HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 5.B 10/17/2017 SRTP Part 2CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHOF
Table 3: Fixed Route Performance Trends FY06 -FY15
Operating Cost j
$1,061,228
$1,190,068
$1,534,447
$1,395,999
$1,420,418 ?
$1,178,637
$1,253,316
$1,156,505
$1,367,877
$1,374,835
Fare Revenue
$126,168
$132,620
$126,363
$134,408
$130,032
$138,370
$170,639
$195,914
$218,933
$224,011
Revenue Vehicle Hours
14,700
11,894
15,410
15,606
15,804
13,498
14,063
15,881
17,118
18,620
Revenue Vehicle Miles
193,000 �
158,011
205,663 �
192531
,
198,334
186,383
195,453
215,751
,
227,229
246,124
Passengers 1
160,800
160,782
159,738
153,357
161,337
205,512
283,554
317,671
359,520
373,950
Operating Cost/Revenue Hour !
$72.19
$100.06
$99.57
$89.45
$89.88
$87.32
$89.12
$72.82
$79.91
$73.84
$85.00
Operating Cost/Passenger
$6.60
$7.40
$9.61
$9.10
$8.80
$5.74
$4.42
$3.64
$3.80
$3.68
$4.50
Passengers /Revenue Hour
10.9
13.5
10.4
9.8
10.2
15.2
20.2
20.0
21.0
20.1
20.0
Passengers /Revenue Mile
0.83
1.02
0.78
0.80
0.81
1.10
1.45
1.47
1.58
1.52
1.33
Farebox Recovery
11.9%
11.1%
8.2%
9.6%
9.2%
11.7%
13.6%
16.9%
16.0%
16.3%
20.0%
Fare /Passenger !
$0.78 j
$0.82
$0.79
$0.88
$0.81
$0.67
$0.60
$0.62
$0.61
$0.60
$0.70
PETALUMA TRANSIT
$196,198
$85,641
5,122
59,741
168,438
- $13.48
-$2.06
4.9
0.42
4.6%
-$0.07
17%
62%
38%
32 %°
82%
-15%
-36%
32%
38%
39%
•11%
CITY OF PETALUMA'- 201
Ridership Trends
After many years of stagnation around 150,000 to 165,000 annual hoardings, ridership has
been on a dramatic rise since 2010, but slowed noticeably in 2015. The Great - Recession
driven revamping of the route network around a new, eastside transit "hub" that occurred
in July 2010 has dramatically impacted Petaluma Transit for the better, as Figures 13 -19
depict.
However, the leveling off of ridership growth in the last year is troublesome. While the
causes are not clearly defined, it is likely an accumulation of headwinds such as: continued
free parking throughout the community, the financial inability of Petaluma Transit to
provide better frequencies to attract the true "choice rider ", and a notable drop in gasoline
prices. Petaluma is located in the northern sector of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, an
area traditionally known as transit friendly and urbanist, but is still very much a suburban,
auto - centric society that generally turns to public transportation only when driving alone is
not an option, or would be more expensive or slower than using transit. Petaluma offers
free parking and at a macro level does very little to dissuade auto usage. Thus, Petaluma
Transit's market remains those who cannot drive or do not have access to a car, due to age,
disability, or income. Making matters bleaker is the recent enrollment losses suffered by
the local school systems. It appears that a rapid rise in local housing costs may be driving
people of more limited means (local transit's main market) out of town to more affordable
locales to the north and east of Petaluma.
Figure 12: Total Fixed Route Passengers FY 2008 -09 to 2014 -15
400,000
350,000
300,000
CL
250,000
a�
w 200,000
m
150,000
Q
100,000
50,000
FY 08 -09 FY 09 -10 FY 10 -11 FY 11 -12 FY 12 -13 FY 13 -14 FY 14 -15
PETALUMA TRAn
CITY OF PETALUMA — 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT K
Both Figure 13 and Figure 14 highlight the more efficient and rider - friendly system
developed 'in 2010 (impacts FY 2011 and later) and the recent leveling off of ridership
growth. The productivity declines shown in FY15 are a combination of slightly lowered
productivity on weekdays, plus the addition of night service that began in August 2014.
Night service is rarely as productive as service during the day, and was anticipated to lower
overall system productivity.
Figure 13: Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Hour
L
0
x
v
s
a
d
d
d
d
d
CL
25
20 4
15 4 .
10 1
5-
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Figure 14: Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Mile
1.80
1.60
d
L 1.40
d
3 1.20
d 1.00
0.80
0.60
CL 0.40
0.20
PETALUMA T
Operating Cost /Vehicle Service Hour
Operating Cost /Vehicle Service Hour (VSH) is an indicator of service efficiency. Efficiency is
defined as the extent to which a service is meeting the intended goals. Operating costs have
generally declined, due to the streamlining of contracts into a single vendor, plus the
addition of service hours and adjustments to cost allocations. Intergovernmental fees
charged to Petaluma Transit by the City of Petaluma for finance, information technology,
and general overhead have fluctuated over the years, dropping in FY 10, but rising over
time since FY 12, primarily due to increased IT support required for the new paratransit
dispatch software, additional City computers & phones, website updates, and most
recently, support for AVL /CAD System and the integration of Clipper. In spite of these
increased intergovernmental fees, and the addition of a grant- funded marketing position in
2013, PT's fully loaded operations costs of $74 per revenue hour in FY1S remains among
the lowest of all Bay Area transit agencies. This is also an indication of the remarkably
"lean" nature of Petaluma Transit, with both City and Contractor staffing at a very low level.
Figure 1S shows how fixed route operating costs per hour have trended in recent years.
The chart traverses the later part of the previous decade, when the labor force organized,
as well as fuel increased, then into the streamlining efforts that saved money in the 2010
timeframe, and through the recent years of system growth and economic recovery.
Figure 15: Operating Cost per Revenue Vehicle Hour
$120
$100
$80
U)
0
U
c $60
L
d
Q
0 $40
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
PETALUMA TRANSI
CITY OF PETALUMA - 20
Operating Cost /Passenger
Operating Cost /Passenger is yet another indicator intended to assess cost - effectiveness. As
Petaluma Transit becomes an attractive system to use (realistic schedules, customer
friendly connections, shorter waits and shorter travel times), the cost per passenger
dropped over 50% in the period 2008 -13, and has remained fairly level since.
Figure 16: Operating Cost per Passenger
$12
$10
_ $8
N
O
V
a' $6
L
d
Q
O $4
$2
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Farebox Recovery
Subsequent to the 2000 Federal Census, the City of Petaluma was re- classified from a non -
urbanized to an urbanized area. According to the State of California's Transportation
Development Act (TDA) regulations, if the claimant is categorized as urbanized area, it
must maintain a ratio of fare revenue to operating cost of not less than 20 percent. The
MTC includes all local option sales taxes, including Measure M in Sonoma County, into the
local contribution and farebox calculation. Based on this inclusion, the City is in full
compliance with the 20 percent farebox ratio (FBR) standard (27.7 percent in FY15).
Without the inclusion of Measure M, the City reached a farebox recovery of 16.3 percent in
FY15. Without a significant fare or ridership increase in the near future, a farebox recovery
ratio of 20 percent without Measure M funds is unlikely to be attained. Fares have been
raised once since the last SRTP (2012), in 2014; prior to that the last increase was 2010, a
total of twice in five years. However, to induce usage of flash passes (and speed up the
PETALUMA TFJ
boarding process), the price of monthly and quarterly passes has not been raised over the
10 -year period.
Figure 17: Farebox Recovery Ratio: Fare Revenue / Operating Cost
25% _ ..
20% A....... __
U)
d
L
R
0 15%
L
F+
N
U
5% i
0%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Fare /Passenger
The final performance indicator we analyzed was the ratio between total fare revenue and
total passenger counts. This negative trend is attributed to the great increase in
transferring passengers that occurred when the new ETC (Eastside Transit Center) was
created in the middle of the service area. Prior to the ETC, transfers were very difficult to
make, and most PT riders didn't bother. They would simply wait longer or walk farther,
rather as no real connectivity existed on the Eastside (only downtown at 4th & C).
Transferring passengers do not pay twice for the same one -way trip. So, while PT has many
more passengers than before, the total fares collected has not risen at the same pace.
Pass sales have risen dramatically in the past several years, resulting in an overall lower
average fare for riders than if they paid for single rides. The benefit of passes is the value to
the customer AND the usage of flash passes significantly speeds up passenger boarding
times. The latter benefit is critical to Petaluma Transit due to the increasing problems with
on -time performance, especially at the timed transfer centers that make the system work.
The heavy use of passes helps keep the on -time performance from further decline.
