Report to/Rapport au : Transit Commission Commission du transport en commun October 17, 2012 17 octobre 2012 Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager, City Operations/ Directeur municipal adjoint, Opérations municipales Contact Person / Personne ressource: John Manconi, General Manager / Directeur général, Transit Services / Services du transport en commun 613-842-3636 x2111, [email protected] CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE Ref N°: ACS2012-COS-TRA-0013 SUBJECT: STATUS UPDATE ON TRANSIT SERVICES DEPARTMENTAL PRIORITIES – 2012 OBJET : MISE-A-JOUR SUR LES PRIORITÉS DU SERVICE DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN – 2012 REPORT RECOMMENDATION That the Transit Commission receive this report for information. RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT Que la Commission du transport en commun prenne connaissance de ce rapport. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Following a review of the operation of the Transit Services Department, the General Manager identified a prioritized workplan for 2012, which was received at the Transit Commission meeting on May 16, 2012. The Departmental priorities were identified based on a review of the capacity of the Department to appropriately resource the volume of projects contained in its 2012 workplan within the context of the Term of Council priorities approved by Council in July of last year. In particular, the priorities of Transit Services for the remainder of 2012 are centred upon stabilizing the organization and strongly focussing on the implementation phase of key projects aligned to Term of Council priorities and the three pillars of service excellence: customer satisfaction, employee engagement and improved operational performance. In summary, the Transit Services Management Team will focus the remainder of 2012 on these projects which are contributors to: Ensuring sustainable transit services; Promoting alternative mobility choices; and Service excellence. The following 12 approved priorities are described in further detail and are accompanied by progress statements: 1. Labour Relations 2. PRESTO 3. Fares 4. Double-decker Buses 5. Facilities 6. Para Transpo 7. Ottawa Light Rail Transit Project 8. O-Train Expansion 9. IT Review 10. Employee Engagement Plan 11. Financial Management 12. Service Plan The Transit Services Department, with support and guidance from the Transit Commission and Council, has seen significant progress on all of the priorities. Some highlights include: May 2012 - Ratification of a four year labour contract that ensures that transit users are assured continuous, uninterrupted service for the next four years; April 2012 - Approval of OC Transpo fares, effective July 1, 2012, within the 2.5% limit set by Council, which will continue to provide attractive fares for transit users; O-Train expansion is progressing well; August 24 – Launch of the first double-decker buses; and An Employment Engagement program has been launched. RÉSUMÉ À la suite de l'examen des opérations du Service de transport en commun, le directeur général a défini un plan de travail prioritaire pour 2012 qui a été reçu lors de la réunion de la Commission du transport en commun du 16 mai 2012. Les priorités du Service ont été déterminées en s'appuyant sur un examen de la capacité du Service à approvisionner adéquatement le nombre de projets contenus dans son plan de travail 2012 dans le contexte des priorités pour le mandat du Conseil qui ont été approuvées par le Conseil au mois de juillet l'an dernier. De façon plus particulière, les priorités du Service de transport en commun pour le reste de l'année 2012 sont axées sur la stabilisation de l'organisation et sur la mise au point de la phase d'exécution des principaux projets qui sont harmonisés aux priorités pour le mandat du Conseil et aux trois piliers de l'excellence du service : la satisfaction de la clientèle, l'engagement des employés et un rendement opérationnel amélioré. En résumé, l'Équipe de gestion du Service de transport en commun consacrera le reste de l'année 2012 à ces projets qui contribuent à : assurer des services de transport en commun durables; promouvoir des options de mobilité de rechange; l'excellence du service. Les 12 priorités approuvées qui suivent sont décrites plus en détail et sont accompagnés d'une déclaration à jour sur les progrès : 1. Les relations de travail 2. La carte à puce PRESTO 3. Les tarifs 4. Les autobus à deux étages 5. Les installations 6. Para Transpo 7. Le projet de train léger sur rail d'Ottawa 8. L'élargissement du réseau O-Train 9. L'examen des TI 10. Le plan pour l'engagement des employés 11. La gestion des finances 12. Le plan des services Grâce au soutien et à l'encadrement de la Commission du transport en commun et du Conseil, toutes les priorités du Service de transport en commun ont progressé de manière importante. Parmi les faits marquants : Mai 2012 : la ratification d'un contrat de travail quadriennal qui assure aux usagers du transport en commun un service continu et ininterrompu pour les quatre prochaines années; Avril 2012 : l'approbation des tarifs d'OC Transpo, qui entreront en vigueur le 1er juillet 2012 dans le respect de la limite de 2,5 % fixée par le Conseil, et qui demeureront attrayants pour les usagers du transport en commun; L'élargissement du réseau O-Train, qui va bon train; 24 août : le lancement des premiers autobus à deux étages; Le lancement d'un programme pour l'engagement des employés. BACKGROUND In May of 2012, Transit Commission received the Transit Services Departmental Priorities report, which detailed the 12 priorities the department was focussing on for the remainder of the year. The priorities for Transit Services are centered upon stabilizing the organization while strongly focusing on the implementation phase of key projects aligned with Term of Council Priorities. They were also aimed at fulfilling the three pillars of service excellence: customer satisfaction, employee engagement and improved operational performance. For ease of reference, this report is organized so that each status update is preceded by an excerpt from the Departmental Priorities report received in May of 2012. Following each excerpt is a detailed status update of the priority. Overall the 12 priorities are progressing well. Many of the activities contained in the priorities are completed or reaching substantial completion. Listed below are the priorities as they were tabled at Transit Commission in May 2012 and immediately following each priority is a detailed update and description of the work completed to date. DISCUSSION Priorities 1. Labour Relations In order for customer confidence and employee morale to increase it is imperative that labour relations at OC Transpo improve. The recent ratification of a four year labour contract with the largest employee group is a significant milestone that contributes to customer service as transit users are now assured continuous, uninterrupted service for the next four years. For our employees, our focus will now be in engaging them in their ideas and contributions to service excellence. The Departmental management team will work collaboratively with the unions and their members on a number of key initiatives that will continue to cultivate positive labour relations. There are four key items that form part of the new contract and that will continue to demonstrate collaboration. These items will need appropriate resourcing and oversight by the General Manager. They are listed below and they will be led by the General Manager’s office: a. Scheduling Committee; b. Merivale Garage; c. Contracting out/in review; and, d. Safety on Buses (Cameras). Status Update: The ratification of a four-year labour contract between OC Transpo and ATU 279 was the start of a major shift in labour relations at OC Transpo. The focus is now on open and constructive dialogue with all staff and labour groups. That process has begun and a major piece to this progress is the establishment of Union Management Consultation Committees (UMCC) with all union groups at OC Transpo: ATU 279, ATU 1760 and CUPE 5500. Inaugural UMCC meetings have already taken place with all three unions and Terms of Reference have been approved and the forum now exists for proactive dialogue. These meetings also provide the environment for dealing with issues before they escalate, enabling management and union to work on joint initiatives and to track progress on key issues affecting all employees. In addition to the distinctive meetings, an annual joint meeting of all three unions with management is also being implemented. Scheduling Committee: The Working Group on Scheduling continues to meet on a regular basis to review the current scheduling practices with the goal of improving the quality of work for operators. To date, as a result of their work, one such initiative was implemented for the September booking. This initiative focused on making improvements that would speed up the length of time it took to complete the 9:30 a.m. daily booking at no additional cost. In September, initiatives were put into place to improve the daily selection of work by operators. The group is currently working through two additional initiatives with the goal of implementation for the January booking if possible, alternatively the April booking. All of the ideas stemming from this will be made within existing funding envelopes and must comply with the Keller Award and all applicable legislative requirements. Merivale Garage: The Merivale Garage is ideally suited for the operation of preventative maintenance (PM) programs and will be fully operational for this fall. We have been working closely with staff and ATU Local 279 to establish appropriate staffing levels and work schedules that will support the hybrid preventative maintenance program. This will result in a focused PM program that is not interrupted by daily maintenance service demands and leverages the already existing facility that is modern and well equipped. Contracting Out/In Review: The focus in this area has been on setting the ground work for the discussions required to understand the key business drivers of resources levels, outcomes and outputs and gaining a solid understanding by all parties.