TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: March 2020 Sign-up
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the service changes associated with the March 2020 Sign-up.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
The quarterly sign-ups are the primary means for the District to add, remove, or adjust service based on performance and input from our operators, customers, the public, stakeholders, and the Board of Directors. These changes are focused on improving reliability and service quality.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Total weekday platform hours will decrease by 7.2 hours, Saturday hours will increase by 11.9 hours, and Sunday hours will decrease by 14.8 hours. In total, these changes yield an annual decrease of 1,767 platform hours, which translates to a small reduction of $275,018 annually. A significant expense with this sign-up is improving the reliability Line 20/21 which translated to $499,454 annually. Running time improvements were also made to lines 10, 28, 34, 72R, 79, and 99. Most of these changes were made by adding more running time and reducing the frequency on these lines by 2 to 5 minutes. Line 60 includes a service reduction due to a decision by California State University East Bay (CSUEB) to continue operating their own shuttle as opposed to contracting with AC Transit. Line 51B has additional running time with a cost reduction due to a change in the weekday headway from 10 minutes to 12 minutes. Line 1 has been designed to transition to Tempo BRT service when it is implemented. The March Sign-up operator count is 1340, while the budgeted operator count for this fiscal year is 1350. Therefore, these service changes fall within the District budget.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit conducts four sign-ups each year as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). These occur in March, June, August, and December. This upcoming sign-up will begin service on March 29, 2020.
The March sign-up is generally reserved for making minor adjustments to service based on feedback received after the December sign-up. However, this sign-up includes several key initiatives:
• Preparation for the implementation of Tempo BRT service.
• Continuation of the Downtown Oakland detours until Tempo service starts.
• Running time improvements on several routes.
The changes included in this sign-up were developed based on discussions with numerous departments and stakeholders, including Transportation, the Driver’s Committee, the BRT Team, Management and Budget, Marketing & Communications, and Supervision.
The following changes will take place in the March sign-up:
• Improving running times on Lines 20/21, 28, 34, 51B, 60, 72R, 79, 99, and U.
• Reducing service on Line 60 to the August 2019 service levels due to the decision by CSUEB to continue operating its shuttle service.
The sign-up is scheduled to go into effect on March 29, while Tempo BRT could be implemented during the middle of the sign-up period.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The primary advantage of moving forward with this sign-up is the need to advance several key initiatives approved by the Board earlier this year, including: 1) preparation for the implementation of BRT, and 2) improvement in the overall service reliability across multiple lines.
The disadvantages associated with this sign-up are primarily related to a small reduction in service frequency on the routes that have additional running time. With limited operator availability, this is the only way to improve running time on routes.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Staff evaluated other alternatives, including not implementing these changes, but the disadvantages were too great. Many initiatives would be delayed, and other Board-approved commitments would not be met.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 19-171b - FY 2019/2020 Service Change Approval
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Service Change Summary
Prepared by:
Eric Harris, Scheduling Manager
In Collaboration with:
Michael Eshleman, Service Planning Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Robert del Rosario, Director of Services Development and Planning
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Chris Andrichak, Director of Management and Budget
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel
Claudia L. Allen, Chief Financial Officer