Tell us about your world pre-Remix. What challenges were you facing? 

We’ve been using Remix for about four years now. Before that, the planning department didn’t really do much route planning-- most of it was done by the operations department. The planning that was done was based on intuition, requests by a few people, and ridership numbers. Way back in 2004 or so, the first routes got sketched out on napkins, and there was this legacy of relying on assumptions more than data. By 2015 to 2016, we needed to be able to access data to drive decisions. That’s when Remix came into the picture. 

Why did you choose Remix? 

When we were under pressure and needed to trim and refine service, we wanted to do it with data and Remix was the answer. It helped us be confident that we were picking the right routes to cut back or boost, and it gave us quick access to potential ridership demographics. This really increased our confidence, and our first changes based on Remix data resulted in an increase in ridership. 

What has been the biggest benefit you’ve experienced by using Remix? 

For us, the most useful thing about Remix is being able to improve efficiency and see the costs and impact while running through multiple options/scenarios. It has really helped us be able to summarize and show where investments should be made. When comparing the scenarios, the instant results churned out by Remix keep us from going down the wrong rabbit hole. We don’t waste time with the ideas we cannot afford to offer the public.

We always want to enhance the transit services we offer. Cutting back is a very difficult thing for a transit planner to stomach. Before Remix, it was far too simple to cut too much—to overreact to challenges. With Remix, we can be more “surgical” in our approach. But this works both ways. We can also judge the effects of small enhancements that can have big benefits for a route and use Remix outputs to easily campaign for their implementation. 

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How has Remix helped you make data more visual and easier to understand? 

We’ve used Remix’s “Jane” feature to help educate our board, which makes it more visual and easier for people to connect with the impact of route changes. When presenting options to the Operations and Planning Committee of the PART board, the Jane tool drives home the importance of better frequency and how it relates to increased access for our customers. The Jane tool has made explaining access to non-transit planners and users a breeze. It speaks to how visual so many of us are in making comparisons and analyzing the challenges we face.

We also use Jane in conjunction with route information for the urban systems we connect with (available through Remix). This enhances our understanding of what many of our riders are doing every workday—starting on one urban system, using our routes, and then completing their journey on another urban system. This kind of travel pattern is old hat for large urban centers in the US, but for our region it is something new for policy makers to wrap their heads around. Remix’s Jane tool is incredibly useful illustrating this concept. 

What additional impact have you experienced? 

We’ve been able to do Title VI* quickly and easily. The very first time we were cutting back routes was pre-Remix, and we did a Title VI report in several weeks. Now with Remix it only takes us one day. Title VI reports are not required for all the types of changes we’re doing, but we like to complete them to have the assurance that we are making good decisions.

*Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

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What’s next for your organization? 

We’re doing a refresh on four routes, and our proposed changes are out to the public for comment. We’re evaluating where, when, and how we can improve the public’s access to services. We use other tools, but generally they inform what we do in Remix. Remix can then confirm or counter assumptions we have made and the hypotheses we input—we rely on Remix to carry the bulk of the route planning workload.

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How do you view your partnership with Remix?

Remix acts more like a strategic partner than a vendor. Over the years, we have felt like we are just next door or down the road from Remix offices. Their staff is that accessible and ready to help, and it feels like Remix has a real stake in transit here in NC.