City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 28, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Operations
Subject: Approval of Eighth Contract Modification with Trapeze for Operator and Vehicle Scheduling Software for BBB
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effects pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an eighth modification to agreement #8928 (CCS) in an amount not to exceed $830,895 with Trapeze Software Group for software licenses and maintenance support of the Trapeze operator and vehicle scheduling systems for the Department of Transportation.
This will result in a 15-year amended agreement (16 years if the option is exercised) with a new total amount not to exceed $4,749,265 (including the option year), with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses across 58 square miles of greater Los Angeles, providing more than 10 million rides annually. DOT’s Transit Planning and Performance Division is responsible for planning and scheduling Big Blue Bus service three times a year and 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, 2026. 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.
An eighth modification, covering one year plus one additional one-year option, is therefore needed to extend the agreement with Trapeze to allow staff to complete the competitive procurement process for and subsequently implement a new vehicle and operator scheduling system. Due to the size of the new scheduling system and the need to integrate it with other BBB systems including the computer-aided dispatch/automated vehicle locator (CAD/AVL) system, staff is requesting not only a one-year extension but also an additional option year, if needed.
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 #8928 also includes maintenance of several vital Trapeze sub-modules, including InfoCom and Mapmaker, which support 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 MCOs; OPS-MON and Trapeze Standard Data Exchange (TSDE) to facilitate the 3 of 5
flow of data from OPS to the CAD/AVL system currently being installed; and other planning and operations functions.
One of the BBB systems with which these Trapeze modules interface is the new CAD/AVL and voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) radio system by Clever Devices.
Specifically, vehicle scheduling data flows from the Trapeze system into the Clever CAD/AVL system prior to each of the three service changes conducted by BBB each year. The Clever CAD/AVL system implementation took three years due to its enormous scope and the need for deployment of all available staff resources from DOT and the Information Services Department, but is now complete.
With the CAD/AVL implementation complete, staff resources are now available to focus on the procurement of a new vehicle and operator scheduling system, a process that requires input from a large number of users to verify that the necessary requirements are included in the RFP. Staff is working with the Information Services and Finance Departments on this procurement, which is a top priority due to the age of the existing system as the current system has been in use since 2009.
In early 2025, a seventh modification to Agreement #8928 extended warranty maintenance services for all modules through June 30, 2026. It was anticipated, at that time, that since the CAD-AVL system implementation was nearly complete, staff resources could be focused on the vehicle and operator scheduling procurement.
However, there were delays in completing CAD-AVL implementation. Now, with less than a year remaining in contract #8928 with Trapeze, there is insufficient time to complete the competitive procurement process to replace the vehicle and operator scheduling systems, select a vendor, complete a contract, and then implement the new system. Implementation alone could take up to a year due to the size of the system and the need to integrate with CAD-AVL and other BBB systems.
Since the procurement and implementation processes for the new vehicle and operator scheduling system will not be complete before Agreement #8928 expires on June 30, 2026, 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, 2027, with one option year through June 30, 2028, to be used if needed. The cost of warranty maintenance 4 of 5
support for all modules covered by Agreement #8928 for FY2026-27 is $303,774 and for the option year FY2027-28 is $324,437 (totaling $628,211 for both years if the option year is exercised).
In addition, an audit of staff accessing the Trapeze operator workforce management system (OPS), found that the number of software user licenses, which had not changed since the system was procured in 2009, was insufficient to cover all users. To ensure that all users of Trapeze OPS, mostly MCOs who use it for bidding and to download their work schedules, can login and access the system, staff is asking for authorization for a one-time payment of $202,684 in FY2025-26 to pay for an additional 45 licenses plus long-term support services for the additional licenses. Going forward, the license and maintenance support fees are calculated based on a maximum number of 333 users which includes all 317 budgeted MCOs plus a 5% contingency in case it is needed to support expanded service delivery.
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
Meeting Date Description
5/27/2008 Motor Coach Operator Management System and Customer Service Software 5/28/2019 Extension of Maintenance Contract Budget Authority with Trapeze Software Group to operate and maintain the Planning and Operator Management Systems for Big Blue Bus
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
2/11/2025 Authorization of 7th Modification to Agreement with Trapeze Software Group for Vehicle and Operator Scheduling Technology Service
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
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Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to increase the amount of contract #8928 with Trapeze Group for OPS software licenses to accommodate 333 employees, and for maintenance support through June 30, 2027, with one option year through June 30, 2028 (if exercised).
Contract Modification Request
Contract #
Current
Authorized
Amount
FY 2025-
26 Request
Amount
Future
Years
Request
Amount
CIP Account #
Total Revised
Contract
Amount
8928 $3,918,370 $202,684 $628,211 C6004770.689000 $4,749,265 Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Peter Seller, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Approval of Seventh Modification to Agreement with Trapeze Software Group (Web Link)
B. OAKS INITIATIVE FORM
C. Levine Act Disclosure Form 2025
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
K. 8928_Trapeze OPS-FX_7th Mod