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Board weighs origin–destination study as staff say trip-purpose data are limited
Summary
Staff said current trip-purpose data are insufficient for planning; Ryan McCutcheon recommended a consultant origin–destination study to collect representative ridership data, noting the study would require additional funds but could better inform service and budgeting choices.
Board members asked how easily staff could collect trip‑purpose information; McCutcheon said the current categories (medical, school, work, other) are being collected but the existing dataset is incomplete and not robust enough for planning. "I would say that the data that we currently have right now, I wouldn't want to use that for any planning or analysis going forward," McCutcheon said, and proposed a consultant‑led origin–destination study to gather representative information on rider origins, destinations and trip purposes.
Board members acknowledged the study would require additional spending and that the board does not meet monthly, so they would need to decide when to 'pull the trigger' to invest in data collection. Staff cautioned that building better evidence will cost money but could enable more targeted service changes that protect core riders while improving fiscal sustainability.
