SORTA PLANNING AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 11TH, 2019- 9:00 A.M. SORTA/METRO BOARD ROOM 602 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1200 CINCINNATI, OHIO
General Items:
Call to order Pledge of Allegiance Recite Vision and Mission Statement 1. Approval of Planning & Operations Committee Minutes: May 14th, 2019 2. Good News! OTP Project and Maintenance Update (John Ravasio)
Briefing Items
3. Rider Advisory Committee Update (Dave Etienne) 4. Ridership Reports for May 2019 (Mark McEwan)
Action Items:
5. Proposed Motion: Adoption of SORTA Guiding Principles for the Restructuring of the Cincinnati Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA) (Paul Grether) 6. Proposed Resolution: Approval of Amendment #2 to the Cincinnati Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA) To Begin Transition of Responsibilities to the City of Cincinnati (Paul Grether)…To be discussed at meeting
Other Items:
Adjournment
The next regular meeting of the Planning & Operations Committee has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., the SORTA/Metro Board Room, 602 Main Street, Suite 1200, Cincinnati, Ohio
The SORTA Board of Trustees may go into Executive “Closed” Session under the Ohio Open Meetings Act: Section 121.22(G)(1) To consider appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee…; Section 121.22(G)(2) To consider the purchase of property for public purposes….; Section 121.22(G)(3) Conferences with an attorney for the public body concerning disputes involving the public body that are the subject of pending or imminent court action; Section 121.22(G)(4) Preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees…, Section 121.22(G)(5) Matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or regulations or stat statues; Section 121.22(G)(6) Details relative to the security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body or a public office; Section 121.22(G)(8) To consider confidential information related to the marketing plans, specific business strategy, production techniques, trade secrets…
PLANNING & OPERATIONS COMMITTEE TUESDAY, MAY 14TH, 2019 – 9:00 A.M. SORTA/METRO MT. ADAMS BOARD ROOM 602 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1200 CINCINNATI, OHIO
COMMITTEE/BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Heidi Black, Brendon Cull, Blake Ethridge, Allen Freeman, Robert Harris, Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Gwen Robison and Kathleen Wyenandt
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Mary Miller
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Darryl Haley, Donna Adkins, Lisa Aulick, Dan Feldman, Pat Giblin, Paul Grether, Adriene Hairston, Mary Huller, Caprice Jones, Maria Jones, Matt Moorman, Mark McEwan, Ted Meyer, Cindy Resor, John Ravasio, Cindy Resor, Shannel Satterfield, Khaled Shammout and T.J Thorn
OTHERS PRESENT: Kim Schaefer (Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLP), Wade Johnson (Green Umbrella/TriState Trails) and Bob Vickery (City of Cincinnati) , Matt Conover
1. Call to Order
Mr. Cull called the meeting to order.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
3. SORTA’s Vision and Mission Statements
SORTA’s vision and mission statements were not recited.
4. Approval of Minutes of April 9th, 2019
Mr. Etheridge made a motion that the minutes of the April 9th meeting be approved as previously emailed and Mr. Cull seconded the motion. By voice vote, the Committee approved the minutes.
5. Good News!: Operations and Maintenance Update
Mr. Ravasio shared that the Operations and Maintenance teams rolled out a few new programs!
Maintenance Apprenticeship Program: This newly developed program is designed to train and develop future top technicians from within. We’re pleased to share that it’s off to a great start with four Class-A and two Class-B Technicians enrolled. Over the next nine months, they’ll receive targeted training and tasks with the goal of becoming fully qualified in these classifications and ready for success
Four 10-hour days trial program: Who doesn’t love an extra day off? In an effort to boost employee morale and productivity, beginning June 2 through Oct. 5, we’ll begin a trial program of offering four 10-hour work days in our Main Shop and Body Shop. Following the conclusion of the trial, we’ll evaluate the success of the program and potential for expansion.
He also discussed meeting with the ATU to discuss brining access operation in-house, the next meeting is scheduled for May 31st, 2019. Lastly, he provided an update regarding benches (26 are install, 24 waiting on permit approval, and one bench removed due to a car accident). Also, the City of Cincinnati Planning Commission approved new ad dimensions.
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6. Northside Transit Center Status Report
Mr. Shammout provided a very brief update regarding the Northside Transit Center. SORTA is awaiting the final green light from FTA to place the bid for construction. He explained, after FTA approval and bids are processed and selected, between six to eight weeks he will bring the contract to the Board for approval.
The Committee accepted this update and directed Mr. Shammout to share the construction design at the next scheduled Planning and Operations meeting.
