TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: All-Door Boarding Pilot
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider approving a pilot for all-door boarding on 25 buses operating on lines in Oakland and Berkeley.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
This pilot program will be used to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks associated with all-door boarding. At other agencies, all-door boarding has led to reduced interactions with the operator, faster boarding, and more reliable service. Staff will be gathering data and determining whether this is a program that should be expanded beyond the initial 25-bus pilot fleet.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost to the District for the 25 additional rear-door Clipper Readers is $20,045, all-inclusive. The initial obligation is being made with Operating Budget funds to expedite the project, but this initiative was intended to be funded by the FY20-21 Capital Budget. After budget approval, expenses may be transferred to the matching Capital Budget project.
Staff reviewed the results of peer agencies who have implemented all-door boarding and produced projections of operational savings that amount to 25% shorter dwell times and four minutes on average per one-way trip. These may not necessarily translate to cost savings as they could be used to buffer recovery time for operators and improve speed and reliability for customers.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Numerous agencies - including San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency - have piloted or implemented all-door boarding on some or all of their fleet. All-door boarding on AC Transit service would allow customers with Clipper Cards to board through the rear door and tag a Clipper Card reader to pay their fare. It requires the installation of readers in the rear doors of all vehicles participating in the pilot.
All-door boarding can be beneficial to AC Transit in...
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