Sound Transit Service Standards and Performance Measures 2018 Edition Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 1
INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES...... 5 SERVICE DESIGN SERVICE PERFORMANCE MEASURES SERVICE EVALUATION
DESIGN GUIDELINES, PERFORMANCE MEASURES, AND SERVICE STANDARDS...... 7
ST Express Bus...... 9 SERVICE CONCEPT SERVICE DESIGN SERVICE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Sounder Commuter Rail...... 19 SERVICE CONCEPT SERVICE DESIGN SERVICE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
i SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 Tacoma Link Light Rail...... 21 SERVICE CONCEPT SERVICE DESIGN SERVICE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Link Light Rail...... 23 SERVICE CONCEPT SERVICE DESIGN SERVICE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Special Event and Extra Service...... 26
MAKING CHANGES TO SOUND TRANSIT SERVICE...... 27 ORIGINS OF SERVICE CHANGES DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE CHANGES TYPES OF SERVICE CHANGES SERVICE CHANGE PROCESSES
GLOSSARY...... 31
APPENDIX ...... 34
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 ii Executive Summary Service Design Guidelines ■■ Ensure service design consistency What are Service Standards and Performance ■■ Address infrastructure, route, schedule efficiency, and passenger amenities Measures? Service standards and performance measures are the policies and parameters used to design, modify, and evaluate transit service . Think of them like a toolbox for managing transit service . Service Performance Measures
Sound Transit uses these guidelines and measures to optimize efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining ■■ Establish performance targets or improving service. Service standards are intended to serve as a decision-making tool to assist Sound ■■ Determine productivity and service quality Transit staff, management, and Board members when considering service changes. throughout the system In 1998, Sound Transit adopted its first set of Service Standards and Performance Measures. This original policy document was revised in 2006 to include Sounder commuter rail and Tacoma Link, and then again in 2010 to include the Link light rail system. The standards and measures were revised once more in 2014 Service Evaluation & Management to include updated productivity measures. ■■ Defines the process for making changes The 2018 revision simplifies and clarifies the 2014 Service Standards and Performance Measures, to service but does not change any of the system standards . ■■ Maintains standard of service quality and continued improvement of the customer experience
1 SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 Overview of Performance Measures Service performance measures provide the framework for evaluating service and informing management of Sound Transit service. A quick reference table of performance targets for each of Sound Transit’s services is provided below. For a detailed explanation of each performance measure, please refer to Section 1: Introduction to Service Standards and Performance Measures.
Productivity Service Quality
Boardings Boardings per Subsidy per Passenger Passenger On-Time Customer Operated as per Trip Revenue Hour Boarding Miles per Load Performance Complaints Scheduled Platform Mile Standing passengers not 85% of trips ST Express ■■ Monitored regularly and reported annually with a comparative Less than 15 to exceed 1.23 - arrive within 99.8% of analysis of each route’s performance and a peer comparison complaints FAST, FREQUENT REGIONAL 1.5 times total five minutes of scheduled trips analysis per 100,000 BUS SERVICE seats and limit schedule, never operated boardings ■■ Annual targets are adjusted accordingly standing time to early (SEE PAGE 15) 30 minutes
Most riders have 95% of trips Sounder Less than 15 ■■ Monitored regularly and reported annually with a peer a seat, otherwise arrive at route 99.5% of complaints HIGH CAPACITY comparison analysis limit standing terminals within scheduled trips per 100,000 COMMUTER RAIL time to 30 seven minutes of operated ■■ Annual targets are adjusted accordingly boardings minutes schedule (SEE PAGE 19)
98.5% of trips Standing Tacoma Link depart/arrive Less than 15 ■■ Monitored regularly and reported annually with a comparative passengers 98.5% of route terminals complaints LIGHT RAIL WITH MULTI-MODAL analysis by time of day and a peer comparison analysis permitted up scheduled trips within three per 100,000 CONNECTIONS to 1.86 times operated ■■ Annual targets are adjusted accordingly minutes of boardings number of seats (SEE PAGE 21) schedule
Standing passengers not Link 90% of Less than 15 ■■ Monitored regularly and reported annually with a comparative to exceed two 98.5% of headways within complaints FREQUENT, RELIABLE analysis by time of day and a peer comparison analysis times number of scheduled trips two minutes of per 100,000 HIGH-CAPACITY LIGHT RAIL seats and limit operated ■■ Annual targets are adjusted accordingly schedule boardings standing time to (SEE PAGE 24) 30 minutes
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 2 How does Sound Transit develop service changes? After a service has been designed and implemented, Sound Transit may make adjustment to the service through periodic service changes. These changes range from altering a Link light rail schedule to changing an ST Express bus alignment to introducing a new route, rail line, or service. Sound Transit uses service changes to manage the efficiency, reliability, and quality of service .
