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SR-1000-007 (18) f:\trans\Admin\Council\FY02 SRTP\srpt2002,doc Council Meeting: February 12, 2002 ~6 Santa Monica, calif~W f 2 2882 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City Staff SUBJECT Recommendation to Hold a Public Hearing and Approve the Fiscal Year 2002-2004 Service Improvement Program and Fiscal Year 2002-2004 Short Range Transit Plan Introduction This report requests that the City Council 1) hold a public hearing, consider public input, and adopt the annual element of the Big Blue Bus Fiscal Year (FY) 2002-2004 Service Improvement Program (SIP), which identifies proposed improvements to transit operations; (2) authorize the City Manager to file the fiscal year 2002-2004 Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP), allowing Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus to continue its eligibility as a recipient of federal and state transit assistance funds; and (3) authorize the City Manager to file applications and execute grant documents for federal, state, and local transit assistance funds. Council action on the proposed service improvements in FY 2001-02 should follow an opportunity for comments from the public pursuant to the Federal Transit Act, as amended Backqround Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus recently completed the FY 2002-04 Service Improvement Program (SIP), the intent of which is to identify improvements in transit operations. The current SIP planning process began October 2000 with a comprehensive operational assessment of the system known as a line-by-line analysis by an independent planning firm. The assessment also included a Big Blue Bus passenger survey. Additional public input regarding all SIP recommendations was gathered through a series of q~ FES f 2 2082 community outreach workshops in 2001. The result of these efforts is the FY 2002-04 SIP, which outlines proposed service improvements for the next three years. The Federal Transit Act, as amended through 1992, requires the Big Blue Bus to maintain a public comment process prior to implementing significant transit service changes. The FY 2002-04 SIP proposes an overall net increase in service hours and miles although one route is recommended for service reductions. As noted in the discussion below, effective March 10, 2002, Line 13 - Wests ide PavilionNeteran's Hospital, will be reduced approximately 31 percent, and a public hearing is required to consider service reductions in hours or miles in excess of 25 percent to a specific route. Operational data including, miles and hours of service operated, number of passengers, vehicles operated, etc. from the SIP is referenced to develop the Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP), which serves as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (LACMT A) basis for allocating funds to municipal operators in the region. Accordingly, the City on behalf of the Big Blue Bus must file an SRTP with the LACMT A each year to remain eligible for federal and state transit funding assistance. Conversely, the SRTP identifies projected operating revenue and expenses as well as capital program requirements required to carry out the recommendations in the SIP. Similar to the SIP line-by-line improvements, the SRTP also projects out over a three- year period. Discussion Service Improvement Program (SIP) The SIP recommendations were prepared to address the overcrowding and on-time performance issues identified in the line-by-line analysis. A subsequent cost analysis was completed to ensure the financial feasibility of the proposed SIP improvements. Input collected from both the line-by-line analysis and the Big Blue Bus community outreach workshops indicated that riders placed their highest priority on timely bus schedules, closely followed by more frequent bus service. Passengers also identified less crowded buses and better schedule/route information at bus stops as their third and fourth priorities, respectively. Initial findings from the line-by-line analysis indicated that severe overcrowding was experienced on the Line 7 limited stop service, Line 12 Palms/Robertson and Line 3 Lincoln/LAX routes. The line-by-line analysis found that the average bus speed had steadily decreased to as low as eight miles per hour on these routes due to increasing traffic congestion on mixed flow roadways. The result was a reduction in the overall efficiency of the transit system, as additional vehicles were needed to maintain the established frequency of service. The line-by-line analysis also determined that an average of fewer than two passengers trip were counted on certain segments of Line 13. Accordingly, the SIP recommends a route change that will reduce service hours on the portions with low ridership that overlap other existing services. These valuable resources will be reallocated to the Santa Monica Boulevard Route (Line 1) to improve on-time performance. Line 13 will continue as a morning and afternoon peak hour service that will operate in the peak direction only, consistent with current ridership patterns. The portion of the Line 13 that currently operates between Pico/Westwood Boulevards (Westside Pavilion) and the Veterans Administration Hospital from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. will be shortened to operate between the Hospital and Pico/Sawtelle Boulevards This segment of the route will be renamed the VA Shuttle (Line 15). The proposed SIP focuses primarily on achieving the objectives from the public outreach process and planning conducted over the past year. This information, along with technical assessments of land use trends and route specific operating performance, was used to evaluate existing services and recommend a strategy for implementing improvements A summary of the proposed service improvements is shown below. 2002~2004 Draft Ser\l'lce Improvement Program Recommendations FY 2001-0:2 . lncrease service on the Monica Blvd. Route (Line 1) to maintain adherence. . a of to increasE! and the · Reduce ineffiCient service from the to Main Street due to 10..... .' On 12) from UCLA to . trom the shuttle VA shuttle service as line 15 lo limit Line i:3 to of the FY 2002-03 · Add . 10 COl1nEl{:t with . .. in . LII18 3 . Lincoln route the Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) The proposed SRTP financial forecast is based on a combination of the share of MT A's countywide formula-based allocation of transit funds and the SIP projected operational needs as described in the previous section. Both the FY 2001-02 operating budget and capital program were adopted by the City Council in the current year budget. Future year SIP improvements will be addressed in their respective budgets Service changes that meet public hearing thresholds will be presented to City Council on a timely basis For FY 2001-02, the formula allocation of operating funds was $21.2 million. Local operating revenues (passenger fares, charter, advertising, interest, lease, special transit services, and Proposition A Local Return revenues) are estimated at an additional $13.7 million. Budqet/Financiallmpacts The FY 2001-02 improvements are fully funded in the City Budget with local operating and transit subsidy funds. The SRTP is a planning document and does not obligate the City to any specific levels of funding. Provision for the proposed service changes will be made in each budget year with available allocations of transit revenue. Recommendation Upon conclusion of the public hearing process regarding the proposed service improvements, staff recommends that the City Council: 1) Adopt the Big Blue Bus FY 2002-2004 Service Improvement Program as a planning guide for Big Blue Bus route improvements between FY 2002 through FY 2004. 2) Authorize the City Manager to file the FY 2002-2004 Short Range Transit Plan with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 3) Authorize the City Manager to file applications and execute grant documents for federal, state, and local transit assistance funds made available by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Federal Transit Administration, and other public agencies as funding programs become available. Prepared by: Stephanie Negriff, Acting Director of Transportation Services Janeene de Martinez, Assistance Director - Transit Finance Joe Stitcher, Transit Customer Relations Manager Marianne Kim, Senior Administrative Analyst -Transit Grants Paul Casey, Senior Administrative Analyst - Transit Programs Attachment 1: Draft Service Improvement Plan for FY 2002-2004 Attachment 2: Short Range Transit Plan for FY 2002-2004 ATTACHMENT 1 I, INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to summarize the analysis of each Big Blue Bus transit route and present the recommendations for service improvements. Each of the recommendations address a short-term issue and could be implemented within the next three years (2002 - 2004). The analysis is based on a 100 percent count, by a team of surveyors, of all passenger boardings and alightings at each stop of each trip of each route in the entire Big Blue Bus transit system. The surveyors also recorded the number of minutes that buses were late or early at each "timepoint" on the public schedule as a measure of service reliability. An in-depth onboard questionnaire printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other, was also distributed based on a statistical sampling of riders that resulted in 3,786 survey forms being completed and returned. All fieldwork was conducted in late October and early November of 2000. The proposed FY 2002-2004 service improvements are modest in relation to the previous Service Improvement Plan. The plan is constrained by the number of expansion vehicles available over the next three years, funding, and temporary dislocations during construction of the new Big Blue Bus facility. Recommendations in the plan emphasize mitigating the effects of increased traffic congestion on schedule adherence (Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 14), implementing service changes related to the downtown transit mall, and off-peak service improvements (Lines 3, 7 and 12), rather than on major route expansion (Line 3). Finally, a recommendation to study Line 10 for potential service improvements after FY 2005 is also included. Ridership on the Big Blue Bus system is up from spring 1998 when the previous line-by-line analysis was completed. Weekday ridership increased by 7.3 percent, and Saturday ridership was up an even larger 12.2 percent (Fig. 1). Sunday ridership was up the smallest amount at 4.4 percent. Overall, ridership was 7.6 percent higher over the three-year period. However, as often is the case with system-wide statistics, the overall numbers do not necessarily reflect what is happening on individual lines. An examination of the changes on each line shows that some lines experienced dramatic double-digit increases in passengers (Lines 3, 5, 10 and 12) while others experienced significant loss (Lines 2 and 14). First Transit r, Big Blue Bus implemented changes to a number of lines over the past three years. These changes were made in response to requests on the part of existing riders and input from the community as a whole. For example, a major system realignment was implemented in spring 2000 in which Lines 5, 9, and 13 traded segments of their respective routes. This provided for the first time, a direct route from Santa Monica to Century City. The result was a total weekday increase of 47 percent in passenger boardings, from 4,521 in 1998 to 6,675, on the three realigned routes. The overall concern expressed by current riders during the on-board survey was the need to improve on-time performance, closely followed by making bus service faster. This response is consistent with a finding in the analysis that average travel speeds of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus have been steadily decreasing in recent years because of increasing traffic congestion on mixed flow roadways. For instance, peak period buses on Line 1 now travel at an average speed of 9 miles per hour, down from 11 miles per hour in 1998. It now takes more time for passengers on all routes to reach their destinations. Buses do not have the option, as cars do, of cutting over to less congested streets, or through neighborhoods when delays materialize. Buses must follow routes on the most heavily traveled corridors, regardless of conditions. Big Blue Bus has attempted to mitigate such problems by adding running time to the schedule on a number of its lines. More buses and operators are required every year to maintain the same bus frequency over the same route structure. Consequently, in spite of an increase in total weekday passengers of 7.3 percent since 1998, productivity over the same period has declined from an average of 62 passenger boardings per vehicle service hour to 52.9 boardings (fig. 2, fig. 3). In the past, the high number of passenger boardings per vehicle hour was, in part, an indication of severely overcrowded buses. As the Big Blue Bus has added buses to the schedule, instances of severe bus overcrowding have declined. The downward trend for overcrowding is tied to the change in productivity. The survey data indicated only six trips system-wide in 2000 that were overcrowded, down from seven in 1998. The degree of overcrowding has also declined, with the maximum load of 83 passengers observed on a bus in 2000, compared with a phenomenal 100 passengers counted at one time on a bus, followed by a 95 passenger observation in 1998. First Transit r, 2 As a result of increased traffic congestion throughout the service area, lines 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 14 all suffer severe running time problems. Together they comprise most of the Big Blue Bus system. Three solutions are identified to restore schedule reliability. Under the first, the amount of time indicated on the schedule that is required to complete each trip would be increased to reflect actual running times. The designated frequency between buses, or headway, would be restored. This would require 14 additional full time operator positions and five additional buses. In 2000, this type of solution was implemented on Line 7. Scheduled running times for peak period trips were increased 25 percent, from 52 minutes to 65 minutes. As a result, passenger boardings decreased from 84 per vehicle hour to 67, a decline of 22 percent. Under the second option, schedules would also be rewritten to reflect slower actual running times. However, the same number of vehicles and drivers would be used to provide the service. Buses would operate less frequently. For example, Line 1 weekday service would be operated at 12-minute frequency rather than every 10 minutes. Line 8 and Line 14 would operate every 20 minutes, rather than every 15 minutes. Under the third option, bus speed improvements would be implemented to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete each trip. Buses could operate more reliably with no additional operator positions or vehicles required. Designated service frequencies would be restored. Necessary equipment could be financed by transit capital funding sources. The number of passenger boardings per service hour is likely to increase as more passengers are attracted to the faster, more reliable service. Advanced technology has been proven to increase transit ridership, with no impacts on emergency vehicle movement or roadway capacity in cities across the United States. Traffic flow improvements for transit vehicles is a growing trend in the Los Angeles region as well, exemplified by the much-acclaimed Metro Rapid Bus. Various cities in Southern California now cooperate to improve access for more people to jobs, education, and leisure activities by using innovative technology. Cities have implemented bus speed improvements as part of a comprehensive policy that seeks to avoid the expense and environmental problems associated with street widening and freeway construction that were the favored transportation solutions in the past. The recommendations for each individual Line in the system attempt to further address the above service issues along with other needs identified during the project. The recommendations were developed through a collaborative process involving Big Blue Bus staff, members of the public, and First Transit consultants. First Transit r, 3 FIG. 1 Change in Passenger Boardings* ,., SOurce; 1 99'l, note: HJ 8, wen': (f'i~i:lted 2000, j,tive service after 19'14 Lme-t:I~' eLJfH~ Analysis not [la....e Sunday service until afte.r 1998 A.n<llysis First Transit r, 4 Fig. 2 Change in Passengers per Revenue Hour* 5 Fig. 3 Change in Route Productivity 90 .. ::l 0 80 ::t: Ql ::l 70 c: <II > <l> Cl:: 60 .ill (J :E 50 ~ .. ~ 40 1/1 ell C 'is 30 .. ~ co 20 ; ell c: <>> 10 1/1 1/1 (ll Q. 0 , ~ + ~ ' ~ ~ ~ ~ , , & # q'i} ~O~ ',.,cJ' ~ ~~ rJ>~ it' ~O~ ~~q:' !':>~O ~",q,~ ~<:\ Vrf ,,'l-' .~J> ~O~ ~# ,v'li oCP ~~ , 'l-' V"'O q'li V0~ ~' ~~ # '\' 1::-04, co' ~~ ,,2P ",,' ~v ,:>' "'# e;,'li <Qv 4'..)~ q'li '\ ~ ,,' ~' 4-~' Ql' I.. '" e;,~<f ,'I>.'" ~'" ~ rQ' ~' ~_....q. ,!::,0 'GI ,v ~~ ~'r- ...'If' '!>' << " ,,~ ' 6 Line 1 - Santa Monica Boulevard Line 1 connects Venice, downtown Santa Monica and UCLA via Main Street and Santa Monica Blvd. This route offers a high level of service in terms of both the span and frequency of service, especially on weekdays. Line 1 carries the third highest number of riders, exceeded only by Line 3 and Line 7. In terms of productivity, Line 1 is lower on weekdays, but still above the system average, while on Saturdays and Sundays productivity is second highest among all the Big Blue Bus lines. As with a number of Big Blue Bus lines, on-time performance has been a problem due to increased traffic congestion along much of the route. In February 1999, running time was added to the weekday schedule to improve on-time performance. This required an additional bus. Since then, traffic conditions have continued to decrease average bus speeds. The service is once again experiencing substandard on-time performance on weekdays. On Saturday and Sunday the scheduled running time has not been slowed down to reflect increased traffic congestion and service continues to be unreliable. Weekday ridership on Line 1 declined 6.4 percent since the previous study, Saturday ridership declined by 10.8 percent, and Sunday ridership declined by an even greater 21.5 percent. Total ridership on this line, estimated at 10,799 daily passenger boardings is the third highest of all Big Blue Bus lines. Productivity for weekdays in fall 2000 was 65.9 trips per hour, down from 76.3 observed in spring of 1998. The drop in ridership may be related to the decline in average bus speed at peak travel periods from 11 miles per hour in 1998 to 9 miles per hour in 2000. Slower buses that do not follow the schedule are not an attractive travel option to the public. Line 1 however, remains the third most productive of all the lines. Most of the ridership occurs on the portion of the route between downtown Santa Monica and UCLA. The segment between downtown and the Venice terminal carries significantly fewer passengers. During the afternoon and evening, the TIDE Shuttle provides a virtually identical service between Main Street and the Promenade, at half the price, which may attract some passengers who would otherwise ride Line 1. 7 Recommendations To restore reliable, on-time service, two alternatives were considered. The first was to increase the amount of time in the schedule that it takes the buses to go from one end of the route to the other to reflect current traffic conditions. Headway would be maintained at 10 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends. It will require an additional bus First Transit r, 8 on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and three additional operators to provide this rescheduled, slower service. Under the second alternative, more time would be provided in the schedule for buses to complete each trip to reflect increased traffic congestion. However, the service frequency would be decreased to every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends. No additional vehicles or operators would be required. It is proposed that the first alternative be implemented, at an annual cost of 5,775 service hours. The resources for this improvement would come from efficiencies achieved as a result of the restructuring of Line 13. The change would be timed for the inauguration of the Transit Mall in FY 02. Due to heavy evening passenger loads between downtown Santa Monica and West L.A., particularly during the summer season, it is proposed that frequency be increased from 30 minutes to 15 minutes from 7 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday until 10: 15 p.m.. This would require an additional 1,077 annual service hours. No additional drivers would be needed because this improvement can be implemented by extending work assignments that are shorter than standard. Line 2 - Wilshire BoulevardNenice First Transit r, 9 Line 2 provides service between Venice, downtown Santa Monica and UCLA. The route originates in Venice at Walgrove and Venice Boulevard, operates on Lincoln to California Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Fourth Street, then out Wilshire to the Veteran's Administration Hospital, Federal Building and finally to the UCLA Transit Center on Hilgard. Weekdays, the route operates between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11 :00 p.m. with service every 15 minutes in the peak periods, changing to 30- minute frequency at approximately 7:00 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the span of service is approximately the same as during the week. At the time of the survey, there was 15-minute service between the VA Hospital and Windward Circle during the day on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, there was 30-minute service to UCLA and Venice Boulevard. On Sunday, there was 30-minute service to Venice Boulevard with no service to UCLA. Additional buses and operators were added to Line 2 in March of 2001 to implement a new schedule with slower running times. This was done because service reliability had deteriorated in worsening traffic conditions since the previous line-by-line analysis. In February 1999, Sunday service frequency between the VA and Windward Circle was increased from 20 to 15 minutes during the mid-day. Ridership and productivity on the route have decreased over the past three years. Weekday ridership declined by 11.3 percent; Saturday ridership decreased by 7.2 percent; and Sunday ridership decreased by 23.6 percent. Weekday productivity is estimated at 47.6 passengers per revenue hour. In 1998, weekday productivity was 53.1 percent. Saturday productivity is estimated at 31.6 and Sunday productivity is estimated at 22.2. As discussed previously, the addition of buses to maintain on-time performance and reduce overcrowding results in lower productivity measures although it enhances the overall quality of the service for the passengers. The improvements made to the Sunday service in 1999 do not appear to have had a positive impact since the route lost riders two years after the headways were reduced from 20 to 15 minutes. Although overall ridership decreased since the previous study, it is approximately the same as in the 1994 line-by-Iine analysis. In June, 2001 the schedule was revised provide 20-minute service on Saturdays and Sundays along the entire route. This change improves service from UCLA to downtown Santa Monica including the beach. First Transit r, 10 Recommendations: Currently, Line 2 includes a major route deviation from Wilshire Boulevard to serve the north side of the Veteran's Administration campus. Due to low ridership, safety concerns inside the campus, and operational issues First Transit r, 11 with the alignment, it is recommended the VA deviation along Eisenhower Avenue be eliminated. Line 2 service to the VA campus and Medical Center would still be provided at the current Line 2 stops on the westbound Wilshire Boulevard down-ramp at Bonsall Avenue and the eastbound Wilshire on-ramp at Bonsall. Also, the reconfigured SawtelleNA shuttle service (see Line 15) would continue to operate on the grounds of the VA campus. Additionally, since the VA operates a free shuttle service on the campus grounds, reducing the level of Big Blue Bus service to the campus would have minimal impact on riders. Staff have met with VA campus administration on two occasions to discuss these improvements. The proposed route modification would save 620 annual operating hours by eliminating two left turns, one of which across busy San Vicente Boulevard is unsignalized and causes severe delays. Five stops signs in each direction on the current route would be avoided. Reduction in scheduled travel time to and from UCLA by four minutes should help Line 2 regain passengers who have been turned away by slow service in recent years. First Transit r, 12 Line 3 - Lincoln Boulevard/Montana A venue Line 3 provides service between the Metro Green Line Aviation Station in Los Angeles, downtown Santa Monica and UCLA. Major streets served by the route include Sepulveda Boulevard, Manchester Avenue, Lincoln Boulevard, Pico, Fourth Street, Wilshire Boulevard and Montana Avenue. Major trip generators on the route include LAX, the Green Line Station, downtown Santa Monica and UCLA. On weekdays the first trip starts at 5:22 a.m. and the last trip starts at 12:05 a.m. From 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. buses run every 10 minutes between the Green Line and downtown Santa Monica and every 20 minutes between the Green Line and UCLA. Between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., buses run every 15 minutes between the Green Line and downtown Santa Monica and every 30 minutes between the Green Line and UCLA. From approximately 8:00 p.m. until the end of service, buses run every 30 minutes the entire length of the route. On weekends, the span of service is slightly shorter with the route starting later in the morning but operating as late in the evening. The Saturday and Sunday service operates every 20 minutes during the day, although some 15-minute service is provided. After 6:00 p.m. service is every 30 minutes. On Sundays, the route does not go to UCLA but instead ends at Montana and San Vicente. A number of changes were made to the route in 1997 and in 2000. In 1997, the route was extended to serve the Green Line Station from its former terminus at the LAX Transit Center. Simultaneously, service was extended later at night. Additional buses were added to the schedule to address overcrowding. Weekday service frequency between downtown Santa Monica, LAX and the Green Line, was increased from 20 to 10 minutes. The result of these changes has been increased ridership on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday ridership increased by 7.6 percent, Saturday ridership increased by 19.7 percent and Sunday ridership increased by 7.7 percent. Productivity is 51.2 passengers per revenue hour, Saturday productivity is 44.4 and Sunday productivity is 42.9. One of six severely overcrowded buses observed in the survey was on Line 3 on Lincoln Boulevard. N /' ~ J.i. /' ,/ \ Los Angel~s International Airport ~ First Transit r, 14 Recommendations. In FY 03, it is recommended that evening service from downtown Santa Monica to the Green Line be improved to operate every 15 minutes until 10:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and until 9:15 p.m. on Sunday. An additional bus will also be required all day Saturday and Sunday to operate a new, slower schedule that reflects increased traffic congestion. These changes will require four additional drivers and a 5,321 increase in annual operating hours. Implementation of a new Super 3 service is proposed in FY 04 to provide express service between Santa Monica, LAX and the Green Line Station. The Super 3 would only serve major stops along Lincoln Blvd. all the way to Sepulveda Blvd., rather than turning onto Manchester Ave. as does the existing service. To provide this new service, 14 additional buses and 28 additional operators would be required at an annual cost of 59,134 hours. Current financial projections indicate that the Big Blue Bus could only operate about half of these service hours (29,567) in FY 04. Therefore, a reduced express service would have to be implemented unless additional funding becomes available regionally for this type of service. However, even a reduced level of express service would benefit passengers and should be pursued in FY 04. Line 4 - Carlyle 15 Line 4 is a new route created by dividing the purely residential portion of the Line 8 route that operated on San Vicente Boulevard and Carlyle Avenue from the portion that serves UCLA, Westgate, and Santa Monica College where high ridership and traffic congestion reduce schedule reliability. These changes were made in September of 1998. Line 4 connects the residential neighborhoods along Carlyle and San Vicente to the commercial and retail services in downtown Santa Monica. The level of service on Line 4 is essentially the same on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays operating on 30-minute headways. The only difference in service level is that during weekdays the first trip starts at 6:30 a.m. versus 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. In 1998 this route was operated as a segment of the Line 8. Average weekday ridership is 472, up from 396 in 1998, an increase of 19.2 percent. Weekday productivity is 28.6 passengers per revenue hour. Saturday ridership increased from 145 in 1998 to 244 in 2000, a 68.3 percent increase. Saturday productivity averages 16.5 passengers per hour. Sunday ridership dropped from 245 in 1998 to 120 in 2000, a 58.2 percent decline. Sunday productivity is 8.1 passengers per hour. Ridership on Line 4 is the lowest of all the Big Blue Bus lines. In 2000-2001 the route experienced running time problems, often running 3-4 minutes late. To correct the problem the route was realigned to eliminate the turn around loop on Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and a second bus added in July 2001 to give more time to complete each trip in. The modification extends Line 4 south to the Civic Center, Pico Boulevard and Santa Monica High School. First Transit r, 16 Recommendations: Running time problems have apparently been solved by adding time to the schedule and doubling the number of vehicles assigned to the service from one to two. Interlining Line 4 with another service such as Line 2 or the TIDE shuttle is an option to be studied in 2002. First Transit r, 17 Line 5 - Olympic Boulevard/ Century City Line 5 provides service between the Rimpau Transit Center and downtown Santa Monica via Pico, Olympic and Colorado Avenue. Locations having major boarding and alighting activity are the Rimpau Transit Center, Century City Shopping Center and downtown Santa Monica. Line 5 was modified in April 2000 when the segment along Sawtelle to the Veteran's Administration facility was eliminated, and the route was extended along Olympic, Stewart and Colorado to downtown Santa Monica. The span of service is basically the same on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday. However, weekday service in the early morning, morning and afternoon peak hours and mid-day includes 12-15 minute service whereas 30-minute service is provided on Saturday and Sunday. Ridership on the route increased by 68.9 percent weekdays, 75.9 percent on Saturdays and 41.1 percent on Sunday, the highest increases of any of the Big Blue Bus lines. Productivity is 39.4 trips per hour weekdays, 32.5 Saturdays and 21.1 Sundays. Productivity is still below that of the Big Blue Bus system average. Recommendations: No changes are proposed for Line 5 at this time. 18 Line 6 - Pico Boulevard - UCLA The UCLA fare card program, known as BruinGO!, enables all UCLA students, faculty and staff to board any Big Blue Bus at any time and to any destination in the system by swiping the magnetic stripe on their 10 card in the farebox. The trip is recorded by the electronic farebox, and at the end of each month, the Big Blue Bus sends UCLA Transportation Services an invoice for the actual number of recorded trips. The number of BruinGo! boardings has increased by 41 percent, from 173,092 in October 2000 to 243,565 in October 2001. It is anticipated that the popularity of the BruinGO! fare card program will continue to grow, placing heavier burdens on the five routes that directly serve UCLA. Recommendations: In the event that UCLA elects to extend the BruinGO! program, a new service is recommended to better serve passengers traveling between the eastern portion of the Big Blue Bus service area along Pico Blvd. and UCLA. Line 6 would operate during the morning peak travel period from the Pico/Rimpau Terminal west along Pico, serving all stops to Westwood Blvd. At Westwood Blvd., Line 6 buses would turn right and proceed to UCLA. The route would travel in the opposite direction, from UCLA to Rimpau Terminal, in the afternoon. Headway would be 30 minutes. Two additional buses and two additional drivers would be required at a cost of 3,060 annual hours. Line 7/Super 7 - Pico Boulevard First Transit r, 19 Line 7 provides service between downtown Santa Monica and the Rimpau Transit Center via Pico Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. The weekday service operates from 4:45 a.m. to 12:11 a.m.. The service operates every 5-10 minutes most of the day, except for the first early morning trips going outbound from Santa Monica and late evening trips in both directions which operate every 20-30 minutes. The Saturday service operates on a 15-minute schedule most of the day; on Sundays the route is on a 20- minute headway most of the day. Service begins at approximately 4:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday. Service continues until half past midnight every day. Line 7 has undergone a number of changes designed to enhance both the level and quality of service since the previous line-by-analysis was completed. In April and September 2000, buses were added in response to overcrowding and slower travel times on congested roadways. Service frequency was increased from 30 to 20 minutes in the evenings, seven days a week. In April 2000, Big Blue Bus enhanced Line 7 with its Super 7 limited stop express service. Super 7 operates in the morning and afternoon peak hour period every 20 minutes, weekdays only. These changes resulted in a significant increase in vehicle miles and hours on Line 7. Weekday ridership on both local and limited stop Pico Boulevard services, taken as a whole, increased 1.4%. Passenger boardings on the local Line 7 route decreased on weekdays by 7.5 percent. This indicates an apparent shift by some riders from the local to the limited stop service. On weekends when only local service is offered, ridership increased 16.5 percent on Saturday and declined 6.5 percent on Sunday. Productivity on local Line 7 service, as measured in trips per hour was 65.8 trips per hour on weekdays, 72.2 on Saturdays and 61.6 on Sundays. Line 7 is the most productive service on the weekend. It is also the only service that was observed to experience severe overcrowding on the weekend, with 89 passengers on board at once. Productivity on Super 7 is the second highest in the Big Blue bus system with 66 passengers per vehicle service hour. Passengers on Super 7 also ride for the longest average distance, 4.9 miles, of any route other than Line 10 - Freeway Express. The most overcrowded bus in the survey was a Super 7 with 83 passengers on board at one time, over a distance of almost six miles. Recommendations: First Transit r, 20 It is recommended that local Line 7 have weekend service frequency increased in FY 2003 from every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes on Saturday, and on Sunday, from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes. This would require 2,561 additional annual service hours. A further 1,039 annual hours are needed to implement a new schedule to mitigate increased traffic congestion. Big Blue Bus should investigate the feasibility of operating mid-day Super 7 to meet heavy travel demand in FY 2003. No additional vehicles or operators would be required to commence this service. First Transit r, 21 , . - ., I"!' (iSl \ j I ~It~ ~lru i~ tii 1\ W',:: ,i I I " Un_ICinll...II.llf!~lli :'\, ! IT, k . '; , Ii 'i SeRll'i\a! IIIml".. -lilli' I( \ ( Ii~! n ) F I 1011(~IW j i!I~%\; _ "'-__ t~ Line 8 - Ocean Park Boulevard 22 Line 8 provides service between downtown Santa Monica and UCLA by way of Main Street, Ocean Park Boulevard, National Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard. The weekday service operates between 6:00 a.m. and 11 :22 p.m. with 15-minute service most of the day. Beginning in the early evening, the route goes to 30-minute service. On weekends, the Saturday and Sunday service span is the same, but the headways are every 30 minutes for the most part. Line 8 was divided into two lines in September 1998 when the Carlyle Avenue portion of the route became the separate Line 4. In June of 2001, a new weekend schedule was implemented to restore service reliability, requiring an additional bus and 1,020 additional vehicle hours. On weekdays, the schedule has not been revised for slower bus speeds and therefore, on-time performance remains unreliable. Weekday ridership decreased slightly by 1.6 percent from 1998 on the downtown Santa Monica to UCLA route. Saturday ridership declined by 1.1 percent and Sunday ridership has declined by 16.3 percent. When the Line 4 statistics are included, ridership remains basically the same as it was three years ago, except for Sunday, which still showed a net loss of riders. Weekday productivity was 55.1 trips per hour; Saturday productivity was 41 and Sunday productivity was 28.7. Recommendations: In FY 03, it is recommended that one bus and half of an operator position be added at an annual cost of 1,020 hours to operate a new schedule reflecting slower average speeds that are the result of increased traffic congestion. First Transit r, 23 I ~ - Ii Ij ! j+,"\ . lI\itlJil "1l1 \\ : ~\:Illt:~. 1l;1<<' 'L!n~IJ_-ilWllil,1 .\ {\\1!!"li~:I,\'Ji\t11i .li Ii II $enrlICI! ImpIllQJIJ!\II__ iill ' lt~41I!m~Wl)1I\\~1 \ - - \)L Line 9 - Pacific Palisades First Transit r, 24 I rJ~ - - - \!j I 11il1ll!lll Ir~lIi 1111 \ '''1''''11; Une.BJ"lUIIlllIllI.IJilll Ii. I l~il~llli,"t'IU liIl.\l'ti,~I. Service ImIIfiClllllllllldll.I'I1:_ ' '~~ill~~ j I Line 9 provides service between downtown and Pacific Palisades via Seventh Street, Entrada Drive/West Channel Road, Chautauqua Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. The weekday, Saturday and Sunday service levels are almost the same except that the weekday service starts an hour earlier in the morning. Headways are 30 minutes all day long. A number of changes have been made to Line 9 in the past two years. The most significant change was to terminate the route on Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. The reconfigured Line 5 assumed the segment of Line 9 that operated on Olympic Boulevard to provide direct service from Santa Monica to Century City. Sunday service was added in 1999. Weekday ridership increased 30.3 percent, comparing the new route with the same route segment in 1998. Weekend ridership showed a significant increase, with Saturday ridership increasing by 74.7 percent and Sunday ridership by 78.4 percent. The increase in passengers on weekdays was likely due to the reassignment of the unproductive Olympic Boulevard segment of the route to Line 5 in spring 2000. The gain in passengers on weekends was likely due to the doubling of service hours to increase frequency from hourly to every 30 minutes. Productivity on weekdays was 40 trips per hour; productivity on Saturdays was 33; Sunday productivity was 21.2. Ridership declines during the evening. Weekdays, patronage is very low after 8:30 p.m.; on Saturdays and Sundays ridership drops off earlier, at around 7:00 p.m.. Recommendations: No changes are recommended to Line 9 at this time. 25 1111 '(~ 11.1- . . i'I\;'I~tl IJ) lIJnelS~Une.nlrlli,l. 1- 1\\01\5 K~!,i!lit f~1\lj1 ~ flwlllt.IIIUj ~\j ,,1'llillll ,I S<erv1[m. ImplJ1'!ll'lllll!:__l!(lIilllllill \ ttR%~ Wi ~ltilt{j'k~ \ . First Transit r, 26 1!lljJ~IJiJ \ \ 11,.\11 I Une>IJ'~neilirillllfill'll"ll "iii!h' "- 'm "!ll~. ,""'Ii .1ll1~IIIMI! 111" II, i"1\',, III Service ~lmlP"MII. lllrill;' fl~~r~(fk !K\tla ii!J \ I I Line 10 - Santa Monica Freeway Express Line 10 provides seNice between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles. Most of the trips originate at Fourth Street and Santa Monica and terminate at Union Station in Los Angeles. A limited number of trips operate to and from Main and Marine near the Venice boundary line. Weekdays, the seNice operates from 5:34 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.. The weekday seNice operates every 10-30 minutes. On Saturdays and Sundays, the route starts approximately one hour later in the morning but operates as late into the evening. The weekend seNice operates on a straight 30-minute schedule. In the community feedback process conducted for the previous seNice improvement program, weekday schedule reliability received much criticism. In fall 1999, and again in spring 2000, a new schedule with more running time was implemented to reflect worsened traffic conditions on the Santa Monica Freeway. This required additional vehicles and drivers. Other improvements to Line 10 in the past two years have included reducing headways from 60 to 30 minutes on midday weekdays and all day Saturday, and the introduction of Sunday seNice that operates every 30 minutes. Additionally, the weekday span of seNice was extended by approximately one hour. Ridership has shown significant increases over 1998. Weekday ridership was up 18.6 percent and Saturday ridership increased by a dramatic 65.7 percent. The likely explanation for most of this increase is the return of rider confidence in seNice reliability following recent improvements. On Sunday, passenger boardings total 682, or 68 percent of Saturday. Since the Sunday seNice is relatively new, it was not possible to compare it to 1998 data. Productivity on weekdays was 20.9 trips per hour, 16.8 on Saturdays and 12.4 on Sundays (Figure 2). First Transit 27 ,l! '."11 1II\""I~I!! 1- "1111 1~!fJ. ill UIn~BI"L.llIlt! .DIIII.',. ' liI:~.I~Jlld II.I.~ :1 Serllh:t! 1m1llli1l_I'14111,1I1 ' ~ ' '- "., First Transit r, 28 , ~ \ tl,11111 Une.B~Jlllinfl1 "..1,. f4l I ~ ~ If0, l[f jl)\IWi '" I ) [ .l1i~ ~11iIJ Ill,1 iI SerVIce ImpriCJnmml11llilll'l, ,. \ Recommendation: The most recent line-by-line analysis confirms that boardings along the Main Street portion of this route are very low. Five morning trips that originate at Main and Marine have very few passenger boardings until the buses are operating on Santa Monica Boulevard. In March 2002, the number of weekday trips serving the Main Street extension of Line 10 would be reduced from 12 to seven. Trips that carried two or more passengers would be maintained. All direct service from Main Street that arrives in downtown Los Angeles between 7:45 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. would be maintained. All trips in the afternoon from downtown L.A. to Main Street would also be maintained. The annual savings in operating hours would be 255. 