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 Fourth 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 (KPIs) 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:
For the entire Fourth Quarter (Q4) reporting period, the District was severely impacted by the Novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In response, the District’s Emergency Operations Control Center (EOCC) remained activated to focus on messaging from federal, state and local governments regarding increased efforts to contain spread and exposure of the virus. 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.
Data Reporting Disclaimers
During 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. Data presented in this report was as of July 12, 2020 and may differ from “live” reporting.
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 Q4 attachment provides graphical representation on the performance of the programs.
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 |
Apr-20 |
May-20 |
Jun-20 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
George Mathews |
Riando Wright |
Jeff Stroud |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Ursula Shaw |
Moises Frias |
Ashaki Thomas |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Yvonne Maldonado |
Kevin Reed |
Cybrieal Williams |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Migdalia Sainz |
Patryce Hall |
Lori Mathews |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Earl Thomas |
Shana Shelton |
Kaliph Ihsan |
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Maintenance |
Apr-20 |
May-20 |
Jun-20 |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Trevor Zenon |
Jeremiah Mitchell |
George McElvain |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Dinieri Parker |
Michael Siverson |
LeRoy Sheff |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Troy Blake |
Sidney Irons |
Daniel Flores |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Angelica Dominguez |
Ruben Cuba |
Federico Reveles |
|
Central Maintenance |
John Bajalia |
Raul Colima |
Alfredo Vega |
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 Q4 was 75.59% versus 74.01% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the goal in each of the months: April (76.45%), May (75.37%) and June (74.93%). The average On-Time performance for Transbay Routes was 79.07% during the quarter versus 73.77% 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. The Novel Coronavirus affected our On-Time Performance, but the District continued to identify each Divisions high ridership lines.
Ridership
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2 - Ridership)
System-wide weekday ridership in Q4 averaged 53,721 versus 157,080 in the prior quarter. Ridership dropped substantially due to Novel Coronavirus impacts. Weekday Ridership through the quarter: April (49,488), May (53,913) and June (57,761). Average weekday ridership for Transbay lines during Q4 was 2,453 versus 18,693 in the prior quarter. Transbay Ridership accounted for 4.57% of system wide weekday ridership.
Service Operated Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 3 - Service Operated)
System-wide percent of Service Operated in Q4 was 90.19% versus 93.60% 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: April (88.80%), May (88.05%) and June (93.72%). Service operated percentage dropped significantly when the District implemented the Emergency Service Plan. Initially route changes could not be uploaded to the Computer Aided Dispatching/Automated Vehicle Locator (CAD/AVL) system, which impacted this KPI. Once staff was able to develop a mid-signup solution, the data was more accurate.
Another impact to this KPI was suspension of service from a Division due to an employee testing positive for COVID19. While staff worked with the other remaining Divisions to cover as much service as possible, unfortunately, not every line and block was able to be covered. Staff developed priority lines identified at each Division based on the Emergency Service Plan (ESP) and ridership levels during the pandemic, which are different than pre-pandemic levels.
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 Q4 was 95.61% versus 97.21% in the prior quarter. The District exceeded the KPI target in May (96.25%) and June (96.25%) but fell below this target in April (94.31%).
This was also due to activation of the Emergency Service Plan and route changes not uploaded in the CAD/AVL system. With the route changes loaded, performance improved above the KPI goal of 95%.
Staff is working on other strategies to bring performance of this KPI closer to 98% and eventually 99%. Line Management Groups have been established at each Division to track and monitor log-on performance, address systematic issues, log-on Operators when they forget, and coach Operators with reminders to log-on before they depart from the Division.
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 Q4 was 32.90% versus 29.32% in the prior quarter.
The system-wide average of Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q4 was 8.02% versus 8.70% in the prior quarter. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below or at 8.50% in April (6.58%) and June (8.06%) but was above this threshold in May (9.41%).
The system-wide average of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q4 was 24.89% versus 20.62% in the prior quarter. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: April (25.83%), May (26.01%) or June (22.82%).
Heavier absences occurred in this quarter due to the Shelter In Place (SIP) orders issued by Alameda and Contract-Costa Counties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, many employees remained off work due to childcare needs since schools closed and transitioned to distance learning, health concerns with the employee or dependents, or were identified as being in the “at risk” category. The District made a concerted effort to ensure our employees were able to care for themselves and their families as more information and clarity was provided from federal, state and local governments regarding available programs. Absenteeism may continue to be unstable and reflect the ever-changing conditions impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff will continue to remain engaged with governing bodies for up-to-date information and communicate them to employees.
Accident Rates
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 7 & 8 - Passenger/Vehicle Accidents)
The system-wide average rate of Passenger Falls per 100,000 miles in Q4 was 1.18 versus 2.09 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: April (1.39), May (0.95) and June (1.19).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q4 was 2.92 versus 3.69 in the prior quarter. The District achieved the KPI target of less than 4.00 in each month of the quarter: April (2.62), May (2.71) and June (3.44).
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. Less traffic and lighter congestion on roadways also contributed to the improved performance with this KPI.
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 Q4 was 6,876 versus 6,166 in the prior quarter. MBCRC exceeded the District’s goal in each month of the quarter: April (7,114), May (6,717) and June (6,798).
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 updated guidebook is expected to be completed for late summer. With activation of the Emergency Service Plan, the maintenance department has been able to dedicate extra time on fleet repairs which has contributed to improvement of the KPI score.
Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10 - Overall Bus Cleanliness)
The system-wide average for Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate in Q4 was 8.27 versus 8.00 in the prior quarter. The District met the KPI target of 8.10 in each month of the quarter: April (8.22), May (8.31) and June (8.27).
The 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 the monthly quality assurance inspections. Implementation of standardization and best practices across Divisions has provided improvements in the cleaning process with results evident in the past quarter. The service employees continue to provide enhanced cleaning and disinfecting on the fleet in response to COVID-19 pandemic.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing (Pending - Monique Chappel)
As we continue to understand COVID-19, the District remained on hold for recruiting in Q4 of the fiscal year. Human Resources will continue to evaluate staffing needs for critical positions for the District. In Q1 of FY21, Human Resources will evaluate 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. Q4 FY 2020 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Tables & Charts
Prepared by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
In Collaboration with:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
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