TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: State of the District’s Bus Fleet
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the State of the District’s Bus Fleet for AC Transit Fixed Route Services.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The State of the District’s Bus Fleet Report provides an annual update of maintenance activities which support and are aligned with the following Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives: Safe & Secure Operations, Convenient & Reliable Service, High Performing Workforce, Environmental Improvement, Service Quality, and Zero Emission Programs.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no current direct fiscal impacts related to the State of the District’s Bus Fleet Report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The State of the District’s Bus Fleet Report is a briefing item that provides an overview of the current bus fleet including: age of the fleet, zero-emission bus program, new bus procurements maintenance activities, a summary of quality assurance and warranty programs, and an update on non-revenue vehicles.
Bus Fleet Age
During calendar year 2019, the District maintained the operation of 637 buses in the fleet. A total of 50 buses were decommissioned and replaced by 50 new buses. The average age of the fleet increased slightly from approximately 7.75 years in 2018 to 8.34 years in 2019. The following fleet changes transpired during 2019:
Decommissioned
50, VanHool 40-foot Diesel
New Buses
35, Gillig 40-foot Diesel
10, New Flyer 40-foot Fuel Cell
5, New Flyer 40-foot Battery Electric
The District is scheduled to replace 24 vehicles that are beyond the end of useful life with the following new buses that will be placed in service during the year 2020:
• 1, Gillig 40-foot Hybrid Diesel
• 27, New Flyer 60-foot BRT Hybrid Diesel
To achieve the District’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) performance targets, the District will need to continue replacing buses that have exceeded the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) end of useful life. At the end of 2019, the District had 146 buses exceeding the end of useful life. A contract to purchase (36) 45-foot commuter buses has been awarded to MCI with an expected delivery date of 2021. Considering the commuter bus contract, the current projection for 2021 is that the District will have 162 buses beyond the useful life.
The District needs to prioritize funding to replace these older vehicles. Replacing these units with new cleaner diesel vehicles would cost approximately $121 million at $750,000 per bus. Replacing with a zero-emission bus (ZEB) would cost the District an extra $50 million to $75 million depending on the technology and not considering any infrastructure improvements needed to support deployment of the ZEBs. To meet the District’s TAM performance targets replacement contracts will need to be secured for the bus fleets listed below:
• 2003 Vanhool 40-foot Diesel (36)
• 2006 Vanhool 30-foot Diesel (51)
• 2008 Vanhool 40-foot Diesel (27)
• 2009 Vanhool 30-foot Diesel (39)
• 2009 Vanhool 60-foot Diesel (9)
During calendar year 2019, miles traveled by the bus fleet decreased to approximately 23.6 million miles from 23.8 million miles in 2018, which represents a decrease of 200,000 miles. Mileage increase or decrease directly impacts the quantity and frequency of the maintenance program activities.
Zero-Emission Bus Program
AC Transit currently has (26) zero-emission buses comprised of (21) hydrogen fuel cell and (5) battery electric buses. The fuel cell ZEB fleet operates out of the Oakland and Emeryville Divisions. The battery electric ZEB fleet operates out of Oakland only.
During the second half of 2019, the District performed the make ready, acceptance, and testing of its new (10) hydrogen fuel cell and (5) battery electric buses manufactured by New Flyer. In the first quarter of 2020, all fifteen (15) new ZEB’s are expected to be in revenue service. The District will have the opportunity to conduct a study that compares fuel cell and battery electric ZEB technology in a true side-by-side comparison by operating ZEBs from the same bus manufacturer, in the same service environment, by the same transit agency. This study will also include a comparison of diesel, hybrid-diesel and fuel cell dominant bus propulsion technologies.
A contract was awarded to Gillig for (2) battery electric buses which are expected to be delivered by December of 2019. Final approvals are underway for the District to partner with CalStart and New Flyer, as part of an FTA grant, to operate a 60-foot fuel cell bus and provide performance data. Staff will be presenting to the Board for consideration plans to purchase up to 45 ZEBs and construction of the required ZEB infrastructure.
Bus Maintenance Programs
The District’s Maintenance programs are designed to sustain the equipment in a state of good repair, which is a requirement of the FTA, emphasizing safety, reliability and cleanliness for the useful life of the bus fleet. Preventative maintenance inspections and maintenance scheduled tasks are the foundation of the District’s fleet maintenance programs. There are multiple scheduled maintenance activities required for each bus to meet Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recommended maintenance intervals, along with safety and regulatory compliance. Preventative Maintenance Inspections (PMI) and Deep Cleaning are the base programs to sustain a safe, clean and reliable bus fleet.
During the PMI, mechanics identify components or systems requiring further maintenance. A corrective maintenance work order is created to address the defects identified. Using data from the Ellipse enterprise asset management system, preventative maintenance inspection reports, road call failure analysis, and other equipment performance data resources, several safety and reliability campaigns were initiated. Warranty and Quality Assurance campaigns accounted for 846 work orders. The department completed 39,294 scheduled and 78,873 non-scheduled work orders this past year. In total, Maintenance completed approximately 118,167 work orders in 2019.
Results of the work performed by the maintenance team is evident by the fleet reliability measured by the District with miles between chargeable road calls (MBCRC). Attachment 1, Chart 1: System-wide Miles Between Chargeable Road Calls shows the monthly performance for this Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in 2019. During the past year, miles between chargeable road calls were above the established goal 11-months with an average performance of 6,091 MBCRC for the 12-month period. This is higher than the District goal of 5,400 MBCRC.