Service changes generally originate through one of four processes: After a need for a potential service change is identified, the service change can be developed in a few ways . PERFORMANCE MONITORING Monitoring and ranking the performance of service, guided by the standards OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT and measures in this document. Changes that are aimed to address near-term operation issues and typically based on staff monitoring service throughout the year or customer and VOTER-APPROVED PLANS stakeholder feedback The completion of voter-approved high-capacity transit (HCT) projects can drive service changes, including: starting new service, opening new alignments and SERVICE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (SIP) stations, and modifying existing service to maximize network connectivity. Prepared annually in coordination with the agency budget, the SIP provides important details on service delivery for the upcoming year. SOUND TRANSIT BUDGET Annual coordination with the agency’s budget to identify appropriate resources COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS ANALYSIS (COA) for delivering services. Changes in funding and revenue streams can impact how Conducted every few years, a COA has detailed analysis of ridership patterns much service can be provided. and system operations, including, but not limited to: passenger activity at a route and system level, running time and schedule adherence, and emerging REGIONAL COORDINATION WITH PARTNER AGENCIES system trends. Coordination with partner transit agencies to identify opportunities for increased service integration, to better facilitate travel and connections between local and FIVE-YEAR SERVICE OUTLOOK & PLAN regional services. Preliminary service plan that describes how current or upcoming ST or partner agency capital projects may impact future service delivery.
3 SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 How are service changes approved? Sound Transit manages the transit network through service changes. Service changes are classified as either minor or major changes. All major service changes include public participation and require approval by the Sound Transit Board of Directors. Any change classified as minor may be made without Board approval, allowing staff to be responsive in addressing minor service quality issues.
Major Service Change Public Process and Board Approval There are a few types of major service changes: Major service changes are typically approved by the Board of Directors through the adoption of the annual SIP and budget. Minor service changes are ■■ Changing a route’s (bus or rail) weekly platform hours by more approved at the agency staff level. Major service changes require a service equity than 25 percent analysis (i.e. Title VI evaluation), while minor service changes do not require a ■■ Moving the location of a stop by more than a half (1/2) mile Title VI analysis. ■■ Closing a stop without an alternative stop within a half (1/2) mile
Minor Service Change There are many types of minor service changes, including, but not limited to:
■■ Changing a route’s (bus or rail) weekly platform hours by less than 25 percent
■■ Minor schedule adjustments
■■ Short-term temporary closures or construction re-routes
Service Change Dates
Service changes are made in March and September of each year.
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 4 Introduction to Service Standards and 1 Performance Measures
Sound Transit plans, builds, and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound. These service standards and performance measures reflect Sound Transit’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the service planning and evaluation process. Service Implementation Plan (SIP) The annual agency budget sets specific service performance targets for each transit mode. The service standards and performance measures provide a framework for evaluating each mode and how well Prepared annually in coordination with the it meets those performance targets. Performance data is reported annually in the agency’s Service agency budget, the SIP provides important Implementation Plan (SIP) and reported in monthly and quarterly reports to the Board of Directors, details on service delivery for the upcoming which can be found online at soundtransit.org/ridership. year. The SIP also reviews the performance of each Sound Transit mode from the The service standards and performance measures, detailed in the following pages, help define the mode’s previous year using the service standards service levels, facilitate consistent service design, and identify standards for modifying service. Service and performance measures from this standards ensure Sound Transit system performance is consistent with the budget’s performance targets document. The Plan offers an evaluation and industry standards. The document is organized to address the three components of a service and analysis of the services to provide standards policy: service design, service performance measures, and service evaluation . direction for potential changes for the upcoming year. The current and previous SIPs can be found online at Service Design soundtransit.org/sip. Service design guidelines outlined in this document reflect the operating parameters and service characteristics of Sound Transit’s modes. The guidelines ensure service continuity within each mode. These guidelines are not intended to be a set of strict rules, but instead applied on a case-by-case basis with consideration of the optimum service design, customer benefits, and potential impacts. Sound Transit’s service standards vary by mode, but typically relate to infrastructure, route design, scheduling efficiency, and passenger amenities. Coordination with partner agencies and local jurisdictions is critical to implementing many of these guidelines.
5 SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 Service Performance Measures Service Quality Sound Transit evaluates service quality based on passenger load, on-time Service performance measures provide the framework for evaluating service. performance, customer complaints, and trips operated as scheduled. Sound Transit evaluates service based on three performance areas: ridership, productivity, and service quality . Each of these areas is analyzed Passenger Load compares the number of passengers on the on a system, corridor, and/or route level each year. Ridership analysis is detailed vehicle to the vehicle’s seating capacity. The passenger load annually in the SIP, with targets based on the annual budget process. This standard must balance the efficient allocation of vehicles (seat document details how productivity and service quality are measured each year. utilization) with a comfortable rider experience (access to For some measures, there are associated service standards, or thresholds, a route seating for most of the trip). must achieve to justify service. If the standards are not met, service delivery on that route will be re-evaluated. On-Time Performance is based on whether trips are arriving at time points early, late, or on time and determines service Productivity reliability for customers. Productivity is determined by four key performance indicators: Customer Complaints convey customer satisfaction and help identify service strengths or weaknesses. A high volume Boardings per Trip is the number of passenger boardings for of complaints related to a specific service attribute can inform each scheduled one-way trip. service change decisions.
Operated as Scheduled compares a trip’s actual Boardings per Revenue Hour is the number of passenger performance to the published timetable/schedule. boardings during one hour of scheduled revenue service, including layover time. Subsidy per Boarding is the net cost of service (operating Service Evaluation cost minus fare revenue) divided by the number of passenger boardings, with numbers based on a full fiscal year. Service evaluation is the process of utilizing these service standards and performance measures to inform service change decisions. Sound Transit Passenger Miles per Platform Mile is calculated by dividing conducts on-going service analysis and periodic comprehensive operations passenger miles by the number of vehicle platform miles. analysis (COA) to identify potential service changes and develop the annual traveled in a full year. SIP. The service change process is detailed in Section 3: Making Changes to Sound Transit Service.
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 6 Design Guidelines, Performance 2 Measures, and Service Standards
ST Express Tacoma Link
FAST, FREQUENT REGIONAL BUS SERVICE LIGHT RAIL WITH MULTI-MODAL CONNECTIONS ST Express offers fast, frequent two-way service on 28 routes connecting Tacoma Link is a 1.6-mile light rail passenger line that runs through the heart Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties. Sound Transit provides this bus service of downtown Tacoma. There are six unique stations complete with artwork via service agreements with transit partners: King County Metro, Pierce Transit, that reflects the history and community of Tacoma. Trains run every 12 minutes and Community Transit. ST Express provides service to over 50 transit centers during the day on weekdays and Saturdays, and every 24 minutes weekday and park-and-ride lots. evenings and Sundays.
