TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Customer Services Quarterly Metrics
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving an update on FY 2024-25 Third 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:
Customer Service Center (Attachment 1)
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 Districts’ Lost and Found. The Customer Service Center also assists District employees with Dependent and Pensioner ID cards.
In Q3 of FY25, fare revenue totaled $358,590, reflecting a 15% decrease compared to Q2 of FY25. This decline is attributed to the winter season, during which schools and organizations reduce their bulk ticket purchases. January historically trends as a low revenue-generating month.
The Day Pass (Youth) was the most popular fare media in Q3, with over 14,000 passes sold. Additionally, the 31-day local and 1-Ride local passes were also in high demand. A total of 713 31-day Local Adult passes were sold in Q3 FY2025 totaling $57,753, generating 16% of the revenue for the quarter.
The Customer Service Center processed a total of 546 Regional Transit Connection (RTC) applications for the 3rd quarter of FY25, reflecting a 10% decrease in application processing from Q2 FY25. In March, the Customer Service Team attended an outreach event at the California School of the Deaf, which resulted in the collection of 16 applications.
Customer Relations (Attachment 2)
The Customer Relations department manages the District’s feedback resolution process. Staff monitors 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 provides data and statistics to appropriate internal departments as well as external stakeholders (such as ILC’s and the General Manager’s Access Committee), as part of an effort to determine 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.” Division staff met the five-day response time goal on 88% of all CusRel tickets, up from 81% in the previous quarter. District-wide, the number was 73% for the quarter, down from 77% in the previous quarter.
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.
Customer Feedback - From January through March of 2025, Customer Service received 2,583 unique customer contacts, approximately 35% more than the previous year’s same quarter (1,904 contacts).
Top Five Feedback Categories (Reasons)- - From January through March 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).
Commendations - Division 2 received the most commendations from riders, who specifically called out operators on the 6-line on 12 different occasions. Below is a selection of reported commendations:
“This driver was SO kind and truly just a great human being. They were patient with people who needed a little extra time getting on and off and always made sure everyone was safe before taking off. It may seem like the minimum but these days this was outstanding! Please give him my appreciation and ensure he is properly compensated. Thank you bus driver!"
“We used the bus today to transport a 100 year-old from Piedmont Gardens to Jack London Square and back for a Birthday Celebration at Scott's. (The driver) was part of making all of this possible. He made sure we got on, rode, and got off the bus safely. He truly made the evening special. We felt safe and cared for."
“Our bus broke down at a stoplight and wouldn't start again this morning, and I just wanted to give positive feedback about our driver. She was very calm and apologetic even though it seemed quite out of her control, and she did a good job corralling 30-odd people trying to start their day. She coordinated with the next bus and helped us wait and board safely. Thank you!”
Clipper-based Institutional Pass Programs (Attachment 3)
The institutional pass programs (EasyPass, Student Transit Pass Program (STPP), BayPass Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Regional Pilot, City of Alameda (Senior and Person of Disability Free Pass Program)) enrolled 4,150 new participants this quarter, bringing the total number of eligible participants to 90,086.
Users in institutional programs rose by 2%, while overall ridership slightly decreased by 5% from Q2 to Q3 FY25, driven largely by a 10% drop in UC Berkeley EasyPass usage, consistent with historically lower January trends. Despite the quarter-over-quarter dip, ridership is up 6% compared to Q3 FY24.
In early April UC Berkeley students overwhelmingly approved a fee increase to provide all students with the Clipper BayPass starting in August 2025, granting unlimited access to all Bay Area transit services for two years. This expansion builds on the BayPass pilot program showing increased transit use and supports broader regional efforts to unify fare systems across agencies. Staff will bring updated information in future reports including the EasyPass Staff Report in July.
Clipper Usage
MTC provides monthly Clipper data to the District which allows us 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 48% of market share, which is higher than the average for Transit Agencies with mixed-fare media (that includes cash fare collection) for Q3.
AC Transit continues efforts to promote Clipper usage through Clipper START promotions and community engagement. Additionally, marketing efforts include partnerships with MTC to support regional campaigns through donated advertising space on AC Transit buses and shelters along with social media promotions. Clipper START application submissions slightly increased for the quarter compared to the previous quarter, totaling 6,950. Applications are being submitted and approved at a flat rate when compared to Q3 of FY24.
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
Claudia Burgos, Interim Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications