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2016 Annual Report to Southwest Transit’S Loyal Riders and Friends

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2016 Annual Report to Southwest Transit’S Loyal Riders and Friends 2016 Annual Report To SouthWest Transit’s Loyal Riders and Friends: We are pleased to present the 2016 Annual Report for SouthWest Transit. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, it’s rewarding to reflect on the many accomplishments the organization has experienced over the past 30 years and exciting to look forward to the future. SouthWest Transit has long been a leader in the provision of transit service, and the following is a small example of SouthWest Transit’s accomplishments over the past 30 years: Developed one of the nation’s first transit oriented developments (SouthWest Station) centered around an “all-bus” operation. Was the first transit operation to introduce both luxury coach and double deck vehicles into the metro area. Was the first operator to equip all of its vehicles with Wi-Fi. Developed the first transit app in the Twin Cities region for riders to get route schedules including real-time information from their smart phone. Recognized nationally for its Emergency Preparedness and Asset Management Planning. Riders consistently rate SouthWest Transit performance high. For 10 straight years, the agency has received a positive satisfaction rating (satisfied to very satisfied) of 99 percent or better. SouthWest Transit consistently ranks as one of the top transit organizations in the country when it comes to operational performance such as safety/accidents, on-time performance, maintenance, and cost-effectiveness. Implemented one of the first all “on-demand” transit programs in the nation. This high-tech approach has allowed SouthWest Transit to operate one of the lowest cost demand-response transit systems in the country. Received over 30 state and national awards including twice being named the Minnesota Transit System of the Year, the National System of the Year, and multiple awards for safety, security, innovation and financial excellence. Looking toward the future, 2016 ended with the agency agreeing in principle with the Metropolitan Council, which will bring LRT into the heart of SouthWest Station in Eden Prairie. This agreement took three years to finalize and insures long-term viability of SouthWest Transit’s operations. It outlines strategies that protect our current express operations not only in the City of Eden Prairie, but in all three of the communities we serve. It also provides new opportunities to expand our local service operations, and it allows us to replace our current office building in a way that not only meets our operational needs, but provides new benefits to our riding customers. In conclusion, we want to recognize all those who have a hand in our agency’s success. Our accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the many staff, Commission members, and political leaders who have all helped move the organization forward over the past 30 years. As we look back with pride at all we have been able to accomplish, we also look forward to serving our communities and customers with the same convictions to leadership, innovation, customer service, safety, and accountability. On behalf of the SouthWest Transit Commission, we are pleased to present the 2016 Annual Report. Jay Rohe Len Simich Chair CEO 2016 SouthWest Transit 2016 Awards Commission Members SouthWest Transit was honored to receive the following Denny Laufenburger awards in 2016: Brad Aho Secretary/Treasurer Nancy Tyra-Lukens American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Jay Rohe Chair 2016 Certificate of Merit for Safety Jody Collis King Rider Representative APTA 2016 Certificate of Merit for Security Jerry McDonald Vice Chair Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Bob Roepke Reporting Southwest Metro Chamber 2016 Mid-Size Business of the Year City of Carver Partnership Award SouthWest Transit Directors Len Simich Chief Executive Officer Dave Jacobson Chief Operating Officer Steve LaFrance Director of Maintenance & Facilities Leadership Awards The SouthWest Transit Commission is SouthWest Transit Commission pleased to present its 2016 Outstanding Political Champion The SouthWest Transit Commission is comprised of seven Award to members. Each of the three cities has one elected official Representative and one member of the public who serve on the Cindy Pugh Commission. The seventh position is a rider (33B—Chanhassen) representative. and its 2016 Distinguished Service The Commission’s role is to represent the public’s Award to Carver County interest in policy development, long-term planning and financing, and to carefully balance the needs of each Commissioner community with available resources. The Commission Tom Workman for the focuses on the big picture and policy while management contributions they have and staff carry out the Commission’s directives and both made to manage the day-to-day operations of the transit system. SouthWest Transit. Ridership 2016 was a record-breaking year for SouthWest Transit with a record overall