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Agenda Item # 9

BOARD MEMORANDUM

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

BACKGROUND: 

The FY 2006 Second Quarter Transit Operations Performance Report presents key performance information regarding the operation of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).   This report is routinely produced after each quarter and at the end of the fiscal year.   A detailed summary of the 2006 fiscal-year-to-date second quarter performance follows.

DISCUSSION: 

Ridership

Bus ridership through second quarter of FY 2006 totaled 15.6 million, a 0.7% increase compared to the previous fiscal year.   Average weekday ridership increased by 1.5% from 98,420 FYTD 2005 to 99,943 FYTD 2006.  This is the first increase since FY 2001 covering the same period.  Average Saturday ridership decreased by 0.6% while average Sunday ridership increased by 1.0%.

Light rail ridership continues to experience steady increases, showing an 11.6% improvement in total boardings through the second quarter of FY 2006.    The average weekday ridership of 24,023 through the second quarter of FY 2006 is the highest since June 2002 and 11.0% higher compared to the same period last year.   Average Saturday and Sunday ridership increased by 13.4% and 17.4%, respectively. 

Overall, total system ridership (bus and rail) through FY 2006 second quarter increased by 2.7%.  Average weekday ridership increased 3.2%, and average Saturday and Sunday ridership increased by 2.1% and 4.2%, respectively.  It should also be noted that FY 2006 is the first fiscal year since 2001 that VTA has not raised fares or cut service.

Operating Expense and Revenue

The total transit operating expense through second quarter of FY 2006 increased 5.3% to $122.1 million.

For the first six months of FY 2006, expenses for supplies and services, which constitute 20.2% of the total FYTD 2006 operating expenses, increased 28.0% compared to the same period last year.   Supplies and services consist primarily of parts, diesel fuel, professional services, security services, utilities, and other operating expenses.   Among these cost elements, fuel costs increased by $1.5 million and parts usage increased by $1.1 million as a result of the expiration of the warranty for most of the Kinkisharyo light rail vehicle fleet.

During the first six months of FY 2006, wages increased 0.4% while benefits increase 5.0%, compared to the same period last year.   Overall, cost of labor through the second quarter of FY 2006 was up 2.5% compared to the same period during FY 2005.

System total operating hours through the second quarter of FY 2006 increased by 2.6% compared to the same period during FY 2005.   The increase in operating expenses outpaced the increase in total system hours resulting in an increase in the system cost per total hour of 2.6% from $159.87 to $163.96, slightly above the FYTD adopted goal of $163.00.

Fare revenue collected during the first six months of FY 2006 was an estimated $17.3 million, up 13.6% compared to the same period during FY 2005.   The increase was primarily due to increased ridership and increased average fare revenue.  The farebox recovery ratio for the first six months of FY 2006 was 14.2%, an 8.4% improvement compared to the FY 2005 performance of 13.1% during the same period.

Key Performance Indicators

Bus operators unscheduled absenteeism (or personal time-off) through the second quarter of FY 2006 improved by 10.3% (from 8.7% last year to 7.8% this year).   Bus maintenance unscheduled absenteeism improved by 33.6% (from 11.0% last year to 7.3% this year).   Light rail operators unscheduled absenteeism improved by 7.2% (from 7.3% last year to 6.8% this year).  Light rail maintenance unscheduled absenteeism improved by 6.3% (from 7.9% last year to 7.4% this year).

Two performance measures, combined bus and light rail miles between chargeable accidents and percent scheduled service provided -- both showed decreases through the second quarter of FY 2006 when compared to FY 2005 but exceeded the established goals for FY 2006.   Miles between chargeable accidents was 194,840 compared to the established goal of 175,000.  During the first six months of FY 2006, the daily service reliability performance, which captures the percent of service provided, exceeded the established goal of 99.30%.

Through the second quarter of FY 2006, bus and light rail miles between mechanical schedule losses decreased 8.7% compared to FY 2005.   The number of mechanical road calls for bus and light rail that resulted in a service loss increased by 12.3% over the same period last year.  Engine problems topped the list of mechanical road calls with an increase of 37.8% in FY 2006.

FYTD light rail on-time performance declined by 1.8% compared to FYTD 2005.   The primary cause of the decline was the single-track operation between Convention Center and Virginia light rail stations to support the highway 87 HOV lanes project.   Bus on-time performance was 89.2% in FY 2006, down from last year’s 92.9%.  FY 2006 marks the first time VTA is utilizing the ACS (Advanced Communication System) data to determine on-time performance for bus.  The use of ACS technology is more accurate and will significantly increase the quantity of data collected.

VTA bus route productivity

In December 2003, the VTA Board of Directors approved the initial Service Management Plan, which formalized the methods and procedures used to design, develop, evaluate, and modify VTA bus services.   The Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 Service Management Plan utilizes the Board-adopted criteria to evaluate the performance of VTA bus routes, identify underutilized service, provide recommendations for improvement, and outline future activities to improve the productivity and efficiency of services provided.

Based on a review of the ridership productivity of each bus route during the first six months of FY 2006, the following bus routes are subject to future modifications: 13, 19, 25, 31, 33, 36, 40, 45, 51, 58, 60, 68, 81, and 82.

Paratransit

During the first six months of FY 2006, the Paratransit program net cost to VTA increased 4.4% compared to the same period last year.   However, the Paratransit program net cost to VTA was below budget despite an increase in passenger trips, additional trips associated with the VTA Eligibility Ride Program, an increase in new certified eligible clients enrolling in the system, and increased fuel costs.  The total passenger trips through the second quarter of FY 2006 were 474,391, an increase of 4.8% compared to same period last year.  Approximately 25% of the 4.8% increase is attributable to the eligibility ride program.

For the first six months of FY 2006, net cost per passenger trip was $25.69, an improvement of 0.4% compared to the same period last year, and below the established goal of $27.00.   The cost per trip includes 100% of all costs including fleet capital that is generally not included in the cost per trip in the NTD (National Transit Database).

Other Contracted and Inter-Agency Services

VTA is a funding partner supporting Caltrain, ACE, Highway 17 Express and Dumbarton Express.   Ridership through the first quarter of FY 2006 compared to the same period of FY 2005 is as follows:

• Caltrain ridership was 5,079,685, up 9.2%;
• Dumbarton Express ridership was 104,898, up 8.5%;
• ACE ridership was 302,882, down 6.3%;
• Highway 17* was 77,455, down 20.3%.

* No service in October 2005 due to labor strike.

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