Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
2 Table of Contents
Ridership......................................................................................................................................... 3 Vehicle Revenue Hours .................................................................................................................. 4 Vehicle Revenue Miles................................................................................................................... 4 Schedule Adherence........................................................................................................................ 5 Customer Satisfaction ..................................................................................................................... 5 Customer Survey Responses........................................................................................................... 7 Telephone Activity Report.............................................................................................................. 9 Vehicle Breakdowns and Preventable Accidents ......................................................................... 10 Empathy and Sensitivity Training Program.................................................................................. 11 Budget Versus Actual Expenses................................................................................................... 12 Over-time Distribution.................................................................................................................. 13 Revenue Funding Sources............................................................................................................. 14 CNG Fuel Station Expenses / Revenue Chart............................................................................... 15 Citywide Fuel Expenses (Non-Transit) ........................................................................................ 16 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Analysis ........................................................................ 17 Federal, State, and Local Legislative Updates.............................................................................. 18 Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
3 Ridership
The total number of boardings recorded through the automatic passenger counters (APC) for the Third Quarter is 417,153, compared to 329,550 during the same period last year. The City of Commerce Transit (CCT) system analysis shows a 21% increase in overall ridership, and excursion ridership increased by 114% compared to last year.
Bus transit ridership has increased nationally and regionally, contributing to continued economic recovery. It stems from an increase of 0.6 percent in new workplace jobs and 0.3 percent in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
4 CCT staff continue to monitor ridership trends on the system and in the Southern California Region closely and investigate strategies to attract new customers and better serve our existing ridership base.
Vehicle Revenue Hours
CCT accumulated 42,871 billable revenue hours during this third Quarter. CCT expected the system service hours to increase compared to the same time last year. The increase in service hours is related to the return of Excursions trips, whereas CCT averages 7-10 trip requests per week. Compared to last year, total system service hours increased by 2%.
Vehicle Revenue Miles
CCT accumulated 435,675 in total miles and 417,663 revenue miles, up 4% from last fiscal year's reporting period. The variance in mileage is due to more excursion trip activity.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
5 Schedule Adherence
CCT measures its schedule adherence using the industry standard metric of on-time performance (OTP). OTP is calculated by evaluating a vehicle's adherence to time points in the planned schedule. A trip is considered on time if it departed at the time point at most five (5) minutes late and not early. CCT adopted a goal of 81.5 percent or higher OTP for the fiscal year. During the 3rd Quarter, CCT achieved 75.1 percent on-time performance for the entire system, below the target.
The variance in OTP is due to several construction projects in Downtown Los Angeles that have primarily affected CCT Route 600 (Citadel Express) and traffic along the 5-freeway impacted by ongoing freeway construction. Furthermore, March and April had multiple inclement weather and civil demonstrations, affecting service delivery. CCT supervisory staff shall monitor the Syncromatics CAD/AVL and EasyRides systems in real time to ensure that transit and dial-aride service run in accordance with the published schedule.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer complaints are incidents where a customer reports dissatisfaction with the service. All customer complaints received by CCT are subject to an investigation process, which ensures all customers receive a response and allows CCT to determine if a complaint is valid. Investigations include contacting the customer and reviewing the ITS database (Syncromatics & EasyRides), dispatch logs, onboard videos, or verbal communication with the Bus Operator. CCT received five (5) complaints per 100,000 boardings during the 3rd Quarter, 50% lower than last fiscal year. Additionally, CCT measures complaints by monitoring the following categories: schedule adherence, average miles between service interruptions, and average hold time for customers calling the customer service line.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
6 CCT transported 417,153 passengers across all modes (Transit, Dial-A-Ride, and Excursions).
Fiscal Year to Date Statistics:
Complaints: 4.1 per 100,000 passengers across all modes; Compliments: 0.5 per 100,000 passengers across all modes; and Observations: 1.3 per 100,000 passengers across all modes.
Note: Observations are customers who voluntarily report a concern or suggestion but are not necessarily a complaint.
