TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Customer Services Quarterly Metrics
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving an update on FY 2024-25 Fourth Quarter Customer Services Metrics.
Staff Contact:
Claudia Burgos, Interim Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
This report provides a general overview of the quarter’s customer service-related activity, including rider and customer feedback, summaries of recent fare media sales, and institutional pass ridership and penetration. Staff leverages in-person interaction and proven technologies, many of which are available 24/7 across diversified, user-friendly, and accessible platforms. Staff continuously look for ways to employ new channels and methods that enhance the customer’s AC Transit experience.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The Customer Service Center (Clipper Customer Service Center) monitors Clipper-related requests, sells AC Transit passes and other fare media such as paratransit tickets, and Bike Link tickets; provides bus schedules and maps; works with the Regional Transit Connection (RTC) Discount ID Card requests; and manages the District’s Lost and Found. The Customer Service Center also assists District employees with Dependent and Pensioner ID cards.
In Q4 of FY25, fare revenue through AC Transit passes such as 1-Ride Local Adult, and Day passes, totaled $653,571 (See figure 1 of attachment 1), reflecting a 42% increase compared to Q4 of FY24. The fourth quarter of FY25 generated the highest revenue of the fiscal year, driven in part by increased spending from non-profit agencies whose fiscal years end on June 30. This common as the fiscal deadline often prompts agencies to allocate remaining budget funds before year-end. In June, Bay Area Community Services placed five orders totaling $89,940.00, and 511 Contra Costa placed a single order totaling $35,360.00. Together, these two agencies spent a combined $125,300.00, accounting for 19% of the total Q4 revenue for FY25. Figure 2 of Attachment 1 reflects the fare media sold during Q4 of FY25.
The Customer Service Center processed a total of 524 Regional Transit Connection (RTC) applications for the 4th quarter of FY25 (see figure 3 of Attachment 1), reflecting a 4% decrease in applications processed as compared to Q3 of FY25. Figure 4 of Attachment 1 shows the RTC applications processed by month throughout FY25. While the Customer Services Department responds to and coordinates outreach events upon request, there were no event requests received during Q4 and therefore no scheduled outreach events were planned. To better promote this outreach option, staff is planning to add additional information to the District’s website about how to request District staff to attend external events to process RTC applications.
Customer Relations
Customer Relations manages the District’s feedback resolution process. Staff monitor all incoming feedback through the Customer Relations (CusRel) ticket database. Feedback is received through various channels, including phone calls, emails, walk-ins, letters and social media. Customer Relations staff collaborate with various District departments to ensure a timely response to customers. Additionally, staff provide data and statistics to appropriate internal departments as well as external stakeholders (such as the Interagency Liaison Committees and the General Manager’s Access Committee), to assist in identifying areas needing service quality improvements.
Customer Response Times - Board Policy 421, the District’s Customer Contact Policy, states “Customers submitting feedback online or via the Customer Service Call Center will receive acknowledgment and a ticket number upon submission for tracking purposes. Departments shall respond to the customer within five (5) business days.” Figure 1 of Attachment 2 shows that Division staff met the five-day response time goal on 95% of all CusRel tickets, up from 86% in the previous quarter. District-wide, 83% of tickets received a response within five business days during Q4 of FY25 as compared to 74% in the previous quarter. CusRel tickets often require additional time to investigate and respond to due to their complexity. These tickets often involve multiple departments or systems, necessitating cross-departmental coordination to gather all relevant information. This ensures that all aspects of the issue are fully understood and appropriately addressed, which can extend the response time. Figure 2 of Attachment 2 shows response rates within five days in Q4 of FY25 compared to Q4 of FY24.
Contact Sources - AC Transit customers continued to choose the AC Transit official app as their preferred method for submitting feedback. Almost half of all customer comments were received via the app as shown on Figure 3 of Attachment 2.
Customer Contact- From April through June of 2025, Customer Service received 2,080 unique customer contacts representing a 3% increase from the previous year’s same quarter 2,027 contacts (Figure 4 of Attachment 2). Additionally, figure 5 of attachment 2 shows customer contacts by month for the entire fiscal year.
Top Five Feedback Categories (Reasons)- From April through June of this year, the top five reasons for customer feedback were split between operator-related issues (pass-up, operator misconduct, hazardous operation) and service issues (no-show, late). See attachment 2, figure 6.
Commendations - Division 2 received the most commendations from riders (attachment 2, figure 7), who specifically called out operators on the 18-line on eight different occasions. Below is a selection of reported commendations:
“The driver was just really nice. I was running for the bus, and she gestured for where I should stand. I was trying to get in, but she politely indicated that I should wait a minute, and lowered the entrance ramp so that an older woman in a walker exiting could get out safely. Afterwards, she greeted me when I got on board. Maybe it’s not a big deal, but it was just a really nice everyday interaction. I felt like the driver was looking out for all her passengers, and treating us with a lot of care. Can you please pass this on? People complain about drivers all the time but I want them to know that passengers also see the good things.”
“Shoutout to this operator for navigating a detour due to PGE work on the spot. The construction crews were not helpful at all in directing the bus, but the operator was still able to turn onto a side street, call the detour in, and get back on route. She communicated which stop was being skipped and handled this frustrating situation with professionalism! I hope her hard work, quick decision-making, and excellent customer service are acknowledged!”
“Caller states that this bus driver was very pleasant, sweet, and safe. [Operator] made sure that everybody got on the bus before she took off. Driver picked up a passenger that was in electric wheelchair and the driver made sure that the passenger was safely strapped in. Caller states that she wishes there were more drivers like this driver.”
Clipper-based Institutional Pass Programs
The institutional pass programs (EasyPass, Student Transit Pass Program (STPP), BayPass, City of Alameda (Senior and Person of Disability Free Pass Program) enrolled 3,234 new participants this quarter, bringing the total number of enrolled participants to 98,645 as shown in attachment 3, figure 1.
Attachment 3, figures 2 and 3, display the monthly totals for new and enrolled participants in institutional programs, which rose by 3%. Overall ridership decreased by 8% from Q3 to Q4 of FY25. This decline is consistent with seasonal trends, as ridership typically dips in June due to the summer break in academic programs. Despite the quarter-over-quarter dip, ridership is up 13% compared to Q4 of FY24. Figures 5, 6, and 7 included in attachment 3 present the ridership and enrolled participant data from this report in a variety of visual formats.
The BayPass pilot program provides a select group of participants with free access to all bus, rail, and ferry services across the nine-county region to evaluate the potential impact on travel behavior of an all-system pass. Attachment 3, figure 4, shows the number of taps from BayPass participants, specifically UC Berkeley and the Alameda Transportation Management Association (ATMA). UC Berkeley and ATMA, whose ridership is counted under the EasyPass program, recorded 88,712 and 15,780 taps respectively for the quarter. While both institutions experienced a decrease in monthly ridership, their share of overall EasyPass usage remained relatively flat throughout the quarter.
Clipper Usage
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) provides monthly Clipper data to the District which allows staff to examine trends in Clipper boardings and mobile card usage. The monthly clipper data uses the National Transit Database (NTD) ridership data to calculate Clipper market share (trips taken with Clipper). AC Transit averaged 50% of market share, which is higher than the average for Transit Agencies with mixed-fare media (that includes cash fare collection) for Q4, as shown in attachment 3, figure 8.
AC Transit continues efforts to promote Clipper usage by promoting the discount program Clipper START. Information has been shared at in-person community events throughout the year and program details were shared with local community-based organizations (CBOs) through fare increase outreach efforts. Clipper START information in multiple languages has also been made available at the Customer Service Center. Additionally, marketing efforts will continue to support MTC's regional advertising campaigns through donated advertising space on AC Transit buses and shelters along with website and social media promotions.
Attachment 3, figure 9 shows Clipper START application approvals increased slightly for the reporting quarter compared to the previous quarter, totaling 4,937 regionwide. In addition, Clipper START trips on AC Transit continued to grow, reflecting a 15% upward trend in Q4 when compared to Q3. Clipper START trips have shown a steady increase for FY25 as seen on attachment 3, figure 10.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
There are no notable advantages or disadvantages associated with this report.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report has no alternative analysis, as no recommended action is provided.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Customer Service Center Metrics
2. Customer Relations and Call Center Metrics
3. Clipper Usage and Institutional Pass Program Metrics
Prepared by:
Debora Garcia, Customer Services Manager
In Collaboration with:
Dionte Delcambre, Customer Services Supervisor
Dan Talbott, Program Specialist
Annie Chau, Program Specialist
Approved/Reviewed by:
Nichele Laynes, Director of Marketing, Communications & Customer Service