TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: District Preparedness and Response to COVID-19
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving an update on the District’s actions to date in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and associated efforts to secure federal and state financial support for the District.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Financial Efficiency and Revenue Maximization
This report outlines the District’s preparedness, planning and response to COVID-19, including efforts to date to provide service that is safe for customers and employees. Additional efforts to support employees, communicate with riders, and efforts to secure emergency funding to support the District’s operations are also outlined in this report.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Beginning the week of March 8, the District began experiencing a steady decline in ridership. On March 13, ridership declines marked a 40% decrease which increased steadily and as of March 30, the District’s ridership had seen a 93% decrease.
Staff calculations estimate a loss of $3 Million in farebox revenues during the month of March. The $3 Million estimate does not factor in other fiscal impacts such as the reduction in sales tax revenues from both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, the impact to sales tax revenues will not be known for several more months.
Staff has established a unique project code to track resources spent on the COVID-19 response. This includes additional expenditures incurred by the District including but not limited to additional staff time, personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases, additional costs incurred for increased cleaning and preventative maintenance, additional communications related expenditures and costs related to additional equipment and systems to support a large number of staff working from home as a result of the shelter in place order. California’s state of emergency declaration makes the District eligible to seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
COVID 19 first emerged in December of 2019 in Wuhan, China. The virus was declared a public health emergency in the United States on January 31, 2020 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Spread of the virus has evolved from direct person-to-person transmission to community spread.
In response to news of the virus, the General Manager with Senior Leadership convened a Task Force on COVID 19 to address the District’s preparedness and response to the pandemic. The Task Force began meeting in early February to prepare the District’s response and action plan.
The District activated the Emergency Operations Control Center (EOCC) on Friday March 13th and it has remained in active status since then with key staff meeting daily (remotely). A Bay Area shelter in place order was declared by Public Health Officers on March 16, 2020. Governor Newsom issued a statewide shelter in place order on March 19, which is in effect until further notice. The Bay Areawide shelter in place order was extended on March 30 and is now in effect through May 1. School Districts in the AC Transit service area have announced extended school closures through May 1.
Immediately following the shelter in place order, the District began experiencing significant declines in ridership and consequently a decline in farebox revenues.
The Procurement Department continues working to source personal protective equipment (PPE) with a primary focus on hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, wipes, and sanitizing products for operators and staff. Additional disinfecting and cleaning supplies are necessary for maintenance of coaches and facilities. The shelter in place has necessitated the acquisition of additional technology equipment, internet bandwidth, and services such as teleconferencing options to allow the District to continue to operate essential public transit services. Emergency procurements to date due to COVID 19 sum to $368,111.49.
General Manager Actions
As a result of the quickly changing conditions in this environment, the General Manager, through the authority granted to him by the Board of Directors on March 11, 2020 implemented a number of emergency measures which will be formally brought to the Board of the Directors next month. Due to severe ridership declines experienced and for safety reasons , the following measures have been implemented:
• Temporary suspension of supplemental service implemented March 16 as a result of the shelter in place order.
• Rear door boarding and no fares implemented March 23 to minimize person to person contact in the operator area.
• Trilingual Social Distancing onboard signage implemented March 23 to support the physical distancing necessary for health and safety Modified service schedule, in which most bus lines continue to operate on time-schedules similar to AC Transit’s existing Sunday service implemented March 31 as a result of continuing ridership decreases and availability of operators.
• Halted new employee in-person applications, job interviews and in-person fingerprinting.
• Canceled all non-essential business travel.
• Authorized the closing of the Customer Service Center at the close of business on Friday, April 3, 2020 until further notice.
Internal and external communications regarding service changes as a result of COVID-19 have been shared with riders, AC Transit staff, elected officials and community stakeholder via trilingual e-news, car cards, service alerts, social media posts, press releases and via internal staff bulletins and emails.
Staff are communicating daily with external agencies including MTC and county health organizations. Staff are tracking information from the Center for Disease Control and have developed an internal protocol outlining steps to be taken by managers and supervisors should an employee report COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosis.
Human Resources (HR) is in communication with ATU, IBEW and AFSCME to make them aware of District preparation and response plans. A leave management hotline was established by HR to field inquiries from employees related to COVID-19.
On Monday, March 31, 2020 the District was notified that an employee had tested positive for the COVID 19 virus by a public health department. The employee’s last day of work at the District had been March 11, 2020. The employee had symptoms beginning approximately March 25, 2020 which is beyond the 2- 14 day incubation period. In keeping with the District’s commitment to safety, the District activated enhanced deep clean and bleach-based disinfecting actions. The District has received no other notifications of staff positive COVID 19 tests.
Staff has been engaged with the AC Transit legislative delegation and their staff advocating for funding for public transit as part of the federal and state COVID-19 relief acts. The following is a summary of key actions to secure funding for the District as a result of COVID-19.
• Letter from AC Transit to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Attachment 1) outlining COVID-19 impacts to District and seeking financial relief support. Copies of this letter were sent to members of the AC Transit delegation and House Transportation and Infrastructure leadership, MTC, ACTC, CCTA, ATU, AFSCME, and IBEW.