Sounder Link
HIGH CAPACITY COMMUTER RAIL FREQUENT, RELIABLE HIGH-CAPACITY LIGHT RAIL Sounder commuter rail spans three counties, serving commuters on the north Link light rail operates on over 20 miles of alignment between the University of line from Everett to Seattle and on the south line from Lakewood to Seattle. Washington Station in the City of Seattle and Angle Lake Station in the City of Sound Transit owns the railway between Lakewood and Tacoma. BNSF owns SeaTac, serving 16 passenger stations, including four in the Downtown Seattle the railway between Tacoma and Everett and operates Sounder service through Transit Tunnel (DSTT). King County Metro operates and maintains the system a contract with Sound Transit. Amtrak provides maintenance for the Sounder through an intergovernmental agreement with oversight by Sound Transit staff. fleet of locomotives and passenger cars. Paratransit service is also operated by King County Metro within the Link service area.
7 SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 SOUND TRANSIT CURRENT SERVICE SOUND TRANSIT FUTURE SERVICE
510 512 Downtown Everett Everett Downtown Everett Everett Everett Link Light Rail Everett Link Light Rail 2036 510 512 532 Future service: University of Washington–Seattle– SR 526/ SeaTac/Airport–Angle Lake 513 513 Everett–Seattle–West Seattle Evergreen Mukilteo Mukilteo Tacoma Dome–Theater District Evergreen Eastmont Redmond–Seattle–Mariner SW Everett Way Industrial Center South Everett Ballard–Seattle–Tacoma South Everett Sounder Commuter Rail SR 99/Airport Rd 510 Issaquah–Bellevue–South Kirkland Everett–Seattle Sounder 512 Tacoma Dome–Tacoma Mariner 2036 532 Tacoma–Seattle Sounder 511 Community College 512 In service: 532 ST Express Regional Bus Ash Way Univ. of Washington–Angle Lake Ash Way Tacoma Dome–Theater District Bold = Route terminus 535 West Alderwood 510 Everett–Seattle Express Alderwood Mall Sounder Commuter Rail 2024 511 Ash Way–Seattle Express Lynnwood Lynnwood 511 532 Future service: 512 Everett/Lynnwood–Seattle Express 535 City Center Edmonds 512 DuPont–Lakewood Edmonds 2024 513 Everett–Seattle Express 535 Canyon Park Canyon Park In service: Woodinville–Seattle Express 522 511 Mountlake Mountlake 512 North Line (Everett–Seattle) Terrace 532 Everett–Bellevue Express Terrace 522 Bothell 513 Kenmore Bothell South Line (Lakewood–Seattle) Lake Kenmore 535 Lynnwood–Bellevue Express Lake Woodinville Shoreline North/185th Forest 2024 Woodinville Forest Park Park 540 Kirkland–University District Express 522 522 522 Bus Shoreline Overlake–University District Express 535 541 145th Lake 512 City Future service: Shoreline South/145th 542 Redmond–University District Express Brickyard 555 522 532 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Brickyard 545 Redmond–Seattle Express 535 NE 130th 2031 556 In service: 550 Bellevue–Seattle Express Totem Lake Northgate 532 ST Express bus 2021 Northgate Kingsgate/Totem Lake 554 Issaquah–Seattle Express 535 542 Redmond (service re-evaluated annually) 555 Issaquah–Northgate Express 541 Kirkland Kirkland Green Lake 542 Bear Creek NE 85th 2024 Downtown Redmond 540 Ballard 2035 Roosevelt 556 Issaquah–University District– 556 541 566 542 545 512 586 New station or bus facility Northgate Express 542 567 545 Interbay SE Redmond NE 45th University of 540 545 U District 2041 560 Bellevue–Sea-Tac Airport /West Washington South Added parking Evergreen Kirkland Overlake Transit Center/NE 40th Smith Cove South 2023 Redmond Technology Seattle Express 540 556 Point Station improvements University of Kirkland 541 586 Overlake Seattle Center Washington Overlake Village 566 Auburn–Renton–Overlake Express 542 Major transfer hub Montlake 554 Sammamish South Lake Union Bel-Red/130th North Kent–Overlake Express 541 Evergreen 567 Capitol Hill 540 545 540 545 532 556 Existing station or bus facility Spring District/120th Sammamish 541 555 541 555 535 560 Denny Capitol Hill Point 574 Lakewood–Sea-Tac Airport Express 510 545 590 Bellevue Existing parking 511 550 592 542 556 542 556 550 566 Wilburton Federal Way–Seattle Express Seattle Westlake Transit 555 567 Seattle Westlake Bellevue Downtown 577 512 554 594 Center Provisional light rail station Puyallup–Federal Way–Seattle Express 513 577 595 University Street University Street Bellevue 578 522 578 550 550 Bellevue East Main Pioneer Square I-90/ Pioneer Square Midtown 580 Lakewood–Puyallup Express 554 554 South International District/Chinatown Rainier South International District/Chinatown South South 586 Tacoma–University District Express & King Street Bellevue 554 555 556 554 Sammamish Bellevue Richards Rd Mercer & King Street Judkins Mercer Sammamish 590 Tacoma–Seattle Express Stadium 550 Stadium Island 2030 Park Island SODO 555 Eastgate 554 Eastgate 592 DuPont–Lakewood–Seattle Express Mount 556 Alaska Mount Beacon 555 Issaquah 594 DuPont–Lakewood–Tacoma– Baker 556 Junction Beacon Baker Lakemont Issaquah Seattle Express Hill Highlands Avalon SODO Hill Highlands Columbia City Newport Hills Issaquah Delridge Columbia City Gig Harbor–Seattle Express 560 2041 595 566 Downtown Issaquah 554 S Graham St 2031 Bonney Lake–Sumner Express Issaquah 596 Othello 555 554 NE 44th 556 Othello Westwood Westwood Village 560 Kennydale Village Bus Fare Zone Park & Ride Rainier Beach Rainier Beach Boundary 560 566 Ferry Terminal 2024 Limited Service Tukwila/ Sea-Tac Airport Renton Landing Tukwila/ S Boeing Access Rd Connector International 560 Amtrak International Service provided Blvd 566 2031 560 Blvd by other agencies Renton 2024 Burien 560 Burien South Renton Tukwila 566 Tukwila SeaTac/Airport SeaTac/Airport 560 574 Angle Lake Angle Lake King County Metro route to Kent P&R
Kent/DesMoines 574 566 Kent Kent/DesMoines 567 Kent
S 272nd Star Lake 574
Federal Way 2024 566 Auburn Park & Ride Federal Way 574 577 Auburn 566 Tacoma Auburn Tacoma 578 578 Stadium District S 4th South Service to Gig Harbor Theater District Old City Hall Federal Way and Purdy is funded Commerce Street Pierce Transit route Tacoma General Theater District by Pierce Transit 590 to Lakeland Hills 594 Convention Center 6th Ave Convention Center 595 Narrows Union Station Tacoma 2039 Hilltop District Union Station 595 Lakeland Hills S 25th Community S 25th Tacoma College 2022 Community Pearl Union 2030 College Tacoma Dome Stevens Sprague East Fife AinsworthSt Joseph Tacoma Tacoma 574 590 578 578 Dome South Tacoma 586 594 580 596 Sumner South Tacoma Sumner Puyallup Puyallup 574 Fairgrounds 580 594 596 Lakewood Red Lot Lakewood Bonney Lake Towne Center SR-512 580 Bonney Lake Towne Center South Hill South Hill Lakewood 574 592 Lakewood 580 580 594 592 594 Tillicum
DuPont 2036 592 DuPont 594 Nov. 2017 May 2018
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 8 ST Express Bus Service Concept
■■ Offers higher capacity, higher speed service, generally with more frequency than local bus service High Capacity Corridors ■■ Utilizes high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and other priority infrastructure (e.g., traffic signal priority, optimized stops/stations, etc.) ST Express bus service can help build ridership in a corridor where future ■■ Operates in both directions throughout the day and week high-capacity transit is planned. Once
■■ Crosses city and county boundaries, with a significant portion of passengers traveling between high-capacity transit (rail or BRT) is built, jurisdictions the ST Express service can be modified or discontinued to avoid duplication of ■■ Connects passengers to commuter rail, light rail, ferries, other express buses, and local service service. networks
■■ Provides service in corridors that connect designated regional population and employment centers within the Sound Transit District or in corridors with planned high-capacity rail or BRT in the future
9 SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018
ST Express Service Design
Routing
To provide efficient service, ST Express routes should run on right-of-ways less prone to delays, including: HOV lanes, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes, and HOV direct access ramps. When operating in mixed traffic, routes should use designated limited access highways and major regional arterials. Express routes should avoid operating on secondary arterials and collector/distributor streets, except when necessary to access transit centers, HOV facilities, significant trip generators, or turnaround loops.