Quality Assurance Program
The primary function of the Quality Assurance program is to advocate and establish benchmark standards which are the framework and foundation for a quality fleet. By enhancing maintenance programs and optimizing the quality of work performed by staff, the District can achieve financial and operational targets of having a fleet that meets daily pullout requirements and provides high quality reliable service. A strong Quality Assurance Program ensures that the fleet is exceeding customer expectations, both internally and externally. In addition, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires that the District have a quality program established to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of service. AC Transit’s Quality Assurance Program consists of the following primary sub-programs:
• Bus Cleanliness Inspection (BCI)
• California Highway Patrol (CHP) Simulated Inspection
• Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI) Audit
Bus Cleanliness Inspection (BCI)
Quality Assurance performs monthly Division Bus Cleanliness Inspections (BCI) using a grading criterion focused on 19 areas of the bus (14 internal and 5 external) to allow Division staff to align resources and programs to improve the overall cleanliness and appearance of the fleet. Ratings of 1-4 are listed as unsatisfactory, 5-7 is Satisfactory, and 8-10 is Excellent.
Quality Assurance inspected 960 buses as part of the BCI program during the year 2019. This period covered FY2019 Q3/Q4 and FY2020 Q1/Q2. Attachment 1, Chart 2: Bus Cleanliness Scores - Quarterly Average depicts the District’s average BCI scores for the past 12-month period by quarters. The District wide average score was 7.96 out of 10.0 during the past 12-month period which is on the high end of the “Satisfactory” rating but below the Excellent goal. Maintenance continues to evaluate this Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to implement enhanced training and bus cleanliness initiatives geared towards sustaining a BCI rating of 8.1.
California Highway Patrol Simulated Inspection Program
Quality Assurance performs a quarterly inspection in accordance with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Motor Carrier Safety Unit Terminal Inspection guidelines at each of the Division’s transportation and maintenance departments. The buses, maintenance records, and transportation records are audited to identify the work processes that are complying and those needing improvement. The Quality Assurance staff evaluates the results of each inspection and recommends a course of action to improve compliance. All Divisions have consistently received a “Satisfactory” rating on the annual California Highway Patrol (CHP) Motor Carrier Safety Unit Terminal Inspection, which is the highest rating awarded by the agency.
Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI) Audit Program
The Quality Assurance Preventative Maintenance Inspection Audit Program is designed to audit one PMI at each Division and evaluate the consistency and quality of preventive maintenance inspections. Randomly selected Buses are inspected after the PMI is performed by Division mechanics. A comparison of the findings from Quality Assurance staff and Division mechanics is performed to evaluate variations in identified defects and calculate a score for each category and an overall accuracy percentage. Feedback includes best practices and recommendations to improve the PMI program and enhance the quality of inspections performed on the bus fleet. Attachment 1, Chart 3: PMI Audit Program Sample provides an example of the results of a PMI audit at a Division.
Audit of Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI) Repairs
Buses inspected during the Preventative Maintenance Inspection Audits are inspected after Division maintenance staff have completed repairs and cleared defects reported during scheduled Preventative Maintenance Inspections.
Quality Assurance staff evaluates each of the defects reported by the inspection mechanic and compares it to the repair(s) made by the floor mechanic. A review of work orders created is performed to verify if labor, material and work performed is properly documented for each defect reported on the PMI. Any discrepancies are recorded and shared with maintenance staff. An example of the Quality Assurance preventative maintenance inspection review report is depicted in Attachment 1, Chart 4: Quality Assurance Preventative Maintenance Inspection Review Sample.
Oil Analysis Program
During scheduled preventative maintenance intervals, maintenance staff takes a sample of engine and transmission oil. Oil samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis and detailed reports are provided to identify impurities or other oil contaminates that indicate abnormal operating conditions of the engine and transmission. Quality Assurance staff evaluates results of the oil analysis reports and provides recommendations to Division staff for corrective action.
Warranty Program
The FTA requires AC Transit to have a system established for identifying warranty claims, recording claims, and enforcing claims against manufacturers. Recipients of grant funds from the FTA are also required to have an aggressive warranty recovery program to ensure that the cost of a defect is borne properly by the equipment manufacturer. FTA guidelines require that the warranty program needs to include procedures clearly identifying repairs, claims, submission to the manufacturer, and reconciliation of unpaid claims. During a triennial audit, an FTA representative reviews how timely and aggressive the District has been in pursuing warranty while comparing claim records submitted to received settlements.
The warranty program coordinates repairs to the bus fleet and getting reimbursed for repairs performed by District employees. This year the District has begun capturing the data on the facilities to conform to the FTA Transit Asset Management requirements.
The warranty program currently monitors 203 of 637 buses that contain warranty coverage in the revenue fleet. A total of 433 claims have been processed in the first two quarters of this fiscal year with a total recovery of $350,062.64. The warranty program has recovered $7.5 million in claims between FY2010 and FY2020. Attachment 1, Chart 5: Fiscal Warranty Recovery shows the amount warranty reimbursement recovered per fiscal year.
Non-Revenue Vehicles
The district currently has 150 non-revenue vehicles to support the entire operation, including on street supervision, parts delivery, emergency road service (response), facilities maintenance, equipment maintenance, bus stop maintenance, operator relief, mail delivery, meeting attendance, and other various administrative functions. In compliance with Board Policy 438, Attachment 1, Chart 8: Non-Revenue List by Department and Attachment 1, Chart 9: Non-Revenue List of Assigned Take Home Vehicles are provided.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
This report does not recommend a course of action with notable advantages or disadvantages.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report is being provided to inform the Board of the status of the District’s bus fleet.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
This report does not have Prior Relevant Board Action nor Policies.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. State of the Bus Fleet - Supplemental Charts and Graphs CY2019
Prepared by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
In Collaboration with:
William Tonis, Director of Project Controls & Systems Analysis
Stuart Hoffman, Technical Services Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer