TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Operations Quarterly Performance Report
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Operations Performance Report for AC Transit Fixed Route Services during the Fourth Quarter FY 2019.
Title
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no current budgetary or fiscal impacts related to this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The Quarterly Operations Performance Report provides information on programs within the District designed to improve the performance, reliability, cleanliness, and safety of the District’s bus service. The FY2019 Q4 attachment provides graphical representation on the performance of the programs.
Note that beginning with the 1st Quarter FY20, Customer Care programs including Customer Complaints, Customer Call Center, and Customer Service Center will be presented in a separate quarterly report.
To continually recognize outstanding employees who are an important part of achieving Division goals and objectives, the following employees were recognized as Employees of the Month during the quarter:
|
Transportation |
Apr-19 |
May-19 |
Jun-19 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Roman Maldonado |
Le-Ellis Brown |
Sean Thomas |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Irma Alejandre |
Felix Solis |
Alita Webb |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Ramiro Perez |
Dominique Knighten |
Victoria Sanchez |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Douglas Morales |
Michael Shivers |
Lorraine Fowler |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Samuel Mose |
Chandler Joe |
Raymond Martinez |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance |
Apr-19 |
May-19 |
Jun-19 |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Kwok Wai Lee |
Tracy Harley |
Christopher Garcia |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Carlos Jimenez |
Jasmine Green |
Norman Martinsen |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Jairo Galdamez |
Ryan De La Cruz |
Raymond Yuen |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Nhan Nguyen |
Roger La Forga |
Michael Leite |
|
Central Maintenance |
Angela Kelly |
Peter Lowe |
Kevin Beeman |
Data Reporting Disclaimers
Deployment of the Clever Devices computer aided dispatching/automated vehicle locator (CAD/AVL) software consisted of various configuration changes therefore, service operated percentages are still undergoing configuration validation and data quality check processes. The Department of Innovation and Technology is in collaboration with various key stakeholders from Project Controls and System Analysis, Operations Control Center, and Service Development and Planning that are working with Clever Devices staff to review and address the configuration verification process.
ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 1 - On-Time Performance)
On-Time Performance is a District Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with the goal to achieve 72.0% or higher. System-wide On-Time Performance average in Q4 of FY2019 was 72.76% versus 72.62% in Q3. The District met or exceeded the goal during each month in the quarter: April (72.55%) and May (72.04%) and June (73.70%). The average On Time Performance among Transbay Lines during Q4 of FY2019 was 62.85% versus 61.04% in Q3 of FY2019. The system-wide average, performed approximately 10% better than Transbay Lines during the two-quarter comparison.
Staff from Operations, Planning and Scheduling Departments continue to evaluate bus lines with the lowest on-time performance to determine the lines that may need schedule adjustments to improve on-time performance. The On-Time Performance Taskforce meets monthly to review problem areas on major routes and assign supervisors to monitor and take corrective actions to improve on-time performance. A new initiative to apportion some of the Taskforce meetings in the field was recently implemented to interact with Operators, increase visibility and observe performance issues in real time. The District is also working on a line ride program, The Rider Insider, to assess all the main trunk lines within the current route structure.
The following table provides a summary comparison on Ridership and On-Time Performance for the total System and Transbay Service.
Quarterly Performance Comparison Table
|
Service Type |
Month |
Average Weekday Ridership |
On-Time Performance |
|
|
|
FY19 Q4 |
FY18 Q4 |
Y-Y % |
FY19 Q4 |
FY18 Q4 |
Y-Y % |
|
System |
Apr |
180,960 |
173,422 |
4.35% |
72.55% |
71.81% |
1.03% |
|
|
May |
180,319 |
167,272 |
7.80% |
72.04% |
69.43% |
3.76% |
|
|
Jun |
160,259 |
159,647 |
0.38% |
73.70% |
68.43% |
7.70% |
|
Transbay |
Apr |
19,809 |
18,793 |
5.41% |
63.08% |
66.91% |
-5.72% |
|
|
May |
18,691 |
17,205 |
8.63% |
60.80% |
65.48% |
-7.14% |
|
|
Jun |
20,277 |
17,878 |
13.42% |
64.67% |
66.35% |
-2.54% |
RIDERSHIP
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2 - Ridership)
System-wide weekday ridership in Q4 of FY2019 averaged 173,846 versus 172,528 in Q3 FY2019. Ridership held steady during April (180,960) and May (180,319) and had a dip in June (160,259) Average Weekday Ridership for Transbay Lines during Q4 of FY2019 was 19,592 versus 21,665 in Q3 of FY2019. Transbay Ridership represents roughly 11.5% of system wide weekday ridership.
SERVICE OPERATED PERCENTAGE
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 3 - Service Operated)
System-Wide Percent of Service Operated in Q4 of this fiscal year was 93.67 percent, which was a decrease from the Q3 system wide average of 99.18 percent. The Percentage of Service Operated key performance indicator goal is 99.5 percent. The disparity between the percentages is due to more accurate data coming from the Clever Devices system. We are still working on the system acceptance with Clever Devices understanding the missed trip data that can directly affect the Service Operated percentage.
Transportation is focused on limiting cancellations or missed trips. Division dispatchers communicate with each other every day and share resources as a team. Each division has developed a division “Hot” list to identify priority routes that are required to be filled in the event of an operator shortage. The Operations Control Center continues to communicate with the division to monitor the line management process. This has helped with covering service that could be potentially missed due to absences or events out of the Districts control.
OPERATOR LOG-ON RATE
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 4 - Log-On Rate)
Operator Log-On Percentage Rate is a District Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with the goal to achieve 95.0% or higher. The System-wide average Operator Log-On in Q4 of FY2019 was 96.46% versus 96.62% in Q3. Operator Log-On met or exceeded the District's goal in April (96.06%), May (96.42%) and June (96.89%).
With the implementation of the new Clever Devices (CAD/AVL) system, positive improvement is visible. As we continue to transition to this system, the District anticipates that with more accurate data the operator log-on issue will no longer exist.
OPERATOR UNAVAILABILITY
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 5 & 6 - Scheduled/Unscheduled Unavailability)
Operator Unavailability is a District Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with the goal of remaining below a combined Total of 22.50%; (1) Scheduled (8.50%) and (2) Unscheduled (14.00%). The system-wide average for Total Operator Unavailability in Q4 of FY2019 was 27.33% versus 27.54% in Q3.
The system-wide average of Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q4 was 8.27% versus 9.43% in Q3. Scheduled Unavailability met the District goal of being below 8.50% in April (6.84%) and June (7.68%) but was above this threshold in May ( 10.30%).
A system-wide average of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q4 was 19.06% versus 18.11% in Q3. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: April (20.23%), February (18.08%) and March (18.88%).
Unscheduled Operator Unavailability may be due to traditional Unprotected Absences, Protected Leave, Industrial Injury or provisions in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. An analysis of the absenteeism data revealed that the highest rates of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability are primarily due to the use of Sick Time and Family Medical Leave (FML). The Operations staff continues to monitor absences and ensure compliance with established policies to minimize disruptions with service delivery.
ACCIDENT RATES
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 7 & 8 - Passenger/Vehicle Accidents)
The system-wide average rate of Passenger Falls per 100,000 Miles in Q4 of FY2019 was 2.28 versus 2.62 in Q3 of FY2019. The Passenger Falls Rate met the District’s goal of less than 3.25 in each month of the quarter: April (2.30), May (2.44) and June (2.10).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q4 was 4.26 versus 4.52 in Q3 of FY2019. The Vehicle Collision Rate did not meet the District goal of less than 4.00 in any month during the quarter: April (4.01), May (4.73) and June (4.04).
The Accident Reduction Taskforce meets monthly to analyze the root causes of vehicle collisions and develop initiatives targeted at minimizing vehicle collisions. Accidents that occurred during the period were evaluated by the Taskforce, which initiated new campaigns as well as updated others to focus on the highest accident types. One of the initiatives is to engage with operators on all accident types, whether preventable or not, to get their feedback and raise awareness. Another campaign recently activated provides daily random OCC Safety Messages across the District on all buses, to keep operators aware of the surroundings, while in service.
MILES BETWEEN ROAD CALLS
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 9 - Miles Between Road Calls)
Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls, MBCRC, is a Maintenance Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with the goal to meet or exceed 5,400 miles between Road Calls. The Road Call Reduction Taskforce analyze road calls to prevent repeat failures and develop initiatives to increase the reliability of the fleet. System-wide MBCRC in Q4 of FY2019 was 5,799 versus 6,285 in Q3 of FY2019. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in April (6,146) and May (6,090) but failed to meet this in June (5,162).
BUS CLEANLINESS INSPECTION RATE
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10 - Overall Bus Cleanliness)
The system-wide average rate for Overall Bus Cleanliness in Q4 of FY2019 was 7.85 versus 7.84 in Q3 of FY2019. Overall Bus Cleanliness rate did not meet the District’s goal of greater than 8.10 during any month in the quarter: April (7.87), May (7.83) or June (7.84).
Although a bus cleanliness rating greater than 7.0 is considered “Good,” it does not meet the targeted goal. The Maintenance Bus Cleanliness Taskforce meets monthly to analyze, investigate, and solve issues regarding bus cleanliness. The department will need to focus on areas receiving the lowest rating in the monthly quality assurance inspections and implement strategic process improvements during routing cleaning activities to achieve the District goal.
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 11 - Customer Complaint Rate)
Complaints are categorized as either Schedule Adherence (Late/No Show/Early), Pass Ups, Unsafe Operation, Operator Discourtesy/Conduct, Equipment/Infrastructure/System or Miscellaneous/Other. The system-wide average rate for Customer Complaints per 100,000 Passengers in Q4 FY2019 was 32.36 versus 26.82 in Q3 of FY2019. There were 4,241 complaints received during Q4 of FY2019 versus 3,364 in Q3; 55.2% were related to Scheduled Adhere or Pass Up. The Complaint Rate did not meet the District’s goal of less than 18.00 during any of the months in the quarter: April (37.27), May (30.11) or June (29.69).
Customer Complaints among Local Lines during Q3 of FY2019 totaled 2,123 versus 2,561 in Q2 of FY2019. Customer Complaints among Transbay Lines totaled 921 in Q3 versus 845 in Q2 of FY2019. Complaints among Local Lines represents approximately 64% of total complaints while Transbay Lines are approximately 24%.
CUSTOMER CALL CENTER
(Reference Attachment 1, Table 1 & 2 Call Distribution/Statistics)
The call center continues to perform as expected. This quarter, the call centered answered 83% of calls within 20 seconds, 98% within 180 seconds, and average speed of answering a call was within 18 seconds. 13,604 calls were answered, which is 2,089 more than last quarter. Calls for trip information increased 7% whereas Complaint/Commendation decreased 5%.
CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 12 & 13 - Quarterly Revenue/ Passes Sold)
The Customer Service Center collected a total of $746,353.26 for this quarter. Oddly enough, revenue collected decreased a little less than 1%, but sold 15,993 more ACT tickets where 1-Day Adult Passes seemed to be most requested. Decline may be due to schools ending their year in May/June; thus, the majority of ticket sales were in April as schools completed their field trips.
JOURNEY LEVEL MECHANIC STAFFING
In Q4 of the fiscal year, eight new Journey Level Mechanics were hired and began training. An additional class of four Journey Level Mechanics is planned for the end of Q1, September of 2019, reducing the vacancy count to fourteen. Human Resources continues to deploy a recruitment campaign to fill the remaining vacancies promptly with qualified applicants.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
This report does not recommend a course of action with notable advantages or disadvantages.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report does not recommend an alternative analysis.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
There are no prior relevant board actions/policies.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Q4 FY 2019 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Tables & Charts
Approved by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Reviewed by:
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications
Nathaniel Kramer, Acting Executive Director of Human Resources
Manjit K. Sooch, Director of Systems and Software Development
William Tonis, Director of Project Controls & Systems Analysis
Prepared by:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst