Board applicant Zach urges focus on frequency, reliability and route optimization

Zach, a candidate for a seat on the Bloomington Transit board, told Interview Committee A on Aug. 13 that the agency is facing a steep decline in ridership and needs a narrow, performance‑oriented focus to reverse the trend.

"we've got right now a 13% drop um year to date... that's the single biggest drop in writership in the agency's history," Zach said, adding that immediate priorities should be "frequency, reliability, and route optimization." He described having ridden the system regularly and said that firsthand experience is essential for board oversight.

Zach cited a series of past studies dating to 2009 that recommended high‑frequency service, cross‑town routes and transit signal priority; he said the agency has implemented some items but has not delivered the deeper network redesigns called for in the reports. He expressed skepticism about micotransit arrangements and said late‑night demand had been subsidized to Uber and Lyft rather than restored with fixed‑route service.

The candidate proposed low‑cost operational changes as initial steps: bus‑stop consolidation to speed runs, targeted increases in driver staffing on high‑ridership routes, and renewed emphasis on on‑time performance targets (he estimated roughly 72% on‑time arrivals in current service). If appointed, Zach said his role would be to push the agency "respectfully, constantly but persistently" toward those changes.

Committee members asked about partnerships and funding; Zach responded that while some private shuttles and university services may remain useful, the public agency should avoid subsidizing private ride‑hail for core late‑night needs. He also pointed to a successful redesign in Washington, D.C., as an example of how a concentrated focus on reliability and frequency can restore ridership.