7. Cincinnati Bell Connector Service Change Recommendation
Mr. Grether proposed various options to improve productivity and ridership on the Cincinnati Bell Connector per the City’s request. His recommendation is to reduce service during very late night on all days, extend vehicle 3 on Friday and Saturday (operate until 10 p.m. and provide a 12 minute frequency), and use the vehicle 4 on Saturday (operate from 1-8:30 pm and provide a 10 minute frequency). The next steps includes the City of Cincinnati approval of a service change, Transdev Streetcar Operations & Maintenance contract modification, and set the effective date.
The Committee accepted the report as presented.
8. Ridership Reports for March 2019
Mr. McEwan presented the April 2019 ridership reports. Total ridership for the month of April was 1,213,480 below budget. On-time performance was 82% for local routes, against a goal of 88%. Local routes are carrying 18.8 passengers per hour, against a goal of 20.7 and express routes are carrying 15.4 passengers per trip, against a goal of 16.2. Missed Trips for the month was 347 against 58,748 total trips.
The April Access ridership report; total ridership for Access was 20,373, 3.5% below budget. On-time performance was 93.0% against a goal of 93.0%.
The Cincinnati Bell Connector ridership report for April 2019; total preliminary ridership was 36,333, 23.1 and 10,887 below budget. Average Headway (Peak/Off Peak) was 13:24/15:40 against a goal of 12:00/15:00. The Committee accepted the report as presented.
9. Proposed Motion: Approval to Support the Grant Application by the City of Cincinnati for Trail Project Connecting the Wasson-Right-of-Way
Mr. Haley requested approval of a motion supporting a prospective 2019 grant application by the City of Cincinnati for federal funding, through OKI by the City of Cincinnati in coordination with Green Umbrella for the construction of a trail connecting the Wasson Way multi-use trail with Uptown.
The Committee agreed to recommend the resolution to the full Board.
10. Proposed Resolution: Approval of Advertising Agency Services
Ms. Jones requested approval of a two (2) year contract, with a one (1) year option with Affirm Agency for advertising services on behalf of SORTA, at a cost not to exceed $615,000. Services to include planning, creative development and media buying and analysis related to SORTA’s efforts to promote ridership and market new services, products and amenities.
The Committee agreed to recommend the resolution to the full Board.
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11. Proposed Resolution: Approval of Membership with NEORide
Mr. Shammout requested authorization to enter into a membership with NEORide, an Ohio Council of Governments. This membership is required in order to take advantage of NEORide’s contract with Masabi & Transit to provide a regional trip planning and fare payment application; also to provide future opportunities for joint procurements and grant applications.
The Committee agreed to recommend the resolution to the full Board.
12. Proposed Resolution: Approval of Consultant Services for Regional Fare Structure and Model
Mr. Shammout requested approval to enter into a one (1) year contract with Four Nines Technologies, on behalf of SORTA, at a cost not to exceed $175,000 for consultant services to develop a more robust, user-friendly and equitable fare structure.
The Community did not agree to recommend this resolution to the full Board due to lack of immediate need and best interest of the organization. The Committee directed staff to table this project until further notice.
13. New Business
The next regular meeting of the Planning and Operations Committee has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.
14. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 10:11 A.M.
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Good News! OTP Project and Maintenance Update
Planning and Operations Committee
June 2019
1 Transit Ops Update • On Time Performance (OTP) is the most important issue to our customers* - But OTP has fallen steadily in recent years - Early Operation has tripled over this period
• “Pass-by” is the #1 customer complaint, Jan 1 – Apr 30 - Early Operation is #6 - Together, our top customer service issue
*2015- 2018 Ridership Survey 2 This Summer…
3 “It’s Not Cool to Run Hot” • Coordinated effort from all levels of Operations • Local Routes grouped into four “Sectors” – Supervisor and Manager teams assigned to each sector • Improved focus on data – Spend our efforts on the routes and operators with the most room for improvement • Healthy competition and recognition
4 This Summer…
• Meet the management team -Supervisors, Dispatchers, Managers
• And some of our top performing operators
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Test Cases
Early returns show great potential
7 Maintenance Update • First of the 1900 buses has arrived • Cummins rebate of $59k – Our team discovered a recurring exhaust failure and reached out to engine manufacturer Cummins – Our discovery, and those of other transit locations, led to a nationwide recall – We had already done repair work on 24 of 45 impacted buses – Cummins is reimbursing us $59k for this work, and will come on-sight to fix the remaining 21 under an extended warranty
8 Maintenance Update…
• LED project: Duke rebate of $38k – This covers nearly ½ of the total project cost – So far: an additional $6k in energy savings – On our way to great ROI on this project
9 Thank You!
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Attachments: Presentation
June 2019
BRIEFING ITEM –RIDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL / OBJECTIVE
• Operational Excellence • Innovation
RECOMMENDATION
This is a briefing item. No action is required at this time.
