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Transit development plan calls for modest route changes, a second transfer center and focus on lifeline service
Summary
Consultant Toby presented the Erie Transit Development Plan (TDP) overview, highlighting service goals (safety, equity, reliability), survey findings (Erie city vehicle‑access rate ~17.8%), nine proposed modest route changes to improve frequency and connectivity, and a proposed second central transfer center in Midtown to improve one‑seat rides and reliability.
Toby (speaker 13), the transit presenter, gave an overview of the Erie Transit Development Plan (TDP), describing the plan’s goals and the public outreach process. He said the TDP aims to improve safety and security, equity and accessibility, service efficiency and reliability, connectivity, customer experience and financial sustainability.
Toby summarized survey and demographic findings for Erie County: the city of Erie has an estimated 17.8% of households without reliable vehicle access compared with about 10.5% for Pennsylvania as a whole. He emphasized ‘lifeline’ transit services for people without alternatives, seniors and people with disabilities.
The presentation included a set of nine modest service proposals (detailed maps and text are available in the survey linked by a QR code). Recommendations highlighted concentrating service on primary route trunks (for example making Peach Street service more frequent while reducing lower‑ridership secondary trunks), the concept of ‘one‑seat’ rides to reduce transfers, and potential modest eliminations or reconfigurations of secondary route segments to concentrate frequency where demand is highest. Toby also described a proposed second multimodal transfer center near the maintenance facility across the tracks from the current Bayfront intermodal center to provide a more central downtown transfer point.
On the Lyft/shared‑ride (paratransit) side, Toby said those services run at a deficit and Erie Transit uses fixed‑route funding to cover Lyft shortfalls; the TDP looks at ways to close the deficit and improve cost‑effectiveness. Staff discussed fleet sizing (large buses sized for peak loads and longer life cycles) and the need for multi‑year remediation of an old brownfield railyard parcel if the Midtown transfer center option proceeds.
Toby invited public comment via a QR‑linked survey and said the TDP team plans additional focus groups and broader public outreach over the summer with a final plan scheduled for fall 2026.
