TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Operations Quarterly Performance Report
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Operations Performance Report for AC Transit Fixed Route Services during the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 22-23.
Staff Contact:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
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 which 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:
Data Reporting
The data presented in this report was extracted on January 18, 2023, 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 FY2023 Q2 Attachment provides graphical representations of the performance of the programs that include 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-22 |
Nov-22 |
Dec-22 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Jeffry Stroud |
Keisha Quezada |
Sean Thomas |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Darlene Robinson-Cornell |
Valerie Tolan-Swinger |
Kay Avognon |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Roberto Arrambide |
Wakeelah Davis |
Shahenshah Bukhari |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Jesse Peters |
Carla Lockett |
Ronnie Cooper |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Robert Larieau |
Nicole Forehand |
Poon Wong |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance |
Oct-22 |
Nov-22 |
Dec-22 |
|
Central Maintenance |
Alfredo Vega |
Paul Miller |
Manuel Martir |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Jorge Pachas |
Richard Velasquez |
Christopher Garcia |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Jose Guillen |
David Gonzalez |
Matthew Wong |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Benjamin Kong |
Geronimo Picos |
Angela Kelly |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Manuel Luna |
Noel Valones |
Sean Burr |
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 73.95% versus 73.46% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the goal during each month: October (72.82%), November (74.04%) and December ( 74.98%). The average OTP for Transbay routes was 73.57% versus 74.42% in the prior quarter.
Operations Control Center (OCC) staff utilized 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 collaborating with various departments to address in- service delays. This allows staff the ability to identify issues and mitigate them where possible. Line management teams focus on low-performing routes to improve the District’s on-time performance. Before developing a service 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. This included various District departments and ATU Local 192 Driver’s Committee collaboration efforts that align and maximize efficient use of available resources to enhance the quality of service.
Ridership
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2: Ridership)
System-wide weekday Ridership in Q2 averaged 116,248 versus 111,775 in the prior quarter. Weekday ridership throughout the quarter: October (126,175), November (117,973) and December (104,595). Weekday ridership on Transbay lines during Q2 averaged 6,345 versus 6,590 in the prior quarter. Transbay ridership accounted for 5.46% of system-wide weekday ridership.
Performance improved in Q2 due to increased ridership with the return of schools and decreased COVID cases in the region along with businesses continuing to return employees to work. The major holidays contributed to the decrease in ridership towards the end of the quarter
Service Operated Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 3: Service Operated)
System-wide percentage of Service Operated in Q2 was 94.13% versus 91.94% 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 (93.47%), November (94.56%) and December (94.38%).
This KPI was impacted by operator unavailability. During this quarter, more absences occurred due to many employees exercising the COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) benefits for various reasons, including childcare and family member needs, and health concerns. The deadline to use the SPSL benefits under Assembly Bill 152 (AB-152) was December 31, 2022.
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 97.09% versus 96.93% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded this goal each month of the quarter: October (97.08%), November (96.94%) and December (97.26%).
Line Management groups in the Operations Control Center track and monitor log-on performance, address systematic issues, log-on operators if needed, and help operators with reminders to log on before they depart the yard. This combined effort resulted in sustained improvement and performance of the log-on percentage KPI. The District is in the initial testing phase of bilateral integration of data between our Clever Devices computer aided dispatching automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) system and HASTUS scheduling software which will facilitate activation of single point log-on. This advancement in technology deployment will make a significant improvement with operator log-on rate performance.
Operator Unavailability
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 5 & 6: Scheduled/Unscheduled Unavailability)
Total Operator Unavailability is a District KPI to remain 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 32.26% versus 32.62% in the prior quarter.
System-wide average Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 9.55% versus 9.35% in the prior quarter. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below or at 8.50% in October (7.65%) but was above this threshold in November (11.10%) and December (9.99%).
System-wide average Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 22.71% versus 23.27% in the prior quarter. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: October (23.32%), November (22.54%) or December (22.28%).
Absenteeism continued to be unstable in Q2 due to the changing conditions caused by approved SPSL Leave. Staff remain engaged for up-to-date information and frequently communicates with employees and labor Union partners. AC Transit remains committed in the Leave Management Committee (LMC) and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee which are collaborative initiatives focused on assisting employees with the return-to-work process.
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 1.54 versus 1.74 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 (1.70), November (1.59) and December (1.32).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q2 was 4.11 versus 4.31 in the prior quarter. The District was above the threshold in October at 4.93 but improved during November to 3.43 and December at 3.96, and achieving the targeted goal.
The Accident Reduction Taskforce meets monthly to analyze root causes of incidents and develop initiatives to minimize passenger falls and vehicle collisions. Accidents that occurred during the period were evaluated by this taskforce, 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 initiative implemented was daily safety messages sent from the Operations Control Center (OCC) and broadcast to all buses. The safety messages are concise and diverse, each to emphasize pertinent personal and defensive driving safety reminders. Finally, traffic is beginning to increase on roadways which will require enhanced focused from this taskforce to support our operators.
Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 9: Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls)
Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls (MBCRC) is a KPI to meet or exceed 7,500 miles between chargeable road calls. System-wide MBCRC in Q2 was 9,161 versus 10,617 in the prior quarter. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in each month of the quarter: October (9,613), November (10,258) and December (7,614).
The Road Call Reduction Taskforce (RCRT) meets monthly to analyze road calls to prevent repeat failures and develop initiatives to increase fleet reliability. OCC continues to utilize the Road Call Guideline Manual to address and resolve various vehicle performance issues on the bus fleet that could impact service. The task force is working on updates to the manual incorporating the new fleets. The atmospheric rivers “heavy rains” that arrived in December created an increase in reported defects for check engine lights, water leaks, wiper blades and wiper motor. The maintenance team was able to work thru the problems quickly to get the buses ready for service.
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 remained at a 7.92 matching the prior quarter. The District did not meet the KPI target of 8.00 in each reporting month: October (7.90), November (7.99) or December (7.87).
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 department inspections. Service Employees continue to provide enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of the fleet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winter months with wet weather make it challenging for the team to keep our fleet pristine, but nonetheless the team strives just as hard to achieve the KPI.
Missed Trips
(Reference Attachment 2, Chart 1 & 2: Trips Not Operated by Service Type/Route)
At the request of Director Walsh, a Trips Not Operated for the quarter has been included in the report. The data is formatted in two views, one by service type (Chart 1) and the other by the route (Chart 2). During Q2, there were 469,160 scheduled trips system-wide: Local (432,851), Transbay (29,266), and School (7,043).
The District tracks missed trip data to ensure it correlates with the Service Operated KPI. Contributing factors to miss trips include open schedules due to workforce issues, accidents, bus mechanical issues, or onboard incidents, that can cause a scheduled miss trips. The District tracks service cancellations, service reinstatement, and missed trips which will give the total revenue trips that were not operated.
Bus Operator Recruitment
In Q2, the High-Volume Talent Acquisition Team (HVTAT) remained committed to hiring the best employees to fill the needs of the District. In the last three months, staff successfully hired 54 new Bus Operators. AC Transit partnered with the Employment Development Department of Contra Costa County to have an event targeted at job seekers interested in AC Transit’s Bus Operator position. Our goal was to reach potential applicants within this region, as many of our current employees reside in this area. Staff assisted applicants with the application process while at this event. This event took place in November in Concord. We continue to attend job fairs in the community focusing on areas we service. Further, HVTAT has partnered with Marketing and Communications to deploy a new Recruitment Campaign to attract qualified candidates. We are in the final stages of the Recruitment Campaign, and we hope to deploy this by the end of February.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing
The High-Volume Talent Acquisition Team (HVTAT) is currently recruiting for Journey Level Mechanics (JLM). We have administered the written exam and currently schedule hands-on testing and interviews for qualified candidates. Currently, there are 22 vacancies for the position of Journey Level Mechanic, with several candidates in various stages of the recruitment process. In the last three months, staff successfully hired 1 Journey Level Mechanic for the Divisions. HVTAT is preparing for the next class of Mechanic Helpers by reviewing applications of qualified applicants. The next group of Mechanic Helpers are scheduled to begin in Summer 2023. In addition to regularly scheduled job fairs and community events, Talent Acquisition partnered with Maintenance Training staff and attended an Apprenticeship Fair. We shared what AC Transit has to offer as well as future opportunities for potential employees just joining the workforce. HVTAT 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. Attachment 1: Charts & Tables
2. Attachment 2: Trips Not Operated
Prepared by:
Chris Durant, Assistant Director of Maintenance
In Collaboration with:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Christy McCree, Human Resource Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
Dwain Crawley, Assistant Director of Transportation
William Tonis, Director of Business Sciences
Manjit K. Sooch, Director of Innovation and Technology
Janis Picket-Lacy, Director of Human Resources