BUSINESS PURPOSE
• Details regarding the rider advisory committee to be presented at meeting.
SUBMITTED BY:
Dave Etienne Director of Marketing and Communications
People-Centered Strategies to Improve Our Everyday Bus System
1 2 3 Actionable Ideas Improving everyday ridership
Train drivers that they absolutely must put the ramp down with no complaints when requested.
“Now, the newer [drivers]... you ask them to put that ramp down, honey, you would think you were asking them to just lay over and die. And I know that’s your job! And you may be late, but that’s still courtesy. And I am a senior, and I go out and I do probably more things than I should, so my little cart is heavy, and when I ask you to put it down, they will, but you know that... I shouldn’t have asked! ‘Cause it’s not pleasant.” – Ms. Gwen, everyday rider
Make the buses more family friendly for parents and caregivers.
“They don’t even wait till you sit down no more, they’re just pulling right off, and if you’re tumbling down the aisle, they don’t care to slow down or nothing…” – Tayshana, everyday rider 4 Actionable Ideas Rethink External Communications and Engagement
Create a storytelling-focused social media presence to connect with people on a human level.
“I was surprised that you guys only had like 1,400 followers on Instagram... Paid, sponsored Instagram posts, maybe engage local photographers, tell people’s stories of how Metro adds value to their life. That way I would see it more, it would be more present, and then if there’s something of interest or that’s entertaining, I would follow it.” – Kalen, millennial
Make public meetings more accessible — hold them along bus routes and during various times to ensure everyone has a chance to attend.
“Please don’t do meetings at 12 o’clock, we’re at work!” – Celeste, everyday rider
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Actionable Ideas Creating Pathways for New Ridership
List the bus routes that go to hotspots, like breweries, sports stadiums, and concert venues, at those locations. Partner to offer discounts at those venues for people who show that they took the bus to get there.
“A lot of people don’t know that the buses go to the places they just drove to, and spent $10 to park at. When they show up, have signs telling them which buses go to that location, how much bus fare is, and how to download the EZ ride app.” - Dani
Shift where and how Metro advertises on campus: orientation, welcome packets, and themed bus stops
“We have to have regular meetings with our RA, or like RedChat...they send stuff every so often. So maybe if that packet of information was there, that would be helpful.” - Lonnie, UC student
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We heard you… • Install signage on highways and main corridors directing commuters to park & rides – working with ODOT to add signage • Place maps on bus stop poles – exploring sign holder options • Convene community how-to-ride events – developing outreach plan • Place bus courtesy reminders inside buses – signs under review • Compare cost of driving v. riding the bus – under development for website • Post information on UC campus about Metro routes and the interesting places they go – working with UC to develop this • Install real-time arrival screen at Tangeman University Center – working with UC to do this • Improve operator friendliness and courtesy – started customer service refresher training for all operators
7 Metro Bus Rider Advisory Board
• Cohear, working with Metro, identified most insightful and committed participants to invite to become members of the Metro Advisory Board.
• Cohear will be responsible for maintaining at least 10 members of this board, will work to sustain Metro’s relationships with the Board members, and will help catalogue relevant personal stories and powerful communication opportunities.
• Cohear will produce summaries and reports with key takeaways after each Board meeting.
8 Advisory Board Next Steps
• 12 individuals currently make up the Bus Rider Advisory Board
• Held first advisory board meetings on Tuesday, June 4 and the next is scheduled for this Thursday, June 13
• The meetings will focus on Metro leadership priorities beginning with selecting the most promising actionable ideas from the report and developing pilot implementation strategies
9 Thank You!
10 Bench update • 24 benches are installed with ads • Ads will be installed as new benches are installed
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Attachments: Presentation
June 2019
BRIEFING ITEM – MONTHLY RIDERSHIP REPORT- MAY 31ST, 2019
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL / OBJECTIVE
• Operational Excellence
RECOMMENDATION
This is a briefing item. No action is required at this time.
BUSINESS PURPOSE
• This report provides a summary of monthly ridership information, both on fixed route (Local/Express), Access services, and Cincinnati Bell Connector.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as: Average Fixed Ridership, Passenger per Hour, Passenger per Trip, and Cost per Passenger are provided to show ridership trends and variances.
SUBMITTED BY:
Mark McEwan Manager of Service Analysis
May 2019 Ridership Report
1 Local/Express Ridership
VARIANCE VARIANCE ACTUAL BUDGET 2018 (%/#) (%/#)
TOTAL 1,148,250 1,182,971 -2.9% -34,721 1,214,345 -5.4% -69,392 LOCAL 1,071,612 1,104,793 -3.0% -33,181 1,133,623 -5.5% -65,256 EXPRESS 76,638 78,178 -2.0% -1,540 80,722 -5.1% -4,136
YTD TOTAL 5,533,884 5,590,882 -1.0% -56,998 5,762,510 -4.0% -228,626
Current Year Prior Year Budget 2 Local/Express KPIs
ACTUAL KPI/BUDGET VARIANCE
PASSENGERS PER HOUR 18.2 20.7 -2.5 (LOCAL) PASSENGERS PER TRIP 15.1 16.2 -1.1 (EXPRESS)
AVERAGE RIDERSHIP (WD) 45,649 47,134 -1,485
AVERAGE RIDERSHIP (SA) 20,076 20,007 +69
AVERAGE RIDERSHIP (SU) 12,735 13,199 -464
Current year Prior year KPI/Budget 3 Local/Express KPIs
ACTUAL KPI VARIANCE
COST PER PASSENGER $6.44 $5.57 +$0.87 (LOCAL)
COST PER PASSENGER $12.72 $9.00 +$3.72 (EXPRESS)
COST RECOVERY (LOCAL) 30.5% 28.0%28.028.0% +2.5%++ COST RECOVERY (EXPRESS) 28.2% 35.0% -6.8% OTP (LOCAL) ON TIME PERFORMACE (LOCAL) 81.6% 86.5% -4.9% OTP (EXPRESS) ON TIME PERFORMANCE (EXPRESS) 81.5% 86.5% -5.0% Current year Prior year KPI 4 Local/Express Missed Trips
Current year Prior year
ACTUAL TOTAL TRIPS % OF TRIPS OPERATED
MISSED TRIPS (ALL SERVICE) 511 64,721 99.2%
REASON FOR MISSED TRIP ACTUAL % of MISSED TRIPS
NO OPERATOR AVAILABLE 393 77.0%
MECHANICAL ISSUE 38 7.4%
TRAFFIC INCIDENT 21 4.1%
LATE OPERATIONS 31 6.0%
OTHER 28 5.5% 5 Access Ridership
ACCESS ACTUAL BUDGET VARIANCE (%/#) 2018 VARIANCE (%/#) PARATRANSIT TOTAL 19,882 21,219 -6.3% -1,337 20,836 -4.6% -954 WD 18,586 19,390 -4.1% -804 SA 690 763 -9.6% -73 SU 606 683 -11.3% -77
YTD 96,207 97,978 -1.8% -1,771 96,839 -0.7% -632
Current Year Prior Year Budget
6 Access KPIs
ACTUAL KPI VARIANCE
COST PER PASSENGER $35.05 $32.00 +$3.05 ON-TIME PERFORMANCE (OTP) 94.0% 93.0% +1.0% PASSENGERS PER HOUR 2.29 2.20 +0.09 COST RECOVERY 11.8% 14.0% -2.2%
Current year KPI 7 Cincinnati Bell Connector CB Connector Ridership
VARIANCE ACTUAL BUDGET FY2018 VARIANCE (%/#) (%/#)
TOTAL 46,931 54,049 -13.2% -7,118 51,105 -8.2% -4,174
FYTD 428,452 472,628 -9.3% -44,176 472,304 -9.3% -43,852 TOTAL
Current Year Prior Year Budget
9 CB Connector KPIs
ACTUAL KPI VARIANCE
COST PER PASSENGER $6.18 $4.10 +$2.08 AVERAGE HEADWAY (PEAK/OFF-PEAK) 14:11/16:07 12:00/15:00 +2:11/+1:07 PASSENGERS PER HOUR 35.4 52.8 -17.4 COST RECOVERY 10.6% 14.3% -3.7%
Current Year Prior Year KPI 10
Monthly Route Performance Measures
11 Route Passenger KPIs - May
KPI Av erage Minimum Standard Benchmark 12 Route Cost KPIs - May
KPI Av erage Minimum Standard Benchmark 13 Route Revenue KPIs - May
KPI Av erage Minimum Standard Benchmark 14 Route Revenue KPIs - May
KPI Av erage Minimum Standard Benchmark 15 Route OTP KPI - May
KPI Av erage Minimum Standard Benchmark 16 Attachments: Action Item
BOARD OF TRUSTEES SOUTHWEST OHIO REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY MOTION
ADOTION OF SORTA GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE CINCINNATI STREETCAR OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE INTERGOVERNMENT AGREEMENT (OMIGA)
The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority establishes the following guiding principles for the restructuring of the 2015 Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA) to remove SORTA from primary responsibilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar:
1. SORTA shall have no direct financial involvement in or liabilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar; 2. SORTA staff shall have no ongoing or regular responsibilities or involvement in the Cincinnati Streetcar.
