santa Clara St
Ba
ldwin Ave
Holly Ave
Holly Ave
Los Angeles
County Arboretum Santa Anita
Park
Santa Anita
Golf Course
USC Arcadia
Hospital
Arcadia
Community
Center
City Hall/
Police Dept
Shopping
Hub
Medical
Offices
Foothills
Middle School
Arcadia Station
Arcadia
County Park
First Avenue
Middle School
Arcadia
High School
Dana Middle
School
Arcadia
Public Library
The Shops at
Santa Anita
210
0 10.5
M i l es
Fixed-Route Bus Service

ARCADIA TRANSIT

EFFECTIVE XX/XX/XXXX
Frequency Weekdays Weekend
Green Line Every 15 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm Red Line Every 60 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm Blue Line Every 60 minutes 6:00am - 9:00pm 7:00am - 7:00pm

SPAN OF SERVICE

FIXED-ROUTE

BUS SERVICE

DESTINATIONS
Green Line
Red Line
Blue Line
Metro A Line Station
Civic Facilites
Parks & Recreation
Medical Centers
Schools
Shopping Centers
General 5 - 61 years old $0.50 with one free transfer between Arcadia fixed-route lines
Seniors 62 & older Free; Identification may be requested People with disabilities Free
Children under 5 years old Free; With an accompanying adult

FARE INFORMATION
Arcadia Transit accepts cash only. Drivers do not give change.

Download
Passio GO!
Your Arcadia transit app
for real-time routes,
schedules, and bus arrival
updates.

Available on the App Store or
Google Play.

Blue Line Red Line
Green Line

ARCADIA

TRANSIT
Service Assessment
Attachment No. 3