PETALUMA TI
CITY OF PETALUMA
Figure 18: Fare per Passenger
1
CITY OF PETALUMA = 201
CHAPTER 4 — Paratransit Service and System Evaluation
Service Overview
Petaluma Paratransit service was initially introduced and provided as a dial -a-ride service
for the elderly and persons with disabilities by a local not - for - profit organization, Petaluma
People Services Center (PPSC). With the introduction of the Americans With Disabilities
Act (ADA) of 1990, jurisdictions providing public transit were required (under law) to
provide (ADA) complementary paratransit service for persons, who because of a disability
were unable to use general public transit services.
The City of Petaluma initially met this ADA requirement through a service agreement with
PPSC. As demand and operating costs increased, Petaluma Paratransit evolved into a fully
complementary, ADA paratransit service adhering to ADA regulated service policies and
requirements. Section 4 of this chapter provides an overview of ADA service regulations
and an assessment of Petaluma Paratransit's compliance with these regulations.
Today the service is fully integrated into Petaluma Transit and operated from the City's 555
North McDowell Blvd facility along with fixed route transit service through a single service
agreement with MV Transportation Inc. (MV). Petaluma Transit (the City) is responsible
for: policy development; budgeting and budget control; service monitoring, evaluation and
planning; fleet procurement; the provision and support of paratransit scheduling and
management reporting software; service procurement, contract administration; service
marketing; and contract compliance oversight. MV is responsible for: staff hiring, training
and ongoing supervision; trip booking, scheduling and dispatch; fare collection and
reconciliation; management report preparation; and public information; as well as fleet
maintenance and operations. The current five year service agreement between the City
and MV went into effect July 1, 2011. The current service agreement has a provision for
two additional optional years beyond the five year base. The current contract cycle ends
June 30, 2016. Petaluma Transit management and MV are currently discussing a proposal
to extend the current contract for the first optional year from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.
Current Policy Framework
Petaluma Paratransit's policy framework reflects the City's philosophy to operate a user -
friendly, ADA compliant and efficient demand - response service that effectively
accommodates the local travel needs of residents and visitors that cannot use fixed route
transit because of a disability. The Petaluma Paratransit Riders Guide (2015 -2016) was
PETALUMA TRAM
CITY OF PETALUMA - 201
updated in May 2015 providing additional clarification on a wide range of service policies
and trip booking procedures.
Key Policy Elements
Service Area
Petaluma Paratransit service area includes all trip origins and destinations within the
Petaluma urbanized area as well as areas outside the City Limits that are within 3/4 mile of
an active Petaluma transit fixed route.
Service Hours Span
Service is available Monday through Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., Saturday from
7:20 a.m. to 10AS p.m., and Sundays from 8:20 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Service is not provided
July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Eligibility
Service is available to ADA certified Petaluma residents and visitors. ADA eligibility is
based on an individual's inability to use Petaluma Transit fixed route buses because of a
disability or health condition. Eligible persons must register in advance.
Beginning in 2013, in- person functional assessments have been conducted to determine
eligibility. The introduction of functional assessments was an important demand
management initiative to control demand for paratransit and to support a shift in demand
to fixed route transit by persons with disabilities and the elderly.
Trip Booking
Trips can be booked up to one -week in advance from: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Saturday; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays (excluding those holidays that
Petaluma Transit is not operating). To be considered as an ADA regulated trip, advance
ride requests must be made at least one -day in advance, but no later than 5:00 p.m. the day
before the ride date. No advance trip request made one -day to one -week in advance can be
denied. However, pick up or drop off time can be negotiated in accordance with ADA
regulations.
Subscription reservations are offered on a limited basis for trips that recur weekly at the
same time to and from the same addresses. Same -day service is provided on a space
available basis. Subscription and same -day service are not required under ADA
regulations.
PETALUMA
CITY OF PETALUMA -= 20
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations need to be communicated at least two hours in advance of the scheduled pick
up time. Cancellations made less than two hours in advance are categorized as a late
cancellation and subject to a possible penalty under the No -show Policy.
No -show Policy
No -shows include late cancellations and trips cancelled at the door. A pattern of no -shows
can result in service suspension. Suspensions will be based on both the frequency of an
individual's rides and the frequency of his or her no- shows, in order to determine if a true
pattern or practice exists. Suspensions can apply to advance, subscription and same -day
trips.
The process described below results in a suspension for three no- shows /late cancellations.
All no -shows listed below occur within any floating 90 -day period and do not include
"excused situations" as agreed upon in advance by the client and Petaluma Paratransit
staff:
1. First No- show /Late Cancel: The no -show or late cancellation will be entered into
the rider history.
2. Second No- show /Late Cancel: A letter will be sent stating the dates and times of
both no -shows and informing the rider of the suspension policy.
After two no- show /late cancel incidents, the client will be monitored to ensure that their
number of no -show and late cancellations does not constitute over 10% of their trips. At
such a time as the no- shows /late cancellations do exceed 10% of client trips, the following
steps will be taken:
1. Third No- show /Late Cancel: After three no- show /late cancel incidents, if these
constitute over 10% of the trips taken by the client, a letter will be sent stating the
dates and times of all no -shows and will notify the passenger of the one week
suspension. This letter will include a copy of the appeal process. Petaluma
Paratransit staff will then contact the passenger to determine the dates of the
suspension period. The suspension is applicable to all trips provided by Petaluma
Paratransit.
2. Fourth No- show /Late Cancel: After four no- show /late cancel incidents, if these
constitute over 10% of the annual trips taken by the client, a letter will be sent
stating the dates and times of all four no -shows and will notify the passenger of the
PETALUMA TRANSIT
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016
two week suspension. This letter will include a copy of the appeal process.
Petaluma Paratransit staff will then contact the passenger to determine the dates of
the suspension period. The suspension is applicable to all trips provided by
Petaluma Paratransit.
Suspensions will not be imposed for circumstances that are beyond the rider's control.
Examples of situations not within their control are:
• A sudden personal emergency.
• Sudden or worsening illness.
• Late arrival of the vehicle.
Service Suspension for Abusive or Disruptive Behavior
Service will immediately be denied on a long -term basis to passengers who engage in
violent, seriously disruptive, or illegal conduct directed at other riders or Petaluma
Paratransit staff. Conduct includes, but is not limited to: threats or fear of physical or
verbal abuse; unlawful harassment, including unwelcome verbal, nonverbal, or physical
behavior having sexual or racial connotations; unauthorized use of equipment on the
vehicle; voluntarily and repeatedly violating vehicle - riding rules, including smoking in the
vehicle, eating or drinking without medical indication, or defacing equipment. Suspensions
will not be imposed for disruptive behavior caused by a disability.
Fare Policy
The current Petaluma Paratransit fare structure is:
Cash
$3.00 /one -way passenger trip
$6.00 /round passenger trip
Rider Card
$33.00 per card for 12 one -way trips
All ADA registrants and companions are required to pay fares. Under ADA regulations,
personal care attendants (PCAs) are not required to pay fares. It is assumed that PCAs
provide required assistance to the rider beyond the responsibilities of the paratransit
driver.
PETALUMA 7
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2
Driver Assistance
Drivers provide assistance on and off the paratransit bus including the securement of
mobility devices, as well as assistance to and from the main door of the trip origin and
destination. Any assistance beyond the driver responsibilities will be provided by a PCA or
companion.
On Time Performance
Ninety percent of all trips will arrive within 15 minute before or 15 minutes after the
scheduled and confirmed pick up time.
Dwell Time
When picking a passenger up, drivers will wait up to five minutes within the 30- minute
pick -up for the rider to be ready to board. If the passenger is not ready within five -
minutes of the bus arrival, the driver may depart and record the rider as a no -show.
Current Operating Framework
Paratransit Staff Resources
There are currently three full time and three part time drivers, as well as one casual extra
board driver providing paratransit coverage. Five dedicated dispatchers and road
supervisors provide dispatch coverage for both fixed route and paratransit operations. In
addition, MV's Contract Manager provides back -up or overload coverage on an as required
basis. Dispatch duties can range from window dispatch and incident management for both
services as well as paratransit trip booking, scheduling, radio dispatch and rider call backs
to confirm bookings. Given the scale of operation, dispatch and road supervisors act in
"utility player" roles covering a wide range of functions as required.
There is dispatch center coverage seven days a week from:
• 5:45 a.m. to 22:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• 6:45 a.m, to 22:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
• 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Dispatchers or road supervisors will sometimes operate either a paratransit bus or a road
supervisor vehicle to provide evening service if there is insufficient demand to support
regular paratransit service.
PETALUMA TRAI1
CITY OF PETALUMA'— 20
Fleet and Bus Maintenance
Petaluma Transit provides a fleet of seven City -owned paratransit cut -a -ways for Petaluma
Paratransit service. Current maximum bus pull -out is seven buses. A non - revenue Road
Supervisor vehicle is periodically used as back -up or in situations where paratransit
vehicles are running late. Two additional cut -a -ways are being ordered, for delivery in
Winter 2017. Fleet maintenance is provided by the current contractor, MV at the 555 North
McDowell Blvd facility. Table 4 provides a summary of the current Petaluma Paratransit
fleet.
Table 4: 2015 Active Petaluma Paratransit Service Fleet"
Vehicle
#
12
Year
2010
Make
Ford E450
Length
24
Type
C.t-a -way
Fuel
Gas
Seating
12
W/C
3
Replace
Year
2015
14
2011
Ford E350
22
Cara -way
Gas
8
3
2016
15
2012
Ford E350
22
Cuta -way
Gas
8
3
2017
16
2012
Ford E350
22
CuVa -way
Gas
8
3
2017
11
2013
Ford E450
24
C.t -a -way
Ga.
12
3
2018
13
2015
Ford E450
24
C.t-a -way
Gaa
12
3
2020
17
2015
Ford E350
22
C va -way
Ga.
8
3
2020
Trip Scheduling and Dispatch
Petaluma Paratransit trips are booked, scheduled and dispatched using Trapeze NOVUS
(Version 2.1.15) software. Trapeze NOVUS was first introduced in Fall 2011 and recently
updated in November 2014.
NOVUS is designed for smaller demand - response systems like Petaluma Paratransit.
NOVUS was developed, and is provided and serviced by the Trapeze Group Limited. The
Petaluma application was implemented with a mobile data terminal technology using
onboard computer tablets to: enhance paper dispatch /driver manifests; enable real time
dispatching; automate the collection of required daily operating statistics; and reduce radio
communication between paratransit vehicle operators and dispatchers.
io Unit 11 is used both for fixed route and paratransit.
PETALUMA T
There are two work stations, as well as the Project Manager's office equipped with NOVUS
terminals to process paratransit trip requests and cancellations. The City of Petaluma's
Transit Manager and Transit Specialist also have desktop access to the current NOVUS
system. Table 5 summarizes dispatch coverage at the time of the SUP field assessment.
Table 6 summarizes the trip booking, scheduling and dispatch process.
There are four phone lines for incoming trip request calls. For cancellations, callers are
prompted to a cancellation line that goes directly to the primary dispatcher on duty. There
is no system in the dispatch center that displays the number of incoming calls on hold.
Table 5: Dispatch Center Coverage by Day of Week (August 2014)
Table 6: Petaluma Paratransit Trip Booking, Scheduling and Dispatch Process
Trip Bookings/ • Trip requests are processed from: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
Cancellations through Saturday; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays (excluding
those holidays that Petaluma Transit is not operating)
• Caller's name and trip origin address is confirmed at the time of
booking.
• Dispatcher confirms and enters a requested drop off time and
address.
• At the time of the SUP field assessment the NOVUS "assign now"
scheduling function was not working and a pick up time could not
be negotiated and confirmed with the caller at the time of booking.
This resulted in separate scheduling and confirmation call back
steps."
• A cancellation voice mail service is available 24/7 allowing riders to
leave an advance cancellation message outside of normal dispatch
11 If the "assign now" function was working, dispatchers could confirm pick up and drop off times at the time
the request was being made while the rider was on the telephone. This would have saved the need for a call
back. Dispatchers would make call backs even if the "assign now" function was working, In the case of
Petaluma Paratransit, call backs serve as a reminder to the rider that they in fact have a trip booked.
Dispatchers feel the call back practice reduces late cancellations and no shows.
EMEMEEMN
ffir7.45-5:45
9:00 -6:00
8:30 -5:00
8:30.5:00
5:45 -14:00
off
off
ff
5:45 -12:00
5:45 -12:00
5 :45 -12:00
off
5:45.12:00
6:45 -14:00
ff
off
12 :00.18:00
12:00 -18:00
12:00 -18:00
9:00 -17:30
14:00.22:30
ff
14:00 -22:30
14:00 -22:30
14:00 -22:30
14:00 -22:30
14:00 -22:30
off
off
6:00 -14:30
6:00 -14 :30
6:00 -14:30
6:00.14:30
6:00 -14:30
off
Table 6: Petaluma Paratransit Trip Booking, Scheduling and Dispatch Process
Trip Bookings/ • Trip requests are processed from: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
Cancellations through Saturday; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays (excluding
those holidays that Petaluma Transit is not operating)
• Caller's name and trip origin address is confirmed at the time of
booking.
• Dispatcher confirms and enters a requested drop off time and
address.
• At the time of the SUP field assessment the NOVUS "assign now"
scheduling function was not working and a pick up time could not
be negotiated and confirmed with the caller at the time of booking.
This resulted in separate scheduling and confirmation call back
steps."
• A cancellation voice mail service is available 24/7 allowing riders to
leave an advance cancellation message outside of normal dispatch
11 If the "assign now" function was working, dispatchers could confirm pick up and drop off times at the time
the request was being made while the rider was on the telephone. This would have saved the need for a call
back. Dispatchers would make call backs even if the "assign now" function was working, In the case of
Petaluma Paratransit, call backs serve as a reminder to the rider that they in fact have a trip booked.
Dispatchers feel the call back practice reduces late cancellations and no shows.
CITY OF PETALUMA`- 2016
Performance Trends
Costs /Revenue and Ridership Trends
Table 7 on the following page provides an overview of Petaluma Paratransit performance
trends for the five year period from FY 2010/11 to FY 2014/15.
center hours or if they are unable to they cannot get through
because of high call volumes.
• Dispatchers net cancellations off scheduled routes as calls come in
live or as check messages and they are aware of them as they check
voice mail.
Trip Scheduling
• Since the NOVUS "assign now" feature was not functioning at the
time of the SRTP field assessment the assignment or scheduling of
trip requests occurred as a separate step from the request booking.
• Scheduling was accomplished with NOVUS by dragging and
dropping individual trip requests onto route templates.
• All schedule "optimization" was done manually. The NOVUS batch
scheduling feature was not functioning.
• All riders are given a telephone call back by the evening dispatcher
to confirm pick up time on the evening before the travel day.
• Trip time negotiation would occur both at the time of
booking (if the dispatcher knew there was a specific capacity
issue) or at the time of the call back.
Trip Dispatch
• Hard copy driver manifests are printed on the day of service prior to
the departure of a run.
• Day and evening dispatchers update electronic manifest with same
day requests, late cancellations and no shows.
• Trip assignment changes are made by dispatchers on day of service
based upon on time performance issues, vehicle breakdowns or
other incidents on the road.
• Changes are communicated to the driver electronically
(software /tablet interface) and by voice radio
communication. Drivers report cancellations at the door, no-
shows and other incidents — dispatcher records updates to
schedules, and coordinates response to road incidents.
Performance Trends
Costs /Revenue and Ridership Trends
Table 7 on the following page provides an overview of Petaluma Paratransit performance
trends for the five year period from FY 2010/11 to FY 2014/15.
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT
Table 7: Petaluma Paratransit Performance Trends
Operating Cost
$458,888
$521,032
$623,287
$600,040
$595,952
$664,852
j $630,808
$865,149
$876,345
$885,116
$289,164
49%
Fare Revenue
$44,129
$38,323
$44,130
$38,528
$33,352
$50,315
$51,206
$44,757
$53,738
$58,966
$25,614
77%
Revenue Vehicle Hours
10,000
7,927 j
8,193
8,915
8,479
9,247
8,365
8,282
9,079
8,876
397
5%
Revenue Vehicle Miles
66,000
73,471 1
77,246
1 84,097
77,029
84,652
69,070
90,056
80,795
85,248
8,219
11
One Way Passenger Trips
20,500
21,586
21,126
22,300
20,529
22,965
24,100
21,789
25,411
26,457
5,928
29%
Operating Cost/Revenue Hour
$45.89
$65.73
$76.08
$67.31
$70.29
$71.90
$75.41
$104.46
$96.52
$99.72
$29.43
i
42 %°
Operating Cost/Passenger Trip j
$22.38
$24.14
$29.50
$26.91
$29.03 ?
$28.95
$26.17
$39.71
$34.49
$33.45
$4.43
15%
Passengers /Revenue Hour
2.1
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.5
2.9
2.6
2.8
3.0
0.6
23%
Passengers /Revenue Mile
0.3 j
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.0
16%
Revenue Miles /Passenger
3.2 '
3.4 1
3.7
3.8
3.8
3.7
2.9
4.1
3.2
3.2
-0.5
-14%
Farebox Recover y
°
9.62 /°
°
7.36 /°
°
7.08 /°
6.42%
5.60%
7.57%
8.12%
5.17%
6.13%
6.66%
1.07%
19%
Avera e Fare/One Way Passenger Trip
$2.15
$1.78
$2.09
$1.73
$1.62
$2.19
$2.12
$2.05
$2.11
$2.23
$0.60
37%
Subsidy /One Way Passenger Trip
$20.23
$22.36
$27.41
$25.18
$27.41
$26.76
$24.05
$37.65
$32.37
$31.23
$3.82
14%
During the five year period from FY 2010/11 to FY 2014/15 there have been issues regarding the calculation of revenue hours and revenue miles. The breakout of
revenue and non - revenue hours and miles was not consistent from year to year. Steps have been taken to correct this issue going forward.
