SUBJECT: ACCEPT AND FILE METRO SERVICE PLANNING STATUS REPORT COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS ONE YEAR LATER

Transcription

1 DATE: Santa Cruz Metrplitan Transit District TO: FROM: Bard f Directrs Barrw Emersn, Planning & Develpment Manager SUBJECT: ACCEPT AND FILE METRO SERVICE PLANNING STATUS REPORT COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS ONE YEAR LATER I. RECOMMENDED ACTION This reprt is fr infrmatinal purpses nly. N actin is required. II. SUMMARY It has been almst ne year since the Santa Cruz Metrplitan Transit District (METRO) service reductin f September 8, Transit industry standards suggest there is a minimum level f per trip ridership (10-15 bardings per trip), which is cnsidered effective and nt all f METRO rutes achieve this level. At the same time there are services withut necessary capacity t meet demand levels cmfrtably. The METRO Planning Department has identified pririties fr additinal service (specific rutes and increased daily span f service) when, r if, additinal recurring perating funds were t becme available. The Planning Department has established specific rutes and gegraphic areas that will be the fcus f service planning activities fr the next fur quarterly service changes, including cnsideratin f limited reallcatin f resurces frm lw perfrming rutes t nes in need f additinal capacity and/r span f service. In additin t nging service mdificatins, the Planning Department has a number f ther significant initiatives it is managing during the next fiscal year, as identified in this reprt. Staff requests the Bard accept and file this Service Planning Update. III. DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND Cmprehensive Operatinal Analysis (COA) Almst a year ag, n September 8, 2016, METRO implemented a significant fixedrute service reductin. As a reminder, t address a structural perating budget deficit, METRO reduced weekday trips by 13% and weekend trips by 31%. In mst cases entire rutes were 18.1

2 Bard f Directrs Page 2 f 7 nt eliminated, but daily spans f service and/r frequency were reduced. Althugh it was unfrtunate that METRO had t reduce service, the drp in ridership (6% n weekdays and 18% n weekends) suggests a relatively accurate apprach t selecting which trips t eliminate. Staff als believes that had we nt experienced the severe inclement weather f January and February 2017, the ridership lss wuld have been even less. Current Rute Perfrmance Quarterly, including n this August 25 th agenda, the Planning Department prvides the Bard with a ridership reprt, including an analysis f rute perfrmance as expressed by the average bardings per trip n each rute. (See Exhibit A) In the transit industry, a rule f thumb is that there needs t be an average f apprximately bardings per trip fr a service t be cnsidered effective, depending n the type f service (rural, lcal, reginal, intercity). In general, mst METRO rutes perfrm well, which suggest that generally the level f service is crrect, relative t demand and financial capacity t prvide service. METRO has a small number f rutes that dn t achieve these transit industry standards. There are als sme rutes that, althugh they have reasnable verall bardings per trip averages, have segments with extremely limited bardings, which suggest pssible realignments r truncatin f the rute(s). Amng these are: Rutes 33 and 34, which are schl riented trips in the San Lrenz Valley with extremely lw ridership. Rute 79, which althugh its has a smewhat acceptable level f bardings per trip fr a lcal lifeline service, has a lp segment t Pajar with almst n bardings. Rute 55, which has a segment that nly runs a few times a day, again with limited bardings. Cnversely, as shwn in Exhibit A, in terms f average bardings per trip, there are three rutes (69A, 69W, 71) that have average bardings per trip f arund 30, which gets clse t the seated capacity f a bus. These rutes are gd candidates fr higher frequency service. Nw that the perfrmance f METRO s rutes has generally stabilized, the Planning Department sees an pprtunity t recmmend cnsideratin f the reallcatin f trips frm lw perfrmers t services in need f additinal capacity. Pririties fr Additinal Service As is standard transit industry practice, the Planning Department maintains a priritized list f service needs, smetimes referred t as unmet needs, s that if at anytime there is additinal recurrent perating funds available fr the intrductin f 18.2

3 Bard f Directrs Page 3 f 7 additinal effective service, the pririties are clear. Currently, the Planning Department sees the fllwing needs as the mst imprtant: Rute 71 frequency The additinal Bus Operatr the Bard recently directed be added using Measure D funds is cmmitted t Rute #71 weekend frequency t address vercrwding issues, in part caused by demand fr access t the Flea Market. Additinal frequency increases in the Watsnville Santa Cruz crridr wuld include cnsideratin adjustments t Rutes 69A and 69W service as well. Rute 35/35A evening frequency As this San Lrenz Valley (SLV) rute alternately serves tw legs beynd Bulder Creek, the limited evening frequency makes fr extremely pr level f service n these legs. Span f service acrss the system - In a number f crridrs service starts t late in the mrning r ends t early in the evening t meet wrk trip cmmute needs, particularly fr thse in the service industry; as well as general mbility needs f Cunty residents. Rural rutes with limited daily trips. Fiscal Year (FY) Service Planning Activities As shwn in the recently adpted 5-year budget, METRO has stabilized its fixed-rute service level at a financially sustainable level fr the near term. Within this cntext f limited expansin capacity, METRO will still wrk t imprve services where pssible, thrugh re-allcatin f resurces frm pr perfrming services t thse in need f additinal capacity, t avid adding additinal perating csts. METRO service changes ccur fur times a year; thrugh the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Sumer Bids. The Summer 2017 Bid cnsisted f nly the suspensin f schl riented services fr the summer and minr trip travel times t address summer specific traffic cnditins. The nly significant service change fr the Fall 2017 Bid is the intrductin f Rute #22, which will prvide service between the Lng Marine Lab/Castal Science Building and the UCSC Main Campus, als prviding much needed capacity alng the Western Drive crridr. The fllwing are the fcus areas fr service planning effrts ver the next year: Winter UCSC Articulated Bus Pilt prject Intrductin f a six-mnth pilt prject using three leased buses t address capacity issues n existing rutes. Pr perfrming rutes 18.3