29 Line 11 - 14th St. - Montana Ave. - 20th Sf. - Crosstown This route provides a basic level of service to the neighborhoods bounded roughly by Montana, Ocean Park, 14th Street and 20th Street. Santa Monica Community College, St. John's Medical Center, Santa Monica/UCLA Medical Center, two junior high schools and two libraries are major trip generators along the route. Operating weekdays only between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on a 30-minute schedule, the route requires a single small-sized bus and incurs the smallest number of miles and hours of any of the Big Blue Bus lines. No changes have been made to Line 11 since the previous line-by-line analysis. Ridership was down slightly by 3.2 percent over 1998. Productivity was 41.5 trips per hour, which is below the system-wide average. Ridership is fairly steady on the route all day. Gauged by the standards of community circulator routes operated by other transit agencies in the region, Line 11 is near the average in terms of productivity. Recommendations: No changes to the Line 11 are recommended at this time. First Transit r, 30 III II'll :1111 "1!!@7 UnellJr+GM .na.ll~i . F" i"I'> WIllIi.I~' . ' IllillIJIII\\:I..:,lillillll. Servwce ImpflilllRm_llllm lli%'4~ j~ it~( ~),' liJ ~ __h \ 31 'I i!@ , lit ~q;\1~h1 1\\1\~~'f~1 111'1~ ~I IJ,ne.~_n~..I~iI'lJ " 1~'j\\I\ Iii i!j'4~\,III''I1' U I SeIl'VIIC€! ~lml-'~eJl!llIlIll!l_1 \ iflt~lt'jjljj )g{"~ !&;,,, ! ,I Line 12 - Palms/Robertson Boulevard Line 12 operates between the Rimpau Transit Center and UCLA. Weekdays the route operates from 6:08 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.. A 15-minute headway is provided most of the day until after 7:00 p.m. when it changes to 20-30 minutes. On Saturdays and Sundays, the service span is shorter as the route starts slightly more than one hour later and ends just under three hours earlier. The weekend service operates on a 30-minute schedule. Improvements to Line 12 since the previous line-by-line include an additional hour of service on weekdays, increased frequency in the mid- day period from 30 to 15 minutes, increased frequency on Saturdays from 60 to 30 minutes and new service on Sundays. The route was re- scheduled in conjunction with Line 8 to improve the scheduling of buses on Westwood Boulevard and to improve on-time performance. Peak period service frequency to UCLA has increased to every six minutes, in response to severe overcrowding. Weekday ridership increased by 67.0 percent; Saturday ridership increased by 31.2 percent. Sunday passenger boardings are estimated at 1,544, which is 63 percent of Saturday ridership. Productivity on weekdays is 69.7, the highest of any Big Blue Bus route. However, due to the additional service added, weekday productivity has actually declined since 1998. Saturday productivity is 59.1, an increase from 1998 and the third highest of all the lines. Sunday productivity is 37.7, which is slightly higher than the system-wide average. Three of the six overcrowded buses in 2000 were on Line 12 running between Palms and UCLA on weekdays. This is not surprising given the growing participation in the "Bruin Go!" fare card program. Under this program, all UCLA students, faculty, and staff may board Big Blue Buses by swiping the magnetic stripe through the farebox on the bus. The swipe is electronically recorded and the Big Blue Bus sends a invoice to UCLA Transportation Services for all recorded trips at the end of each month. The program had been in effect only two months at the time of the survey, so there had not been time to adjust service levels to passenger demand. With the renewal of the UCLA transit pass program, passenger growth is projected to continue. First Transit r, 32 ~ e - , ifl~ ~~IIII:Jli I~ U!i1E!'-B~"iLdll]nili ._iWi:~II,,1I . I!AillW' Willi' l~ 'l'r'liI'~ llili ,r"\I~i:'~ I Iii il'll ~1 III. I~I 5ewlciIi Illmlli'iOemlilnllll,IIII" lWmiR ~ \m~1 M\Wi\ ! \; \ \\ ~l ! it"",; CENTURY CITY / City Center ~ JIII_W: r~: WEST .\, V LOS ANGELES ~ .'j,. . /",~ ./'7~~' \~~ 1'.;. 'j('...~~.i/? m " CITY ~~ ... ~ Recommendations: It is recommended that evening hours for Line 12 be extended in the outbound direction from the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Pico Boulevard, through Palms to Venice Boulevard and Culver Boulevard. Evening ridership beyond this point does not warrant additional service. The trip departure times should be coordinated with the arrival of Line 8 from UCLA and the Line 7 from Santa Monica. The extension of evening service hours would be provided by one vehicle. The annual increase in service hours would be 155. No additional vehicle would be needed. If peak service continues to be added in response to passenger growth from the BruinGO! fare card program with UCLA, alternatives to the circuitous route of Line 12 should be studied. 33 11.irll Un.l~infl._'IIlI.gl".' lIii!.'I1 I' 11m'" .' ,II[, Il\\"bili!!II~~' I~' 1,1 ell Service .'.1:"__ 1II,1!ll1 . . 0tt{~\\\1 illL1J'~ ~lw \ - - jJ Line 13 - Westside PavilionNeterans Hospital Line 13 is a complex route resulting from the combination of the original Line 13 that connected Cheviot Hills with the Rimpau Terminal, and the portion of Line 5 that ran along Sawtelle Boulevard to the VA Hospital prior to the route realignment of April 2000. On weekday mornings buses head from Rimpau to the VA through Cheviot Hills and return to Rimpau through Century City. On weekday afternoons buses head from the VA to Rimpau through Century City. Additional trips are offered at peak travel periods directly between Rimpau and the VA. A shuttle operating between the VA and Westside Pavilion operates on weekdays during the mid-day and evenings on the weekends. During the week the route operates from 5:28 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. approximately every 30 minutes. On Saturdays and Sundays the service span is shorter with the route starting approximately 90 minutes later in the morning while the evening service operates the same as during the week. The Saturday and Sunday headways are both 30 minutes. Weekday ridership is up significantly, by 51.8 percent, over 1998. Saturday ridership decreased by 28.0 percent but is at the same level as in 1994. Productivity on weekdays is 24.6 trips per hour which is the second lowest of all the Big Blue Bus lines. Productivity on weekends is 12.9 on Saturdays and 7.1 on Sundays, the lowest of any Big Blue Bus route. Recommendations: In FY 02, two distinct routes are to be created by separating the Cheviot Hills service from the VA Shuttle service. "Line 13" would revert to its original service area connecting Rimpau Terminal, Cheviot Hills and the Westside Pavilion. Line 13 would go westbound to Cheviot Hills in the morning and eastbound to Rimpau in the afternoon. Service headway would be 30 minutes during peak travel periods. A limited number of commuter trips between Century City and Brentwood would continue to be provided by "extras" on an as needed basis. The Sawtelle Boulevard service going into the Veterans Administration campus will be designated Line 15. The route will begin in the VA, stopping at the administration building and main hospital, then follow Sawtelle Boulevard to Pico Boulevard. Service will begin at approximately 7:00 a.m. and continue until approximately 7:30 p.m., seven days a week. Service frequency would be every 30 minutes. First Transit r, 34 The proposed improvements reduce the total vehicle requirement by one on weekdays and on Sunday. Three fewer operators will be needed by the restructured services and the annual reduction in service hours will be 5,750. These resources will be used to improve the on-time performance of Line 1. The first three of the four commuter trips that connect Rimpau Terminal directly with the VA in the morning would be maintained, as would all four commuter trips in the afternoon that operate in the opposite direction from the VA to Rimpau Terminal. The completion this year of a new UCLA married student housing complex on Sawtelle Boulevard near Palms Boulevard suggests that a southerly extension of Line 15 should be considered, if ridership to UCLA continues to grow in response to the Bruin fare card program. In FY 03, if resources become available, Line 15 would be extended south along Sawtelle Blvd. to Venice Blvd. and east along Wilshire Blvd. to Westwood and UCLA. This would also reduce the severe overcrowding observed on Line 12 service between Palms and UCLA, as well as provide an important transfer opportunity from MTA services on Venice Boulevard. This improvement would require four additional operators, two vehicles and 8,188 annual service hours. First Transit II 35 liil , , I,q I t~ I!I~I' I .1I....lIe.iIIil"il.:.lIlIiIi ,ilIlI1IiIIliIIlISil ,II '~iil';~ "lIi 1111" . ""..' :.J!:, l~ii:bl~":I:\ I Rlt 1111 ii, Servilce ImplftOHmmlJ 11I11 I, \ &! j 1 D First Transit r, 36 Line 14 - Bundy/Centinela Line 14 provides service between the Getty Center and Mar Vista via Barrington Avenue, Bundy Drive and Centinela Avenue. A high level of service is provided on weekdays with the route operating between 6:14 a.m. and 8:33 p.m.. Saturday and Sunday service operates during approximately the same hours. Extending Line 14 to the Getty Center in 1998, increasing the span of service and increasing the service frequency (from 30 to 15 minutes) on weekdays greatly expanded both the coverage and level of service. Weekday ridership declined by 9.7 percent between 1998 and 2001. Saturday ridership declined by 6.3 percent, and Sunday ridership increased by 12.0 percent. The increase in ridership on Sunday is probably due to the Getty Center service. Productivity on the route on weekdays is 62.2 trips per hour, which is above the system average, but down from 1998. Saturday productivity is 57.2, also above the system average but down from 1998. Sunday productivity is 55.2, which is above the system average and up significantly by 12 percent from 1998. It is important to consider that 1998 figures for Line 14 were collected when The Getty Center had recently opened and trip demand to that attraction was exceptionally high. The ridership trend suggests that the service improvements made to Line 14 have had a mixed result. Extending the route to the Getty Center and providing more frequent service on weekdays has not generated more riders. However, the additional service on Sundays has paid off in a significant increase in ridership. One possible explanation is that weekday and Saturday attendance is lower now compared to the period immediately after it opened when public interest in the Getty Center was extremely high. On June 17th, 2001, the Big Blue Bus increased service frequency on Sundays from hourly to every 40-45 minutes. This was accomplished by adjusting the schedule, without using additional resources. Line 14 now begins service earlier in the morning on Saturday and Sunday. First Transit r, 37 I~; III' , !! MIl 111"111,' f~1 U~j!i l' Une.B~Une"lJlill, J WIl' ~~fl~~ illilll ~ II ,i\' . I 11111111.1 jl"!II' Imllll JII,,,,,I .::Ier'lolu::e Im.foRm_II:" "', ~~i{@l~ 1Itt(lt(&i(~; : f \ ] II] \ 38 ,lll~ ~jlllll .'" ,,' \ It!l,} I~ !l111,l [Ill l~ne...B~anlJ' iillII:181uIII',I I liiill Ili'II'III'II\<<ii . ~I, 1ii#"lllill'II' .