City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 11, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.B
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Finance & Administrative Services
Subject: Approval of Seventh Modification to Agreement with Trapeze Software Group for Vehicle and Operator Scheduling Technology Service
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant environmental effects pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a seventh modification to agreement #8928 (CCS) in an amount not to exceed $251,379 with Trapeze Software Group to extend maintenance support of the Trapeze operator and vehicle scheduling systems for the Department of Transportation for one additional year through June 30, 2026. This will result in a 14-year amended agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $3,918,370, with future year funding contingent on budget approval.
Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses across 69 square miles of greater Los Angeles providing more than 800,000 rides each month. DOT’s Transit Planning and Performance Division is responsible for planning and scheduling Big Blue Bus service three times a year; the Operations Division is responsible for operating that service each day. BBB maintains a warranty contract with Trapeze Group to support proprietary software and hardware to perform the necessary scheduling functions required to operate a public transportation system.
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The final option year for this agreement with Trapeze, #8928 (CCS), expires on June 30, 2025. The agreement covers support for a group of integrated products that manage vehicle scheduling, operator work assignment scheduling, operations payroll and data management, and the collection, analysis, and transfer of vehicle and operator scheduling data to other systems critical to the efficient management of a transit system of BBB’s size and scope. Trapeze is the exclusive service provider for these proprietary products.
One of the BBB systems with which these Trapeze modules interface is the new computer-aided-dispatch/automated vehicle location (CAD-AVL) and voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) radio system that is currently being implemented by Clever Devices. A seventh modification covering one additional one-year option is therefore needed to extend the agreement with Trapeze to ensure the continuity of services throughout the implementation of the new CAD-AVL system, and to allow staff to complete a competitive procurement process for a new vehicle and operator scheduling system, as the current system has been in use since 2009. Staff is currently working with the Information Systems and Finance Departments on this procurement.
Discussion
BBB uses Trapeze software systems to manage its daily operations and to provide reports and required data to federal, state, and local regulatory bodies and funding sources. Agreement #8928 with Trapeze allows BBB to operate and maintain its Operator Management (OPS) and Planning (BlockBuster and FX) software systems.
Trapeze OPS tracks work assignments, motor coach operator (MCO) sign-in, accidents, incidents, training, certifications, and operator communications via interactive voice response and web, as well as performing payroll management functions. This data resides on City of Santa Monica virtual servers and is owned by the City. The Trapeze OPS module also provides staff with data to ensure daily schedule efficiencies, and that all MCO hours comply with Federal and State mandated driving work rules for MCOs.
Trapeze BlockBuster and FX facilitate the planning and scheduling of the work assignments that are then managed by OPS. The scope of services for agreement #8298 also includes maintenance of several vital Trapeze sub-modules, including 3 of 4
InfoCom and Mapmaker, which support motor coach operator (MCO) communications and scheduling adjustments respectively, as well as OPS-SIT (MCO Sign-on Terminal) a clocking-in system; OPS Interactive Voice Response and OPS Web which support communications with Motor Coach Operators; OPS-MON and Trapeze Standard Data Exchange (TSDE) to facilitate the flow of data from OPS to the CAD/AVL system currently being installed; and other planning and operations functions.
In 2023, a sixth modification to Agreement #8928 extended warranty maintenance services for all modules through June 30, 2025. BBB is engaging in a competitive procurement process to replace the vehicle and operator scheduling systems, which last underwent a major upgrade in 2017. However, since the procurement and implementation processes will not be complete before Agreement #8928 expires on June 30, 2025, due to delays in completing the Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automated Vehicle Location System (CAD-AVL) with which this system is integrated, staff recommends extending the existing agreement. Extending this agreement will ensure BBB’s existing system remains supported for the duration of the competitive procurement and implementation process. It is therefore recommended that the agreement be extended for one additional year through June 30, 2026. The cost of one year of warranty maintenance support for all modules covered by Agreement #8928 is $251,379.
Environmental Review
The modification of Agreement #8928 is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The modification is covered by the commonsense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The modification will provide the City with software and hardware for modules required to operate a public transportation system. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the proposed modification would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Past Council Actions
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Meeting Date Description
4/28/2020 Approval of Extension of Software Maintenance Contracts 2/28/2023 Authorization of 6th Modification to Contract #8928 with Trapeze, Inc. for Vehicle and Operator Scheduling Systems
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to increase the amount of contract #8928 with Trapeze Group for one additional year of maintenance support through June 30, 2026.
Contract Modification Request
Contract # Current
Authorized
Amount
FY 2024-25
Request
Amount
Future Years
Request
Amount
CIP Account
#
Total Revised
Contract Amount
8928 $3,666,991 $251,379 $0 C6004770.68
9000
$3,918,370
Prepared By: Barbara Andres, Customer Experience and Innovation Administrator
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Trapeze Oaks_Initiative
B. Trapeze_Levine_Act_Disclosure
C. Authorization of 6th Modification to Contract #8928 with Trapeze, Inc. for Vehicle and Operator Scheduling Systems (Web Link)
D. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_Original Agreement
E. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_1st Mod
F. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_2nd Mod
G. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_3rd Mod
H. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_4th Mod
I. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX 5th Mod
J. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_6th Mod