news.jpg
SHANNON KIDD

A free shuttle meant to cut down on car emissions on the Central Eastside is no more, after proving to have low ridership and not be cost-effective.

The shuttle was the brainchild of the Central Eastside Industrial Council (CEIC), a nonprofit chaired by a group of business owners, neighborhood association presidents, and developers who, among other things, recommend projects that the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) should fund with parking fees collected in the Central Eastside. The Water Ave Courtesy Shuttle was one of those projects.

CEIC can only use the monthly parking permit funds to bankroll projects that will discourage vehicle use in the Central Eastside. That funding often goes toward installing new street signs, discounted transit passes for employees of neighborhood businesses, bike racks, new crosswalks, and sidewalk cleanups. Last year, CEIC's transportation committee, Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee (TPAC), put $250,000 of its estimated $1,744,000 budget into buying a small bus to operate as a weekday free shuttle on Water Ave. The shuttle began running in July 2018.

Yet the investment didn't pay off. According to TPAC's records, the shuttle saw just over 1,500 riders in its year-long pilot program. In comparison, TriMet's route 6 bus line—which runs parallel to the Water Ave shuttle about four blocks east—saw an estimated 310,000 weekday riders in 2018. In July 2019, TPAC estimated that, due to the shuttle's low ridership, the program was costing approximately $144 per rider.

The program ceased operation on November 1.

"The service was basically underutilized," said Brad Malsin, president of the CEIC board, in an interview with the Mercury. "I still think a shuttle is an important idea. It just may have been a little early."

In notes from TPAC's July meeting, members contemplate the value of keeping the shuttle running, questioning whether pulling the plug will damage their organization's reputation.

And, members noted: "There is also a feeling at [PBOT] that the shuttle is ineffective."

In December 2018, Portland City Council passed new, stricter rules for what groups like CEIC could use parking permit fees on. "Permit Surcharge Revenue shall be used to encourage mode shift away from single occupancy vehicles," the new policy read. It included a detailed list of programs that would fit this definition.

CEIC's shuttle might not have met the city's review standards. Half of the stops on the Water Ave. shuttle route were nearby public parking lots, suggesting that people using the program had already driven to the Central Eastside. None of the stops aligned with nearby public transportation routes.

CEIC has instead redirected its focus to funding "transportation wallets"—or plans that include discounted passes for TriMet and the Portland Streetcar, and discounted membership to Biketown, car share programs, and e-scooter programs. These plans will be made available to anyone who lives or works in the Central Eastside. CEIC has more than doubled its investment in transportation wallets in its latest budget.

At the same time, Malsin says, CEIC's looking into funding a shuttle bus powered by electricity—and has already commissioned researchers to conduct a in-depth "parking study" of the area.

"The idea is: 'Let’s try as hard as we can with transportation support and see if we can accomplish things we want that way,'" said Malsin. "We’re experimenting a little bit."