printed on recyclable paper 3/08 3K MTA Modes at a Glance . 2 Investing in Employees . 6 Continuous Service Improvements . 8 Technology . 10 Opportunities . 12 MTA in the Community . 14 MTA and the Environment . 16 Planning for the Future . 18 Locally Operated Transit Systems (LOTS) . 20 MTA in the Movies . 22 Martin O’Malley, Governor Maryland Transit Services . 23 John D. Porcari, Secretary of Transportation Financials . 24 The 2007 MTA Annual Report was developed, written, and edited by the MTA Office of Communications & Marketing. The MTA's advertising MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION agency, Integrated Designs, Inc., assisted with the design and printing. We offer special thanks to John Coyle and Jon Berle for the photography. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) believes that public transportation is vital to the economic health and well being of the State. As Central Maryland communities grow, the need for an efficient transit system remains a crucial part of the region’s overall success. Over the past year, we implemented many service improvements and utilized innovative technologies that were geared to help improve transit, assist in economic development programs, support neighborhood revitalizations, and enhance the overall quality of life for all residents. This 2007 MTA Annual Report lists some of our important accomplishments and highlights our role as the community’s lead transit provider. It also offers a glimpse into future development opportunities such as the Red Line, Purple Line and the MARC Growth and Investment Plan. PAUL J. WIEDEFELD MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 1 The MTA offers a comprehensive array of bus and rail services, including Local Bus, Metro Subway, Light Rail, MARC Train, Commuter Bus, and Mobility/Paratransit. The MTA is the 11th largest transit agency in the country based on unlinked passenger trips* and had an FY 2007 ridership of 96.5 million. *APTA Fact Book, 2007 MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 2 MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION LOCAL Facts BUS In FY 2007 Local (and Express) Buses accounted for Number of buses 669 over 67 percent (64,272,216) of the MTA’s total Bus stops 7,500 number of passenger trips (96,585,169). Ridership Bus shelters 448 increased by over 746,000 from the previous year, Number of routes 50 fueled by a rise in gas prices and a decrease in the Weekday boardings 217,872 unemployment rate. METRO Facts SUBWAY Metro Subway operates from Owings Mills to the Johns Number of cars 100 Hopkins Medical Campus, linking Downtown Baltimore Stations 14 and the northwestern suburbs. The line is 15.5 miles Length of line (miles) 15.5 long, serves 14 stations, and operates from Weekday boardings 44,833 approximately 5:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. on Deepest station (110’) Penn-North weekends/holidays) to midnight. Parking spaces 7,073 3 LIGHT Facts RAIL MTA’s 33-stop, 29-mile Light Rail system Number of cars 53 serves the north-south corridor of the Stops 33 Baltimore Metropolitan Area from Hunt Length of line (miles) 29 Valley, through Downtown Baltimore, and Weekday boardings 24,141 south to Baltimore / Washington International Busiest station Lexington Market Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Parking spaces 3,440 Cromwell Station (Glen Burnie). MARC Facts TRAIN MARC Train operates weekday rail service on Single-level cars 72 the Penn, Camden, and Brunswick Lines. The Bi-level cars 50 203-mile, 42-station system serves Perryville Diesel locomotives 25 in northeastern Maryland to Washington, DC Electric locomotives 10 (Penn Line); Camden Station Baltimore to Weekday boardings 29,548 Washington, DC (Camden Line); and Busiest station Union Station, Wash., DC Martinsburg, WV or Frederick, MD to Parking spaces 29,734 Washington, DC (Brunswick Line). MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION COMMUTER Facts BUS MTA Commuter Bus provides express weekday service Baltimore routes 7 connecting outlying suburbs to Downtown Baltimore and Baltimore weekday boardings 1,414 Washington, accessible via a number of Park & Ride lots Washington routes 15 located throughout the State. In 2007 Commuter Bus DC weekday boardings 11,837 operated 445 one-way trips each weekday. Parking spaces 10,306 MOBILITY Facts PARATRANSIT Mobility, a curb-to-curb shared-ride service for individuals with Number of MTA vans 172 disabilities who are unable to ride regular fixed-route service Number of MTA sedans 133 most of the time, is provided within three-quarters of a mile of Active certified riders 13,832 any MTA fixed-route service in Baltimore City and Baltimore and Weekday Mobility ridership 2,468 Anne Arundel counties. MTA Mobility also manages Taxi Access, Weekday Taxi Access ridership 1,243 a pilot premium service utilizing local taxi and sedan providers. 5 TRAINING PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE Last year, bus operators welcomed over 64 million Local Bus customers. Each successful ride and good experience lays the foundation for a long lasting relationship with that customer, and better trained drivers equal a better transit experience for passengers. Bus operator training was further enhanced in 2007 by establishing a Recertification Program, to help ensure the safe operation of transit vehicles and to provide quality customer service. The program provides assurance that every employee who operates a vehicle maintains a high level of driving skills, as well as a working knowledge of the rules and regulations of the MTA, and includes training on safety sensitive issues involving homeland security. Bus operators are required to be recertified every two years. LABOR AND MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP HELPS MTA AND UNIONS WORK TOGETHER MTA and its employee unions work together to improve safety, customer service, and employer-employee relations through the Labor and Management Partnership (LAMP) Committee. Leadership from ATU Local 1300, AFSCME Local 1859 and OPEIU Local 2 meets each month with MTA’s executive management to discuss and share information regarding overall issues affecting the MTA, such as pending legislation, customer and service concerns, and general employee issues. 6 INVESTING MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION IN EMPLOYEES TRAINING DEPARTMENT STRENGTHENS EMPLOYEE SKILLS The Office of Training & Development (OTD) tackled many areas of education for employees. A seminar focusing on new “ADA Accessibility Guidelines” will enable MTA contractors, engineers, and planners to more effectively design and build new facilities. One hundred forty new bus operators received training and 50 employees completed a series of four required training programs qualifying them for “Project Management” certification. A software upgrade allows MTA employees easier access to their training records and enables managers to track employees' progress toward completion of development goals. A number of training programs for Locally Operated Transit Systems and other State agencies were also held, including Brake and Shop Safety training for the University of Maryland Transit System, OSHA Training for maintenance instructors, and recertification of 128 operators. OTD also hosted six National Incident Management System training sessions conducted by the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. INFORMATION CENTER ENHANCES CUSTOMER RESPONSE CAPABILITIES During the past year, MTA’s Transit Information Center (TIC), which was awarded best “hot line” by the City Paper in 2007, handled nearly 400,000 calls from customers seeking transit information. MTA recently hired 13 new Information Agents and now exceeds the goal of answering 85 percent of calls within 120 seconds. In an effort to address training needs, TIC has worked closely with the MTA Office of Training and Development to provide training to staff in the areas of Teleprofessionalism, Business Etiquette, Title VI and Respectful Communication. Upgrades to the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system allow more programming of information to customers and offers improved menu navigation. 7 SCHEDULING AND ROUTE CHANGES During October, public hearings took place to invite comment on proposals to modify bus service to eight lines, the addition of a new line, and the splitting of a current line into two lines. The modifications went into effect with the February 2008 schedule changes. NEW PARK AND RIDE LOT OPENED IN LA PLATA IN CHARLES COUNTY To better serve riders on Commuter Bus Lines 901 and 907, the MTA opened a new Park & Ride lot in Southern Maryland’s Charles County. The 277-space lot provides more than five times the number of parking spaces than were previously available. The additional spaces allow both the Route 901 and Route 907 Commuter Buses to stop in the same location, thus increasing options for riders. In November, in response to the growing demand for Commuter Bus service in Southern Maryland, the MTA also added an additional two round trips on the 901 Route. FREQUENCY OF METRO SUBWAY TRAINS INCREASED In August, the frequency of trains that operate between 7:00 p.m. to midnight was increased from 22 minutes to 11 minutes on weekdays, and from 22 minutes to 15 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays, thus offering much more convenient service. 8 CONTINUOUS MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS NEW LIGHT RAIL PENN-CAMDEN SHUTTLE For customers boarding Light Rail along the Howard Street corridor, a new Penn-Camden Shuttle eliminates the need to change trains between Penn Station and Camden Yards. Previously, riders had to change to connecting trains at the Mt. Royal / University of Baltimore Stop. This provides a significant customer service enhancement for riders destined for either train station, as well as riders who live and work on Baltimore’s newly renovated “Westside” and use Light Rail to travel up and down Howard Street. METRO ON-TIME PERFORMANCE IMPROVES In 2007, Metro Subway started initiatives to increase on-time performance. The initiatives included starting maintenance work later in the evening and modifying weekend schedules when major track outages are required. The end result was an increase in on-time performance from 93 percent in FY06 to 95 percent in FY07. In addition to increasing the overall on-time performance, there was a significant decrease of delays over ten minutes.