ridership number, an all-time high ridership number for State Fair, and the highest ridership ever reported for a special event for the 2016 Ryder Cup. Highlights from the year include: Provided a total of 1,246,090 rides during the year Highest ridership for an opening day for State Fair: 7,738 rides Highest weekday ridership for State Fair: Over 12,000 rides Highest single day ridership for State Fair: Just under 14,000 rides Highest overall ridership for all 12 days of State Fair: 100,034 rides 104,561 rides provided to and from the Ryder Cup, which set a new all-time high ridership record for a special event service. Community Partnerships SouthWest Transit continued to be a strong partner in our communities in 2016. Most notably, SW Transit worked together with Paisley Park and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. SouthWest Transit staff worked with Paisley Park’s management to assist them with securing parking for tours. In addition to offering parking options, staff also assisted with securing shuttle transportation from two private operators. SouthWest Transit provided transportation service from Chanhassen Transit Station to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for their special events, capped off by the Bruce Munro Winter Light exhibit. Emergency Preparedness Training All SouthWest Transit staff completed a series of safety and security training sessions. These sessions covered: Recognizing potential security situations The escalation of strategies to mitigate risk Steps to control and contain a security event How to respond with other security partners How to resume normal operations after a safety or security event Our training reviewed both internal and external violence with a focus on how to identify precursors to events. This training will help all of our employees to take the actions to minimize risk to our passengers and fellow employees whenever possible. SW Prime SWLRT SW Prime has quickly become an important part of SouthWest Transit’s SouthWest Transit worked throughout 2016 with efforts to help make it that last mile between our stations and their final the Met Council and the LRT Project Office to destinations. In 2016, we began to gain recognition for SW Prime’s success. come to an agreement on the purchase price for Several transit agencies across the U.S. and as far away as New Zealand have been looking at SW Prime as a blueprint for their own systems. SouthWest Station. In these negotiations, it was extremely important for the agreement to be fair A few of the reasons SW Prime has continued to gain recognition include: to both sides and to not place unnecessary SW Prime is an on-demand service, which means we don’t take any financial burden on either agency. advanced bookings. This has kept our number of no-show riders and denials low. At the end of December, SouthWest Transit and the Met Council reached an agreement on a Many of our reservations and the dispatching is done through an automated dispatch software system, which saves on labor costs. purchase price, a date for SouthWest Transit to vacate the current SW Station, and a design plan. Riders traveling between zones (Carver, Chanhassen, and Chaska and Eden Prairie) transfer buses. This allows for buses to continue in service with minimal down periods. Our overall cost to operate the service is one of the lowest amongst the demand-response systems in the country. Ridership has continued to grow during every month SW Prime has been in operation. We currently serve between 225 and 250 passengers each day. We are excited about Prime’s continued success, and we have plans to expand Prime in the near future. SW Rider Rewards Plymouth Metrolink In 2016, SouthWest Transit implemented a Rider SouthWest Transit’s contract Rewards program through the Minnesota-based app with Plymouth Metrolink company, FanMaker. This program gave riders points for continued in 2016 with SWT riding the bus and for interacting with SouthWest playing a major role in several Transit on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and major projects, including: Instagram). Riders were then able to trade their points Developed the city’s RFP for Driver Services in for prizes that SW Transit acquired through trade. Implemented new service changes adopted by the While the program grew to over 1,200 users in 2016, we City, including new service to the U of MN, expanded didn’t feel it was accomplishing our goal of bringing new midday service, and enhanced reverse commute riders to our system. Because of this, the decision was service. made to end the program in December. Completed Plymouth Metrolink’s Transit Asset In 2017, a new program, SW Perks, will be put into Management Plan place. The new program will continue to reward our regular riders for riding with us and for interacting on Developed and administered Plymouth Metrolink’s social media, but extra emphasis will be put on annual customer survey encouraging riders to refer friends, coworkers and Created Plymouth Metrolink’s first Emergency family members to ride with Preparedness Plan (EPP) SouthWest Transit.
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