~I~ ~\~~ L\~ j, S'CN~iIl:e I.mpmamllill'mif till,. f&\l)w11!k~ lLY!: ;:{iN (\ Recommendations: Two solutions were proposed to remedy schedule adherence problems caused by increased traffic congestion on the 405 Freeway, Sepulveda Boulevard near the Getty Center and on Bundy Dr. One option considered was to eliminate direct service to the Getty Center and require all passengers to transfer to a shuttle bus at Barrington and Sunset. The shuttle would take them to the Getty Center entrance on Sepulveda and run at 30 minute intervals all day. Separate buses would maintain the current service level between Culver and Sunset Boulevards at 30 minute intervals at midday and early evening, with 15 minute intervals during morning and afternoon peak travel periods. This alternative was met with an unfavorable response at the community outreach meetings. Another solution was to provide direct service between Culver Boulevard and the Getty Center with buses running every 24 minutes the entire length of the route. Additional buses would operate between Culver Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard at morning and afternoon peak periods where overcrowding would otherwise occur. Service on this part of the route would be every 12 minutes at peak period. The second solution would enable a direct trip the Getty Center without the need to transfer. It was the preferred alternative at the community outreach meetings conducted in 2001. This option would require two additional vehicles during the afternoon and two additional drivers. The annual increase in vehicle hours will be 3,825. This may require modification if the Getty Center reduces their financial contribution to the service in FY 2003, a possible scenario given the recent economic downturn. The intent of both options was to improve the schedule adherence problems on the Line 14 that stem from the heavy traffic congestion. Although the first option would improve on-time performance for most of the route, it does present a convenience problem to those passengers traveling to the Getty Center since they would be forced to make a timed transfer at Sunset and Barrington. The second option would also improve schedule adherence problems while maintaining direct service to the Getty Center, but at additional cost. Longer term, an extension of Line 14 to either the Fox Hills Mall or the new commercial development (The Bridge) on Howard Hughes Parkway may be possible, however, improving on-time performance is a higher priority than extending the route. First Transit r, 39 i~ IJR* ~~!~II .,1 .u.fI.I~l.iJillle II)l11IlllIl-'l:s I Il~~ll~l~~f:~d li.,tJJ1 S,l!II'W.C~ Im'I:InDiJ!'l!DlIIlll!lll!1I1 \ ,. TIDE Shuttle The Tide Shuttle is a local circulator that connects The Promenade and Santa Monica Place with the pier and south beach, Main Street and several major hotels. Four hotels provide financial support for Tide operations as part of their original development agreements with the City. The service operates 365 days a year, from noon until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Two in- service vehicles provide 15-minute headway. A fleet of five, 26 seat electric vehicles is rotated into service. The TIDE Shuttle has the lowest productivity of all Big Blue Bus fixed route transit service. This is in spite of the fare being 25 cents, half of the fare charged on regular routes. Overall, there were 14.7 passenger boardings per vehicle service hour. This is broken down to 13.5 on weekdays, 17.3 on Saturdays, and 18.2 on Sundays. Recommendations: Over the past several years, there has been some discussion of extending TIDE service to Montana Ave. This would double the resources required to provide the service. In FY 02, an extended TIDE was operated as a special promotion during the holiday shopping period. The performance of this extended service will be analyzed to determine the feasibility of a Montana extension on a permanent basis. First Transit r; 40 A TT ACHl'-1ENT 2 Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Short Range Transit Plan FY 2002-04 February 12, 2002 Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Short Range Transit Plan Fiscal Year 2002-04 Section Table of Contents System Description.. ..........1 1. Strategic Organization and Responsibilities...................... 1 2. Service Evaluation and Proposed Program ..........................................2 2.1 Transportation Improvements...... .........................................2 2.2 Fare Adjustment................................................ ,........2 3. Financial Plan .................................2 Section II Financial and Operational Tables... ................................... .......................4 TableL-1 Table L - 2 Table L - 3 Table L - 4 Table L - 5 Table L - 6 Table L - 7 Current Fare Structure - FY 2001-02 ........................... ......... 6 Fleet inventory as of June 30,2001...................................... 7 Historical and Projected Fleet Characteristics ......................8 FY2000-2002 Historical and Projected Financial Status .............................9 FY2000-2002 2000 Transit Performance Measurement Program Reporting Form .. 10-1 Performance Audit Follow - Up ...........................................11 Summary of Capital Project Requests ........................... .....12 Section III Appendix.. ................................ ......... ................................. ,.................13 Appendix A Big Blue Bus Service Area Map ....................14 Appendix B Line by Line Recommendations ............................................ 15 Appendix C Procedures for Major Service or Fare Changes .................16 Appendix D Revenue Sources ...............................................................19 SECTION - SYSTEM DESCRIPTION 1 STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Big Blue Bus is a line department of the City of Santa Monica, and as such, is governed by the City's seven member City Council. The City of Santa Monica has historically taken an aggressive approach to providing Santa Monica Bay Area residents with public transit services. In 1928, the Santa Monica City Council initiated the bus lines under powers granted by Article 11, Section 9 of the Constitution of the State of California which states: "A municipal corporation may establish, purchase and operate public works to furnish its inhabitants with light, water, power, heat, transportation, or means of communication. It may furnish these services outside its boundaries except within another municipal corporation which furnishes the same service and does not consent." The original purpose of the Big Blue Bus was to provide a transit link between the rapidly growing West Los Angeles-Santa Monica area and Central Los Angeles. Thus, in 1928, motor coach service was inaugurated on a 12-mile bus line linking the Santa Monica Civic Center and beach area with the Pico-Rimpau terminal of the Los Angeles Railway, via Pico Boulevard. The depression years and World War II prompted continued expansion of Big Blue Bus services with new routes and additional services being added to the system. In 1951, the City Council made another major decision, opting to purchase the Bay Cities Transit Company, a private transit company that had for years provided local transit services in the West Los Angeles-Santa Monica Bay Area. Through 1971, the Big Blue Bus consistently operated at a profit. Since that time, to maintain low, attractive fare levels in the face of increasing costs, the Big Blue Bus has utilized numerous outside funding sources. Recognizing the importance of supporting existing services and fares, both state and federal governments have provided operating and capital subsidies while L. A. County voters have approved sales tax revenues for transit under Proposition A and Proposition C. In comparison with other transit operators in the State of California and throughout the United States, the Big Blue Bus has continually operated with high levels of efficiency and productivity. The Big Blue Bus has provided local transit services to Santa Monica Bay Area and Westside residents, as well as providing the area with major regional transit links. Since its inception, the Big Blue Bus has followed a policy of service expansion to keep pace with the service demands of the area, which now includes approximately 51 square miles, well in excess of the 8.6 square mile area of the City of Santa Monica. A map depicting the Big Blue Bus service area and existing route structure is shown on Page 13. The Big Blue Bus is the primary transit operator serving the Santa Monica Bay Area. The system provides local fixed-route services within the City of Santa Monica, while also 1 serving the communities of Pacific Palisades, West Los Angeles, Brentwood, Westwood, Cheviot Hills, Westchester, Marina del Rey and Venice, within the City of Los Angeles. In addition, the Big Blue Bus provides regional transit services, including a freeway express bus line to downtown Los Angeles. The system currently operates and maintains a fleet of 174 transit buses and annually carries more than 22 million passengers, or approximately 60 passengers per service hour operated. The Big Blue Bus owns and operates a fleet of 174 buses out of a central administrative and maintenance facility adjacent to the Santa Monica central business district. The Bug Blue Bus is also in the process of constructing a new an alternative fueling facility to accommodate its conversion from diesel to clean burning Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) buses. This number includes 8 older buses that are maintained as an emergency contingency fleet on the property. The Big Blue Bus yard, maintenance facility and administrative offices are located on 8.8 acres near downtown Santa Monica. The Big Blue Bus is implementing its Facilities Master Plan that guides the expansion of the Administrative and Maintenance facility. This is the first significant facility expansion program implemented by the Big Blue Bus since 1985. 2. SERVICE EVALUATION AND PROPOSED PROGRAM 2.1 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS The Big Blue Bus has updated its Service Improvement Program with a line-by-line analysis (See Appendix B for a summary ofthe line-by-line recommendations as presented in the Service Improvement Program). The purpose of a line-by-Iine analysis is to provide a detailed description of current ridership patterns and trends, and to develop service improvements for one or more routes. Annual service improvement recommendations for the Big Blue Bus routes are identified as part of this analysis. 2.1.1 FY 2001-02 Improvements The improvements proposed for FY 2001-02 require limited time and resources. The segment of the Wilshire BlvdNenice Route (Line 2) that currently goes through the Veterans Administration facilities will be removed. Showing low ridership, this adjustment is intended to improve on-time performance and efficiency for the entire route. Services from the Veterans Administration facilities will be extended on the Cheviot HillsN A Hospital Route (Line 13) and other commuter shuttle routes to compensate for the route adjustment on Line 2. Additional trips will be added on the Santa Monica Blvd (Line 1) to help reduce over- crowing during peak hours and on the Palms/Robertson Route (Line 12) to extend 2 evening service from UCLA. Five vehicles from the Freeway Express (Line 10) that deviate through Main Street may be removed due to low ridership. A marketing campaign will be initiated for the limited stop service along Pico Blvd. (Super 7). The intent ofthis campaign will be to provide better bus identification for passengers. 