ABC-7 Special Report: Brio: Boon or bust?

El Paso has had a taste of a light rail transit system on wheels now that Sun Metro’s Brio is up and running from the westside to downtown.

At a cost of $27 million in local, state and federal transportation funds, ABC-7 wanted to see if the Brio is worth the investment.

Talking to those waiting for the sleek buses along the Mesa corridor, ABC-7 found plenty of frequent riders.

One rider was James Reynoso. “I use it every day,” he said.

“I would say it’s practical and fast,” said one woman, snapping her fingers for emphasis.

“It’s a lot faster than most of the other buses,” Reynoso added.

The popularity is evident in the number of people boarding the Brio.

Numbers supplied by Sun Metro to ABC-7 show that the number of people using the Brio monthly has grown steadily, from 60,344 in its first full month of operation in November 2014 to 65,831 in May. Ridership spiked in April with 80,996 riders. Sun Metro attributed the drop in ridership to the end of school at UTEP.

“It’s better than we initially projected,” Sun Metro director Jay Banasiak told ABC-7. “We projected around 3,000 a day, and it’s more than that.”

The Brio runs Monday through Saturday. Sun Metro tracks ridership daily but depends on the monthly outlook for a true reflection of its performance.

It may be hard for some to believe that the Brio exceeds expectations. ABC-7 camera crews found many quiet buses and bus stops, even during times Sun Metro determined were peak usage hours in the morning and evening.

“In the mornings, people are going out (from downtown),” explained Banasiak. “So, if you go to the Downtown Transfer Center and work your way from downtown going out (to West El Paso), you’ll see a lot more activity.”

ABC-7 wanted to test Banasiak’s theory, sending an intern and a photographer to the Downtown Transfer Center during the morning rush this week.
Cande Duran said there was a Sun Metro staff member helping those who were unsure how to use the ticket machine, and her wait to board was short.

“The stops have been quick also — a minute, two minutes max,” Duran said.

Duran did a head count at each of the nine stops from downtown to the Westside Transfer Center on Remcon Circle near North Mesa Street. She said at one point, there were 11 passengers on board. She and the photographer exited the Brio with one other passenger.

“I did notice that the bus that pulled up after ours was full of passengers,” Duran added.

It took 35 minutes to travel the 8.6 miles to the transfer center.

“I really liked it,” Duran said. “It was pretty fast and convenient. I didn’t even notice how quickly the time went by.”

Duran said it was much quicker than a regular bus.

The Brio is equipped with free WiFi, bike racks, solar-powered compacting trash cans and priority signalization, which holds the green light longer when a Brio bus is near an intersection.

The Brio Rapid Transit System has generated $299,407 in revenue from its inception in late October to June 19.

The cost to operate the Brio during the same time frame was shy of $949,835.

Banasiak , who has headed up the city’s transit service for six years, has an explanation for that, too.

“This is how most transit systems operate. They operate with a fare box-to-revenue recovery ratio anywhere from 20 to 30 percent. That’s the norm for systems,” he said.

“If we get 25 to 30 percent, that’s really good based on our system and all the systems around the country.”

Banasiak also said the Brio was never intended to be a revenue generator for the city, but a way to provide a service for the community that could help decrease dependency on personal transportation.

The Brio service will expand to and connect with the rest of the city once the rapid transit service is added to Alameda Avenue in the Lower Valley and Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso in 2017, and Montana Avenue in Central El Paso in 2018.

“It’s going to be a great system. You can go from the west side to the airport in 40, 45 minutes,” Banasiak said.

For now, El Pasoans will have to be like many bus passengers and exercise patience.