2. Transit Services: Progress on Refinement to Policy Standards

Service de Transport en commun : Progrès sur le raffinement de Normes liées aux Politiques

committee recommendations

That Council:

1. Approve the new policy standards and related performance measures, area coverage (reach), occupancy and service reliability (on-time performance), as detailed in this report.

2. Receive for information the status of the Accessibility Audit.

3. Direct that the six Transit System Management Policies adopted by Council in 2005 be replaced by the resulting set of policy standards of the Transit Services Strategic Branch Review.

Recommandations du comité

Que le Conseil :

1. approuve les nouvelles normes liées aux politiques et les mesures de rendement s’y rattachant, desserte géographique, taux d’occupation et fiabilité du service (ponctualité), telles que proposées dans ce rapport.

2. prenne connaissance du statut de la vérification de l’accessibilité.

3. demande que les six politiques de gestion du système de transport en commun adoptées par le Conseil municipal en 2005 soient remplacées par le nouvel ensemble de normes liées aux politiques contenu dans l’Examen stratégique de la Direction des Services du transport en commun.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services and Community report dated 25 May 2009 (ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0007).

Report to/Rapport au :

Transit Committee/

Comité du transport en commun

and Council / et au Conseil

25 May 2009 / 25 mai 2009

Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,

Planning, Transit and the Environment/Urbanisme, Transport en commun et Environnement

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Alain Mercier, General Manager/Directeur général,

Transit Services/Services du transport en commun

(613) 842-3636 x 2271, Alain.Mercier@ottawa.ca

City Wide/à l'échelle de la Ville

Ref N°: ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0007

SUBJECT:	TRANSIT SERVICES: PROGRESS ON REFINEMENT TO POLICY STANDARDS

OBJET :	SERVICES DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN: progrès sur le raffinement de normes LIÉES AUX politiques

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Transit Committee recommend that Council:

1. Approve the new policy standards and related performance measures, area coverage (reach), occupancy and service reliability (on-time performance), as detailed in this report.

2. Receive for information the status of the Accessibility Audit.

3. Direct that the six Transit System Management Policies adopted by Council in 2005 be replaced by the resulting set of policy standards of the Transit Services Strategic Branch Review.

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité du transport en commun recommande que le Conseil municipal :

2. prenne connaissance du statut de la vérification de l’accessibilité.

BACKGROUND

Council approved the Strategic Branch Review (SBR) of Transit Services on 20 August 2008, which identified four key outcomes for Transit Services: Ease of Mobility, Accessibility for people with disabilities, Environmental Efficiency and Economic Efficiency. One of the objectives of the SBR was to design and implement a foundation that would allow Transit Services to be more accountable to Council and the public, while providing a transparent and effective methodology for reporting.

Together with the refinements proposed in this report, the goal of the Transit Services SBR is to build upon existing Council-approved directions and policies, such as the Transit System Management Policies adopted in 2005, to create improved standards for Transit Services, Council, customers and stakeholders.

By approving the SBR, Council “contracted” with Transit Services for the delivery of services according to a set of 11 standards in the following areas of performance:

- Ridership - Safety

- Area Coverage (Reach) - Security

- Occupancy - Revenue-Cost Ratio

- Customer Satisfaction - Accessibility

- Service Availability - Greenhouse Gas Emissions

- Reliability (On-Time Performance)

Council is to provide direction on these 11 standards, which form a policy framework within which business and quality standards are to be implemented by Transit Services to more closely monitor and better manage the services it provides. This is shown, conceptually, in Figure 1. Together, all three types of standards – policy, business and quality – and the performance measures related to them are part of an on-going improvement program, which included reporting to Council and the public last year through the first Transit Services Annual Performance Report.

Figure 1 – Policy Standards as Delimiters of Transit Business and Quality Management

When the SBR of Transit Services was approved, some of the policy-level performance measures and standards it proposed were identified as provisional only. This report presents the refinements now proposed to Area Coverage, Occupancy and On-Time Performance standards, and it also describes the progress made toward an Accessibility Audit, in response to the directions set in the following motion of 20 August 2008:

That the Transit Committee approve the Transit Services Strategic Branch Review and its overall content, including:

1. The core outcome objectives and the services provided by the Transit Services Branch; and

2. The policy standards and related performance measures set forth therein.

3. WHEREAS the Strategic Branch Review of Transit Services identifies the four outcome objectives of the Branch, the types of services the Branch and the number and nature of policy-level performance measures for the Branch;

AND WHEREAS some of the standards associated with those policy-level performance measures are only provisional or not defined;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT Committee approve the Transit Services Strategic Branch Review and its overall content;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Transit Services be directed to investigate ways to:

-- refine the Accessibility standard in light of the results of an Accessibility Audit;

-- refine the Occupancy standards and estimate the financial and ridership consequences of varying them for the conventional transit services; and

-- refine the Area Coverage standards and estimate the financial and ridership consequences of varying them for the conventional transit and paratransit services;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Transit Services be directed to propose policy standards relating to:

-- transit access by rural users;

-- park-and-ride access; and

-- paratransit service policy;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Transit Services be directed to report within 8 months to the Transit Committee on progress and the effects on the related policy-level performance measures.

AREA COVERAGE (REACH)

About the performance measure – One mandate of the City’s transit system is to provide service to all of the Urban Transit Area (UTA) and to rural villages designated by Council. Since the approval of the SBR, the performance measure of area coverage is now supported by detailed geographic information. It indicates the degree to which conventional transit service is provided for households and work locations by measuring what percentage of them are within a given walking distance from a bus stop during the peak periods, during the midday, evenings, and on weekends. Currently, the measurements are against a five-minute walk (400 metres) during peak periods and a 10-minute walk (800 metres) in the midday, evenings, and on weekends.

About the standard – When Council adopted the Transit System Management Policies in 2005, it confirmed in support of these policies the establishment and maintenance of:

“an all-day base route network, to provide service seven days a week within an 800‑metre walk of the home locations of at least 95 per cent of residents of the urban transit service area, and a peak period base route network, to provide service during peak periods from Monday to Friday within a 400-metre walk of the home locations of at least 95 per cent of residents in the urban transit service area”.

The policy standard proposed within this report, as part of the SBR for area coverage, is meant to ensure that 95 per cent of all households are within a five-minute walk of a bus stop or station at peaks (10-minute walk outside of peaks), and 95 per cent of all workers are within a five-minute walk of their work location at peaks.

This proposed standard is different from the 2005 standard in that it does not prescribe minimum service levels (the frequency of service and the hours and days of the week over which service is provided). Rather, the policy standards toward increasing ridership and occupancy, and maintaining economic efficiency, guide these considerations.

Table 1 – Area Coverage (Reach) Standards and Targets

Standard	2008 Value	Target
% of all households within the Urban Transit Area (UTA) that are within a five-minute walk (400 metres) of a bus stop or station during peak hours	98.3%	95%
% of all households within the UTA that are within a 10-minute walk (800 metres) of a bus stop or station during the midday and evening and on weekends	99% (midday)	95%
% of all workers aimed at being within a five-minute walk (400 metres) from their work location within the UTA during peak hours	98.8%	95%

Though the mandate of the system is to serve the whole UTA, the proximity of service to all locations needs to be balanced against the achievement of other transit policy standards, such as occupancy and economic efficiency. As a result, there will always be some residual areas in new or remote locations that will be within a walk of more than 400 metres from conventional transit service.

OCCUPANCY

About the performance measure – Occupancy is a key measure of transit efficiency. It measures how much of transit supply is “consumed” by customers. It is expressed by comparing the aggregate distance over which customers are carried with the aggregate distance over which capacity is provided (passenger-km per capacity-km).

Because the nature of travel demand varies across route types and by direction of travel (inbound to downtown vs. outbound), an average occupancy is computed for four distinct groups of routes:

1. Radial routes are those going to downtown in the morning, including Transitway routes and main line routes on arterial roads.

2. Circulators and feeder routes are mostly short, local routes connecting with Transitway stations.

3. Cross-town routes connect neighbourhoods without serving downtown.

4. Express routes are direct-to-downtown routes during the morning peak.

About the standard – 2009 marks the introduction of this new performance measure. Accordingly, standards and targets more specific than the ones proposed may be established over time.

Table 2 – Occupancy Standards and Targets

Routes / Route Legs	Standard	2008 Value	Target
Regular Transit: inbound legs of radial routes	Average passenger-km per capacity-km for the group during the morning peak period aimed at being no less than that of 2008 level	Average for the group: 0.58	Better than previous year
Regular Transit: circulators and inbound legs of feeder routes	Average passenger-km per capacity-km for the group during the morning peak period aimed at being no less than that of 2008 level	Average for the group: 0.28	Better than previous year
Regular Transit: cross-town routes	Average passenger-km per capacity-km for the group during the morning peak period aimed at being no less than that of 2008 level	Average for the group: 0.40	Better than previous year
Commuter Transit: express and rural express routes	Average passenger-km per capacity-km for the group during the morning peak period aimed at being no less than that of 2008 level	Average for the group: 0.60	Better than previous year

In time, individual routes with relatively low occupancy may be the object of service investment and promotion, or the service delivery mechanism may be revisited, in the context of their route type. There should be an exception for a period of time for routes that are newly established or in a development phase before a minimum occupancy standard applies. A maximum occupancy level could also be explored for certain types of services.

SERVICE RELIABILITY (ON-TIME PERFORMANCE)

About the performance measure – Since the SBR was approved, tremendous progress has been made in measuring on-time performance through the full use of geo-positioning system information. As a result, Transit Services is now in a position to report not only on vehicle trips arriving at time points on time, but also on all buses adhering to schedule at all times along all points of all routes.