PETALUMA TRANSIT
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSI'1' 1' F
From the data summarized in Table 7, between FY10 to FY1512:
• Total annual operating costs have increased by 49% in keeping with revenue hour
unit cost increase of 42 %. The jump in operating costs between FY 2011/12 and FY
2012/13 resulted in the assignment of appropriate operating costs to paratransit
following the consolidation of the paratransit and fixed route contracts under one
contract in 2012.
• Increases in total annual operating costs were kept lower than the annual operating
cost per revenue hour with an increase in hourly productivity of 23% and a modest
growth of revenue hours of 5 %.
• Ridership has increased by 29% reflecting an annual growth rate of 5.2 %.
• Farebox revenues increased by 77% driven largely by the increase in ridership.
• The farebox revenue ratio averaged 6.76% during this period and has remained
below the TDA guideline of 10 %.
Cancellations and No -shows
Table 8 provides a snapshot of Petaluma Paratransit cancellation and no -show rates. Late
cancellations and no -shows are important to track as they can greatly impact operating
costs, hourly productivity and farebox recovery. Completed trip, cancellation, and no -show
data was sampled for the months of April, May and June 2015. The breakdown provided in
Table 8 is felt to be representative of Petaluma Paratransit general trends.
Of the total 7,116 trip requests booked and scheduled for the period April, May and June
2015:
• 92.36% were completed.
• 7.64% were not completed - cancelled or no- showed.
• 6.32% were cancelled with sufficient notice.
• 0.96% were cancelled with insufficient notice.
• 0.37% were recorded as no- shows.
Petaluma Paratransit's cancellation rate has dropped significantly from a similar sample
taken from the period April, May and June 2012. From the 2012 sample completed trips
12 The historical data used to show paratransit trends is for the 6 -year span from FY10, as in FY11 new
paratransit dispatching software was adopted which led to data inconsistences during that year.
PETALUMA TRAM;
CITY OF PETALUMA`- 2016 Sl
were 84.56% with 15.44% of booked and scheduled trips not completed and recorded as
cancelled or no- shows13,
Table 8: Petaluma Paratransit Cancellation and No -show Trends (April, May and June 2015)
Notes: Total passenger trips (includes registrants and PCAs and companions) booked and scheduled are the total one way passenger trips scheduled
before cancellations and no -shows are net off.
Advance cancellations are recorded when a customer cancels their trip with dispatch at least 2 hours in advance.
Late cancellations and no -shows are recorded if dispatch is notified less than 2 hours of a trip cancellation, (insufficient notification), if the customer
cancels with the driver when picked up, or if the customer is not available for pick up with 5 minutes of the scheduled arrival of the partransit vehicle.
Total completed trips are total passenger trips booked and scheduled net cancellations and no- shows.
Total registrant trips are those one way passenger trips made by actual Petaluma Paratransit registrants.
Proportion Subscription to Reservation Trips
Table 9 provides a breakdown of passenger trips by subscription and casual trip categories
as well as an estimate of passenger trips made by companions and Personal Care
Attendants (PCAs) traveling with Petaluma Paratransit registrants. From the April, May
and June 2015 sample, Petaluma Transit appears to be within ADA subscription to casual
trip ratio parameters14. However, a closer look at this data by service hour indicates that
Petaluma Paratransit is exceeding ADA subscription ratios during peak hours.
13 City of Petaluma - 2012 Short Range Transit Plan, pp. 32 &33.
14 It is generally a transit industry norm to consider overall subscription to casual trip ratios when evaluating
ADA compliance. However, it is a good practice to review this ratio on an individual service coverage hour to
better monitor sufficient capacity to accommodate casual trips.
PETALUMA TR
April
May
June <
Total
%
Total PassengerTrips
2,459
2,276
2,381
7,116
100.00%
Booked /Scheduled
Total Advance & Same Day
129
169
152
450
6.32%
Cancellations
Late Cancellations (including
30
19
19
68
0.96%
insufficient notice)
No Shows
13
5
8
26
0.37%
Total Cancellations and No
172
193
179
544
7.64%
Shows
Total
2,287
2,083
2,202
6,572
92.36%
Completed Passenger Trips
Total Registrant Trips
2,140
1,920
2,020
6,080
100.00%
Total
926
846
858
2,630
43.26%
Subscription trips
Total Casual Trips
1,214
1,074
1,162
3,450
56.74%
Total
147
163
183
493
7.50%
Companion & PCA Trips
Notes: Total passenger trips (includes registrants and PCAs and companions) booked and scheduled are the total one way passenger trips scheduled
before cancellations and no -shows are net off.
Advance cancellations are recorded when a customer cancels their trip with dispatch at least 2 hours in advance.
Late cancellations and no -shows are recorded if dispatch is notified less than 2 hours of a trip cancellation, (insufficient notification), if the customer
cancels with the driver when picked up, or if the customer is not available for pick up with 5 minutes of the scheduled arrival of the partransit vehicle.
Total completed trips are total passenger trips booked and scheduled net cancellations and no- shows.
Total registrant trips are those one way passenger trips made by actual Petaluma Paratransit registrants.
Proportion Subscription to Reservation Trips
Table 9 provides a breakdown of passenger trips by subscription and casual trip categories
as well as an estimate of passenger trips made by companions and Personal Care
Attendants (PCAs) traveling with Petaluma Paratransit registrants. From the April, May
and June 2015 sample, Petaluma Transit appears to be within ADA subscription to casual
trip ratio parameters14. However, a closer look at this data by service hour indicates that
Petaluma Paratransit is exceeding ADA subscription ratios during peak hours.
13 City of Petaluma - 2012 Short Range Transit Plan, pp. 32 &33.
14 It is generally a transit industry norm to consider overall subscription to casual trip ratios when evaluating
ADA compliance. However, it is a good practice to review this ratio on an individual service coverage hour to
better monitor sufficient capacity to accommodate casual trips.
PETALUMA TR
CITY OF PETALUMA,- 2016 SF
Exceeding the ADA 50% maximum subscription ratio by service hour becomes a problem if
there is insufficient capacity to accommodate casual trips and casual trips booked one day
or more in advance are denied because of insufficient space.
Table 9: Petaluma Paratransit Peak Service Hours with High Subscription Trip Ratios (April,
May and June 2015)
Percentage of Subscription Trips
April
May
June
6:00 - 7 :00
86.70%
97.00%
88.60%
7:00 = 8:00
69.30%
82.90%
75.70%
8:00 - 6:00
69.10%
69.20%
61.40%
14:00 - 15:00
70.20%
66.10%
66.90%
19:00 - 20 :00 ' '
65.40%
80.00%
69.20%
ADA Compliance
Since the passage of this landmark civil rights legislation in 1990, ADA complementary
paratransit services must be measured on their compliance with the requirements of the
Americans With Disabilities Act. The ADA requires that agencies offering fixed route transit
must ensure that "equivalent" or complementary paratransit service be offered to riders
who cannot utilize fixed route services due to a disability.
ADA regulations define the minimum level of service required that applies to the ADA
complementary paratransit service when it is delivered to ADA eligible riders. In cases
where agencies provide dial -a -ride services to non -ADA eligible persons, the specific
service to non -ADA eligible riders does not have to meet ADA requirements.
In response to local community transit goals, objectives and priorities, many paratransit
services such as Petaluma Paratransit exceed the majority of the basic ADA requirements.
However, it is important to fully assess compliance on all ADA regulatory requirements to
ensure that the City of Petaluma is above any risk of non - compliance. Agencies that are not
fully compliant often find this out when an ADA eligible passenger challenges them on an
operating practice or service policy issue.
PETALUMA TRAN
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016
The provisions of the Act are complex and govern all aspects of service provision, as well as
regulating many aspects of American life, including employment, building and facility
architecture, bus design, etc. Table 10 outlines the important provisions of the ADA
paratransit regulations, identifies Petaluma Paratransit performance, and determines
whether the service meets or exceeds the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities
Act.
Although Petaluma Paratransit is either in compliance or in some cases exceeds ADA
requirements, the high percentage of subscription trips during the peak hours is an area of
potential risk if casual trip requests are denied at these times. There may come a point
when Petaluma Paratransit may have to place a moratorium on new subscription trips or
actual reduce the number of subscription trips at times when trip volume requests exceed
capacity. It should be noted that programs under the Regional Center umbrella are funded
for alternative transportation services and not reliant on ADA paratransit. The denial of
Petaluma Paratransit subscription service to registrants going to and from Regional Center
programs would not mean that these program participants would be without access to
these programs. The Regional Center would simply contract for alternative transportation
services that would be more customized to their needs.