Over the last two months, we have worked to become less focused on looking backward and more focused on driving outcomes that will strengthen our relationship with customers. Metrics like on-time performance and mean distance between failures continue to be valuable inputs to how and where we can adjust operations. Still, those measures do not accurately tell how we can effectively serve and satisfy our customers.
As such, transportation staff frequently conduct rider surveys in the field and report the overall satisfaction of CCT customers across all modes. The goal is to improve customer satisfaction by frequently obtaining customer perceptions of their riding experience. CCT staff will continue to conduct customer satisfaction surveys to keep a "pulse" on our customers' transportation needs and concerns.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
7 The pictures below show transportation dispatchers conducting customer satisfaction surveys at the Commerce Shopping Center on April 22, 2024.
Customer Survey Responses
Does the City of Commerce Transit offer routes where you need to go? Twenty-one customer responses: 95.2% Yes
Yes No
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
8 If you use the City of Commerce Transit to transfer, which service(s) do you transfer to? Sixteen responses: See chart below.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
El Sol (62.5%
Metro (75%)
Metrolink (0%)
Montebello (56.3%)
Are there services you would like to see offered?
Todo esta bien (everything is good)
No
A stop on Lorena and Cesar Chavez
Not at this time
It's ok
No
I would like to have a route to California state LA from Montebello.
No
No
No
A line that travels from Commerce Center to Citadel
More buses
No
Everything is good
No
No
No
No
Route 100 would like to stop at Ferguson.
Service closer to Fairfield and Garfield
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
9 The combination of direct customer feedback and operational performance data is a goldmine of insight that increases satisfaction and, in our case, mainly attracts more riders back onto our buses and Dial-A-Ride vehicles. We aim to make CCT the best, most reliable way to get around the Southeast Region of Los Angeles County. Beginning today and moving forward, we will present outcome-based performance metrics for each Quarter on issues most important to our customers.
Telephone Activity Report
The City of Commerce Transit (CCT) has answered approximately 23,010 phone calls thus far for Fiscal Year 2024, which averages 2,301 monthly calls. The total hours spent on the phone is 208 hours. Monitoring phone traffic helps inform when to schedule dispatchers to answer phone calls for patrons seeking bus information or reserving/canceling Dial-A-Ride appointments.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
10 Vehicle Breakdowns and Preventable Accidents
CCT's primary goal is to operate a safe transportation system. CCT monitors system safety by tracking the number of preventable accidents incurred for every 100,000 miles (industry standard) of vehicle operation. On July 19, 2018, FTA published the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Final Rule, which requires certain operators of public transportation systems that receive Federal funds under FTA's Urbanized Area Formula Grants to develop safety plans that include the processes and procedures to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS).
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
11 During this 3rd Quarter, CCT did meet the City's adopted (June 16, 2020) Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) accident target of 1.8 or fewer preventable accidents per 100,000 miles with 0 preventable accidents during this reporting period.
Emphasis has been placed on reducing fixed object collisions, providing additional cross-training for bus operators, retraining on preventable vehicle accidents, increasing pedestrian awareness, and identifying blind spots. Furthermore, staff shall utilize additional analytic tools using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to help identify trends and trouble areas to reduce preventable accidents.
The total number of breakdowns during this Quarter is eight, and the total year-to-date for Fiscal Year 2024 is 13, which averages approximately 1.3 vehicle breakdowns per month. The City recently placed the new electric vehicles into service, which led to unexpected breakdowns, some due to Operator error. We anticipate these numbers to decrease as the bus operators and mechanics become more familiar with the new equipment.
Empathy and Sensitivity Training Program
During this Quarter, transportation implemented a mandatory Empathy and Sensitivity training exercise for all Bus Operator personnel. Empathy deals with a person's relationship to another person's feelings and experiences. One involves feeling a certain way about a person, and the other involves feeling the same way another person does.
Part of the classroom training consisted of watching a 30-minute video regarding ADA policy related to wheelchair securement etiquette, and the rest of the training was conducted in the field.
More specifically, Bus Operators rode on a transit bus or dial-a-ride van while blindfolded and/or in a wheelchair. Pictures of Bus Operators during an empathy and sensitivity training session:
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
12 Based on feedback from Bus Operators during debriefing sessions, the empathy training provided them with more perspective and insight into what it feels like riding aboard a transit bus or dial-a-ride blindfolded and/or in a wheelchair. In summary, the empathy and sensitivity training help make them better Bus Operators; they tend to drive a little slower when crossing railroad tracks, take a few extra minutes when boarding disabled or senior passengers, and ensure everyone is seated before pulling away from bus stops.
The training curriculum for the next Quarter is "how to handle difficult passengers, respond to emergencies, and learn new de-escalating techniques." We are pleased to announce that Sergent Duarte, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Justin Edson, Public Safety Manager, will be guest speakers at the next safety meeting.
Budget Versus Actual Expenses
It should be noted that expenses reflect invoices paid throughout the Quarter; they do not reflect total costs incurred. If an expense has been incurred but has yet to be invoiced or paid, Finance accrues it to track the expenses during the month they occurred adequately.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
13 Over-time Distribution
Overtime hours for bus operators and maintenance staff remain high this Quarter due to staffing shortages, three staff members being out on extended medical leave, mandatory training, and increased Excursion trip activity. Attending the required training causes overtime for bus operators who need the mandatory training to drive the buses legally.
0.00 100.00
200.00
300.00
400.00
500.00
600.00
700.00
800.00
1-Jul-23 1-Sep-23 1-Nov-23 1-Jan-24 1-Mar-24 1-May-24
Operations Over-Time FY 23/24
Overall, administration staff overtime decreased after filling one of the two vacant part-time transit dispatcher positions. Overtime amongst dispatchers will decrease after filling the second part-time transit dispatcher vacancy next Quarter.
0.00 20.00
40.00 60.00
80.00 100.00
120.00
1-Jul-23 1-Sep-23 1-Nov-23 1-Jan-24 1-Mar-24 1-May-24
Administration Over-Time FY 23/24
Overtime hours for the maintenance division remain high this fiscal year. The department struggles to fill two vacant mechanic positions; one service worker is on extended medical leave.
In the fourth quarter, one part-time bus operator and two full-time mechanics should also be hired, further alleviating overtime.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
14 Revenue Funding Sources
The total capital and operating revenue for the 3rd Quarter was $2,013,976 (i.e., direct labor, new transit facility design, and new maintenance equipment). The capital expenses are reimbursed 100% with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant funds.
Revenue Funding Source Revenue Date Fiscal YTD Total
Proposition "A" Local Return $85,532 03/28/24 $246,034
Proposition "C" Local Return $68,458 03/28/24 $204,143
Prop "C" Disc Foothill Mitigation $5,587 03/26/24 $16,762 TDA Article 4 + Interest $188,430 03/29/24 $565,290
TDA Article 3 $3,552 03/29/24 $10.656
Senate Bill 1 (SB1) STA $39,004 03/04/24 $72,657
Senate Bill 1 (SB1) SGR $6,867 03/29/24 $10,912
Proposition "A" Zero Fare $347,065 03/26/24 $1,041,196
Proposition "C" Base Restructuring $70,055 03/26/24 $210,164 Proposition "C" 5% Security $12,587 03/26/24 $61,408
Proposition “C” MOSIP $22,241 03/26/24 $66,724
Measure "R" 20% Bus Op $70,995 03/26/24 $212,986
Measure "R" Local Return $34,611 02/29/24 $136,280
Measure "R" Clean Fuel $8,952 03/26/24 $26,855
Measure "M" Local Return $58,034 02/29/24 $153,734
Measure "M" 20% Bus Op $70,935 03/26/24 $189,161
Eastern Transit Hub $900,000
Transit Facility Project $918,783 03/18/24 $1,025,775
CRRSA Funds $5,287 03/18/24 $143,617
Total $2,013,976 $5,320,269
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
15 CNG Fuel Station Expenses / Revenue Chart
During this 3rd Quarter, the City received $1,949,866 in revenue and $2,034,247 in expenses.
Note: There is a two-month lag in processing revenue from outside fuel sales. The City averages
3.5 million annually in outside fuel sales, with a net annual income of approximately $675,000.
As a result, the CNG station revenue covers 100% of the operational and maintenance costs associated with the fuel station and has no impact on the City's General Fund.
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
16 Citywide Fuel Expenses (Non-Transit)
Citywide fuel expenses (non-transit) are $150,433 for Fiscal Year 24. A breakdown of costs by the department is referenced below.
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
Admin
Community Services
Public Works
Admin
Community Services
Parks & Recreation
Transportation
Community Development
Library
Public Works
Admin
Community Services
Library
Public Works
Admin
Community Services
Library
Public Works
Community Services
Library
Public Works
Admin
Community Services
Parks & Recreation
Transportation
Community Services
Library
Public Works
Community Development
Library
Public Works
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
FY 23-24
Citywide Fuel Summary (Non-Transit)
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
17 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Analysis
The City's public EV charging stations are in the parking lot adjacent to the Emergency Operations Center. The charts below provide information on the charging station's utilization, GHG impacts, revenue, and other environmental-related benefits to the community.
The City of Commerce is dedicated to going green! The total gasoline saved for Fiscal Year 24 is 2,081 gallons. That is the number of gallons saved by using electric vehicles. The total sum of emissions savings is 18,509kg GHG, the total kilograms of CO2 reduced by operating electric vehicles.
Month Charge
Sessions
Charge
Duration
(Min)
Emission
Savings
(GHG)
Gas
Savings
(Gal)
Trees
Saved
Jul 175 24,204 1,325 149 37
Aug 207 22,957 1,165 131 32
Sept 314 44,941 2,573 289 72
Oct 373 49,473 2,624 295 73
Nov 376 42,798 2,193 247 61
Dec 397 51,461 2,725 308 78
Jan 328 41,337 2,174 244 80
Feb 275 38,064 2,038 229 57
Mar 265 30,449 1,692 190 47
The total revenue from the public EV Charging Station is $3,431 year-to-date for Fiscal Year 24.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION
Row
Labels Sum of Revenue [USD]
FY 23-24 $ 3,431
Jul $ 261
Aug $ 167
Sep $ 537
Oct $ 501
Nov $ 266
Dec $ 476
Jan $ 403
Feb $ 544
Mar $ 276
Grand
Total $ 3,431
Transportation Quarterly Operational Report
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
18 Federal, State, and Local Legislative Updates
On May 3, 2024, a record-breaking 128 Representatives led by Congressman Robert Garcia (DCA) sent a bipartisan letter to leaders of the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee urging them to fund public transit Capital Investment Grants (CIG) fully, and appropriate $3 Billion for CIG in Fiscal Year 2025. The California Transit Association (CTA) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) supported the above recommendation.
In April 2024, the City of Commerce Transit was awarded 7.1 Million through the Metro Regional Bus Operations Subcommittee 15% and 1% competitive grant programs. 6.6 million was awarded towards the City's new transit facility project, and approximately 500K was awarded for upgrading and replacing bus stop shelters throughout the City of Commerce.
Transportation will continue actively pursuing other Federal/State competitive grant opportunities in Fiscal 2025 through the CIG program, Low and No Emissions, Buses and Bus Facility, Community Project Funding, and Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Programs.
AB 2824 (McCarty) Enhanced Penalties for Transit Employee Assaults:
The above bill would enhance penalties for individuals who commit assault or battery against a public transit operator or employee. The California Transit Association will be co-sponsoring the bill with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, Sacramento Regional Transit District, California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union, and Transit Workers Union— additionally, the Los Angeles County Municipal Operators Association (LACMOA also supported the bill).