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 FY20.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The Quarterly Operations Performance Report provides key performance indicators 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:
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 Second Quarter (Q2) attachment provides graphical representation on the performance of the programs.
Data Reporting Disclaimers
Data presented in this report was as of January 15, 2020 and may differ from “live” reporting.
Employee Recognition
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 |
October |
November |
December |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Gregory Miller |
Donovan Crews |
Cameron Slatten |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Jam Huang |
Steven Jefferson |
Ethel Baker |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
LaJune Haney |
Maria Diaz |
Ricardo Perez |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Elizabeth Williams |
Wahetta Johnson |
Edwin Campbell |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Lamont Franklin |
Sarbjit Gill |
Sonya Sheffield |
|
|
|
Maintenance |
October |
November |
December |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Joseph Borrero |
David Gonzales |
Tony Wright |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Britton Mansell |
Phyllis Jackson |
Robert Hunter |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Dan Miles |
Roberto Diaz |
Bellarmine Filibert |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Adonis Reyes |
Yuen Trieu |
Maria Cervantes |
|
Central Maintenance |
Eric Hunt |
Miguel Oliveras |
Dean Otte |
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% or higher. System-wide on-time performance average in Q2 was 69.87% versus 71.34% in the prior quarter. The District did not meet the goal in October (69.03%) and November (69.38%) but came close in December (71.20%). The average on-time performance among Transbay lines during Q2 increased slightly at 68.76% versus 68.13% in the prior quarter.
District Teams is a new initiative launched from the weekly Service Quality Enhancement Taskforce (SQET) meetings. Comprised by executive, director, and frontline staff from Transportation, Maintenance, Service Development and Planning, Project Controls and Systems Analysis, and Innovation and Technology to monitor line performance, interact with Operators, increase visibility and observe performance issues in real-time. Information captured from field observations and systems analysis is provided to the Division Teams, which consist of staff from Transportation, Maintenance, Road Supervision, Operations Control Center, Planning, Scheduling, and Network. Each Division has a dedicated team of staff focused on analyzing and improving performance on lines selected by the District Teams with feedback from the Driver’s Committee.
Ridership
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2 - Ridership)
System-wide weekday ridership in Q2 averaged 174,675 versus 172,777 in the prior quarter. Ridership decreased through the quarter: October (185,561), November (175,866) and December (162,599). Average weekday ridership for Transbay lines during Q2 was 20,336 versus 20,285 in the prior quarter. Transbay Ridership accounted for 11.64% of system wide weekday ridership.
Service Operated Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 3 - Service Operated)
System-wide percent of Service Operated in Q2 was 92.37% versus 93.16% 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 (94.15%), November (93.03%) and December (89.91%). The disparity between the percentages is due to more accurate data coming from the Clever Devices System. AC Transit is still working towards systems 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. Operations Control Center continues to communicate with each 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 District’s control.
Operator Log-On Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 4 - Log-On Rate)
Operator Log-On Rate is a District KPI with the goal of achieving 95.0% or higher. The system-wide average rate in Q2 was 97.01% which both exceeded the District’s KPI and the previous quarter (96.91%). Operator Log-On Rate also met or exceeded the District's KPI in each month of the quarter: October (97.24%), November (97.49%) and December (96.31%).
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 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 29.19% versus 27.99% in the prior quarter.
The system-wide average of Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 9.62% versus 9.65% in Q1. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below 8.50% in October (7.28%). The District was however above this threshold for November (11.28%) and December (10.29%).
The system-wide average of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 19.57% versus 18.33% in Q1. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: October (20.00%), November (18.85%) and December (19.87%).
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 “Unpaid” sick time, industrial injury and Family Medical Leave (FML) reasons. Operations staff continue 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 Q2 was down slightly at 1.86 versus 2.33 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 (1.85), November (1.73) and December (2.00).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q2 was also down slightly at 4.10 versus 4.24 in Q1. The District was close to achieving the KPI target of less than 4.00 in each month: October (4.14), November (4.07) and December (4.10).
The Accident Reduction Taskforce meets monthly to analyze the root causes of and develop initiatives targeted at minimizing passenger falls and vehicle collisions. Accidents that occurred during the period were evaluated by this 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 Operations Control Center (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 KPI with the goal to meet or exceed 5,400 miles between road calls. System-wide MBCRC in Q2 increased to 6,336 miles versus 5,943 miles in Q1. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in each month of the quarter: October (6,351), November (6,382) and December (6,275).
The Road Call Reduction Taskforce (RCRT) analyzes road calls to prevent repeat failures and develop initiatives to increase fleet reliability. With newer buses in the fleet, the taskforce is currently engaged in updating the OCC Road Call Guideline Manual. This manual is a bus fleet troubleshooting guide. The content enables OCC Dispatchers to assist Bus Operators in resolving many common bus issues in service. Using this manual can prevent unnecessary or chargeable road calls, reduce service disruption, and improve overall in-service performance.
Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10 - Overall Bus Cleanliness)
The system-wide average for Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate increased in Q2 to 8.07 versus 7.93 in Q1. For the first time since August 2018, the KPI target of 8.10 was not only met but exceeded as well in December (8.15). October (8.05) and November (8.00) were very close to also meeting this goal.
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. Continual focus resides in those areas receiving the lowest rating in monthly quality assurance inspections. Reviewing bus cleaning programs and implementing current best practices by higher performing divisions are currently underway. Standardization of cleaning equipment will also be assessed to achieve maximum results possible.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing
In Q2 of the fiscal year, four Journey Level Mechanics (JLM) were hired and began training. An additional two Journey Level Mechanics candidates are in the hiring process. Human Resources is currently working on filling the next JLM class with six students starting in February 2020. 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. Q2 FY 2020 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Tables & Charts
Prepared by:
Michael Flocchini, Training & Education Manager
In Collaboration with:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
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
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance