TO: Members of the Committee of the Whole FROM: W. H. Jackson, Director of Utility Services MEETING DATE: July 30, 2012 SUBJECT: Report USDIR12-011 Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – Draft Final Report for Distribution and Feedback PURPOSE A report to present the Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review draft Final Report. RECOMMENDATION That Council approve Report USDIR12-011, dated July 30, 2012, of the Director of Utility Services, as follows: That the Consultants presentation on the Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review be received; Report USDIR12-011 – Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – Draft Final Report Page 2 BUDGET AND FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no budget or financial implications to receiving the Consultant’s presentation. It is expected that implementation of the recommendations of the final report will have budget or financial implications and these will be detailed in the staff report to follow the September 2012 City Council meeting. BACKGROUND At its meeting of April 4, 2011, when discussing Report USTR11-003 2011, Public Transit Operations Review, Council adopted the following motion. 1. That Report USTR11-003, dated March 28, 2011, from the Director of Utility Services be received for information. 2. That a Public Transit Operations Review Steering Committee be established, such Committee to consist of: Councillor Vass as Chair; Councillor McWilliams; Councillor Beamer; Chief Administrative Officer Brian Horton; and Director of Utility Services Wayne Jackson. 3. That Councillor Vass be directed to consult with Members of the Steering Committee and to report to the Committee of the Whole for its meeting of April 18, 2011 on the Terms of Reference, Project Outline and Work Program for the Public Transit Operations Review. Further, Council, at its meeting of April 26, 2011 in reviewing Report COU11-006, Revised 2011 Public Transit Operations Review, adopted the following: a) That a 2011 Capital Budget in an amount up to $75,000 be established for consulting services to assist with undertaking a Public Transit Operations Review, with the $75,000 coming from the Capital Levy Reserve; and b) That a Request for Proposals Document be issued to secure consulting services to undertake the Public Transit Operations Review which includes project goals and an approach as set out in this report. Report USDIR12-011 – Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – Draft Final Report Page 3 Subsequent to the above, the Administrative Staff Committee at its meeting of August 31, 2011 awarded RFP P-26-11 for the Transit Operations Review to Dillon Consulting Limited. 1. Overview of Study Activities On October 14, 2011 a Notice of Commencement and Initial Consultation Opportunities was issued. The Notice briefly described the Public Transit Operations Review as a comprehensive review of Peterborough’s transit services to develop a service plan covering the period 2012 – 2017 including an assessment and recommendations on conventional fixed route transit, TransCab and Handi-Van services. The Notice also announced that the first Public Open House (PIC) was to be held on October 25, 2011. A second PIC was held on May 24, 2012 to present the Consultant’s findings and draft recommendations. As input to the process, Focus Groups were convened on October 26, 2011 and January 31, 2012. A cross-section of transit users were invited to discuss key issues and opportunities and to identify for discussion several strategic directions for transit and Handi-Wan services moving forward. In conjunction with the Focus Groups, representatives from upwards of 15 stakeholder groups were consulted during the study. Newsletters were published in February and May 2012 to provide stakeholders and interested parties with an update on the status of the study. In addition, almost 70 people subscribed to the study specific e-mail service to receive study information as it became available. 2. Study Recommendations Dillon Consulting Limited will present the results and recommendations of their study to this meeting of the Committee of the Whole. The scope of the recommendations are wide ranging including a discussion on the downtown transit terminal, proposed efficiency and service improvements as well as the implementation of a new Community Bus service. 3. Next Steps The regular Council “cycle” would typically see study reports presented to the Committee of Whole and then considered by Council the following week. The final draft study report of the Transit Operations Review is over 150 pages of information, analysis and recommendations. Some of the information is complex and implementation of the recommendations could have significant impacts on individuals or Report USDIR12-011 – Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – Draft Final Report Page 4 groups of transit users. For this reason, it would be prudent to provide more time between Committee receipt of the study and Council consideration. Given the summer season is upon us, staff believes delaying Council’s consideration of this matter until September, 2012 would be appropriate. This would give all stakeholders ample time to digest the study document and prepare their presentations to Council. Likewise, Council members would have time to examine the report and consider the implications of the recommendations. Copies of the draft Final Report will be provided to Councillors and available to stakeholders in either hard copy (at the Clerk’s Office) or via the Transit page on the City’s web site. The Public Transit Operations Study has attracted considerable attention. Almost 70 individuals have signed up for electronic updates. The Focus Groups were over subscribed and the Drop-in and Public Information Centres were very well attended. In consideration of this, coupled with the interest the community showed during the 2011 Budget discussions, it is proposed to hold a Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on September 19, 2012 to receive public input on the Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review Draft Report. Staff will then be able to incorporate the comments received during this special meeting into our implementation report to be tabled at a subsequent regular Committee of the Whole meeting. Submitted by, W. H. Jackson Director of Utility Services Contact Name: W. H. Jackson, P. Eng. Director of Utility Services Phone – 705 742 7777 Ext. 1894 Fax – 705 876 4621 E-Mail – [email protected] Appendix A: Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – The Route Ahead Draft Report City of Peterborough Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – The Route Ahead Executive Summary June 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Peterborough has a strong history of supporting public transit services for all members of the community. Over the past decade ridership has grown by 62 percent on conventional services and with a current mode share of 4.5 percent, the City is on target to achieve its goal of having 6 percent of all trips within Peterborough to be on public transit by 2021. The Dillon Consulting team was engaged by the City to conduct an operational review of current conventional and Handi-Van services and provide advice on strategies to improve efficiency, increase ridership and ensure that all residents and visitors have effective transit access to employment, school, shopping, services, recreation and cultural activities within the community. There are many positive aspects to the current transit services and in a comparison with a peer group of Ontario municipalities, the performance of Peterborough Transit ranks high. The revenue/cost (R/C) ratio is 49 percent, transit ridership per capita is 37.92 and the average number of boardings per revenue vehicle hour is 29.23. This suggests a system that is meeting financial performance targets and is effective in capturing a reasonable share of the travel market. Service innovations include the use of TransCab for areas of low demand, employment specials, and express services to post-secondary institutions. The City has developed an effective partnership with the Student Association at Trent University which has resulted in a strong base of transit customers and transit service levels which benefit the entire community. The conventional transit system is based on route running times of 40 or 80 minutes with 12 routes operating in a radial pattern focused on the downtown bus terminal. There is a service frequency of 40 minutes between buses during all hours of operation. While the service is effective, this is considered a long wait between buses during peak periods and some crowding and schedule adherence issues have resulted. An exception is the Trent express routes which provide 20 minute service between the downtown and the University at certain periods as warranted by demand. The bus terminal was constructed many years ago as part of a municipal parking structure when the City operated 35 foot buses. The design requires the current 40 foot buses to back out of their bays in groups of four and this reversing operation creates major problems for system operational efficiency and user security. Modern bus terminal designs feature ‘drive through’ operation and are capable of providing lower station dwell times which allows for enhanced transit productivity. Dillon Consulting Limited Page i in association with Schmied Communications and Bill Cunningham Consulting City of Peterborough Peterborough Public Transit Operations Review – The Route Ahead Executive Summary June 2012 A key study recommendation is for the City to initiate the necessary planning activities to develop a future transit terminal as a mobility hub and catalyst for downtown intensification plans. Recognizing that such a facility will require funding support from senior governments and will take several years to realize, the transit options for the next five years assume continued use of the downtown terminal. It is also noted that the construction of a new Municipal Operations Centre has not yet been approved. A modern well equipped maintenance facility with the proper space for the storage and maintenance of the entire fleet of conventional and specialized vehicles is urgently required.