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I Palm Tran I I Palm Tran I Operations Maintenance Palm Tran Connection Marketing Capital Expansion I 570 Positions I DEPARTMENT: PALM TRAN DEPARTMENTS~Y MISSION To provide Palm Beach County residents with increased mobility via a safe, convenient, user friendly, and affordable public transportation system. SUMlVIARV OF SERVICES/FACILITIES Palm Tran provides two types of public transit service employees on 33 fixed routes. Paratransit service is for Palm Beach County. Traditional fixed route services provided by Palm Tran CONNECTION with offices are provided with a fleet of 129 buses operating from located in suburban Lake Worth. Private contractors facilities in West Palm Beach and Delray Beach. At operate 210 vans providing door-to-door service for peak times 109 buses are operated by Palm Tran senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. TRENDS AND ISSUES Fixed Route Services: Fixed route ridership has Ridership to/from Tri-Rail stations represents a growing increased by over 17.5% over the last two years. This is niche in our ridership. When the double track project is the result of several factors including improved service completed, Tri-Rail will be capable of operating trains and service reliability, the modification of routes by the on its corridor every 20 minutes. This should increase Palm Tran Service Board and of late, the rising cost of use ofTri-Rail by County. residents and attract additional gasoline. While over 40% of current fixed route ridership to Palm Tran, especially to the east-west bus ridership is carried by the three routes that serve the routes. While Palm Tran's five year plan includes the three major north-south corridors in the eastern section procurement of additional buses to operate increased of the County: U.S. 1, Congress Avenue, and Military service for this, various new sources will need to be Trail, we are also seeing significant ridership increases explored to fund the increase in Palm Tran's operating on east-west routes, as well. One significant issue fleet. associated with our ridership growth that has increased Paratransit Services: Over the past several years, dramatically over the last year has been our inability to paratransit services have grown dramatically in both pick up all customers waiting for particular trips. A ridership and expense. This trend is expected to capacity load issue, like this, was previously a rare continue as the population ages and more individuals occurrence at Palm Tran, usually the result of an with disabilities are attracted to South Florida. operating issue. Reports of buses at capacity with a Paratransit alternatives for low population density areas standing load of passengers have become all too will need to be explored in the future in collaboration common on our major routes. Many of these reports with local municipalities. Palm Tran CONNECTION were confirmed by customer complaints or Palm Tran continues its efforts in working with the Palm Beach Supervisors. County Emergency Operations Center in preparing for hurricane related transportation and evacuations. Palm Beach County, Florida C-177 DEPARTMENT: PALM TRAN DEPARTMENTS~Y FINANCIAL SUMMARY FINANCIAL& FY 2005 FY2006 FY 2006 FY 2007 STAFFING SUMMARY Actual Budget Estimated Budget REVENUES GENERATED User Fees/Charges 12,031,295 12,640,974 12,819,550 13,214,982 Gas Taxes 13,044,762 13,245,000 13,429,296 13,697,882 Grants 16,050,232 29,356,470 19,855,444 31,484,429 Interfund Transfers 674,584 541,687 541,687 641,787 AdValorem 7,940,966 26,135,490 21,042,453 31,780,407 Other 17,756,394 9,912,855 11 256,742 6,3 87,694 TOTAL $67,498,233 $91,832,476 $78,945,172 $97,207,181 APPROPRIATIONS Personal Services 29,686,440 33,371,986 32,921,990 35,411,566 Operating Expenses 30,020,894 43,059,135 35,974,511 43,324,408 Capital Outlay 4,553,292 13,401,355 7,781,171 16,111,740 Debt Service 2,200,000 2,000,000 2,200,000 675,000 Grants and Aids 1,037,607 0 67,500 1,684,467 TOTAL $67,498,233 $91,832,476 $78,945,172 $97,207,181 STAFFING Positions 554 561 562 570 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) 546.00 553.00 554.00 566.50 SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROl\1 PRIOR YEAR Fixed Route Service: Palm Tran's budget request Paratransit Service: The "Transition Period" for the includes funding for service expansion to the North new carriers is over and the fleet is fully compliant. County area that was previously approved but not Improved service has led to a decrease in complaints and funded. The planned service will operate on an hourly an increase in productivity. The increase in productivity frequency, Monday-Saturday. Staff, with the support of has helped to control costs. In addition, Palm Beach the Palm Tran Service Board, recommends increasing County (Palm Tran CONNECTION) began providing service on Routes 1, 2, 3, 47, 48. These changes would Medicaid transportation services for County residents on provide increased ridership capacity in areas where we January 1, 2005. This service was previously operated have experienced both significant ridership growth and by a private vendor under contract with the Agency for overcrowding issues. Additionally, Palm Tran's budget Health Care Administration. While this service is fully includes additional money in the bus operator overtime reimbursable, the yearly added cost for the operation of budget to enable staff to be able to respond when this service is budgeted at $4 million. Palm Tran confronted with documented cases of service CONNECTION was named the 2006 Urban Community overcrowding. Palm Tran's budget also includes Transportation Coordinator of the Year by the Florida reductions of service amounting to a savings in excess of Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. $250,000. Fixed route ridership is projected to grow by at least 10% in FY 2007. Palm Beach County, Florida C-178 DEPARTMENT: PALM TRAN PROGRAM: OPERATIONS DEFINITION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES To provide daily scheduled service in a timely, safe, customer friendly, and professional manner. Primary services include: ~ hire and train drivers; ~ dispatch vehicles; ~ establish work assignments and administer the union contract; ~ investigate accidents; and ~ investigate and respond to customer complaints. PROGRAl\'1 OBJECTIVES FOR FY 2007 ~ Reduce "at-fault" accidents per 100,000 miles to .9 or less. ~ Provide reliable service based on percent on operating 99% of scheduled trips. ~ Reduce average miles per passenger complaint to 5,000 miles per complaint. ~ Increase riders per revenue hour on Weekdays to 20 .1. ~ Increase riders per revenue hour on Saturdays to 16.4. ~ Increase riders per revenue hour on Sundays to 15.8. PERFORMANCE MEASURES FY 2005 5Year Benchmark FY2006 FY 2007 Actual Trend Comparison Budget Target "At-fault" accidents per 100,000 miles 0.61 n/a n/a 0.5 0.9 Percent of scheduled trips met 100% n/a n/a 99% 99% Average miles per complaint 4,189 n/a n/a 7,500 5,000 Weekday riders per revenue hour n/a n/a n/a n/a 20.1 Saturday riders per revenue hour n/a n/a n/a n/a 16.4 Sunday riders per revenue hour n/a n/a n/a n/a 15.8 Palm Beach County, Florida C-179 DEPARTMENT: PALM TRAN PROGRAM: OPERATIONS FINANCIAL SUl\111\'IARY FINANCIAL& FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2006 FY2007 STAFFING SUMMARY Actual Budget Estimated Budget REVENUES GENERATED User Fees/Charges 7,453,801 6,978,865 7,157,441 7,852,218 Gas Taxes 13,044,762 13,245,000 13,429,296 13,697,882 Grants 3,993,025 16,586,248 11,547,004 12,185,136 Inter-Departmental Charges 633,400 500,000 500,000 600,100 AdValorem 7,940,966 26,135,490 21,042,453 31,780,407 Other 17,415,876 7,975,813 11 ,068 614 5,336,046 TOTAL $50,481,830 $71,421,416 $64,7 44,808 $71,451,789 APPROPRIATIONS Personal Services 19,936,720 22,168,762 21,835,766 23,466,378 Operating Expenses 5,485,233 9,034,868 2,527,697 4,735,441 Capital Outlay 0 5,951,320 2,799,376 2,951 ,945 Debt Service 0 2,000,000 2,200,000 0 TOTAL $25,421,953 $39,154,950 $29,362,839 $31,153,764 STAFFING Positions 363 368 369 374 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) 358.00 363.00 364.00 370.50 SU!\'Il\IARY OF KEY FUl\1liNG/SERVICE ISSUES Budget Increase: The increase in the FY 2007 Route 1 on the US1 corridor to a 15 minute peak service operations budget is due in part to normal inflationary frequency, and increase Route 40's hourly weekday factors, annualized increases in basic personal services service to a 30 minute peak weekday service (including costs, and the proposed increases in service on several one additional peak trip) at an additional cost of routes. $185,896. New positions for FY 2007 include five full time operators to increase the 20 minute service frequency on Palm Beach County, Florida C-180 DEPARTMENT: PALM TRAN PROGRAM: MAINTENANCE DEFINITION OF PROGRAJVIS AND SERVICES To provide proper, cost-effective maintenance of the bus fleet ensuring that sufficient vehicles are available to meet daily service requirements. Primary services include: .,.. Daily vehicle repair requirements including fueling and cleaning, collision repair, and road call assistance; .,.. Scheduled Preventive Maintenance inspection program including servicing of all fluids, filters and complete bus inspections; .,.. Employee education and development program including mechanic training, safety training and supervisor training; .,.. Storage and replacement of parts inventory; .,.. Facilities and equipment maintenance; and .,.
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