Lone Tree Link: a Last-Mile Leader
20 minutes Author: Shared-Use Mobility Center Date Launched/Enacted: Aug 2, 2017 Date Published: May 30, 2018
Brief Summary
- The Lone Tree Link is a fare-free shuttle in Lone Tree, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. This service addresses the first-/last-mile problem at the end of the Denver Regional Transit District Light Rail system.
- The shuttle runs on a fixed route through several large corporate campuses in the city. The service is open to the public, though work commuters are about 90% of the approximately 350 daily riders.
- Funding for the shuttle is split between the corporations the shuttle serves, the City of Lone Tree, and the Denver South Transportation Management Association.
- In the future, Lone Tree plans to explore other possible first-/last-mile solutions, including a pilot program using a transportation network company.
Introduction
The Lone Tree link is a free shuttle that addresses the first mile/last mile (FMLM) issue for a quickly-growing Denver suburb at the end of the light rail system. The shuttle is part of what SUMC has termed (in a forthcoming TCRP Report) “consortium sponsored services.”
This service is neither, as the name implies, wholly sponsored by a single entity such as the Silicon Valley companies that run the “tech buses,” nor is it purely “commercial” like microtransit. Instead, the consortium-sponsored shuttles are the product of public-private partnerships (P3) that usually solve last mile issues in lower density areas such as in Lone Tree, Colorado. Although they are open to the public with a few exceptions they are free to all users. The P3 arrangements are attractive to the companies because they provide a solution to either transportation demand management (TDM) requirements or employee demand for alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) commutes. The service is then an amenity that they often receive at a significant discount. The arrangement is attractive to jurisdictions that provide funding and/or operating assistance for the shuttles for some of the same reasons—they hope to ease any burdens of TDM requirements—as well as inducing ridership on existing transit lines and fulfilling clean air requirements.
Operations
The Denver metropolitan area continues to grow both demographically and economically. The city of Lone Tree was incorporated in 1995 in response to land use pressure, and has grown rapidly, since. There are, according to the Director of Economic Development, approximately 15,000-20,000 employees working in a city of approximately 13,000 residents. The financial services firm Charles Schwab & Co. decided to open a large campus in the city due to proximity to housing and transit, and advocated for the Southeast branch of the Denver Regional Transit District (RTD) light rail, which will extend into Lone Tree with completion scheduled for 2019.[1] In the interim, Schwab teamed with the Denver South TMA, the City of Lone Tree, and companies from two other campuses—the Sky Ridge Medical Center and Park Ridge Corporate Center—to form the Lone Tree Link Shuttle. The $500,000 per year, or $40,000 per month, total is split between the consortium, with Schwab paying slightly extra than even share. The contracts are separate. Schwab has no TDM requirement, though it does closely monitor its parking needs.[2]
The shuttle is contracted to a private operator that runs Link-branded vans that are free and open to the public, though work-destined users are an estimated 90% of the ridership. Although it is overwhelmingly a commuter service, the Link runs 10 minute headways throughout its service from 6 AM through 7 PM on weekdays. The latest annual report shows approximately 350 daily riders, and claims an annual rider-to-revenue-hour average ratio of 5.9, which excedes RTD’s goal. The shuttles are ADA-compliant, but do not report to the National Transit Database.[3]
As the shuttle runs on a fixed route, it benefits the larger campuses. The arrival of the RTD light rail might prove a mixed blessing. Charles Schwab will be 2 blocks from a light rail stop, and will not need the shuttle. As is seen with the route adjustments in Figure 2, the work destinations are overwhelmingly the modus operandi for the shuttles, despite efforts to use them for non-work destinations.
Figure 2: The Lone Tree Link. The original routes (left) include a “full loop” to entertainment and retail. The new routes (right; as of 31 July 2017) are employment destination driven. (Courtesy Lone Tree Link)
Future Plans
The city is launching within a year a pilot to explore a possible last-mile solution with a TNC. This would serve the smaller companies that cannot afford the Link. Given its popularity, the city is considering a “Link 2.0” that would serve the new stations, as well.[4]
The consortium sponsored shuttles are closely coordinated with public agencies, and are responsive to transit schedules, thus lowering friction in linked transit trips. This is critical for the cases above, as the transit users are often traveling a “reverse commute” to lower density suburbs, and the shuttles can be tailored for quick connections and more direct service.
While reporting to the National Transit Database is inconsistent, the vehicles are ADA-compliant and the labor practices are comparatively transparent, regardless of the operation. Likewise, it is a measurable service to jurisdictions concerned with congestion and paratransit compliance who nonetheless want to attract economic development.
References
[1] See “Southeastern Rail Extension,” Denver RTD, http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/se_1. Interview, Jeff Holwell, April 25, 2017.
[2] Lone Tree Link “About.” http://www.lonetreelink.com/about/; Interview, Terry Smith (Charles Schwab & Co.), March 22, 2017. Interview with Jeff Holwell, City of Lone Tree, April 25, 2017; and Aldo Svaldi. 2014. “Charles Schwab Opens Up Lone Tree Campus,” Denver Post, October 1, http://www.denverpost.com/2014/10/01/charles-schwab-opens-up-lone-tree-campus/
[3] Holwell interview, Smith interview, and Clayton Woullard. 2014. “Lone Tree Debuts Free Link Shuttle Service to Serve Area Employers,” September 23. Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/2014/09/23/lone-tree-debuts-free-link-shuttle-service-to-serve-area-employers/, and Lone Tree Link. 2016. “Annual Report, Year 2: September 17, 2015 to September 30, 2016.
[4] Interview with Jeff Howell.