• Letter from AC Transit to Governor Newsom (Attachment 2) outlining COVID-19 impacts to District and seeking financial relief support. Copies of this letter were sent to members of the AC Transit delegation, CalSTA Secretary David Kim, State Senate and Assembly Leadership, MTC, ACTC, CCTA, ATU, AFSCME, and IBEW.
• Letter from MTC and Bay Area Transit agencies to Speaker Pelosi and Senators Feinstein and Harris (Attachment 3)
• Letter from Transportation for America generated by the Capital Investment Grants Working Group signed by 222 public transit agencies throughout the US, including AC Transit (Attachment 4)
• Letter from the California Transit Association (CTA) to Governor Newsom (Attachment 5)
• Calls and emails to members of the AC Transit delegation and their DC legislative staff.
Federal Update
On Friday, March 27th, the third coronavirus stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed the House of Representatives. The President then quickly signed the $2 trillion relief package, the largest in U.S. history. The $2 trillion economic aid package includes $25 billion in emergency funding for public transportation. The FTA is required to apportion funds within seven days. Funding for California is expected to total more than $3.75 Billion with $1.3 Billion expected for Bay Area transit operators.
The General Manager and staff are participating on several calls with MTC and other general managers to discuss the process and priorities to make federal aid dollars available. MTC will most likely disperse half of the funds after the MTC Commission review of the recommended allocation plan at its meeting on April 22, 2020. The remaining half will be disbursed at a later date after the effects of the sales tax decreases on agency finances are better known.
State Update
The California Transit Association (CTA) has convened a COVID-19 Transit Crisis Relief Task Force which the District is participating in daily. On March 27 CTA issued a letter to Governor Newsom (Attachment 5) with a request of $1 Billion is state funds to support California transit operators by providing immediate financial support. Staff is working with CTA through its COVID 19 Transit Crisis Relief Task Force to recommend administrative and regulatory relief, extensions, and policy changes as a result of timelines affected by COVID 19.
Staff have participated in a variety of means to receive and discuss COVID related information including the following:
• 3/11 & 3/25: Capital Investment Grants Working Group Conference Call
• 3/15: NAACP, Tele-Town Hall COVID-19
• 3/16: Sarah Puro from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Capital Investment Grants Working Group
• 3/19: Mayor Libby Schaaf Facebook Live, Update re: COVID-19
• 3/20: Congressional Black Caucus Coronavirus Response Telephone Townhall
• 3/20: Eno Rapid Response Webinar: The Coronavirus Relief Package & Transportation
• 3/20: APTA COVID-19 Telephone Town Hall especially for public transit communicators
• 3/23: Alameda County and Health & Social Services Committee re: Hayward testing site
• 3/24: Senator Skinner Tele Town Hall on Financial Relief For COVID-19
• 3/25: $25 Billion for Public Transit for COVID-19 - An Update from APTA
• 3/25: NAACP, All Unit Call - Legislative Update on COVID-19
• 3/25: San Leandro Chamber Virtual Town Hall Meeting on COVID-19
• 3/26: APTA Webinar with DOT Secretary Elaine Chao and FTA Administrator K. Jane Williams
• 3/26: Bay Area Council - Bay Area Impact: Covid-19 Webinar
• 3/27: Supervisor Wilma Chan and Oakland Chamber of Commerce Virtual Town Hall
• 3/27: Oakland City Council special meeting on rent and eviction moratorium related to COVID-19
• 3/28: Berkeley Mayor COVID-19 Response
• 3/31: Berkeley Chamber Outbreak Response
• 3/31: Senator Skinner: Staying Calm, Resources for Coping Tele Town Hall
• 4/1: APTA Workforce Development COVID-19 Virtual Townhall
• 4/1: Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and the Office of Emergency Services weekly COVID-19 briefing for local, state, and federal elected officials.
• 4/2: Bay Area Council - Bay Area Impact: COVID-19 Webinar Series, Federal Stimulus Edition
• 4/2: Congressmember Eric Swalwell and Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine
Paratransit Update
East Bay Paratransit has entered into a partnership with Meals on Wheels (MOW) to deliver food to MOW members during Covid-19 Shelter in Place orders. MOW provides delivery of food directly to homes of seniors and those unable to shop for and/or prepare meals on their own. Most drivers for MOW are volunteers over the age of 65 and are being restricted due to the Governor’s shelter in place order so many MOW members are currently not being served. County Connection paratransit services has implemented a similar program for Contra Costa County.
Program costs are minimal and would be covered within AC Transit and BART’s overall paratransit budget, which is expected to have a surplus in FY20 due to the significantly less amount of trips requested and provided during the Shelter-In-Place Order.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Advance planning, preparation and response will provide a path to fulfill the District’s goals to provide safe and secure operations that also prioritize the safety of District staff and riders.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The choice not to plan, prepare and respond accordingly as COVID 19 evolves is not an option at this time.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
SR 20-137 District Preparedness and Response to Coronavirus 19
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Letter from AC Transit to Speaker Pelosi
2. Letter from AC Transit to Governor Newsom
3. Letter from MTC and Bay Area Transit agencies to Speaker Pelosi and Senators Feinstein and Harris
4. Letter from public transit agencies in the US to House Leadership
5. Letter from CTA to Governor Newsom
Prepared by:
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs and Community Relations
In Collaboration with:
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications
Approved/Reviewed by:
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications