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102 < m ETRO m AGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 metro-magazine.com push, passenger volume has climbed beyond our expectations, and with the increase in farebox revenue, TeRide's share of costs has dropped sharply." "O u r o r i g i n a l 2 0 1 2 c o n t ra c t w i t h TeRide guaranteed that Michigan Fly- er/Indian Trails would not charge them more than $700,000 for operating Air- Ride," adds Cushman. "However, rider- ship increased so much by the second year that we were able to cut the not- to-exceed amount to $300,000. Now in 2014, it's just $170,000. Clearly, it's a re- sounding success." Mi c h i ga n Fl y e r / A i r R i d e's f l e e t o f comfortable, eco-friendly 52-passenger motorcoaches make near-hourly trips each day, with 98% on-time reliability. Altogether, they connect with approxi- mately 700 daily nonstop airline fights between DTW and top domestic and in- ternational destinations. Cushman compares bringing togeth- er the perspectives of the public sector and private sector in a joint enterprise is a little like two people getting married. "At first, much of [our partnership] was about defning our individual roles in the partnership, how to manage our budget, and how to ensure that our Air- Ride ofspring would grow and thrive," he says. "Naturally, given our different perspectives, we sometimes saw things differently…U ltimately, both TheR- ide's leadership and ours have always been able to focus on putting the pas- senger frst, and that's a big reason why it works." KRAPF COACHES SERVICES: Several, including fxed- route and paratransit services and suburban shuttle services PARTNERS: Krapf's Coaches, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and local Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) West Chester, Pa.'s Krapf 's Coach- es Inc. has several P3s in place not only with SEPTA but with nonprofts as well. Krapf 's won its frst SEPTA contract in 1994, and over the years, has done work in the suburban outliers the agenc y serves with smaller equipment Krapf 's can operate more efciently because of proximity. Currently, Krapf 's holds three separate contracts with SEPTA — two fxed route and one paratransit. "Overall, we have ser viced proba- bly six routes overall, with many of the ser vices being either demonstration routes or tied to highway construction, and therefore, have short lifespans," erty taxes, but relies on a combination of passenger fares ($829,837), state operat- ing assistance ($385,817), purchasing of service agreements ($199,900) and fed- eral discretionary funds ($11,374). "At the time when we launched Air- Ride, the total cost was estimated to be about $1.2 million per year," Ford ex- plains. "With a modest promotional MOTORCOACH PARTNERSHIPS