Figure 18: Petaluma Paratransit
PETALUMA TR
CITY OF PETALUMA 20
Table 10: Petaluma Paratransit: ADA Compliance Summary
Individuals who are unable to use
fixed -route transit due to a
disability or mobility impairment
are eligible for ADA complementary
paratransit.
PETALUMA TRAN,1
Petaluma Paratransit is limited to
persons whose disabilities prevent
them from using fixed -route bus
service, all of the time or some of
the time.
Certification is contingent on the
results of an "in- person" functional
assessment.
Conditional ADA paratransit
eligibility will be determined based
on the person's ability to use fixed
route transit under certain
conditions.
Children under six (6) years of age
will be considered for Paratransit
eligibility based on the functional
ability of both the accompanying
adult and child (as a team) to use
fixed route bus service. All children
under six (6) years of age must be
accompanied by an adult. They
cannot ride unattended. Children
six (6) years of age and older will be
assessed on their independent
functional ability to use the fixed -
route bus service.
ADA paratransit eligibility enables
persons with disabilities to qualify
for the fixed route free fare
program.
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
ADA requirement.
CITY OF PETALUMA'— 2016
A DA Requirements
Petalurrra Paratrans�t
Meets Requirements?
;.. -
Reservations
PeM'forrnance
Passengers must be able to make a
Passengers can reserve trips from 1
Petaluma Paratransit exceeds this
"next" day reservation. Longer
to 7 days ahead of the actual date
ADA requirement by
reservations and standing
service is needed.
accommodating same day requests
reservations may be offered.
on a space available basis.
Trips requiring a transfer to
another regional paratransit service
require at least 48 hours advance
notice.
Subscription reservations are
accommodated.
Same day trips are accommodated
on a space available basis.
Purpose Trip
There may be no prioritization or
There are no trip purpose
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
limitation placed on trip purposes,
restrictions or limits on the number
ADA requirement.
and there may be no limits on he
of trips an individual can book.
number of trips an individual may
take on paratransit.
Subscription .
Subscription trips or standing
The current Petaluma Paratransit
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
orders may not exceed 50% of
trip mix is slightly over 50%
ADA requirement.
capacity during any time period
subscription. However, Petaluma
when capacity is limited.
Paratransit is able to support this
However, the City should closely
mix without denying casual trip
monitor the percentage of
requests booked at least one day in
subscription trips during peak
advance.
hours to ensure sufficient capacity
to accommodate all casual trip
requests made at least one day in
advance
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRA
ADA paratransit service must be
offered in all areas defined as being
within Y4 mile of a scheduled fixed
route.
Service must be offered during the
days and times when fixed-route
service is offered.
Under current ADA legal
interpretation, no trip request
booked at least one day in
advance can be denied. However,
agencies can offer travel time
alternatives within one hour before
or after the originally requested
drop off or pick up time (on the
return trip).
PETALUMA TRW
The service area for Petaluma
Paratransit includes everything
within the urbanized area
(generally the city limits) of
Petaluma, regardless of the
existence (or lack) of Petaluma
Transit (PT) fixed route service. It
also includes areas outside the city
limits that are within Y4 mile of an
active PT fixed route bus line.
Service is available Monday through
Friday from 6:20 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.,
and Saturday from 7:20 am to 5:45
pm, excluding certain holidays.
Petaluma Paratransit has recently
amended procedures regarding
scheduling windows to more easily
record trip denials and adversarial
refusals
An adversarial refusal is recorded
when a paratransit registrant
refuses a trip option allowable
within ADA regulations.
Petaluma Paratransit exceeds this
requirement.
In some areas of its service area,
Petaluma Paratransit provides
service coverage beyond 3/4 mile
a scheduled transit route.
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
ADA requirement. Service hours
fully cover those of Petaluma
Transit fixed route service.
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
ADA requirement.
CITY OF PETALUMA - 201
Fares for ADA paratransit may be
up to twice the adult cash fare for
fixed route service.
Origin -to- destination service is
required by ADA and may include
door -to -door to those who have
difficulty getting to and from the
vehicle.
The Petaluma Paratransit fare for a
one -way passenger trip is $3.00
based on regular fixed route fare of
$1.50
Door -to -door assisted service is
provided for all Petaluma
Paratransit trips (unless passenger
specifically requests curb -to -curb
service).
Guests are accommodated if I Petaluma Paratransit transports
booked with registered passenger. I PCAs at no charge if they are
Guests ride the paratransit service
provided they have reserved in
advance, pay the full fare for their
ride and are subject to capacity
constraints.
Attendants who are required to
assist a rider may ride at no charge,
provided they are registered as a
Personal Care Attendant (PCA) and
have reserved in advance.
Vehicles must be designed to
accommodate both ambulatory
passengers and persons using an
electric wheelchair, scooter or non -
powered wheelchair.
PETALUMA TRH?
traveling at the same time and from
the same origin and to the same
destination as the registrant.
Guests are accommodated if
booked with registered passenger
on a space available basis and
charged a fare.
Petaluma Paratransit exceeds this
requirement by offering a
discounted one way fare of $2.75
when Rider Cards are purchased.
Petaluma Paratransit meets the
minimum ADA requirement.
Petaluma Paratransit meets this
ADA requirement.
All Petaluma Paratransit service Petaluma Paratransit meets this
vehicles are wheelchair accessible. I ADA requirement.
In certain situations road
supervisor vehicles are used to
transport ambulatory registrants
who do not require a lift equipped
vehicle.
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHC
Demand Forecasts
Petaluma Transit has introduced demand management initiatives to more effectively
control the annual growth rate in ADA Paratransit demand. These include the introduction
of free transit fares for ADA registrants, the operation of low floor buses, transit travel
training, and in person functional assessments to determine eligibility for full paratransit
service. These initiatives are the key elements of controlling annual growth in ADA
Paratransit demand.
It was assumed that these demand management initiatives would effectively limit growth
in ADA Paratransit demand. Based on an assumed effective demand management impact
and a relatively static annual growth rate of 1.12% between FY 2007/08 and FY 2011/12,
an annual demand growth rate of one percent was assumed in the 2012 Petaluma Transit
SRTP for the period 2012/13 to FY 2021/22.
Despite demand management efforts, ADA paratransit has increased substantially in the
last two years. From the data summarized in Table #d, actual ridership increased by 3,492
one way passenger trips. Given this recent spike in demand growth, the annual ADA
Paratransit growth has jumped to 3.20% for the period FY 2007/08 to FY 2014/15.
Table 11 summarizes annual demand projections and annual revenue hours for the 10-
year period FY 2015/16 to FY 2024/25 using a low growth rate of one percent (from the
2012 SRTP) and a revised high growth rate of 3.20% (based on the spike in ridership in FY
2013/14 and FYY 2014/15).
PETALUMA TRANSIT
CITY OFPETALUMA - 2016 SHORT
Table 11: Annual ADA Paratransit Demand and Revenue Hour Projections (FY 2015/16 - FY 2024/25)
An annual productivity benchmark of 3.0 passengers per revenue hour is assumed for the period FY 2015/16 to FY 2024/25.
The ridership in FY 2013/14 and FY 2014/15 is not felt to be representative on realistic annual growth rates15. However, it is
advisable to plan service levels in accordance with the higher growth rate to ensure adequate funding levels. Annual growth
should be monitored to determine whether there is a need to lower or raise the growth rate prior or in conjunction with the
next SRTP.
1s The jump could be in part a result of the opening of a number of new seniors residential developments or the fact that Petaluma Paratransit is a
customer friendly service that may encourage individual registrants to travel.
PETALUMA TRANSIT
Year
Base Year
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2023/24
2024/2025
Demand Projections (1.00% Annual
Growth)
26,457
26,722
26,989
27,259
27,531
27,807
28,085
28,365
28,649
28,936
29,225
:Revenue Hours (1.00% Annual
Growth)
8,876
8,907
8,996
9,086
9,177
9,269
9,362
9,455
9,550
9,645
9,742
'Demand Projections (3.20% Annual
Growth)
26,457
27,304
28,177
29,079
30,010
30,970
31,961
32,984
34,039
35,128
36,252
'Revenue Hours (3.20% Annual
Growth)
8,876
9,101
9,392
9,693
10,003
10,323
10,654
10,995
11,346
11,709
12,084
An annual productivity benchmark of 3.0 passengers per revenue hour is assumed for the period FY 2015/16 to FY 2024/25.
The ridership in FY 2013/14 and FY 2014/15 is not felt to be representative on realistic annual growth rates15. However, it is
advisable to plan service levels in accordance with the higher growth rate to ensure adequate funding levels. Annual growth
should be monitored to determine whether there is a need to lower or raise the growth rate prior or in conjunction with the
next SRTP.