What can be observed is that, from practice, bus operators are more often on time at time points than elsewhere along their routes: 81 per cent compared to 73 per cent in 2008.

Bus operators are prompted on a screen if there is any deviation from schedule time. Until recently, any deviation displayed was still based on the former standard of what was considered to be “on time”: running no more than two minutes early and no more than three minutes late. Since April 2009, the deviations from schedule time are displayed based on the standard introduced last year by the SBR: not running early at all and running no more than five minutes late.

About the standard – The proposed change to the application of the standard introduced by the SBR last summer is to extend the target of 90 per cent of system-wide schedule adherence to all points along routes, rather than at time points only.

Very high-frequency routes (those running every five minutes or more often) would be exempt from on-time performance standards. They would instead be subject to a headway-adherence standard, so as to be operated at regular intervals. This will be implemented when a measurement process has been established.

Specific segments of express routes, along which passengers only disembark, could also be excluded. For example, running early could be actually considered “on time” on the basis that early arrival at locations along such segments may be of greater interest to passengers than strict schedule adherence.

ACCESSIBILITY

Transit Services intends to align its efforts toward removing barriers for persons with disabilities with the highest standards applicable to the transit industry. The standard proposed in the SBR reflect the language used in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which encompasses barrier-free customer service, built environment and transportation. Yet, the City of Ottawa’s Transit Services falls under federal jurisdiction and is bound by the federal Codes of practice on accessibility. There may, however, be very little difference between the federal and the provincial accessibility standards when these are passed into law.

In accordance with a February 2008 direction by the Transit Committee, Transit Services has initiated the process of an internal accessibility audit and evaluation to identify and guide required actions toward meeting our standard. Terms of reference for the audit have been prepared after consultation with the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the former Real Property Asset Management Branch and the Auditor General's Office. A firm will be engaged to conduct the audit and evaluation, focussing on the customer experience. The firm will be asked to produce, within six months, a report determining the extent of existing barriers to using both conventional transit and paratransit services. This report will also establish a baseline for performance measurement while proposing an implementation plan with priorities for improving accessibility.

Previous accessibility studies and reviews have led to progress toward a barrier-free transit system. Most of the work performed has been documented each year as part of the City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan (COMAP) and inventoried by the Comprehensive Asset Management office. This work is being summarized in conjunction with the audit and evaluation.

REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSIT SYSTEM MANAGEMENT POLICIES

The 2008 Strategic Branch Review of Transit Services specifically identified four key outcomes for Transit Services. The SBR also produced 11 measurable standards at the policy level. Together, the key outcomes, policy standards and refinements proposed in this report make Transit Services more accountable than ever, not only internally but also to Council and to the transit customers themselves.

As a result, the six Transit System Management Policies that were adopted by Council in 2005 may now be replaced by the content of the Strategic Branch Review. The table below summarizes how each of the 2005 policies is addressed.

Table 3 – Replacement of the Transit System Management Policies

by Strategic Branch Review Key Outcomes and Policy Standards

Transit System Management Policy	Strategic Branch Review Elements
To be recognized as an essential component of the transportation system	Ease of mobility established as a key outcome of Transit Services, with eight measurable policy standards
To be a reliable system for travel to all parts of the service area	Ease of mobility established as a key outcome, with on-time performance and area coverage as measurable policy standards
To address the needs of all major urban facilities	Ease of mobility established as a key outcome, with area coverage as a measurable policy standard
To be managed to recognise the City’s support for people with disabilities	Accessibility established as a key outcome of Transit Services, with a measurable policy standard
To maintain an appropriate balance in funding between fares and property taxes	Economic efficiency established as a key outcome, with revenue-cost ratio as a measurable policy standard

NEXT STEPS

Transit Services is developing its first 10-year tactical plan, with the objective of fully capturing the financial and ridership consequences of future capital asset management options, alternative service delivery model scenarios, and variations in policy standards. In conjunction with this work, policies also need to be articulated for:

· The delivery model of paratransit services;

· Access criteria for rural residents and park and ride users, and

· The harmonization of transit services and operations geared toward inter-provincial users.

CONSULTATION / PUBLIC NOTIFICATION

Consultation/public notification was not required as part of this scope of the Strategic Branch Review process.

There is no effect on 2009 transit services or the 2009 Transit Services budget resulting from the recommendation of this report.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no legal/risk management impediments to the implementation of this Report's recommendations.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

As was the case with the initial version of the Strategic Branch Review, the policy standards proposed here (that relate to providing ease of mobility) can be implemented at the current level of funding. As a result, there are no financial implications arising from this report.

DISPOSITION

Toward the development of a 10-year tactical plan for Transit Services, a costing model of transit is nearing completion. Following the adoption of this report, Transit Services will incorporate into its tactical plan a discussion of options around different values for the policy-level standards of the Strategic Branch Review, along with the cost – and customer benefit – implications. Council will have an opportunity to provide directions relating to these policy standard values.