Key Transfer Points Transfer Point Pulse Scheduling ST Express should be coordinated with other Sound Transit service and/or local routes to facilitate connections at transit centers and key transfer points. To the greatest extent possible, schedules should A pulse is a timed transfer between minimize connection time while maintaining reliability at transfer points, where a high volume of passengers multiple routes at a transit center or other are transferring to and from ST Express service. Ideally, ST Express and connecting transit service should key transfer point that occurs at regular operate at frequencies that allow for spontaneous customer transfers without schedule timing. intervals. For example, a transit center with a pulse time on the :30 might have Strategies to minimize wait time include: buses arriving between 9:22 and 9:25 and all buses departing at 9:30. This occurs on ■■ Prioritize each location based on actual or projected number of boardings and alightings intervals, typically every hour: 9:30, 10:30, ■■ Offset the ST Express schedules, where feasible, to distribute wait time equitably among transfer 11:30, etc. Modifying pulse times is an locations additional strategy to minimize wait time at the transfer point with pulse scheduling ■■ Provide more frequent service (i.e. 15-minute headways or better) at key times when transfer or minimize wait time at other points along volumes are greatest, such as weekday peak periods the route.
SERVICE STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES | 2018 10
ST Express Maximum Headways Based on Period Service Span (Hours of Operation) of Service The service span for ST Express should be coordinated with passenger activity and demand and with local ■■ Peak: 30 minutes transit networks and other Sound Transit services. ST Express service span may vary between routes based
■■ Base: 60 minutes on passenger demand and route performance.
■■ Reduced: 60 minutes 12 AM 5 AM 6 AM 9 AM 3 PM 6 PM 8 PM 12 AM
WEEKDAY Reduced Base Peak Base Peak Base Reduced
SATURDAY Base Reduced
SUNDAY/HOLIDAY Reduced Defining Service Frequency and Headway
Frequency refers to the number of trips per hour departing from a given point. Headway is the number of minutes Service Frequency & Headway between departures. If a bus departs from a stop at 6:10 AM, 6:40 AM, 7:10 AM, Sound Transit schedules ST Express frequency based on demand, clock-face scheduling, and the maximum 7:40 AM, etc., its headway is 30 minutes headway guideline, which is 30 minutes during peak periods and 60 minutes during off-peak periods for (time between each departure) and its ST Express. The guideline is designed to keep wait times reasonable for passengers who require a transfer. frequency is two departures per hour. Once service is in place, headways may be improved to provide more frequent service if route productivity Sometimes a route may be described as consistently exceeds the system average or if passenger loads exceed Sound Transit’s service standards. having a 15-minute frequency, even though the minute interval actually refers to the headway, while the frequency would be four departures per hour. Directness of Travel
Directness of travel refers to how a traveler chooses a mode. The coefficient of directness provides a quantitative comparison between how a transit mode’s travel time compares to travel time in a single- occupancy private vehicle. For ST Express, its coefficient of directness for a route should not exceed 1.33. The scenario below meets the service standard of a coefficient of directness at or below 1 .33.