1s The jump could be in part a result of the opening of a number of new seniors residential developments or the fact that Petaluma Paratransit is a
customer friendly service that may encourage individual registrants to travel.
PETALUMA TRANSIT
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT P -� r %'
Summary & Recommendations
Petaluma Paratransit Summary Comments
Petaluma Paratransit is a productive, efficient and ADA compliant service. It remains a
small scale, customer responsive service fully integrated with Petaluma Transit's fixed
route service.
Although Petaluma Transit and Petaluma Paratransit operate with limited management
and administrative staff resources, the service has been,able to implement a number of
demand management initiatives to shift paratransit riders to the fixed route service and to
control annual increases in paratransit ridership. Although both City and contractor staff
resources are limited and stretched thin, City and contractor staff works closely as a team
to provide effective public transportation services and address issues that arise. The
Petaluma Paratransit Riders Guide (2015 -2016) was updated in December 2015 providing
additional clarification on a wide range of service policies and trip booking procedures.
Petaluma Paratransit productivity has continued to improve. The contractor effectively
controls both non - revenue and revenue hours through scheduling and dispatch. Buses are
taken out of revenue service when there are gaps in demand. Buses are taken out of
service during low demand evening service hours and trips are served on an as required
basis by evening dispatchers16 or road supervisors operating lift- equipped paratransit
service vehicles, or supervisor vehicles if a rider does not need a lift- equipped vehicle.
The following recommendations build on service strengths that have evolved over time and
the recommendations implemented from the 2012 SRTP, and focus on areas where
administrative and operations enhancements could be considered. These include service
monitoring, reporting and contract oversight, scheduling and dispatch software
shortcomings, accommodating trips in off peak hours, and trip assignment policies and
procedures.
16 Dispatchers remain in radio contact with fixed route buses while on the road as a paratransit driver.
PETALUMA TRANSIT
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016
Petaluma Paratransit Recommendations
Service Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Planning
All performance assessment included in Chapter 4 assumes that Petaluma Paratransit
ridership, service volume, cost and revenue data was correct and calculated consistently.
City and contract staff has raised concerns about the stability of the Trapeze NOVUS
software and the integrity of management reports it produces. It has also become apparent
that Trapeze is phasing out support of the NOVUS program.
Monthly reporting formats do not support effective service monitoring or the efficient
preparation of NTD reports. Petaluma Transit does not have sufficient staff resources to
effectively monitor, evaluate and plan Petaluma Paratransit service. In addition, Petaluma
Transit requires a fully functional scheduling and dispatch software system that meets its
service operational and reporting requirements.
Recommendation 1: In the next contract cycle include a requirement for the
contractor to provide and support a paratransit scheduling program that fully meets
the scheduling, dispatch and reporting requirements of Petaluma Paratransit.
• Under this arrangement the contractor will assume full responsibility for the
accuracy of data produced in the monthly operations reports and for scheduling
system maintenance and function.
• Costs would be included in the contractor's monthly fixed overhead charge broken
out for Petaluma Paratransit.
Recommendation 2: Use a revised, more comprehensive, monthly operations
reporting format with formulae to calculate data and performance measures
required for NTD.
• The revised monthly operations report is modeled on a report developed by Santa
Rosa CityBus to enhance and speed up the monitoring and evaluation of service
performance and to more effectively oversee contract compliance.
• The revised format will save City staff time in the preparation of NTD reports.
Recommendation 3: Use contractor's monthly operations reports and invoices as
data sources for monitoring and service evaluation.
• Once data consistency and accuracy are determined this approach will facilitate a
consistent source of ridership and service volume data.
CITY OF PETALUMA = 201E
Recommendation 4: City staff verify revenue hours and farebox revenue collection
claimed on invoices with data provided in monthly operations reports and from
random audits of daily dispatch logs.
• A consistent verification of invoiced charges and farebox revenues identified on
monthly invoices with ridership and service volumes recorded on monthly reports
offers an acceptable farebox reconciliation and check on invoiced charges.
Recommendation 5: City staff maintain remote computer access to contractor's
scheduling system to audit ridership and operating performance.
• Direct access to scheduling software allows ongoing checks to verify service
performance, the accuracy of monthly operations reports and to investigate rider
complaints.
Recommendation 6: Establish a true program cost for Petaluma Paratransit
separate from Petaluma Transit's fixed route system.
Would include all approved gross17 service contractor charges variable based on
revenue hours operated and the 40% assignment of the contractor's monthly fixed
fee (60% of the monthly fixed fee would be assigned to the fixed route part of the
contract), as well as Paratransit specific fuel and maintenance costs (traced by
vehicle number), monthly ADA eligibility interview charges, and a portion of City
overheads (based on the proportion of Paratransit revenue hours to fixed route
revenue hours operated under the service agreement).
Recommendation 7. Increase Petaluma staff levels to support ongoing Petaluma
Paratransit and Petaluma Transit service monitoring, evaluation, planning and
contract oversight requirements.
• Effective contract oversight and service monitoring require a dedicated focus.
Petaluma Transit is understaffed to consistently carry out effective contract and
service monitoring.
• An additional 0.5 FTE is suggested to support ongoing Petaluma transit monitoring
and planning.
17 Contractor monthly charges should be based on gross invoiced charges before farebox revenues are net off.
PETALUMA TRAN,
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016
Scheduling and Dispatch Policies and Procedures
The following recommendations assume the Recommendation 1 upgrading of the
scheduling software to support an "assign -now" scheduling function and a batch scheduling
optimization function. By having the contractor responsible for the provision and integrity
of the scheduling software system, the contractor would assume direct responsibility for
the effective function of the system and adjustment of scheduling parameters in accordance
with City service policy and direction. By having direct responsibility for the scheduling
software system, the contractor could more effectively manage productivity and service
quality.
Recommendation 8: Contractor fully use an "assign -now" scheduling function in the
negotiation of trip drop off and pick up times.
• The real time scheduling of trip requests onto routes supports the negotiation of
trips to avoid service denials, the confirmation of pick up and drop off times when
the trip request is made, and eliminates the requirement to call back riders to
confirm their times. By supporting ADA trip negotiation, adversarial refusals
(allowable under ADA regulations) are a possible way of avoiding capacity related
trip denials.
Recommendation 9: City monitor the proportion of subscription trip bookings by
service hour and if required impose a moratorium on new or a reduction of existing
subscription bookings during those hours when subscription bookings exceed 50 %.
• Under ADA regulations, paratransit services cannot deny any ADA eligible casual
trip request made at least one day in advance of the desired travel.
• Managing subscription bookings and trip negotiation are allowable ways of
reserving capacity for casual trips, avoiding capacity related trip denials and
managing revenue hours within budget ceilings.
• Servicing subscription bookings is not a requirement under ADA regulations.
Recommendation 10: Adopt and practice an ADA scheduling window that allows trip
negotiation to avoid trip denials due to capacity limitations.
• Using an assign -now scheduling function, offer riders a drop off time based on when
then want to get dropped off. Under ADA regulations the drop off time can actually
be up to 60- minutes before the requested drop off time.
• For a return trip ADA allows a pick up time up to 60 minutes after the requested
pick up time.
PETALUMA TR
CITY OF PETALUMA 2016 SE
Recommendation 11: Adopt and practice a trip adversarial refusal policy to comply
with ADA regulatory guidance regarding trip denials and trip negotiation.
• Assuming the adoption of Recommendation 10, an adversarial refusal occurs when a
rider refuses a trip drop off time within 60- minutes ahead of their requested drop
off time or, on the return trip refuses a pick up time within 60- minutes after their
requested pick up time.
• An adversarial refusal is not considered a denial under ADA regulations.
• Occurrences of adversarial refusals must be recorded in monthly operations reports
for potential review under ADA compliance audits.
• Occurrences of capacity -based trip denials must be recorded in monthly operations
reports for potential review under ADA compliance audits.
Recommendation 12: Establish a supplemental service agreement with a local taxi
company.
• A supplemental taxi agreement would be used: for trips that must be off - loaded to
maintain on -time performance in the case of Petaluma Paratransit vehicle accidents
or breakdowns; to accommodate will call requests that cannot be handled on
existing runs; to avoid denials; and to accommodate trip requests in evenings or on
weekends when demand is insufficient to support productive paratransit bus
operations18.
• Supplemental taxi services would be procured following formal City of Petaluma
contracting policy and procedures. Contracted taxi companies and their drivers
would be required to comply with all applicable federal, state and city regulations,
and follow Petaluma Paratransit service policies and operating parameters.
• When taxi companies are used in ADA paratransit service, a short -list of trained and
willing taxi drivers is enlisted.
