ART 87 Riders -- We Need Your Input!
August 31, 2011 -- We are in the process of updating the ART 87 brochure and wanted to get some feedback on the best way to present the bus schedule. For those of you who aren't familiar with ART 87, the route links Shirlington, Nauck, Long Branch Creek and Army Navy Dr. to Macy's and the Pentagon. There are three different route options you can take:
- ART 87 runs local and stops at every stop along the route
- ART 87A runs local between 26th & S. Troy and the Pentagon, only stopping at the bus stops between those two locations
- ART 87X runs direct between the Pentagon and Shirlington with no stopping in between
Since there are several route options, we wanted to make the schedule as easy as possible for you, the riders, to read. Below are links for two schedule options. Option A shows all three schedules combined into one schedule. Option B shows all three schedules (87, 87A, 87X) separated out. Which option do you think is the easiest to read and use?
Leave your opinion on which schedule you'd prefer in the comment section below. We'll be collecting responses until September 12 and will then design the schedule brochure based on the most popular choice.
Thank you for your input and for riding ART!
Option A -- ART 87 Combined Schedules (PDF)
Option B -- ART 87 Separated Schedules (PDF)
User Comments
A comment form is available following the full text of each Arlington Transit Blog post, and on a few other pages on the ART site. To prevent spam, comments must be approved. After approval, comments will appear following the news item. If you have a comment or question, but do not want it to be published, please contact ART.
Comments
- Laura Murray
- September 1, 2011, 7:04 AM
I like the separate schedules. I think they are less confusing. What would be wonderful is if the schedule - either on line or on paper listed out each stop on a route. Not just the timed stops. I think that would really help new riders.
- Mike
- September 1, 2011, 11:19 AM
I like the combined schedule but could live with either one. As long as the bus comes on time I'm a happy camper. Thanks for trying to make improvements!
- Bossi
- September 1, 2011, 2:34 PM
Just a couple really quick thoughts while I wait for some traffic models to run...
Combined pros:
- Helps user more easily locate the soonest bus regardless of line.
- Larger text size; easier for visually-impaired.
Separated pros:
- Helps user better identify where 87A and 87X go.
Issues with both:
- No weekend schedule on either?
I think the benefits of the Separated could be attained within the Combined if the map showed a bit more distinction between the regular, A, and X lines.
- ART Marketing Specialist
- September 1, 2011, 2:47 PM
Hi Bossi,
Thanks for your feedback! To address some of your comments:
There will be a weekend schedule, but only the 87 runs on the weekends (no 87A and 87X service) so we don't have to worry about combining/separating the Saturday schedule.
Like the map suggestion! We're planning on showing the 3 different services on the map to make it easier for riders to see where they go.
- Heather M.
- September 2, 2011, 12:34 PM
I prefer the combined schedule. I want to know the soonest bus, and the combined schedule makes me consult only one table (instead of three).
- KV
- September 2, 2011, 1:49 PM
I prefer the combined schedule, but why the removal of arrival times for some stops along that route? The current brochure includes the Army Navy Drive & Lynn times for example. There is a pretty large gap between stops 3 and 4.
- Douglas Wendt
- September 2, 2011, 5:12 PM
There are two questions here -- which schedule version is easier to read, and which is easier to use. The combined schedule needs to be the final selection, even if many riders find the separated schedule easier to read. The reason is that the separated schedule is easier to read on the face (less information is always easier to absorb), but it's much harder to use. The combined schedule tells me in one place what buses are coming to each station on the route at what times, and that is what is most important. With the combined schedule, I can glance at the timetable and know instantly what bus is coming next to 26th & South Troy, whether it's an 87 or 87A. Similarly, I can look at the Shirlington station and see all 87s and the 87xs as well.
Amtrak timetables used to be separated and then they switched to combined, because they realized that whether a train starts in Richmond or Newport News, if I am in Washington going to Philadelphia then I need to quickly see *all* options between those two points, without exceptions, and regardless of other factors.
If you ask readers online which is easier, I am confident most would say the separated, but if you took those people out and field-tested the timetables, hands-down the combined would (and should) win.
- Deborah
- September 2, 2011, 9:35 PM
I think it's essential to evaluate the map along with the time table. The map definitely needs to show the differences in the three routes because that's significant. So, how will you show it? Different colored lines? Different patterned lines? Combination of different colors for each route and different line pattern to indicate non-stop and regular stop segments? Different maps for each?
Regarding the timetable, I looked at (A) the combined table first and found that fairly easy to read. The color-coded shading really helps to distinguish the different routes. But, after I viewed (B) the separate time tables I thought that approach was much clearer. I'd like to see that kind of clarity achieved with the map, as well.
- TJ
- September 4, 2011, 12:32 PM
Definitely combined. Separate makes us look at three different schedules, which is definitely the most confusing and a time waster too.
- TR
- September 5, 2011, 12:40 PM
What about just separating 87X and combining the other two? The X schedule is useful only for people at 2 stops (and is specifically desired/avoided), whereas the other two (together) make it clear when the next bus will be for the rest of us at all the other stops.
- Transit Communications, ART
- September 6, 2011, 8:41 AM
We very much appreciate the input so far -- keep it coming!
- Rider
- September 7, 2011, 6:54 PM
A combined schedule would be easiest - even though not many ride the 87X bus. Are you considering adding more times for the 87A bus around 530? It seems that bus is "overcapacity" while the 87X that comes right before it only has 6-10 riders. Just an observation.
- Josh
- September 7, 2011, 7:04 PM
I prefer the combined view as I can see which bus is coming next. However, I would go with either view as long as the ART 87 can actually stay on these schedules!
The buses run horribly late and during the morning rush once a single bus becomes late the whole schedule is worthless. I live on Army Navy Dr, and I know realistically how long it takes to make it to the Pentagon Metro Station. 8 minutes between stops 3 & 4 during the morning rush is unrealistic. It can take up to 10 minutes to get through the Pentagon parking lot in itself.
Please just have a realistic time table.
- Kathleen
- September 8, 2011, 8:46 AM
The separate schedules are easier to read.
