Los Angeles County One Gateway Plaza zi3.gzz.zooo Tel Metropolitan Transportation Authority Los Angeles, CA gooiz-2952 rnetro.net @ Metro OPERATIONS COMMITTEE JULY 15,2010 SUBJECT: LOAD FACTOR STANDARDS ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE REPORT RECOMMENDATION Receive and file a report discussing load factor standards. MTA establishes load factor standards to guide service quantity determination. Consideration of passenger demand in conjunction with adopted loading standards determines how many trips must be scheduled for each direction of travel in each time period. This report reviews current MTA loading standards, discusses past practices, compares MTA's current standards to those of other transit operators, and discusses key factors to be considered in reviewing and adopting changes to current loading policies. DISCUSSION MTA's current loading standards are expressed in Sections 3.1 and 4.3 of the adopted Transit Service Policy. The standards express the maximum desirable passenger load as a percentage of the available seats per vehicle. Table 1 shows these standards. Table 1 Adopted MIA Loading Standards Bus 120% Light Rail 190% Heavy Rail 230% Expressing the standard as a function of seating permits a flexible maximum load that varies with the seating capacity of each vehicle. For example, a typical 40-foot bus has 40 seats, so the maximum desirable load would be 48 passengers (the equivalent of 8 standees). An articulated bus has 57 seats, thus the maximum load would be 68 passengers (including 11 standees). Rail cars are specifically designed to carry a larger proportion of riders standing up. MTA's light rail cars have 76 seats permitting up to 144 passengers per car (including 68 standees) under current standards. Heavy rail cars have 57 seats permitting up to 131 passengers per car (including 74 standees) under current standards. In the past, MTA has varied its loading standards by service type and time of day. For example, frequent local buses were scheduled to 145% of seats during peak periods, and 120% of seats in the off-peak. An express bus might have been scheduled to 100% of seats during peak periods, but only 80% of seats during off- peak times. The Consent Decree that went into effect in 1996 established a single loading standard for buses of 120% at all times. That standard was applied to any floating 20-minute interval during peak periods, and floating hourly intervals otherwise. Since the expiration of the Consent Decree in 2006, MTA's practice has permitted hourly average loads as high as the loading standard. Table 2 presents bus loading standards for the largest U. S. properties. Most properties vary the maximum scheduled load by service type and time of day. As can be seen, a majority of the largest properties permit greater loading than MTA's current standard. Some properties (Atlanta, Oakland, and Seattle) attempt to keep maximum passenger loads within a range rather than below a specific target. Atlanta changes the range of acceptable loads based upon route length (longer routes permit lesser maximum average loads). Seattle also considers the duration of the maximum load. Solely evaluating maximum passenger loads provides a narrow view service capacity. To enrich the analysis, consideration should be given to Average Maximum Load (AML). With a rich data source such as the Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) system, staff can evaluate capacity utilization during any twenty minute or hourly period on any line. What can be discovered through such analysis are time periods where service is better than policy level frequency, yet the AML is below a minimum level. While the Maximum Load Factor identifies time periods where additional trips should be added, the Minimum AML analysis reveals opportunities to reduce trips. If a trip can be removed from a time period with five or more trips per hour, then the service reduction would be unnoticeable to the bus passengers. When considering possible changes to MTA's loading standards, several factors should be taken into account. The loading standard should consider how much physical space is available to each passenger at a given loading, and how long the crowding lasts for. Time of day may also be significant as midday, primarily non- work trip makers, may not tolerate the same level of crowding as peak period riders. The analysis must also consider the Minimum AML. The impact of varying standards on resource requirements must also be considered as lower loading standards will lead to higher cost to serve a given number of riders. Discussion of Load Factor Standards Page 2 NEXT STEPS A review of MTA's adopted loading standards will be carried out consistent with the factors noted in this report. Proposed changes to current standards will be recommended to the Board of Directors for future consideration, and service levels will be adjusted according to adopted standards. ATTACHMENT Table 2 - Bus Maximum Loading Standards for U. S. Transit Properties Prepared by: Conan Cheung, Deputy Executive Officer, Service Development Dana Woodbury, Transportation Project Manager IV Discussion of Load Factor Standards Page 3 Chief Operations Officer Arthur T. Leahy Chief ~xecutiveOfficer Discussion of Load Factor Standards Page 4 TABLE 2 BUS MAXIMUM LOADING STANDARDS FOR U. S. TRANSIT PROPERTIES Property Standard(s) Comments New York City (NYCMTA) 1.50 , Los Angeles (LACMTA) 1.20 New Jersey Transit NIA Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) 1.50 Washington, DC (WMATA) 1.20 - Philadelphia (SEPTA) 1.31 - 1.69 Varies by bus size -- Houston (MTA of Harris County) NIA Seattle (King County DOT) 1.20 - 1.30 1.20 maximum if duration > 20 min. 1 Denver (RTD) 1 I.OO - 1.25 1 Varies by service type & time of day 1 1 Miami (MDT) / I.10 - 1.60 1 Varies with headway I Boston (MBTA) 1 I.OO - 1.40 1 Varies by time of day I Pittsburg (PATCO) 1 I.OO - 1.40 1 Varies by service type & time of day I I Minneapolis () 1 0.50 - 1.25 1 Varies by service type & time of day 1 1Baltimore (MTA) 1 I.OO - 1.30 1 Varies by service type & time of day / I Chicaao (PACE) 1 NIA I I Dallas (DART) 1.OO - 1.50 Varies by service type & time of day Orange County, CA (OCTA) I.OO - 1.25 Varies by service type & time of day Oakland (AC Transit) 1 1.26 - 1.50 Range of acceptable maximum loads -I Portland (TriMet) i 1.27 Fixed at 51 passengers per bus Atlanta (MARTA) I I.OO - 1.50 1.25-1.50 for routes c 10 miles Cleveland (GCRTA) 1.25 Honolulu (DTS) ---- - ~ - 1.50 - - -- Milwaukee (MCTS) I.OO - 1.33 Varies by service type & time of day San Diego (MTS) 1.20 Standards expressed as ratios of passengers to seats Compiled from interviews of agency staff and published documents during 2009 Discussion of Load Factor Standards Page 5 .