TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: March 2021 Sign-up Report
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the District’s planned service changes associated with the March 2021 Sign-up.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
The service changes going into effect on March 28, 2021, are focused on solving minor issues with schedule reliability.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Total daily weekday vehicle platform hours have increased from December 2020 service levels by 1.8, Saturday hours have decreased by 13.3 and Sunday hours have increased by 0.3 hours. In total, these changes yield an annual decrease of 307 platform hours, resulting in an annual estimated savings of $47,800. The District will also run 28.4 daily hours of Supplementary Service each day off the extra board. Given that the buses and operators are already in place, this will not yield additional expense for the District. However, it is included in the costing within Attachment 1 and would add $919,278 if it required additional resources to run.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit typically conducts four Sign-ups each year as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with ATU Local 192. These occur in March, June, August, and December. After the Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa Health Departments issued a Shelter in Place (SIP) Order, the District operated under an Emergency Service Plan (ESP) focused on Sunday service levels beginning March 31, 2020.
The District initially included Supplementary Service in the operating schedule in August 2020, absent communication from schools or school districts about the status of the fall semester. It then became clear that in-person schooling in the service area was not going to be viable and the service was not operated. It was removed from the schedule for the December 2020 sign-up.
Despite setting deadlines and communicating with each school district in the service area, no clarity was reached regarding service for the March 2021 sign-up. With the exception of Head-Royce School and Bishop O’Dowd High School, supplementary service is excluded from this set of schedules as well. The deadline for building any bell-time Supplementary trips into the March 2021 Sign-up was January 8, 2021, and this was communicated to all school officials in the service area. In the event a school district elects to begin operating in-person school for middle- or high-school sites, AC Transit most likely will not be able to provide that service until next school year outside of the two schools mentioned above. Staff continues to monitor the re-opening of school facilities to make sure we are aware of updates. The Alameda Unified School District initially considered opening school for 6th graders, but elected to keep in-person schooling at the elementary-school level only at their 2/4/2021 Board meeting.
Following the March service changes, District staff will continue to monitor ridership and service conditions related to the pandemic and work to address critical issues using limited available resources.
The District is also closely monitoring emerging developments regarding federal funding sources and potential changes in physical distancing guidelines, which would allow staff to re-evaluate service levels and begin to plan for service recovery.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Implementation of the changes described above allows the District to improve reliability of existing service.
The primary disadvantage is not having the Supplementary Service in the run-cut, which means if schools decide to resume in-person instruction, the District will need to determine if it can serve the students and find a means of operating some form of service using the Extra Board or conducting an emergency sign-up.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Staff evaluated other alternatives, including not implementing these changes, but the disadvantages were too great. Service would remain unreliable on the routes scheduled for adjustments.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
SR 20-433 December 2020 Sign-up Report
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Service Change Summary
Prepared by:
Michael Eshleman, Service Planning Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs & Community Relations
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer