INTRODUCTION

In response to the challenges anticipated over the next ten years, in 1998 the Board of Directors of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) resolved to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. Development of the plan, known as Destination 2010, was a collaborative effort involving the Board, AATA staff and employees, outside consultants, and external stakeholders.

Starting with the belief that a responsive public transit system is essential to the community's well-being, the strategic plan builds upon AATA's mission:

"It is the Mission of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to facilitate mobility by providing options for safe, efficient and reliable transportation."

This mission became the foundation for AATA's vision of its preferred future as "The Ride of Choice."

AATA believes its actions are governed by the basic and unchanging values of safety, reliability, customer service and satisfaction, respect, inclusiveness, cooperation, responsibility, innovation, flexibility, and integrity. All strategic initiatives designed to move AATA toward Destination 2010 must align with these values to ensure that AATA's basic tenets are respected.

As a starting point, those involved in the strategic planning process gathered information and input from a wide variety of sources. The data was filtered through the strategic issues model, which represents graphically how AATA responds to constraints and opportunities as they impact its core issues of where it will operate, whom it will serve, and what products or actions will best address the challenges of the next decade. The model also considers how the organization's core values affect these responses. In addition to its use in the strategic planning process, the model will be used as a tool to help AATA develop future strategic initiatives and work plans.

The data gathering portion of the strategic planning effort identified the following challenges AATA will face during the coming decade:

• A larger transit-dependent population
• Continued county-wide urbanization and population growth
• Increased congestion of the county's transportation infrastructure
• Ongoing technical advances that increase transit's productivity
• Continued limited labor supplies
• The need to improve internal culture
• The necessity of attracting non transit-dependent riders to mitigate transportation congestion and broaden and strengthen community support

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THE STRATEGIC PLAN: DESTINATION 2010

Armed with a clear understanding of its mission, a better appreciation of its values, and an awareness of the challenges before it, AATA incorporated the needs and desires of its stakeholders into a strategic plan, Destination 2010. The plan is designed to be a flexible, living document that both guides AATA in the development of strategic initiatives and allows the organization to respond rapidly and appropriately to unexpected constraints or opportunities. The plan, which is organized similarly to the strategic issues model, addresses the core issues of where AATA will operate, who its customers will be, and what products or services it will offer:

Where

• AATA will provide or facilitate transportation services throughout Washtenaw County and will maintain links to other transportation providers in Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Jackson, and Monroe counties.
• Fixed routes will form the backbone of the system within the urbanized area surrounding Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
• Regularly scheduled routes will connect the urbanized area with the Detroit Metropolitan Airport while express routes will operate on or along north/south and east/west freeway corridors.
• Demand response services will operate in low density urbanized areas still under development or in outlying small communities unable to support fixed routes.
• Special event shuttles will operate between the urbanized area and venues throughout Southeast Michigan.
• Finally, all of Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio will benefit from car and van pooling provided by AATA's RideShare activities.

Who:

• AATA will serve the widest customer base possible within its principal geographic service area (defined as Washtenaw County).
• The bulk of its customers will continue to reside in the urbanized area that includes Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
• The organization will, however, cater as much as possible to customers living outside the urbanized area who have transportation needs within the service area.
• AATA will continue to serve large numbers of transit-dependent customers who have no access to other transportation.
• Workers with fixed (i.e., non-variable) transportation needs will also be served.
• Finally, in order to broaden its base of support, AATA will serve a growing number of non transit- dependent customers with fixed or repetitive transportation needs, as well as those with variable or changing transportation patterns.

What: There are a variety of actions AATA can take to meet the challenges of the next decade. These initiatives fall under three basic strategic themes:

Theme 1: Improving AATA's Services:

• AATA will improve and fully develop the services it operates within Washtenaw County.
• Existing bus schedules will be adjusted or supplemented with additional services in order to reduce waiting time for customers.
• Park-and-ride lots will be improved.
• Physical amenities and facilities (shelters, transfer centers, etc.) will be upgraded.
• Passenger convenience will be improved through such actions as increasing through-routing and implementing cash-less fare payment systems.
• Customer service training will receive a new emphasis.
• Technology will continue to be used as a tool to improve services to customers.
• Public information systems and processes will be designed to make information more timely, accessible, and accurate.
• Monitoring and reporting systems will be used to gauge the daily delivery of transportation services.

Theme 2: Broadening AATA's Services:

• AATA will expand its services outward as the urbanized area continues to grow.
• Agreements will be negotiated with other transportation providers to develop an area-wide seamless system.
• Park-and-ride lots will be expanded with renewed marketing efforts made to attract new passengers.
• Specialized services (e.g., airport shuttles and late night entertainment shuttles) will be instituted.
• Transportation services will be designed for commuting, entertainment, and recreational purposes to attract non transit-dependent customers.
• Aggressive education and marketing programs will be used to broaden AATA's customer base and build public support.

Theme 3: Building the AATA Organization to Deliver its Services:

• AATA will assure that all its programs and policies reflect its core values and that employees and stakeholders are continually engaged in strategic thinking and planning.
• Internal culture themes and benchmarks will be assessed regularly to ensure the organization achieves its ideals.
• Employee training will continue to improve customer relations and address ongoing safety issues.
• Technology will continue to be used as a tool to improve services to internal customers.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

AATA gratefully acknowledges the contributions of its Board members, management staff, employees and external stakeholders in the development of this strategic plan. The efforts of these individuals have helped ensure that AATA will be fully equipped to meet the challenges along the way to Destination 2010.

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