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 Second Quarter (Q2) of the Fiscal Year 2022.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The Quarterly Operations Performance Report provides Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other District activities that support and are aligned with the following Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives: Safe & Secure Operations, Convenient & Reliable Service, High Performing Workforce, Service Quality, Employee Recruitment, Training & Retention.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no budgetary or fiscal impacts related to this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The Emergency Operations Control Center (EOCC) remained active throughout the second quarter. The District operated without passenger capacity limits due to the State fully reopening the economy in June. Face masks were still required by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Forging ahead, staff will continue to review service recovery over the next eight to twelve months and hire additional bus operators.
Continuing a commitment to safety, especially in the wake of the Omicron variant, Operations hosted three on-site vaccination clinics. Partnering with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 (ATU), vaccination clinics were held at the Emeryville, Hayward, and East Oakland operating divisions in November. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer vaccine, and the Pfizer booster was made available to employees and their families. Over a thousand employees have voluntarily reported their vaccination status.
In December of the second quarter, the District experience a surge of employees reporting positive COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. This variant impacted staff and operators, but the District continued to deliver service by focusing on the coverage of priority routes. Transportation and Planning met to address the rising COVID cases within the District. A plan was developed in the event the District would have issues with route coverage. As COVID cases increased at the divisions, our team was prepared with a formalized service plan that prioritizes high ridership and essential routes. Staff was prepared to proactively send out communications to alert riders that bus line delays may be due to this rise in COVID cases. Fortunately, delays were minimal, staff was able to mitigate workforce shortages throughout the District.
Data Reporting
The data presented in this report was extracted on January 20, 2022 and may differ from the “live” District KPIs. 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 FY2022 Q2 Attachments provide graphical representations of the performance of the programs that includes the benchmarking goal.
Employee Recognition
To continually recognize outstanding employees who are an essential part of achieving Division goals and objectives, the following employees were recognized as Employees of the Month during this quarter:
|
Transportation |
Oct-21 |
Nov-21 |
Dec-21 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Nicole Lofton |
Sonja Higgins |
Tracey Lewis |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Alonzo Smith |
Kade James |
Roland Butler |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Ramiro Perez |
Avneet Dhaliwal |
Terry Wilson |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Francisco Yescas |
LaShaun Cornell |
Karen Hopper |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Sharon Locks-Bell |
Iosefa Save |
Kimberly Williams |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance |
Oct-21 |
Nov-21 |
Dec-21 |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Ashneel Dass |
Richard Esquibell |
David Gonzalez |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Justin Cruz |
Chris John Morse |
Carlos Jimenez |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Nazir Kasim |
Roberto Diaz |
Edwina Robinson |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Cavin Christy |
Angelica Dominguez |
Lai Truong |
|
Central Maintenance |
Carlos Mira Hernandez |
John Sutter |
Michael Mulesky |
On-Time Performance
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 1: On-Time Performance)
On-Time Performance (OTP) is a District Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to achieve 72% or higher. System-wide OTP average in Q2 was 71.55% versus 73.16% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the goal in December (73.52%) but did not meet this goal in October (70.49%) or November (70.63%). The average OTP for Transbay routes was 71.87% versus 73.86% in the prior quarter.
Performance declined in Q2 due to the increase in ridership, COVID cases, return of school service, and many businesses returning employees back to work. Operations Control Center (OCC) staff continues to utilize line management methods to monitor and track on-time performance. Each controller is responsible for reviewing and monitoring the performance of a specified Division and collaborates with various departments to address in-service delays. This has allowed staff to identify issues and mitigate them where possible. Line management teams focus on low performing routes to improve the overall District on-time performance. Prior to development of each sign-up, the Planning and Scheduling Department analyzes the lowest performing lines to determine which lines may need schedule adjustments that will help improve on-time performance. Then collaborates with other departments to align available resources and maximize efficient use of resources to improve service quality.
Ridership
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2: Ridership)
System-wide weekday Ridership in Q2 averaged 95,961 versus 87,196 in the prior quarter. Ridership is steadily recovering. Weekday ridership through the quarter was: October (100,430), November (97,718) and December (89,736). The decline in ridership in the November and December months were primarily due to the holiday season. Weekday ridership on Transbay lines during Q2 averaged 5,180 versus 4,565 in the prior quarter. Transbay ridership accounted for 5.40% of system-wide weekday ridership.
Service Operated Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart: Service Operated)
System-wide percent of Service Operated in Q2 was 94.66% versus 94.38% in the prior quarter. The Service Operated KPI goal is 99.5%. The District did not meet this goal during any one month in the quarter: October (94.86%), November (95.41%) and December (93.70%).
This KPI was impacted by operator unavailability. This quarter, more absences occurred due to the scheduled holiday vacation season coupled with the Omicron surge. Many employees remained off work due to various reasons that include childcare needs and health concerns.
Operator Log-On Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 4: Operator Log-On Rate)
Operator Log-On Rate is a District KPI to achieve 95.0% or higher. The system-wide average rate in Q2 was 96.72% versus 95.59% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceed this goal each month of the quarter: October (96.38%), November (97.41%) and December (96.37%).
Line Management groups at each Division track and monitor log-on performance, address systematic issues, log-on bus operators if needed, and coach bus operators with reminders to log on before they depart from the Division. This combined effort resulted in sustained improvement and performance of the log-on percentage KPI.
Operator Unavailability
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 5 & 6: Scheduled/Unscheduled Unavailability)
Total Operator Unavailability is a District 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 Q2 was 33.00% versus 34.50% in the prior quarter.
System-wide average Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 9.80% versus 9.25% in the prior quarter. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below or at 8.50% in October (7.51%) but was above this threshold in November (12.02%) and December (9.88%).
System-wide average Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 23.19% versus 25.25% in the prior quarter. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: October (24.02%), November (22.60%) or December (22.96%).
Absenteeism may continue to be unstable and reflect the ever-changing conditions caused by the pandemic. Staff remains engaged for up-to-date information and frequently communicates with employees and labor union partners. AC Transit remains committed to efforts to retain and engage the current bus operator workforce and operator unavailability to include the roles that the Leave Management Committee (LMC) and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee play.
Accident Rates
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 7 & 8: Passenger Falls/Vehicle Accidents)
The system-wide average rate of Passenger Falls per 100,000 Miles in Q2 was 1.71 versus 1.56 in the prior quarter. The goal for Passenger Falls met the District’s KPI target of less than 3.25 in each month of the quarter: October (1.69), November (2.02) and December (1.41).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q2 was 4.46 versus 4.22 in the prior quarter. The District achieved the KPI target of less than 4.00 during December (3.75) but did not achieve this goal in October (4.78) or November (4.85).
The Accident Reduction Taskforce meets monthly to analyze the root causes of incidents and develop initiatives targeted at minimizing passenger falls and vehicle collisions. Accidents that occurred during the period were evaluated by this task force, which initiated new campaigns and updated others to focus on the highest accident types. One initiative is to engage with Operators on all accident types, whether preventable or not, to get their feedback and raise awareness. Another critical initiative is activating daily safety messages sent from the Operations Control Center (OCC) and broadcast to all buses. Messages are concise and diverse, each with the purpose to emphasize pertinent personal and defensive driving safety reminders. Finally, traffic is beginning to increase on roadways, even more, critical for the task force to put a higher performance focus with this KPI.
Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 9: Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls)
Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls (MBCRC) is a Maintenance KPI with the goal to meet or exceed 5,400 miles between chargeable road calls. System-wide MBCRC in Q2 was 6,543 miles versus 7,455 in the prior quarter. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in each month of the quarter: October (6,460), November (6,961) and December (6,209).
The Road Call Reduction Taskforce (RCRT) analyzes road calls to prevent repeat failures and develop initiatives to increase fleet reliability. With the updated OCC Road Call Guideline Manual implemented, this bus fleet troubleshooting guide enables OCC Controllers to assist Bus Operators in resolving many common bus issues experienced while in service. The Maintenance department has worked with the Training department to bring refresher training to keep our mechanics engaged and up to date with diagnostic and repair practices.
Bus Cleanliness Inspection - Overall Rating
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10: Bus Cleanliness Inspection - Overall Rating)
The system-wide average for Bus Cleanliness Inspection Overall Rating in Q2 was 7.96 versus 7.97 in the prior quarter. The District did not meet the KPI target of 8.10 in each reporting month: October (7.95), November (8.00) and December (7.93).
The Bus Cleanliness Taskforce meets monthly to analyze, investigate, and solve issues regarding bus cleanliness. Continual focus resides in those areas receiving the lowest rating in the monthly quality assurance inspections. Service Employees continue to provide enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of the fleet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staffing shortages contributed to lower than normal scoring for the last quarter.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing
In Q2 of the fiscal year, Human Resources restarted the Journey Level Mechanics (JLM) recruitment. Human Resources is currently working on filling the next Journey Level Mechanics (JLM) class. Human Resources continues to deploy a recruitment campaign to fill the remaining vacancies promptly with qualified applicants.
Currently, one Service Employee is well on the way toward apprenticeship by the end of the fourth quarter. Conversely, external recruiting for Journey Level Mechanics remains on hold. Human Resources will continue to evaluate staffing needs and develop new recruitment strategies.
Protective Services Report
(Reference Attachment 1, Table 1: Protective Service Report)
The Q2 performance is based on the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office data. Contra-Costa County Sheriff’s data will be securely incorporated once the data is automated through the District’s Innovation and Technology (IT) Department’s Data Integration and Management Environment (DIME). Innovation and Technology Department is working with Contra Costa County to incorporate their data. Staff will continue to refine the data collection and validation process to establish performance benchmarks utilizing industry standards and best practices.
The percentage of AC Transit related activity has a 95% target setting goal. This goal was met in each of the three months in Q2: October (98.3%), November (98.3%) and December (95.8%) with a total average of 97.5%. The average response time for all calls was four minutes and twenty-one seconds (4:21), resulting in 71.8% of the response under 5 minutes and 28.2% of responses over 5 minutes. Response times greater than 5 minutes had an average of fifteen minutes and seven seconds (15:07).
Additional metrics are provided in Table 1 of the attachment that provides Q2 incident totals on altercations (20 total), arrests (57 total), citations (520 total), bus activity (5,679 total). The overall average for a deputy response to slips, trips, and falls was 46.3% during the quarter. This represents a slight reduction to Deputies responding to Slip, Trip and Falls. Deputy Sheriffs also made a total of four (4) mental health referrals in lieu of arrests during Q2.
In February, the District will meet with the Sherriff Offices to recap where we left off in November and December. The topics of discussions are outlined below:
• February 2022 - Data specification alignment between the Sheriff’s Office and the District.
• March 2022 - System and automation alignment with both Sheriff Offices.
• April 2022 - User Acceptance Testing with the new monthly data collection process.
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. FY2022 Q2 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Charts & Table
Prepared by:
Dwain Crawley, Assistant Director of Transportation
In Collaboration with:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Kerry Jackson, Protective Services Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
William Tonis, Director of Project Controls & Systems Analysis
Manjit K. Sooch, Director of Systems and Software Development
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel