TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Board Policy 471 - Cancellation of Scheduled Service Policy
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider approving staff’s requested amendment to Board Policy 471- Cancellation of Scheduled Service Policy, to address an operational issue resulting from an amendment to the policy approved by the Board on June 22, 2022.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
Board Policy 471 - Cancellation of Scheduled Service Policy, provides direction to staff regarding the prioritization of bus service when there are limited resources. This policy supports and is aligned with the following Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives: Safe & Secure Operations, Convenient & Reliable Service, High Performing Workforce, and Service Quality.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no budgetary or fiscal impacts related to this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
At the June 22, 2022 Board of Directors meeting, the Board adopted amendments to Board Policy 471 proposed by Director Walsh which included the following:
Section I. (Purpose): to retain the language regarding minimizing impacts and inconvenience to the rider.
Section II. (Persons Affected) amended to read: “Anyone riding, managing, or operating AC Transit’s service.”
Section IV.A.4. amended to read: “Service that runs 30 minutes or longer shall not be cancelled”.
Section IV.A.7. language added to clarify the intent, “Two or more consecutive trips of the same line shall not be cancelled”.
Section V. General Manager's Authority: to accept the changes recommended by staff.
At the June 22, 2022 Board of Directors meeting, the Board adopted amendments to Board Policy 471 proposed by Director Walsh which included the following:
Section I. (Purpose): to retain the language regarding minimizing impacts and inconvenience to the rider.
Section II. (Persons Affected) amended to read: “Anyone riding, managing, or operating AC Transit’s service.”
Section IV.A.4. amended to read: “Service that runs 30 minutes or longer shall not be cancelled”.
Section IV.A.7. language added to clarify the intent, “Two or more consecutive trips of the same line shall not be cancelled”.
Section V. General Manager's Authority: to accept the changes recommended by staff.
The amendment to Section IV.A.4. which reads: “Service that runs on 30 minute or longer headways shall not be cancelled”, changing the requirement from 1-hour to 30-minutes would deplete the District’s most valuable resource of available Operators deployed to cover service when unforeseen circumstances such as unplanned absences occur. By lowering the threshold, there will likely be adverse impacts to the rest of the District’s service.
While the district understands the impact of not covering a 30-minute headway trip, we must balance resources to ensure we are consistently providing reliable service across as much of the system as possible. Maintaining the 1-hour headway coverage requirement provides Division Dispatchers the time, flexibility, and resources to cover as much unfilled service as possible while balancing the requirement to cover service that has the most severe impact to riders. Dispatch and the Operation Control Center do everything within their ability to cover unfilled service with very little to no advance notice. Condensing the timeframe from 1-hour to 30-minutes will cause unnecessary increased complication that does not improve availability of operator resources.
For the reasons outlined above, staff urges the Board to restore the language in Section IV.A.4. to the previous policy that service running longer than one hour shall not be cancelled. Staff agrees with all other changes that were previously approved on June 22, 2022.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The advantage of this policy change is a more equitable distribution of service when cancellations are required.
The disadvantage of changing the service headway cancellation requirement from 1-hour to 30-minutes would deplete the District’s most valuable operator resource and cause increased complication for Division Dispatchers.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Staff looked at leaving the policy as-is but determined it would be inequitable and an inefficient use of precious operating resources.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 22-194
Staff Report 22-194a
ATTACHMENTS:
1. BP 471 Cancellation of Scheduled Service (Redlined)
Prepared by:
Derik Calhoun, Director of Transportation
Approved/Reviewed by:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Robert del Rosario, Director of Services Development and Planning
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel
Linda A. Nemeroff, District Secretary