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 Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021.
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 that 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:
AC Transit’s Emergency Operations Control Center (EOCC) remains active in response to mandates from federal, state and local governments regarding increased efforts to contain spread and exposure of the COVID-19 virus. During the Second Quarter (Q2) reporting period, the District continued to operate in an emergency response mode while sustaing operating 75% of pre-pandemic scheduled bus service. The District quickly responded and completed implementation of the reNew Plan, a health and safety action plan, adding more safeguards to improve best practices for protecting employees and riders during the pandemic. The protective mitigation improvements include requiring use of a face cover while riding the service, daily cleaning and sanitizing of the bus fleet, adding bus operator protective shields, enhancing bus filtration and air flow, providing customers face coverings and hand sanitizing dispensers.
Another operations impact from the pandemic has been physical distancing requirements implemented by the County and State. As a result, seating capacity on our buses has been drastically reduced. In order to communicate this to riders, seating capacity information is provided on the ACTRealTime app and “drop off only” is displayed on the bus headsign when seating limitations have been reached. Since passenger counting technology and equipment is only available for inside the bus, counting passengers left at the bus stop will be a challenge.
At this time, the only historical data available is ridership trends and when buses switched to “drop off only” mode, no data is available on pass-ups that include the amount of people left at the bus stop. Staff has initiated a process to have Operators verbally report to the Operations Control Center (OCC) approximately how many people were left at the bus stop when switching to “drop off only” mode. Going forward, a software update will be implemented with the March sign-up to allow Operators capability to report the quantity of passengers passed-up when at full capacity utilizing canned messages within the operating system. Having even estimated data will help staff strategically deploy our “Line Management” bus fleet to enhance service quality and reliability.
Conditions and impacts related to the pandemic are in constant change in the Region. During the Holiday Season and into the start of Q3, there was a spike in positive COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area and across the State. Fortunately, trending has dropped and outlook on a vaccine being available to more employees is promising. Staff is preparing to manage re-opening of schools with in-person learning and eagerly await lifting of the physical distancing requirements possibly during Q3.
Data Reporting Disclaimers
This report's data was as of January 15, 2021, 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 FY2021Q2 Attachment provides a graphical representation of 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 |
Oct-20 |
Nov-20 |
Dec-20 |
|
Road Supervision/OCC |
Derek Fisher |
Rubin Lopez |
James Evans |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Victoria Sanchez |
Brannan Anderson |
Tynisha Britton |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Charles Chu |
Darrell Brown |
Dominique Knighten |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Mary Jones Evans |
Joseph Walters |
Tanada Jones |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Jamil Franklin |
Deontae Johnson |
Patricia Cunha |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance |
Oct-20 |
Nov-20 |
Dec-20 |
|
Division 2: Emeryville |
Jesus Sandoval |
Adan Melchor |
Rodney Wilson |
|
Division 3: Richmond |
Jose Guillen |
Matthew Grimm |
John House |
|
Division 4: East Oakland |
Dwayne Willis |
Chavdar Keremidchiev |
Jose Cardenas |
|
Division 6: Hayward |
Patricia Lock |
Jose Ceja Campos |
Greg Burns |
|
Central Maintenance |
Steven Boesch |
Jason Regino |
Sunny Dang |
On-Time Performance
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 1 - On-Time Performance)
On-Time Performance (OTP) is a District Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to achieve 72% or higher. System-wide OTP average in Q2 was 76.29% versus 76.01% in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the goal in each of the months: October (76.02%), November (76.46%), and December (76.40%). The average OTP for Transbay routes was 72.88% versus 75.47% in the prior quarter.
Operations Control Center (OCC) staff utilize "line management" methods to monitor and track on-time performance. Each controller is responsible for reviewing and monitoring performance of a specified Division. During the quarter, additional standby buses were deployed with every available operator to quickly respond to increased ridership or to reduce overcrowding and pass-ups resulting from compliance with physical distancing limitations established by Federal and State guidelines. Analysis of the lowest on-time performance lines is conducted by the Planning and Scheduling Department to determine which lines may need schedule adjustments that will help improve on-time performance.
Ridership
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 2 - Ridership)
System-wide weekday ridership in Q2 averaged 61,211 versus 66,743 in the prior quarter. Ridership is still recovering from the substantial decline due to the Novel Coronavirus. Weekday Ridership through the quarter was: October (69,567), November (58,170), and December (55,895). Average weekday ridership for Transbay lines during Q2 was 3,067 versus 3,561 in the prior quarter. Transbay Ridership accounted for 5.01% of system-wide weekday ridership.
Service Operated Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 3 - Service Operated)
System-wide percent of Service Operated in Q2 was 98.16% versus 96.61% 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: October (98.24%), November (98.40%), and December (97.83%).
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 during the Quarter.
Operator Log-On Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 4 - Log-On Rate)
Operator Log-On Rate is a District KPI to achieve 95.0% or higher. The system-wide average rate in Q2 was 95.16% versus 95.25% in the prior quarter. The District exceeded the KPI target in December (95.95%) but fell below this target in October (94.74%) and November (94.77%).
During the quarter, staff focused on closely reviewing each log-on for anomalies that were experiende during the previous quarter. Supervision continued to monitor log-on status during gate checks at the Divisions while buses rollout, and at relief and layover points. Operations Control Center staff also monitor log-on status and can assist Operators and field staff if issues arise. This combined effort resulted in an improvement of the log-on percentage.
Operator Unavailability
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 5 & 6 - Scheduled/Unscheduled Unavailability)
Operator Unavailability is a District KPI to remain 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 Q2 was 30.53% versus 31.24% in the prior quarter. The system-wide average of Scheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 11.10% versus 9.77% in the prior quarter. Scheduled Operator Unavailability met the District goal of being below or at 8.50% in October (7.56%) but was above this threshold in November (14.88%) and December (10.85%).
The system-wide average of Unscheduled Operator Unavailability in Q2 was 19.43% versus 21.47% in the prior quarter. Unscheduled Operator Unavailability did not meet the goal of less than 14.00% during any month in the quarter: October (20.46%), November (17.42%), or December (20.42%).
Ongiong pandemic impacts caused many employees to remain off work due to childcare needs, school closures, health concerns with the employee or dependents. The District made a concerted effort to ensure all employees could care for themselves and their families as more information and clarity were 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 remain engaged for up-to-date information and frequently communicate with all 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 Q2 was 1.44 versus 1.32 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: October (1.26), November (1.40), and December (1.67).
The system-wide average rate of Vehicle Collisions per 100,000 Miles in Q2 was 4.13 versus 3.46 in the prior quarter. The District achieved the KPI target of less than 4.00 in December (3.02), but was over the target in October (4.43) and November (4.95).
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 and updated others to focus on the highest accident types. One initiative is to engage with operators on all accident types, whether preventable or not, to get their feedback and raise awareness. Another critical initiative is activating daily safety messages sent from Operations Control Center (OCC) broadcast to all buses. Messages are concise and diverse, each to emphasize pertinent personal and defensive driving safety reminders. Finally, 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 to meet or exceed 5,400 miles between road calls. System-wide MBCRC in Q2 was 6,903 versus 6,331 in the prior quarter. MBCRC exceeded the District's goal in each month of the quarter: October (6,507), November (7,194), and December (7,008).
The Road Call Reduction Taskforce (RCRT) analyzes road calls to prevent repeat failures and develop initiatives to increase fleet reliability. An updated OCC Road Call Guideline Manual was implemented. This bus fleet troubleshooting guide enables OCC Dispatchers to assist operators in resolving many common bus issues in service. Maintenance continues to dedicate extra time to fleet repairs, which contributed to improving the KPI score. Having older buses not in service at this time has also helped reduce road calls.
Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart 10 - Overall Bus Cleanliness)
The system-wide average for Bus Cleanliness Inspection Rate in Q2 was 8.04 versus 8.07 in the prior quarter. The District met or exceeded the KPI target of 8.10 in November (8.12) but was below this threshold in October (7.95) and December (8.05).
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. Although a bus cleanliness rating greater than 7.0 is considered “Good,” it does not meet the targeted goal. However, considering the additional activities taken on by the Divisions, our team is doing a great job to achieve or come close to the KPI monthly. The service employees continue to provide enhanced cleaning and disinfecting on the fleet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journey Level Mechanic Staffing
As we continue to understand COVID-19, the District remained on hold for recruiting in Q2 of the fiscal year for Journey Level Mechanics. Human Resources will continue to evaluate staffing needs for critical positions for the District. In Q3, Human Resources will evaluate and develop new recruitment strategies to ensure our employees' health and safety 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. FY2021Q2 - Operations Quarterly Performance Report: Tables & Charts
Prepared by:
Kerry D. Jackson, Protective Services Manager, Transit Enforcement
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