Peaks AND VALLEYS Daily ridership on The Woodlands transportation services has varied over the past two years with factors including the coronavirus pandemic and gas prices said to correlate to decreasing and increasing numbers of passengers.
Pain AT THE PUMP
Gas prices in Texas in 2022 are higher than 2021 averages with the highest prices on record reached in mid-June for both regular and diesel fuel. TEXAS AVERAGES*:
Town Center Trolley The Woodlands Express Park and Ride
60K
50,398
50K
2021 AVERAGES*: $2.81 Regular $3.13 Midgrade $3.42 Premium $2.95 Diesel PER GALLON
U.S. gas exceeds $4/gallon: $4.196
40K
$4.29 Regular $4.68 Midgrade $5.00 Premium PER GALLON
30K
21,211
COVID-19 shutdowns pause service
20K
8,849
10K
11,125
$5.11 Diesel
0
HIGHEST RECORDED PRICES: Regular: $4.69 (June 15) Diesel: $5.32 (June 19)
SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION 2019 2020
2021
2022
SOURCE: AAA COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER *AS OF JULY 8
ridership with the township’s transit options has been the shift to working from home because of the coronavi- rus pandemic, Nunes said. According to a report from the township, ridership on The Wood- lands Express had been at 44,780 in February 2020. Within two months, it had dropped to 2,029 riders. Information from a June 22 board of directors meeting indicates in May, there were 21,211 riders on The Wood- lands Express. This follows an upward trend since ridership dropped below 20,000 in March 2020. The $400,000 FTA grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Ruthanne Haut, The Woodlands Township’s direc- tor of transpor- tation, said the money is allow- ing the township to make a deep dive into when and why peo- ple are using the commuting ser- vices and how the system can be improved. Haut said the planning e orts with the grant will be con- cluded in early 2023. For The Woodlands Express Park and Ride program, Nunes said he believes rising gas costs could be causing a slight increase in the num- ber of riders with an average daily increase of around 30 passengers for a total of 670 daily passengers over the past several months. Information from AAA, which
tracks state and national gas prices, indicates that as of June 30, gas costs were at $4.48 per gallon. The record high prices for regular unleaded gas and diesel were reached on June 15 and June 19 respectively at $4.69 and $5.32. AAA indicates the average price for unleaded gas on the same date in 2021 was $2.79 per gallon. “Are we going to see a skyrocket- ing number of riders because of gas prices? We are not seeing that yet because that speci c workforce has the ability to say, ‘Hey, I am going to work from home for three days,’” Nunes said. Haut said this is where federal funding from the Coronavi- rus Aid, Relief and Economic
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caused by the coronavirus pan- demic. However, a variety of fac- tors, including fuel and maintenance costs along with an increase in residents working from home, are a ecting the park and ride program. “We are seeing peaks and valleys on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “We are trying to understand those.” To better understand future needs, the township sought a Federal Tran- sit Administration grant, which was awarded in June for $400,000. Among the factors township lead- ers hope to examine are the e ects of gas prices and what the future of transit will look like, Nunes said. He said the township will evaluate ways to modify the system. Along with transit demand, researchers have also noted an uptick in the demands for alternative trans- portation options, including electric vehicles, which they said have grown in response to environmental concerns and the increasing costs of gas. Reg Pecen, a professor at Sam Houston State University, said 3 mil- lion electric vehicles are expected to be in use around the country by 2025, and the demands for infrastructure will increase with them. “The International Council on Clean Transportation researchers … predict that Dallas and Houston may need to add 31%-40% more electric vehicle chargers every year,” Pecen said in an email. Changes and challenges One of the primary factors a ecting
are locked in for two years through 2024, costing the township $617,651 with the contract expiring in April. Additional challenges come in the form of maintenance and person- nel costs. Documentation from The Woodlands Township indicates that in a March report, First Class Trans- portation had to increase the average pay of drivers by around 28% in 2021. Without it, the services would have “been negatively impacted in a signif- icant way” because of the coronavi- rus pandemic, according to township information. Other maintenance costs, such as mechanic costs and service line wages, have increased by 8% and 15%, respectively. Planning ahead for services The FTA grant is anticipated to fund research through 2023, and Haut said it will allow the township to adjust and modify the system further with addi- tional data following the pandemic. To understand how to best change the park and ride services for area res- idents, Haut said a community sur- vey was conducted in June. Once the results are processed and analyzed, Haut said they will be presented to the board of directors for further dis- cussion in 2023. The township has discussed expanding the trolley services as well. During an April presentation to The Woodlands board of directors, Haut said discussions were underway to look at expanding the trolley services to the various village centers.
“WE HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN MORE PEOPLE USING THE TROLLEYS
Security Act and ARPA funds were helpful for the township, as they sustained the revenue typically brought in from fare fees. Information for The Woodlands
THAN WE DID PRE COVID.”
RUTHANNE HAUT, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION, THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP
2022 budget states there was a total of $1.9 million in CARES Act funding, and $1.8 million in bus fares for rev- enue sources. In 2021, the township budgeted $2.6 million to be generated through bus fares, according to bud- get documents. Nunes added the maintenance and fuel costs are factored into The Wood- lands’ budget, and contracts with bus provider First Class Transportation
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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