Recommendation 13: Consider reducing the advance time frame for booking trips
from seven to three days.
• There is no ADA requirement to accommodate the advance booking of trip requests
more than one day in advance.
• Reducing the advance trip booking period is used as a strategy to reduce trip
cancellations.
• Currently Petaluma Paratransit does not have a high cancellation rate.
la This would avoid the need to assign road supervisors or dispatchers to paratransit service, allowing them
to focus on road supervision duties and dispatch coverage.
PETALUMA TRAI
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHC
• Review impacts with service contractor prior to adoption.
Service Goals, Objectives, Policies and Service Standards
A comprehensive listing of Petaluma paratransit policies and service standards are
summarized in CHAPTER 2 - Goals, Objectives, and Standards. The policies and standards
in this chapter are tied back to City goals and objectives and provide a sound foundation for
the administration, operation and planning of Petaluma Paratransit.
Recommendation 14: Adopt the set of Petaluma Paratransit Service Policies and
Standards summarized in Chapter 2 for the ongoing administration, operation and
planning of Petaluma Paratransit.
• Where required amend standards on an annual basis as costs or regulations change.
Recommendation 15: Where appropriate include approved service policies and
standards in RFP and contract documents for next contract cycle.
• Critical service standards include a minimum passengers per revenue hour
benchmark, on -time performance standards, zero tolerance for trip denials, zero
tolerance for missed trips because of insufficient drivers or buses to make pull -out.
A schedule of monetary incentives and penalties could be developed and enforced to
encourage contractor compliance with these standards.
• The Passengers per revenue hour minimum should form the basis for establishing
maximum allowable revenue hour volumes that could in turn used to cap the
maximum number of revenue hours that the City is willing to reimburse the
contractor for operating.19
Petaluma Paratransit Service Coverage Restrictions
Recommendation 16: Consider limiting the delivery of paratransit service to the
formal ADA service area and limiting coverage to the minimum service hours
required under ADA law.
• As demand increases beyond the capacity of the City to fund ADA paratransit
service, increases in annual revenue hours could be controlled by limiting
paratransit service to origins and destinations within a 3/4 mile corridor of fixed
route transit service during those hours when fixed route service is scheduled.
19 The approach would be similar to the one introduced by the City of Santa Rosa to manage the annual Santa
Rosa Paratransit operating budget.
CITY OF PETALUMA `- 2016 SHO
Chapter 5: Operations Plan & Budget
Proposed Operating Expenses and Performance Assumptions
Petaluma Transit forecasts revenues and expenses for the 10 -year period based on current
contract rates, annual escalations, historical trends, and partner agencies' revenue
projections. Since Petaluma Transit operates service using a contract operator, over half
(53% in FY16) of operation expenses are tied to that contract. The 10 -year summary of
operating expenditures and revenues is shown in Table 12. The forecast extends to 2027
in order to capture the effects of a large capital purchase (bus replacements) in that year.
Operating Funding
Petaluma Transit and Paratransit rely on a combination of Federal, State, and local revenue
sources for operations, with TDA funds providing just over half of the operating budget.
Figure 20: FY15 Revenue Sources
ST/
149
Federal
7%
TFCA
3%
Advert'
M is
1°
PETALUMA TW
Measure M Fares
11% 17oi
TDA
52%
CITY OF PETALUMA 2016
A "Reserves Goal" was adopted by the Transit Advisory Committee in October
2015 of no less than half of each fiscal year's TDA allocation minus the annual contributions
made by Petaluma Transit to Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit. Meeting this
goal is not a requirement for budget approval but does provide a useful benchmark for
evaluating the long -term financial forecasts. The "Total Available Reserves" shown in Table
12 are noted in red whenever they fall short of meeting this goal, shown on the bottom line.
The Operating Plan also makes the following assumptions for the purposes of a long -range
financial forecast:
• Baseline costs increase at 2% per year
• New service is added at contract hourly rates
• Twenty -five cent fare increase on all fare types and fifty cent fare increase in
paratransit in FY18 and FY23
• TDA Revenues projected to increase at 1.85 %, based on Nov. 2014 MTC forecast
• STA projected to increase at 3% per year, based on Feb. 2016 MTC Fund
Estimate
• Measure M projected to increase at 3% per year
• FTA 5307 ADA Set -aside (FTA Operating Assistance) is assumed to increase 2%
per year, based MTC estimates
Service increases are shown only in FY17 and FY 18, and include:
1. Modify /Expand Service (Routes 24 and 1/5) to Support SMART
2. Increase afternoon service on Routes 11/2
3. Introduction of the "Silver Shuttle" in FY 18
The additional service increase projects described as "Mid- Term" and "Long- Term" later in
this chapter are not shown in the 10 -year operating plan as they cannot be supported with
the existing funding sources for operations.
The revenue projections include the following assumptions about discretionary grants:
• MAP -21 repealed and consolidated Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC)
funding with Rural 5311 and Urban 5307 programs; since MTC allocates 5307
using the TCP process (focusing the funds on vehicle replacement), this
effectively means that Petaluma will no longer be receiving JARC funding.
• MAP -21 repealed and consolidated New Freedom funding with the 5310
program; Petaluma was successful in getting FY15 5310 funding to continue the
�- I
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
Vie'.
Table 12: Operating Expenses and Revenues
FY15 - FY27
Actual
Budget
Budget
Forecast
Forecast
Forecast i
Forecast
Forecast
Forecast
Forecast c
Forecast i
Forecast
Forecast
r. ,,. r f.
„ .ice N -
:
/>
_._ ,. _,
��F,_�
�OperatingExpenses
Fixed Route- Base
- - --
$_
1,374,835 $
_ a _
1,720,295 $
--
1,720,296 $
1,754,702 ; $
1,789,796 $
1,825,592 $
1,862,103 $
1,899,345
$
1,937,332 ? $
1,976,079 $
2,015,601 $
2,055,913 $
2,097,031
MFR Increase Service
-
- - --
110,000 �
171,640 �
175,073
-
178 574
-- - - ---- 1 $
182146 E
-- 8____
185,789
<
- - - --
189 504
- _ .
193 295
--
197160 f
-- -_ _201,,f0_4
w
205,126
Total Fixed Route
$
- 1,374,835 $
1,720,295 $
1,830,296 4 $
1,926,342 ; $
1,964,868 $
2,004,166 $
2,073,478 $
2,114,363
; $
2,156,066 $
2,19$,602 ; $
2,241,990 s $
2,286,245 $
2,331,385
Paratransit- Base _
$
885,116 $
800,215 $
991,843 1 $
1,011,680 $
1,031,913 $
1,052,552 I $
1,073,603 $
1,095,075
'; $
1,116,976 $
1,139,316 = $
1,162,102 ' $
1,185,344 ; $
1,209,051
;Total Paratransit
$
885,116 $
.
800,215 ; $
- - - - -__
991,843 ` $
-. - - -- - - - -- -----
1,011,680 $
- - - - -- -- _------
1,031,913 $
-_ -_._ .n� �
1,052,552 ! $
_�..
1,073,603 , $
_. v .�....,
1,095,075
w.
j $
.,
1,116,976 $
.. ..__.__ �
1,139,316 $
1,162,102 $
r __..
1,185,344 i $
_ .__...-_-_----- -
1,209,051
'Total Expenses
$
2,259,951 ; $
2,520,510 f $
2,822,139 G $
2,938,021 - $
2,996,782 ; $
3,056,718 j $
3,147,081 $
3,209,438
$
3,273,042 i $
3,337,918 1 $
3,404,092 1 $
3,471,589 $
3,540,437
;Operating Revenue
'Fixed Route Fares - Base
$
235,211 $
306,469 $
315,663 $
325,133 ' $
334,887 ' $
344,933
$
355,282 $
365,940 $
376,918 $
388,226 ; $
399,872
FR Fares - Fare Increase
$
51,078 $
52,611 $
54,189 $
55,814 ` $
57,489
; $
118,427 ; $
121, 980 ; $
125, 639 $
129, 409 ; $
133, 291
FR Fares Service Increase
$
18, 750 $
28,568 $
28,568 $
2- 8,568 $
2'-8-,5-68 $
28 568
$
28 568 $
28 568 $
28 568 $
28 568 $
�_
28 568
- r ,
,Total Fixed Route Fares
$
224,011 $
_.. �.. _ _. ,
235,211 ; $
--
253,961 $
-___ -- _ --
386,115 $
------ ..____ --
396,841 $
. ...
407,889 $
419,269 ! $
.. __.._�
430,990
, $
_ ...._ _ .� r
502,276 ' $
_. - -
516,487 ; $
_ _
531,125 ' $
546,202 ; $
___ -- -
- -- --
561,731
Paratransit
_ _
-
$
64,391 $
64,470 $
66,404 $
68,396 $
70,448 $
72,561
$
74,738 ; $
76,980 $
79,290 ` $
81,669 $
84,119
;PT Fares- Fare Increase
_. _ _
$
_ -.
10,745 $
_
_ 11,067 $
_ 11,399 $
11,741 $
_
12 094
$
12,456 , $
_
_ _ 12 830 ' $
_ 13 215 ' $
13 611: $
14 020
PT Fares - Service Increase
f
�
a _
Total Paratransit Fares
$
58,966 $
j 61,914 $
64,391 ; $
75,215 ; $
77,471 $
79,795 $
82,189 ; $
84,655
$
87,195 $
89,811 $
92,505 $
95,280 $
98,138
;Non - Operating Funds
Advertising
$
19,866 , $
16,000_ : $
- 20,000 1 $
20,000 $
20,000 $
20,000 ' $
20,000 , $
20,000
! $
,_
20,000 $
20,000 , $
20,000 $
20,000 $
20,000
Local Grants (TFCA)
$
77,113 Y$__
86,169.
-
80,731 $
80,000 '_$
80,000 $
80,000 $
- -
80,000 $
80,000
! $
80,000 $
80,000 $
80,000 $
--
80,000 $
80,000
�Mis_ c Locat l Revenur e
-
15,498 $
_ .$._..
_ 1,600 $
.__ _
(1,500)
_
_ _ _
Local, State and Federal Funds
:TDA --
", $
1,244,307 $
1,243,007 $
1,530,044 $
1,501,453 $
1,610,044 i $
1,658,924 $
1,671,364 $
1,726,762
$
1,351,782 $
1,697,443: $
1,753,934 $
1,802,585 $
1,160,816
- - -- -- - - -- - -
STA(State)
._ ._ ._._...
$
_ -- -___ ___ _
328,520 $
. - - - - - -- - - - -- . - --
254,960 $
- � ._T._
, $
_ _ _.._.. _
232,935 $
- -- - - - -- r
239,923 $
247,120 $
� �- --
254 ,534 $
- - - - - - --
262,170
-- -
$
- - -----
270,035 $
- - - - -- --
278,136 ; $
286,480 $
295,074 $
303,927
Measure M
$
- 255,310 $
275,461 $
273,552 ; $
281,759: $
290,211 ' $
-
298,918 ` $
T_
307,885 $
-
317,122
-
; $
326,635 ; $
--
336,434 ; $
346,527 $
356,923 $
367,631
iMTC Spare the Air Grant
$
23,087 i $
6,571
- _
!JARC Saturday Service
$
32,304.
`JARC NightService
$
18,766 $
18,767
,JARC Latino Outreach
$
2,472 , $
12,000
_
�New Freedond5310 Travel Training
$
_
14,047 $
.
23,827 $
-
46,089 ! $
73,286 $
73,286 $
73,286 ; $
73,28.6 $
73,286
; $
73,286 $
73,286 ' $
-- -
73,286 $
- -- -
73,286 $
73,286
�FTA 5303 Operating (SRTP)
v $
$
20,000 , $
- , $
$
20,000 , $
$
$
20,000
', $
$
$
20,000 $
; $
'FTA 5307 ADA Set Aside
$
82,795 ; $
_
84,261 $
_ _,...._
85,549 $
_ ...._____
87,260 s $
--- -_ -.__ -
89,005 $
- - - -_ _._�.
_. .�._ 90,785 ' $
- 92,601 $
._.__...w _. _ �._...
94,453
�,.
$
96,342 ' $
_ ...
98,269 ; $
_ --
100,234 G $
__._.._., .� ---------
102,239 $
- - - -__
104,284
__.
FTA 5307 Deferred Replacement
I
�.
- _...
45,95.3
$
365,490 $
48,052 ,
$
670,624
1Lifeline Weekend Service
$
180,762 $
;.
180,762
_
, -$
_ _.
;TFCA_ShudeFunding
$$
100,000
_
ECap and Trade / LCTOP
- ._- _---------
- - -_ -.
$
62,410 ; $
__ ._
100,000 $
_
100,000 ; $
100,000 $
100,000 $
100,000
1 $
100,000 i $
100,000 $
100,000 ' $
100,000 $
100,000
!Non- TDARevenue
$
1,152,755 $
1,277,503 $
1,292,095 $
1,436,569 $
1,386,737 $
1,397,794 $
1,475,717 $
1,482,676
$
1,921,260 ; $
1,640,475: $
1,650,158 ; $
1,669,005 ; $
2,379,620
;Total Revenue
$
2,397,0.62 ' $
2,520,510 ' $
2,822,139: $
2,938,021 ' $
2,996,782 $
3,056,718 $
3,147,081 ; $
3,209,438
; $
3,273,042 ; $
3,337,918 ; $
3,404,092; $
3,471,589 ; $
3,540,437
Reserves Analysis
Annual TDA Entitlement
$
1,468,119 $
1,590,268 ; $
1,597,872 ; $
1,627,433 ; $
1,657,540 $
1,688,205 $
1,719,436 $
1,751,246
; $
1,783,644 $
1,816,641 , $
1,850,249 , $
1,884,479 $
1,919,342
;Prior Year TDA Available
$
482,630 $
--
775,365 $
.. _ - -
867,631 $
_
767,556 $
835,086 ! $
694,285 ; $
693,566 $
678,015
-.
; $
672,499 ', $
320,905 $
374,943 $
-
441,258 $
478,152
Prior Year TDA Instruction Balance
$
235,346 ; $
--
200,601 $
- - - - -- -
289,904
- -- - _ .._
.. -- -- _ - - -- -
- - -- - - - -
- - -- - - --
- -
---- - - - - --
- -- -,__ .
- -
- -- - -- - - - --
TDA Required for Capital
. _
$
15,640 $
95,521 $
457,807 , $
58,450 ; $
188,297 , $
30,000 $
63,624 , $
30,000
$
783,456 ! $
65,160 ; $
30,000 ; $
45,000 ; $
633,840
Total TDA Available for Ops
$
2170,455 $
2,470,713 $
2,297,600 $
2,336,539 $
_. _.
2,304,330 $
2,352,490 I $
2,349,379 $
2,399,261
; $
1,672,687 $
2,072,386 ; $
2,195,192 $
2,280,737 j $
1,763,654
;TDA used for Ops
$
1,244,307 ; $
1,243,007 $
1,530,044 ; $
1,501,453 $
1,610,044 $
1,658,924 $
1,671,364 $
1,726,762
; $
1,351,782 ; $
1,697,443 $
1,753,934 ; $
1,802,585 s $
1,160,816
CurrentYear TDA Carryover
$
443,518: $
867,631 $
767,556 ' $
_
835,086 ' $
,
694,285 $
693,566 $
678,015 , $
672,499
$
_
320,905 ; $
374,943 , $
_..
441,258 $
478,152 ; $
602,837
Local Reserves
$..._.._..137,111
$
- $
$
$
$
$
..__ .
Total Available Reserves
-_
_
$
58Q,629 $
.._._
867,631 , $
_......_ n;
767,556 $
__. �_._.
835,086 ' $
694,285 $
.__
693,566 $
-
__.. - -- _ -
678,015 $
- _
_.__.
672,499
T..,__.._
$
_ -'
320,905 $
374,943 $
__._ . _._,_
441,258 $
478,152 $
602,837'
IReservesGoal
$
734,060 ; $
795,134 j $
798,936 ! $
813,716 '�$
828,770 i $
844,102 ; $
859,718 j $
875,623
; $
891,822 j $
908,321 $
925,125 $
942,239; $
959,671
PETALUMA TRANSIT
' 1 • .
CITY OF PETALUMA — 2016 SHORT
Table 13: Service Plan FY16 -FY27
PETALUMA TRAN,
CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHO.'
Travel Training program and hopes to continue using this funding source to fund
the program.
• Petaluma received two years of Lifeline program funding through SCTA to fund
the weekend service; the operating plan does not assume this funding beyond
FY17 but future funding is probable.
• Petaluma is planning service changes in FY17 to accommodate the new SMART
rail service. MTC has indicated that funding may be available to support these
shuttles. A line item has been included in the operating plan but no funding
assumed yet.
• The Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) is a cap- and -trade
program established in 2014 that provides funds to public transportation
agencies for operations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funds are
allocated by the MTC using a formula; projected funds are based on MTC
estimates but could vary depending on overall Cap & Trade program revenues.
The financial forecast for FY16 -FY27 is overall positive. The most notable dip in reserves
takes place in FY23, due to the high use of TDA to match a fixed route bus purchase.
However, bus prices and funding sources will no doubt change within the 6 years leading
up to this purchase. This financial forecast will be revisited frequently as an internal
planning document and formally revised in the 2020 Short Range Transit Plan.
New Flyer 40' Excelsior Electric Bus - future bus orders may be all electric buses
PETALUMA TRANSIT