GM Memo No. 09-217E Meeting Date: December 16, 2009 Page 3 of 18
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GM Memo No. 09-217e Meeting Date: December 16, 2009 Page 3 of 18 • Total positions eliminated 233 Should the Board adopt the Revised Service Adjustments Plan, it is intended that no bus drivers will be laid off and that the resulting reduction in maintenance employees will be limited to approximately 12 temporary service employees and 3 temporary janitors. The number of positions will be proportionately reduced but the actual layoffs will be primarily offset by attrition. On August 26, 2009 the AC Transit Board of Directors approved the Biennial Budget for the District for Fiscal Years 2009/10 and 2010/11. This was further ratified by Resolution 09-048 passed by the Board on September 9, 2009, which provided the District with a balanced budget, as required by Board Policy 312. The budget passed was predicated on savings from service reductions totaling $18 Million, net of fares. Service Development staff then prepared a series of service reductions, adjustments and re-alignments in accordance with direction to reduce District services 15% (315,000 Platform Hours). Currently the District operates approximately 2,070,000 annual platform hours. The implementation of the Service Adjustments Plan would result in operations of 1,755,000 annual platform hours. 2009 Service Adjustments Plan Staff developed the 2009 Service Adjustments Plan (SAP) in accordance with Board-adopted principles: • Allocation of service must reflect some consideration of geographic equity, but ultimately productivity and usefulness of the service should be given greater weight – Strategic Plan • Service must be prioritized to those areas with the greatest potential for transit use, with good patronage rewarded by better service and shorter waits – Guiding Principles • The District should maintain minimum route spacing/coverage – Service Deployment Policies On June 24, 2009 the Board received a detailed report (GM Memo 09-161) and presentation of the SAP that included routing, frequency and span changes. At that time, staff had estimated that the plan would reduce the daily platform hours to 5,700 per day for weekdays and just fewer than 2,900 per day for weekends. These targeted savings were confirmed through a run cut, developed by the Schedules Department. A final set of proposals was presented to the Board on August 26, 2009 (GM Memo 09-161a), which included three (3) minor revisions to the original SAP. Information regarding ridership methodology, preliminary Title VI screening and related matters is available in GM Memo 09-161. Public Outreach and Public Comments Process The development of the SAP process involved an extensive and comprehensive public outreach process. Please refer to Exhibit A1 of Attachment A for a brief narrative on the process as well as Exhibit A2 for a complete report detailing the nature and scope of comments received. Additionally, the Districts External Affairs, Marketing and Media Affairs Department have provided a report (Attachment B) of the Summary of Publicity and GM Memo No. 09-217e Meeting Date: December 16, 2009 Page 4 of 18 Outreach for the Community Workshops and Public Hearings on the AC Transit 2009 Service Adjustments Plan. 2009 Revised Service Adjustments Plan (RevSAP) On September 25, 2009 the Board considered a proposal to shift funds from the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project to the District’s operating budget (GM Memo 09-228). Subsequently, on October 28, 2009 the Board affirmed its support for the diversion of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funding to operating expenses. If the effort to divert the funds is successful, it would allow for the reinstatement of 140,000 annual platform hours of service, bringing the District’s annual platform hours to 1,920,000. Additionally, staff was able to provide solutions to concerns and issues identified through the public comments process of the original SAP. The RevSAP is an amalgam of “restored” service and efficient and creative solutions to identified problems. Generally, all trunk-line service has been restored to original frequencies and span, and the span for several lines has been restored. Finally, service to a key regional destination previously proposed for discontinuation has been restored. Service Reinstatement Guidelines As discussed in GM Memo 09-217c, the Board was provided priorities for reinstatement of service based on the funding shift. These priorities included: • Coverage – restoration of lines that are shown to have disparate impacts under Title VI, and under the concept of “completing the grid” (ensuring adequate route spacing/coverage), • Frequency, Transbay Trips and Span – restoration or expansion of frequency, trips and/or span to areas based on demonstrated patron demand and use. The revisions to the original SAP are predicated on the above guidelines, taking into account the sub-regional hours split from both the current (Fall 2009) and the RevSAP proposal. More information regarding the results of the sub-regional hours split is discussed below. Platform Hours Split Analysis District service has evolved over time, and per policy, has been apportioned based on a balance between productivity and geography. As this exercise is ultimately considered a reduction in service, staff attempted to maintain the basic geographic, service day and service type split established through prior service planning. Existing routes were apportioned by the actual amount of time spent within a particular area to ensure equity. The table below shows the split by geographic area: • Western Contra Costa County – including the cities of Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and un-incorporated portions of Contra Costa County. • Northern Alameda County – including the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Alameda and Piedmont. • Central Alameda County – including the cities of San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward, and un-incorporated portions of Alameda County. • Southern Alameda County – including the cities of Fremont, Newark and Union City. GM Memo No. 09-217e Meeting Date: December 16, 2009 Page 5 of 18 Weekday Geographic Platform Hours Split Service Period West North Central South Fall 2009 Apportioned Hours Split 11.1% 58.4% 17.8% 12.7% RevSAP Apportioned Hours Split 11.3% 57.7% 18.1% 12.8% Difference -0.2% 0.7% -0.4% -0.1% Weekend Geographic Platform Hours Split Service Period West North Central South Fall 2009 Apportioned Hours Split 11.0% 62.8% 16.5% 9.7% RevSAP Apportioned Hours Split 9.6% 65.7% 15.3% 9.4% Difference -1.4% 2.9% -1.2% -0.3% Analysis of the geographic platform hours split above indicates a minor shift in service in the West County region, spread across the other three region with the North area receiving a minor proportionate increase. It’s important to note that services in West Contra Costa County were essentially restored to their current conditions, and all of the lines are again at 30 minute frequency. Weekend hours in the North area have shifted by almost 3% due to the demonstrated use of transit in that area. Service Day Hours Split Fall 2009 RevSAP Service Day Difference Service Day Split Service Day Split Weekday 82.1% 81.5% -0.6% Saturday 8.5% 8.7% 0.3% Sunday 9.5% 9.8% 0.3% The Service Day Hours split is consistent with expectations that there were some very deep reductions to weekend service under the SAP, which resulted in a very slight reallocation of hours from the weekday platform. Service Type Split Service Type Fall 2009 Split RevSAP Split Difference Local 78.3% 80.3% 2.1% All Nighter 1.6% 1.7% 0.1% Supplemental 4.2% 3.9% -0.2% Transbay 16.0% 14.1% -1.9% Analysis of the above shows a minor increase in local service, offset primarily by a reduction in Transbay services. The reductions proposed for Transbay service represent a balanced plan between allocation and demonstrated demand. As shown below, increased trips were added to several Transbay lines; staff will continue to monitor the operations of the lines and adjust trips accordingly. GM Memo No. 09-217e Meeting Date: December 16, 2009 Page 6 of 18 RevSAP Final Plan Details Similar to the SAP, staff has identified service adjustments in five (5) general areas: • Western Contra Costa County • Northern Alameda County • Central Alameda County • Southern Alameda County (Special District 2) • Transbay Service The tables below provide detail on the final staff recommendations and rationale related to the RevSAP proposal. Changes were made based largely on public comment received during the SAP process, as well as staff analysis of ridership reductions completed during the SAP process. As stated above, service restorations were prioritized on demonstrated demand (ridership), line spacing guidelines (coverage), and lifeline considerations (span). The information provided below represents a combination of weekday and weekend changes. For more information regarding particular concerns raised by the public during the public comment period of the RevSAP, please refer to Exhibit A of Attachment A (Resolution 09-053). A final and detailed review of the proposed service changes by service day can be found in Exhibit B of Attachment A (Resolution 09-053). RevSAP Revisions Since 11/18/09 There have been a few revisions to routing suggestions previously presented to the Board in November 2009. These are based on receipt of comments in connection with the public input process completed in connection with the final plan development. Specific changes include: • Line 25 – The RevSAP proposed that service to the Gilman/Hopkins corridor of North Berkeley was to be operated via the Line 52. Staff received initial concern about the size and frequency of buses through this highly residential area as well as considerable negative feedback from residents of University Village and has elected to revise its original proposal. The revised proposal includes routing the Line 25 (North Berkeley Circulator) via Gilman/Hopkins to Martin Luther King Jr Drive to downtown Berkeley.