4 Bard f Directrs Page 4 f 7 Rutes 33/34 Staff is wrking with the SLV schl district t infrm parents f the risk t these services. METRO staff will be mnitring the perfrmance f these rutes during the Fall schl semester t determine whether t cntinue these services beynd that time. Rute 55 Staff will be mnitring ridership n the Via Pacifica variant leg f this rute which perates 3 times per weekday and n bth Saturday and Sunday tw trips. Rute 79 As part f planning fr intrductin f the new electric bus n a Watsnville Circulatr rute in , METRO will cnsider mdificatins t this rute, including eliminatin f the Pajar lp, which is als served by Mnterrey-Salinas Transit (MST). Highway 17 Express Staff will cnsider changing the mix f trips serving Sctts Valley and thse prviding nly San Jse t Santa Cruz express service (with NO Sctts Valley service). Spring/Summer 2018 Rutes 35/35A - There are a number f issues related t Sctts Valley/San Lrenz Valley service including: Limited evening frequency. Service n Sctts Valley Drive is in nly ne directin (utbund frm Santa Cruz). Opprtunities related t the reppulatin f the frmer Brland campus by UCSC and ther increases in emplyment, husing, and cmmercial prperties in the area. Summer/Fall 2018 Watsnville Circulatr METRO received a 2016 Lw Carbn Transit Operatins Prgram (LCTOP) grant fr an electric bus frm the State t perate as a Watsnville Circulatr, intended t link cmmn rigins and destinatins arund Watsnville at a cnvenient frequency. Outreach fr planning f this initiative will start sn with instigatin f the service t be based n the delivery date f the new electric bus. Preliminary infrmatin suggests that the Mnterey Bay Air Resurces District will sn award METRO with $200,000 in funding fr the initial year f peratin f this service. METRO has als received a 2017 LCTOP grant fr $240,000 which can be used fr, alng with future year grants, twards an additinal electric bus r cntinued perating subsidy fr the Circulatr. 18.4

5 Bard f Directrs Page 5 f 7 REVISED Other Planning Department Initiatives In additin t the basic nging service mdificatins, the Planning Department is develping the fllwing significant planning initiatives: Fare Restructure In December 2017, staff will initiate a discussin with the Bard related t fare structure and pprtunities fr fare payment technlgy imprvements and then wrk with the Bard Finance and Budget Cmmittee Standing Cmmittee in the first quarter f 2018 t explre fare restructuring recmmendatins. On-bard survey a dearth f data abut ur rider s demgraphics, travel patterns, custmer satisfactin, and technlgical capacity impacts ur ability t make effective imprvements. An n-bard survey, METRO s first since 2012, will be implemented this fall t learn mre abut these issues, alng with issues related t fare payment methds. Pacific Statin lng-term planning Staff will cntinue t investigate, in cnjunctin with the City f Santa Cruz, dwntwn service planning prtcls and pprtunities fr cperative facility develpment strategies. Transprtatin Netwrk Cmpanies (TNC) Many transit districts are starting t use TNCs such as Uber and Lyft t supplement their fixed-rute and paratransit services. Staff will investigate pprtunities fr METRO t use these types f services. American Public Transit Assciatin (APTA) Universities Cnference METRO is cmmitted t hsting this significant 2018 APTA event, at which METRO can highlight its wrking relatinships with UCSC, Cabrill Cllege, and San Jse State University. Hwy 1 Bus On Shulders Staff will cntinue t investigate pprtunities fr transit pririty in this crridr. The feasibility reprt shuld be ready fr Bard review in mid Onging crdinatin with UCSC and Cabrill UCSC will be hlding a student transprtatin fee ballt measure in May 2018 and Cabrill s tw-year initial student bus pass prgram cncludes this time next year, at which time METRO will need t negtiate a new cntract with the Cllege. Transprtatin Demand Management (TDM) Staff is wrking with the City f Santa Cruz n cncepts fr a dwntwn emplyee bus pass as part f a TDM prgram. Marketing Staff will prmte grwing initiatives, including the emplyer/emplyee cmmute tax benefit prgram. REVISION DISTRIBUTED AT 8/25/17 BOARD MEETING 18.5

6 Bard f Directrs Page 6 f 7 REVISED Unified Crridr Study Staff will cntinue t participate in, this critically imprtant planning analysis, led by the Reginal Transprtatin Cmmissin (RTC), n the future transprtatin uses f the Highway 1, the Squel/Freedm crridr, and the rail right-f-way. Autmatic Vehicle Lcatr (AVL) and Autmatic Passenger Cunting (APC) - The Planning and Infrmatin Technlgy (IT) Departments will cntinue t investigate pprtunities t intrduce this technlgy t imprve peratinal efficiency, data gathering and analysis, and prvide a custmer facing Predictive Arrival and Departure System (PADS). IV. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS/IMPACT There is n financial impact related t this status reprt V. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED There are n alternatives t cnsider. VI. ATTACHMENTS Nne Exhibit A: Quarterly Average Ridership by Rute Reprt Prepared By: Barrw Emersn, Planning & Develpment Manager REVISION DISTRIBUTED AT 8/25/17 BOARD MEETING 18.6