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 Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2020.
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:
During March, the District was severely impacted by the Novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) Pandemic. In response, the District’s Emergency Operations Control Center (EOCC) activated to focus on messaging from federal, state and local governments regarding increased efforts to contain spread and exposure of the virus. EOC Officers, Section Chiefs, and Unit Leaders supported by every department in the District, worked instantly to develop and deliver contingency plans. Every member of the team contributed to an incredible display of collaboration, teamwork, resiliency and focus which facilitated the District’s capability to provide service with the best safety measure possible for our employees and riders while managing the crisis.
For most of this quarter, the District operated reduced services levels and continues to operate under the Emergency Service Plan. Several factors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted operations performance matrix, staff will continue to monitor and analyze changes.
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 Third Quarter (Q3) attachment provides graphical representation of the performance of the programs.
Data Reporting Disclaimers
Data presented in this report was as of April 17, 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 |
Jan-20 |
Feb-20 |
Mar-20 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Marcell Heath |
Dynetta James |
Tracey Lewis |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
William Lopez |
Kevin Tugwell |
Alonzo Smith |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Patrick Lavender |
Tamecia Johnson |
Agustin Sandoval |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Anthony Morris |
Ken English |
Alita Webb |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Michael Maxwell |
Frances Renee North |
Christopher Cagungun |
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Maintenance |
Jan-20 |
Feb-20 |
Mar-20 |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Carlos Paz |
Chris Garcia |
Carlos Mira |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Lamont Thornton |
Miguel Lopez-Vega |
Floyd Broach |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Damian Ortiz |
Manuel Vasquez |
Xavier Ochoa |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Cesar Mendez |
Roger LaForga |
David Savio |
|
Central Maintenance |
Peter Yap |
Mahendra Prasad |
Stephen Chan |
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 Q3 was 74.01% versus 69.87% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the goal in January (74.81%), February (72.02%) and March (75.20%). The average on-time performance among Transbay was 73.77% during Q3 versus 68.76% in the prior quarter.
District Teams is a new initiative launched from the weekly Service Quality Enhancement Taskforce (SQET) meetings. Comprised by the executive, director, and frontline staff from Transportation, Maintenance, Service Development and Planning, Innovation and Technology, and Project Controls and Systems Analysis 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 IT 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 Q3 averaged 157,080 versus 174,675 in the prior quarter. Ridership varied throughout the quarter, with a substantial drop in March 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts. Weekday Ridership through the quarter: January (164,984), February (186,974), and March (119,281). Average weekday ridership for Transbay lines during Q3 was 18,693 versus 20,336 in the prior quarter. Transbay Ridership accounted for 11.90% 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: January (94.97%), February (92.87%) and March (88.36%). 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 a workforce shortage. Operations Control Center continues to communicate with each division to monitor the line management process. This District-wide collaborative effort significantly helped with covering service in March during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 Q3 was 97.40% versus 97.01% in the prior quarter. The District exceeded the KPI target in each month of the quarter: January (97.34%), February (97.48%) and March (97.38%).
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 Q3 was 29.32% versus 29.19% in the prior quarter.
The system-wide average of Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q3 was 8.70% versus 9.62% in the prior quarter. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below or at 8.50% in March (5.51%) but was above this threshold in January (11.45%) and February (9.13%).
The system-wide average of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q3 was 20.62% versus 19.57% in the prior quarter. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: January (18.24%), February (19.45%) or March (24.18%).
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. Larger than average absences occurred in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accident Rates
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 7 & 8 - Passenger/Vehicle Accidents)
The system-wide average rate of Passenger Falls per 100,000 miles in Q3 was 2.09 versus 1.88 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: January (2.54), February (2.24) and March (1.49).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q3 was 3.69 versus 4.10 in the prior quarter. The District achieved the KPI target of less than 4.00 in each month: January (3.73), February (3.66) and March (3.68).
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 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 Q3 was 6,129 versus 6,336 miles in the prior quarter. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in each month of the quarter: January (6,133), February (5,875) and March (6,379).
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. The team effort is evident with 3 consecutive quarters exceeding the District KPI goal.
Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10 - Overall Bus Cleanliness)
The system-wide average for Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate in Q3 was 8.00 versus 8.07 in the prior quarter. The District met the KPI target of 8.10 in March (8.10) but was below the threshold in January (7.92) and February (7.97).
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. Enhanced cleaning to disinfect frequently touched areas on the buses has been implemented across the Divisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing
In Q3 of the fiscal year, two Journey Level Mechanics were hired and began training. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shelter in place orders implemented in mid-March of 2020, the District has paused all external hiring. There were four (4) Journey Level Mechanic candidates that were pending background check results before March of 2020 and were cleared to continue through the hiring process. Human Resources will continue to evaluate staffing needs through the fall and develop new recruitment strategies to ensure the health and safety of our employees and the communities we serve.
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. Q3 FY 2020 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Tables & Charts
Prepared by:
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
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