These guiding principles will be used to renegotiate the OMIGA with the City of Cincinnati.
Attachments: N/A
June 2019
ACTION ITEM – ADOPTION OF SORTA GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE CINCINNATI STREETCAR OMIGA
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL / OBJECTIVE
• Strategic Partnering • Cultural Alignment
RECOMMENDATION
Approval of a motion to establish guiding principles for the restructuring of the Cincinnati Streetcar the objective of which is the transition of all primary responsibilities to the City of Cincinnati. These guiding principles will be used by SORTA staff and counsel to negotiate the transition with the City of Cincinnati, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Ohio Department of Transportation State Safety Oversight (ODOT/SSO).
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Under the 2015 Cincinnati Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA) SORTA has various primary responsibilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar
• SORTA is not proposed to contribute funding to this project or grant application. SORTA is not acting as the grant applicant.
BUSINESS PURPOSE
• SORTA wishes to end its involvement in the Cincinnati Streetcar to focus on the Metro Bus and Paratransit system. The SORTA Board of Trustees passed a motion at the September 18, 2018 meeting instructing staff to begin developing a new operating structure for the streetcar; this resolution provides further guidance.
• The City of Cincinnati, per City Council motion 201801150 requested and received information which began the transition process in the form of a report from the City Manager dated November 27, 2018.
PROCUREMENT CONSIDERATIONS
• N/A
D/M/WBE CONSIDERATIONS
• N/A LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
• The 2015 OMIGA with the City of Cincinnati requires renegotiation to transfer SORTA responsibilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar to the City of Cincinnati. SORTA owned assets, ongoing contracts and systems used [in part] for supporting Cincinnati Streetcar will require sale, transfer or other arrangement.
• The City of Cincinnati is required to become a grantee of the Federal Transit Administration for the complete transfer of remaining FTA liability for the Cincinnati Streetcar from SORTA to the City.
• The City of Cincinnati must constitute the rail safety technical capacity to assume the responsibility from SORTA for the ODOT/SSO compliance program for the Cincinnati Streetcar.
SUBMITTED BY:
Darryl Haley Interim CEO/General Manager
Cincinnati Bell Connector OMIGA Restructuring 2015 O&M Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA)
• Governing Agreement for Streetcar – Roles and Responsibilities – Process – Liabilities
2 2015 OMIGA Restructuring
– SORTA is negotiating its exit from Streetcar Operations and Maintenance responsibilities • September 2018 Board motion • City of Cincinnati motion 201801150 (November 2018)
– OMIGA includes many roles and responsibilities
– OMIGA Amendments will come to the Board of Trustees for approval
– Establishment of Board Guiding Principles will guide SORTA staff and counsel negotiations of policy issues with FTA, ODOT and City
3 Proposed Guiding Principles
1. “SORTA shall have no direct financial involvement in or liabilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar”
2. “SORTA staff shall have no ongoing or regular responsibilities or involvement in the Cincinnati Streetcar”
4 Board of Trustees Action
Staff requests action on the draft Motion:
“The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority establishes the following guiding principles for the restructuring of the 2015 Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (OMIGA) to remove SORTA from primary responsibilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar: 1. SORTA shall have no direct financial involvement in or liabilities for the Cincinnati Streetcar; 2. SORTA staff shall have no ongoing or regular responsibilities or involvement in the Cincinnati Streetcar. These guiding principles will be used to renegotiate the OMIGA with the City of Cincinnati.”
5 SORTA Streetcar Exit
• Timeline – August 1, 2019 – Director of Rail Services transition • Interim Deputy Director Streetcar Services reports to SORTA (OMIGA Amendment #2) – December 31, 2019 – Assignment of Transdev Contract to City of Cincinnati • Requires City to assume ODOT State Safety Oversight (SSO) responsibilities • 49 CFR part 674 compliance – March 1, 2019 – City of Cincinnati approved as FTA Grantee • Streetcar Grants transferred to City of Cincinnati
6 Phase One
• Transfer of Operating Responsibility to Interim Deputy Director of Streetcar Services – Direct Report of SORTA General Manager/CEO (temporary) – Established as SORTA Employee • Access to SORTA management systems • Facilitates transfer – Required for FTA and ODOT SSO compliance
• OMIGA Amendment #2
7 OMIGA Amendment #2
• Insert Specifics once available • Request Action from BoT
8 Thank you