Shaking it Up with MTS

The official definition of a shake-up is “a radical reorganization.” While most MTS shake-ups are not “radical,” experienced riders know that we shake things up three times a year.

And there’s rhythm and reason to make these changes in our bus and Trolley schedules every January, June and September. It allows MTS to fine-tune the system, meet the demands of ridership and helps us run as efficiently as possible.

Often times, shake-ups consist of small fixes to the schedule – little tweaks here and there. Other times, shake-ups can be radical, such as adding major service upgrades like Rapid or continuing the Green Line all the way to 12th & Imperial.

When MTS says shake-up, two primary things are “shaken up.”

1. Adjustments are made to some schedules based on ridership demand, route performance standards or fiscal realities
2. Bus and Trolley drivers pick their shifts and routes based on seniority

Here’s a breakdown of the timing and primary purpose:

Early June – School’s out for summer! As part of the annual June shake-up many of the school bus routes get temporarily scaled back and the bus routes going to the beach ramp up.

Early September – Hit the books! This end-of-summer shake-up reduces much of the beach service added in June and ramps back up the school routes.

Late January – Working out the schedule kinks! This shake-up gives MTS another opportunity on the calendar to add, change or discontinue service. The late January shake-up provides flexibility to fix issues such as poorly-performing routes or timing adjustments to better-connect routes.

Once a shake-up date is set, the next step is to make the changes loud and clear for riders. This is done by producing new timetables, changing the schedule information at bus stops and transit centers, making decal changes to bus blades, distributing “Take Ones” on all buses and Trolleys, posting information on the MTS website and social media, and more.

Shake-ups allow MTS to adjust the schedule to be as efficient as possible and provide service where it is needed most. They also give operators a few times per year to adjust their work schedules. Be on the lookout for information about the next shake-up on September 6, it could impact a route you take!