Palmetto Breeze Transit Implementation Plan

The goals of the Transit Implementation Plan were to identify priorities for implementing the new services through the objectives below. Public engagement for the implementation phase focused on meetings with the Steering Committee, interviews with key stakeholders, and an online public forum.

The proposed services were selected using recommendations from the Transit Development Plan, updated demographic data and analysis, and input from Steering Committee members, staff and elected officials from the Towns and Beaufort County, LCOG and LRTA staff, and consulting team observations and findings. At the September 24, 2019 Steering Committee meeting, establishing local transit service in the Town of Bluffton was determined to be a priority because: • Palmetto Breeze had already established a well-accepted trolley service on Hilton Head Island; • The Town of Bluffton expressed strong interest in implementing local transit service; • Limited transit funding precluded doing both the northern expansion of the Hilton Head Island trolley and the new Bluffton transit service; • Palmetto Bluff expressed a willingness to partner with Palmetto Breeze to provide funding for public transportation; and • Establishing local transit in Bluffton is a prerequisite to eventually providing a transit route to link the Town of Bluffton and the Town of Hilton Head Island. The route recommendations reflect and take advantage of the local funding opportunities and partnerships and focus on the Bluffton service area.

Demographic heat maps updated for the implementation plan confirmed that vulnerable populations and employment centers are served by the Bluffton route defined in the TDP. Subsequent analysis and input revealed the need for the TDP route to be divided into three separate routes, designed to provide transfer opportunities at Buckwalter Place and along Buckwalter Parkway and to increase mobility options in the Bluffton area for work, shopping, medical, education, and other trips. The goals used in developing the routes were: • To provide a mobility option for the local workforce; • To provide transit service for commercial and residential areas; • To develop strategies for successful implementation and community use; and • To develop marketing strategies to promote the new routes. Bus stops were determined by field observations, demographic analysis, and local staff knowledge of key access points. Safety, both pedestrian safety and safe transit vehicle operation, was also a determining factor in selecting stop locations. Layovers are set at 10 percent of run time, with a minimum of two minutes, at both ends of each route; extra layover time was given to the Palmetto Bluff Route for possible future deviations into the RV park. Three vehicle blocks (Vehicles A, B, and C) interline the three routes. Project meeting notes (Appendix B) record that Palmetto Bluff wanted about five trips per day (versus two at the time), would pay for service usable as local match, and paid about $50,000 annually for transit service; that the Town of Bluffton offered to build a 100-space park-and-ride lot with transfer station behind Kroger; that employers along the Buckwalter route included Evercore (300 employees), Walmart (300), and Sam's Club (200); and that the Bluffton route passes five large apartment complexes. Note: The report's text and appendix use different names for the routes. Section 4.2 names them the Bluffton Parkway, Buckwalter, and Buckwalter Extension routes and describes a Buckwalter Place Route to Vineyard Bluffton and a Buckwalter Route to Palmetto Bluff; Appendix A names them the Avalon (Bluffton Parkway), Berkley Place, and Palmetto Bluff routes.

The marketing plan is based on an analysis of existing marketing and engagement strategies and of factors affecting residents, employers, commuters, and tourists, with a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) analysis as its backbone. Existing Efforts ~ The Palmetto Breeze brand conveys a personal home-town feel, organic and real responses to needs, caring about the community, and openness to feedback. Marketing includes brochures, maps, website, signage, and social media; engagement includes top-level employer outreach, "Touch-A-Trolley," promotions, and stakeholder involvement. Spanish marketing is limited. Alliance Marketing ~ Multiple stakeholders support Palmetto Breeze, but many lack Palmetto Breeze information on their websites or make it difficult to find: Town of Bluffton (no information); Town of Hilton Head (seasonal trolley information only); Beaufort County (must search "transit"; link does not work); Montage Palmetto Bluff; Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber (includes link); Beaufort County Human Services; USCB; Hilton Head Association of Realtors; and Volunteers in Medicine. Assets ~ Cooperation of employers and stakeholders; an overall positive outlook in the community toward transit; needs of residents; and the motivation of employers who want to maintain a luxury/eco-friendly/car-free environment. Barriers ~ Cost; distance from residence to stops (first and last mile); language; and lack of familiarity. PESTLE Analysis: • Political ~ Funding issues (stay focused on resident needs to maintain funding); access for the working population living on and off island; relationships with Bluffton businesses and the Hilton Head Island hospitality industry, balancing their needs without the appearance of favoritism; identifying and using primary stakeholder alliances; transportation opportunities at the Hilton Head airport; and communication flow among town managers, local officials, and planning commissions. • Economic ~ Cost of transit for locals who work on Hilton Head Island; cost of living and transit for foreign employees on work visas; visitors who are more well-off and not dependent on transit; limited marketing budget; costs for the transit agency; workload to build awareness, trust, and ridership; location of vulnerable populations; shoulder-season ridership decreases; and a new culinary institute that will bring tourists and boost the economy. • Social ~ Requests for later and earlier schedules; first-mile/last-mile issues (consider third-party vendors); language translations; speaking to all audiences (transit-dependent riders, those who prefer transit, young riders who do not yet drive, and "choice" riders); creating awareness among youth to pass on to adults; creating a car-free culture for tourists, especially for international arrivals at the Savannah airport; building trust; concerns of un- and under-banked users; ridership density; senior ridership; resident attitudes (more positive now than in the past); and continued charitable outreach such as Second Helpings and the Deep Well Project. • Technological ~ Keeping the BreezePass and CatchTheBreeze apps nimble and updated; informing tourists about and communicating the benefits of the apps; communicating technology to potential riders; social media growth, including an Instagram launch; potential trip planning software or sample commute plans; and an updated website. • Legal ~ Easements; space and security for park-and-rides; paratransit issues; and joint ventures and funding from employers. • Environmental ~ Importance of environmental issues to residents, businesses, stakeholders, and employees; air quality; and whether two bike racks per vehicle is enough.

Messaging Must-Haves ~ New routes with maps; try transit; we can help you get started (First-Week Free Pass promotions); it's good for you (saves money, time, and the environment); it's easy/how it works; and diversity (language, under-banked, large-print, etc.). Recommended Materials ~ Revised brochure; "EZ Sheets" (flyers with isolated routes showing map and stop information, explaining first-mile/last-mile Flex Route Circulators); rack cards for tourist locations if necessary; Spanish materials where necessary; Michelangelo vinyls in English and Spanish; e-blasts for employers; social media graphics; explainer videos; hold messaging for phone lines; an enlarged transit map mounted to foam core; other outreach materials (pop-up signs, mini brochures, giveaways); and web banners for social pages and websites, shared with employers and stakeholders.