2.1.2 FY 2002-03 Improvements The improvements for FY 2002-03 focus on routes where increased traffic congestion has deteriorated schedule reliability. Eight peak period trips will be added to the regular Line 7 (new Line 6) between Rimpau Station and the UCLA campus. This service will provide better access to a significant number of UCLA/Westwood community members. Additional service hours are also proposed for the Lincoln Blvd. (Line 3), Pico Blvd. (Line 7), and Ocean Park Blvd. (Line 8) routes, primarily to improve the on-time performance that has slowly declined due to traffic congestion. 2.1.3 FY 2003-04 Improvements In FY 2003-04, the primary improvement will be to add a limited stop service along the existing Lincoln Blvd./Montana Route (Line 3). This new line will provide a limited stop/express service between the City of Santa Monica, Los Angeles International Airport, and the Metro Greenline Station. The intent of this improvement is to reduce travel time along this corridor, and thereby create a competitive commuting alternative to the use of private automobiles. 2.2. FARE ADJUSTMENT The Big Blue Bus will continue its analysis of existing and alternative fare structures for a possible fare adjustment in fiscal year 2003-04. The Big Blue Bus has not raised its base fare since 1983. Given inflation and other costs related to on going service improvements, it is expected that operating costs will begin to exceed available revenues in FY 2002-03. Accordingly, it was necessary to assume a fare increase in FY 2003-04 to prepare for the projected expenditures. One of several options was to increase the basic fare by .25 cents, generating a 28 percent increase in passenger revenue. The added passenger revenue is necessary to both maintain the current level of service and assist the Big Blue Bus in satisfying a countywide minimum farebox recovery ratio. Staff is currently examining several other fare restructuring alternatives that provide additional operating revenue with a minimum impact on ridership. If an alternative fare adjustment is proposed, the Big Blue Bus will follow the public outreach procedures 3 outlined in Appendix C, "Public Hearing Procedures for Major Service or Fare Changes" prior to seeking City Council approval. 3.0 FINANCIAL PLAN The Big Blue Bus Financial Plan is based partially on its share of a countywide formula- based transit funds. For FY 2001-02, the Big Blue Bus formula allocation for operations is projected at $21.2 million. Local operating revenues are estimated at an additional $13.7 million. The revenue for capital improvements is generated from a combination offederal, state and local formula allocations. The FY 2001-02 capital program consists of funding for $25 million in improvements, including facility improvements, bus replacement and bus stop amenities. The need for additional funding is not required to support the SIP improvements proposed above. For FY 2002-03, the Big Blue Bus total formula allocation and other local revenues available for operations is projected to be $37.3 million. The total operating costs given the proposed SIP improvement is expected at $37.7 million. FY 2002-03 marks the first year that operating costs begin to exceed revenues, primarily due the additional costs needed to implement SIP recommendations. It is expected that carryover funds from the previous year will sufficiently cover the funding shortfall in FY 2002-03. Additionally, $23 million in capital improvements will be proposed in the FY 2002-03 budget. These improvements include facility renovations, ongoing bus replacements and communication upgrades. The projected operating expenditure for FY 2003-04 is $39.6 million, including $558,240 in service improvements. It is expected that a sufficient level of revenue will be available from local and state subsidy program to meet operating needs in FY 2003-04. Note that this amount assumes a 28 percent rise in passenger revenue from a possible future fare increase. The additional revenue will assist the Big Blue Bus in funding the proposed service improvements for FY 2003-04 and maintain other existing services. Without a fare increase, the operating deficit for FY 2003-04 would be about $1.2 million. Even without implementation of the SIP improvements and a fare increase, expenses would begin to exceed operating revenues in FY 2003-04 by approximately $425,000. Approximately $9.7 million in capital funding is currently programmed for on-going bus replacements, facility improvements and other maintenance related capital costs. See Appendix D for a complete list of operating and capital revenue sources for the Big Blue Bus Financial Plan. 4 FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL TABLES 5 Table L-1 Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus FARE STRUCTURE FY 2002 FARE CATEGORIES TYPES OF FIXED ROUTE SERVICE Local Express Regular Adult o Cash $.50 $1.25 o Token (10 for $4.50) Token Token + $.75 0 Little Blue Card (Metrocard) $0.45 $1.15 0 Bruin Go Card $0.45 $1.15 0 Express Card (20 rides for $25.00) - $1.25 Transfer (within system) Free Free Transfer (to other systems) 0 Regular adult and student $.25 $.25 0 Elderly and disabled $.10 $.10 Disabled $.25 $.25 Elderly $.25 $.60 Little Blue Card (Student Metrocard) $0.25 $1.15 (through age 20) Student Card (college through age 20) $.40 N/A (10 rides for $4.00) NOTES: 1. There is no fare differential between peak and off-peak periods. 2. Children age 4 and under ride free with a paying adult. 6 .... o o N 1/)6 :3(Y) COUJ GlZ ~::> CO-' N bOU. 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'<t 8 N '<t 8 N o ..... o ..... o ..... o .... Q; I/) Gl Ci N o .... o '<t ..... 10 <( N o ..... o t5 I- u ~ o C\ C\ ..... (/) o o N (Y) o o N o ..... o ..... o ..... o ..... Q; I/) Gl Ci N o ..... o '<t ..... 10 <( N o ..... o t5 I- u ~ C\ 00 C\ ..... 0..... N88 ONN Occ N-- 100 ..... ..... N .... o 0 o 0 N N o 00 ..... N : ..... o ..... o ..... o ..... Q; I/) Gl Ci N o ..... o '<t ..... 10 <( N o ..... o t5 I- u ~ 00 00 C\ ..... 1.0 N 1.0 N 00 N Q; I/) Gl Ci N o ..... o '<t ..... 10 <( " o (Y) 10 J: 00 I- ...J ~ (!) 1.0 00 C\ ..... 00 C\ C\ ..... C 00 ..... 8 N 00 " : ; 1.0 N 1.0 ..... '1lmll '<t : <0 ..... '<t 00 r-- .... Q; I/) Gl Ci ~ ..... o '<t ......... ..... 10 <( " o (Y) 10 J: 00 I- ...J ~ C!l \0 00 C\ ..... ~ ..... o :;:; l! ~ '" a. I/) I/) Co co co bO ~ ~ :3 o (ij u ,!:: '0 Gl '0 :3 o ,!:: (5 C ~ '" I/) Gl o :c Gl ;> Gl I/) Gl .<:: I- <0 <0 00 vi Gl :; e '0 o o .<:: o .a .<:: bO '0; C '0 ... Gl .a E :3 C '0 2 :~ ........ ......... '" C o Gl U '~ Gl I/) Gl "- Gl :3 Be :3'0 t5~ Q)'+= ~o 1-- Gl~ '<::.0 .... '" c= 0'" ~ i; :3:>' ... Gl 0,;:: -I/) I/) :3 ~o U x :ECD Gl Gl ;> ... 0'" "i: 0 og ~N ~ .~ ~~ I/) I/) <0", N.<:: ~~ :3 :3 ,2 a. I/) I/) '" Gl .<::~ 1/).0 ~~ Gl E :3 0 m~ ,!!!I 0 co..... Gl Gl .<:: .<:: 1-1- C/) UJ ...J () J: W > ...J <( I- o I- 2 o Z Table L - 3 Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED FLEET CHARACTERISTICS FY 2000.2002 SYSTEM TOTAL FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 FLEET CHARACTERISTICS Audited Actual Planned Peak hour fleet 134 130 132 Spare for maintenance 21 24 24 requirements Spare Ratio 16% 18% 18% (Line 2 divided by Line 1) Emergency Contingency Reserve 11 10 8 i I nactive Fleet: - - . Vehicles Not Serviceable Total Vehicles 166 164 164 .(Sum Lines 1,2,4, & 5) New Expansion Vehicles Delivered 0 0 22 New Replacement Vehicles Delivered - - 15 Note: The Big Blue Bus expects 22 expansion buses to be delivered in late FY2002. These vehicles will be placed into service in FY2003. Note: At this time, the Big Blue Bus does not have any portion of its active fleet exclusively dedicated to fixed route express service. Note: The FY 2001 and FY 2002 fleets do not include four (4) peak hour and six (6) spare 30-f{ Thomas buses (2000) and exclusively available for narrow neighborhood routes. 8 Table L-4 SANTA MONICA'S BIG BLUE BUS HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED FiNANCIAL STATUS SOURCES AND APPLICATION FOR CAPITAL AND OPERATIONS BY YEAR OF EXPENDITURE (x1000) 1'1' 2am FY2()O~ SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR CAPITAL: FEDERAL CAPITAL GRANTS FT A Section 5309 0 0 0 0 0 FT A Section 5307 0 0 807 8,960 5,000 CMAQ Funds 0 0 2,393 2,550 300 STATE CAPITAL GRANTS AND SUBVENTiONS TDA - Article 4 4,852 2,238 555 0 0 TDA from Reserves 48,880 40,730 0 0 0 ST A Current from Unallocated 1,796 1,031 8,396 8,396 ,549 ST A from Reserves 0 0 0 0 0 Petoleum Violation Escrow Account (TIDE) 0 0 0 0 0 LOCAL CAPITAL GRANTS System Generated 0 0 0 0 0 SCAQMD ( AB 2766) 0 0 0 0 0 Prop, A Local Return (TIDE) 0 0 0 0 0 Prop. A Discretionary Carryover 13,465 2,501 9,156 4,90 2,818 Prop, C MOSIP 0 0 3,088 3,181 0 Prop, C Security 372 578 652 0 SUBTOTAL CAPITAL REVENUES $69,365 $47,078 $25.046 $23,091 $9,667 TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENSES $6,136 $47,078 $25,046 $23,091 $9,667 ALLOCATED TO RESERVES (TDA) $4,852 $2,238 $555 $0 $0 ALLOCATED TO RESERVES (SECTION 9) $0 $11,190 $496 $0 $0 ALLOCATION TO RESERVES (RAIL) $1,622 $1,600 $0 $0 $0 SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR OPERATING FEDERAL GRANTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS FT A Section 5307 0 0 0 0 0 STATE GRANTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS TDA - Article 4 11,001 12,735 15,798 17,056 17,773 ST A Current from Unallocated (754) 0 0 0 0 LOCAL CASH GRANTS & REIMBURSEMENTS Passenger Fares 7,842 8,361 8,670 8,890 11,359 Special Transit Service Charter 835 796 843 856 856 Auxiliary Transportation Revenue 1,242 1,725 1,901 1,050 1,150 Non-Transportation Revenue 883 1,462 1,568 1,614 1,647 Prop, A Fare Subsidy 2,189 2,357 2,442 2,587 2,695 Prop, A Local Return 282 310 306 319 333 Prop, A Discretionary (Interest) 193 212 620 0 0 Prop, A Sales Tax (Discretionary) 0 0 0 3,002 2,354 Prop. C Discretionary 1,116 1 ,435 1,975 912 950 Prop, C Security 209 358 349 600 631 Other Local 382 647 578 400 205 SUBTOTAL OPERATING REVENUES $25,420 $30,397 $35,050 37,287 39,954 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES $25,420 $30,397 $35,050 37.287 39,954 9 TABLE L-5 SANTA MONICA'S BIG BLUE BUS TPMlTDA REPORTING FORM 2\ AUDITED CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Kim DATE SUBMITTED: August 31, 2001 TOTAL SYSTEM TOTAL LOCAL TOTAL EXPRESS FISCAL YEAR: 2000 NON-FAP FUNDED FlIP Dedicated Other SUBTOTAL Funding2 Codes3 TOTAL SYSTEM ANNUAL WEEKDAY Total Vehicle Miles (000) 3,744.4 4,0832 4,132.9 Vehicle Service Miles (000) 3,391,1 3,676.4 3,721,6 Total Vehicle Hours (000) 315,0 333,0 3372 Vehicle Service Hours (000) 295,0 310.6 314,4 Peak Vehicles 121 133 134 Unlinked Passengers (000) 18,207,5 18,705,9 18,925.9 linked Passengers (000) 14,230,0 14.609,3 14.781,1 Passenger Revenue (000) $6.171,9 6,650.6 Auxiliary Revenue and Local Subsidies (000) $1,822.7 1,977.5 $6,728,9 $1.977,5 Total Operating Cost Less Depreciation (000) FAREBOX RECOVERY CALCULATION: TOTAL LOCAL TOTAl EXPRESS FlIP SUBTOTAL Dedicated F unding2 Total Vehicle Miles (000) 4.388,5 358.5 4,747,0 4.979,7 4,529.9 Vehicle Service Miles (000) 4,132,5 305,0 4.437,5 Total Vehicle Hours (000) 377,5 19.4 396,9 418,1 Vehicle Service Hours (000) 355.9 16.8 372.7 380,5 Peak Vehicles 119 12 131,0 134 Unlinked Passengers (000) 21.056.4 551.4 21.607,8 linked Passengers (000) 16,456,0 419,6 16.875.7 22.057.7 17.227,1 Passenger Revenue (000) $7.152,8 $529,6 7,682,4 $7.842,3 Auxiliary Revenue and local Subsidies (000) $2,241,6 $165,4 $2.407,0 0,0 $635,0 ............ -.. ......... ........................ :-:-:-:-:-:-;-:.:-:-:.;. .:.:.:-:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.; -...-....... --............... $3.242.0 Total Operating Cost less Deprecialion (000)"-- FAREBOX RECOVERY CAlCULATION: $22,799.7 $1,2422 24,041,9 $543,4 $835,0 ... ...... ... ..-....... .. ;:;:;:::::::::::;::::::: .. .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... ............ ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . $25.420,3 . . . .. . - . ... ... . . .... .- ........-. .........-. ......... ..... .... ... ... . .... ............ . . . . . .. . ,., . . . . . . . . . ................. . . . . . . . . . ($2,075,6) . 4, ($54.4) ;:;::::>>>> .1 , . , . . ($2.130,0) :;::::::::::::::::::::: 1 .........- ........ ..- '. .:-:':-:-:':-:.:':- " .. .... .-. ......... ......... 1, 'Induded Dial-A-Ride' only includes operations that historically have been included in FlIP calculations, 2, 'Dedicated Funding' indudes: FEMA, Base Restructuring, TSE & Overcrowding. Other Special Funding arrangements, 3, 'OTHER SERVICE CODES': (1) Subscriptioo (2) Cootract (3) Special Events (4) local Return Fully Funded (5) Charter - Farebox Recovery Ratio Operating Cost should be used in calculating TPM farebox (+Iocal) return ratio, in accordance with Section 3.1 of the Prop, A Discretionary Fund Guidelines adopted April 24, 1991, ,- ANNUAL HE EQUALS: 283 WEEKDAY APPORTIONMENT BASED ON TOTAl VEHICLE HOURS ... Audited fixed route expense for FYOO minus the cost of purchase lransportatioo, 10-1 TABLE L-5 SANTA MONICA'S BIG BlUE BUS TPMlTDA REPORTING FORM CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Kim DATE SUBMITTED: August 31, 2001 ANNUAL WEEKDAY TOTAL LOCAL TOTAL EXPRESS FAP SUBTOTAL Total Vehide Miles (000) 3,852,8 4,191,6 Vehicle Service Miles (000) 3,489.7 3,775.0 Total Vehicle Hours (000) 324,2 3422 ehide Service Hours (000) 303,3 318,9 Peak Vehides 121 133 Unlinked Passengers (000) 18,687.9 19,186,3 Linked Passengers (000) 14,605.2 14,984,5 Passenger Revenue (000) $6,593,1 7,071,8 Auxiliary Revenue and Local Subsidies (000) $2,623,7 2,8402 Total Operating Cost Less Depreciation (000) FAREBOX RECOVERY CALCULATION: $U TOTAL SYSTEM TOTAL LOCAL TOTAL EXPRESS FAP SUBTOTAL Total Vehicle Miles (000) 4,495.8 4,854.3 Vehide Service Miles (000) 4,230,1 4.535,1 Total Vehide Hours (000) 386,5 19.4 405,9 Vehicle Service Hours (000) 364,1 380,9 7,9 Peak Vehides 119 131.0 3,0 Unlinked Passengers (000) 21,531.7 551.4 22,083,1 459,9 Linked Passengers (000) ........ ... .. ......... ......... . ............ ........ .... 419.6 ~:::~:~:~:):::~:~:::~: 3592 16,827,3 17.246,9 Passenger Revenue (000) . ......... ............ .......... ........... ........... .... ...... ... ........ ............ ............ ............ ...................-.... ............ 8,139.5 169.5 $529,6 $7.609.9 Auxiliary Revenue and Local Subsidies (000) ............-..- .. ----- ._.--. . ........... ............ . . . . . . . . . . . - .. .......... .......... .. ......... .. ......... ...... .... ........ ... .. ......... $812,0 $812,0 ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~~H~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~ [ . . . . . . . . . , . . $231,4 ............ :::::::::::::::::::::::: $3,209,6 $27,741,8 $3,441,0 28,984,0 0,0 .. .......... .-... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..-......... .. .......... ............ ............ ............ ...-...... .. ....... ..... -......... .. .. ..-......- $542,0 $1,242,2 . . . . . . . - . . . - :::;=::::;:::::;:::::::: ...-.....--- . . . . . . . . . .;-:.:-;=:;::;:::::;:;:: :::::::::;::::;:.:::::: ....... ....- ............ ....... ..... .....-. .... ." .... ... .' ........ . .... .... .... -.. .. .......... . -.-.. .......... ..-........ ... ....... -..- ...... . ($532) ,',',',',','.',',',',',. .......... .- . :::::-:::;:::;:;:::::::; . .. . .... .- ....... ........... ... ...... ........... ........... ... ...... . ...... ..... ... ......... ............ ............ ............ ........... ;-;.:-:-:.:-..;.;.....:- .......... ........... -......... - ($2.130,0) ($2.076,8) ..... .. . ....... .. .... ..... ........-.. ..... ..... ..-.. '.-- ...... ...... -;-;-:-:-:-:::. . .. .... 1, "Included DiaI-A.Ride" only includes operations that hislorically have been included in F AP calculations. 2, "Dedicated Funding" includes: FEMA. Base Restructuring, TSE & Overcrowding. Other Special Funding arrangemenls. 3. "OTHER SERVICE CODES": (1) Subscription (2) Contract (3) Special Events (4) Local Relum Fully Funded (5) Charter . F arebox Recovery Ralio Operating Cost should be used in calculating TPM farebox (+Iocal) return ratio, in accordance wilh Section 3,1 of the Prop, A Discretionary Fund Guidelines adopled April 24, 1991, .. ANNUAL HE EQUALS: 283 WEEKDAY APPORTIONMENT BASED ON TOTAL VEHICLE HOURS 10-2 AUDITED ACTUAL 2\ ESTIMATED TOTAL SYSTEM 4,242,4 3,821.2 346.4 322.8 134 19,4112 15,160.1 $7,154,7 $2.840,2 TOTAL SYSTEM 5,089,3 4,629,6 427.3 388,9 134 22,543,0 17,606,1 $8,309,0 $4,253,0 $30,338.0 ..... ...... .......... .. .. ..... . . . . . . . . . . ..... ..... ...... .. ........ . . . . . . .. . . . .... ... . . .... .. . . . ... CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Kim _DATE SUBMITTED: August 31. 2001 ANNUAL WEEKDAY Totat Vehicle Miles (000) Vehicle Service Mites (ooo) Total Vehicle Hours (ooo) ehicle Service Hours (ooo) Peak Vehicles Unlinked Passengers (ooo) linked Passengers (000) Passenger Revenue (ooo) Auxiliary Revenue and Local Subsidies (000) Total Operating Cost Less Depreciation (ooo) FARE BOX RECOVERY CALCULATION: TOTAL SYSTEM Total Vehicle Miles (000) Vehicle Service Miles (ooo) Total Vehicle Hours (000) Vehicle Service Hours (ooo) Peak Vehicles Unfinked Passengers (ooo) linked Passengers (000) Passenger Revenue (000) Auxiliary Revenue and Local Subsidies (000) TOTAL LOCAL 3.963.7 3.590.6 243,8 311,8 19,178,9 14.988.7 $6.770,8 $2.897.6 TOTAL LOCAL 4.605.6 4.330,1 9,202,9 372,9 22,017,6 17,206,8 $7.7852 $3,526,6 $32,220,8 TABlE L-5 SANTA MONICA'S BIG BLUE BUS TPMffDA REPORTING FORM TOTAL EXPRESS FISCAl YEAR: 2002 NON-F AP FUNDED F AP Dedicated Other SUBTOTAl Funding2 Codes3 121 TOTAL EXPRESS 358,5 119 FAP SUBTOTAL 22.569,0 17.626,4 $3.775.0 33.463,0 ... .......... ... .--....-. ... .......... -----....... ($2. 13O,O} 31, ,0 4.302,5 3.875,9 261,8 327,4 133 19.677.3 15.368,0 7.249,5 3.129.9 NON.FAP FUNDED Dedicated Other F unding2 Codes3 (5) 4.964,1 106.1 4.635.1 96.5 9222.3 192,3 389.7 8.1 131,0 3,0 470,0 367,1 8.314,8 1732 0,0 ........... . ..... ..... .... ....-... ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........ -.., . ........... ........ .... $843,0 $542,0 ...... ...... ............ .. .......... ......... ... ........................ ............ :::;:;:;:;:::;:;:;:;:.::: $843,0 .... ..... . .. ..... .. . . . .... .. ............ . ... ..... . ... . . . . . . . . . ,. , . ...... . ......... ........... 1, "Included Dial.A.Ride' only inctudes operations that historically have been included in F AP calculations, 2. "Dedicated Funding" includes: FEMA, Base Restructuring, TSE & Overcrowding, Other Special Funding arrangements, 3, "OTHER SERVICE CODES": (I) Subscription (2) Contract (3) Special Events (4) Local Return Fully Funded (5) Charter . Farebox Recovery Ratio Operating Cost should be used in calculating TPM farebox (+Iocal) return ratio, in accordance with Section 3.1 of the Prop. A Discretionary Fund Guidelines adopted April 24. 1991, - ANNUAL FTE EQUALS: 283 WEEKDAY APPORTIONMENT BASED ON TOTAL VEHICLE HOURS 10-3 AUDITED ACTUAl ~ ESTIMATED TOTAl SYSTEM 4.354,4 3,923,1 355,8 331.4 134 19,907.1 15.547.5 $7,334 ,2 $3,129,9 $15,099,0 ..... . ....... . ..... .. .. ...... . .. ..... ... . . .. . .... . .... .. . ... ........ ......... . .... ....... ........... ........... ($1,857,1) 3.2 1,9 10.7 ... ....... ....... .. ... .. TOTAL SYSTEM 5,201,3 4,731,6 9.427,3 397,9 134 23,039.0 17.993,5 $8,488,0 $4,618,0 $34.848,0 ........ ... ... ....... ....... ............. ............ ... ... .... ........... . ...................... ... ... .... . .. ..... .. .. .. . ........... . .' ...... .. ... .... TABLE L - 6 PERFORMANCE AUDIT FOLLOW-UP OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LAST COMPLETED PERFORMANCE AUDIT PERFORMANCE AUDIT RECOMMENDED ACTIONS OPERATOR PROGRESS TO DATE 1. Re-evaluate the size and use of the extra board and the use and cost of unscheduled overtime. Completed 2. Continue to improve key management reports. Completed 3. Request financial auditors to provide additional detail to support external reporting requirements for local subsidies. Completed 4. Provide adequate trail to support turnover in data reporting function. Completed 11 Table L-7 Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus SUMMARY OF CAPITAL PROJECT REQUESTS FY 2001-02 Total Project Proiect Name Cost Bus Reolacement with Articulated $4.000.000 Facilitv Imorovements $16.886.549 Security Cameras $651.795 Passenoer Amenities $300.000 Misc. Bus Proiects $1350000 Yard Imorovements $500.000 Tire lease $687.500 Service Vehicles $274.000 Comouter Enhancements $335.903 Shoo Enuinmeot $60 000 TOTAL $25045747 FY 2002-03 Total Project Proiect Name Cost Bus Reolaceinent with Articulated and LNGs $11200000 F acilitv Imorovememts $8395641 Downtown Transit Mall $250,000 Passenoer Amenities $100000 Yard lmorovements $0 Tire lease $0 Service Vehicles $75 000 Comouter Enhancements $460 500 Advanced Bus T echnoloav UDQrade $2 550 000 Shoo Eouioment $60 000 TOTAL $23,091 141 FY 2003-04 Total Project Proiect Name Cost Bus Reolacement with LNGs $4 000 000 Facility Imorovements $2 000 000 Downtown Transit Mall $250 000 Passenaer Amenities $100000 Misc. Bus Proiects $1050000 Yard Imnrovements $500 000 Tire lease $724 000 Service Vehicles $179000 Advanced BuS T echnoloov Uoarade $300 000 Comouter Enhancements $504 000 Shoo Eouioment $60,000 TOTAL $9,667 000 12 APPENDIX 13 Appendix A ..'\ ppr;NDl x B ~: ,>'-;^ c j '~ :;~ l" ~~ ~ l~'! ...J f!! ~j :f;:-. ::J ~ J:1 ,,; :~ ::')"- -tn ~- -~-~ '-'Cl.. 'E; f.lJ '0 > ~ .E~ a '" n i ;-,\, (fJ 3:; !Jl .g; ~.' "q !:!J ~l C) l~' ''(,;t ID of;; lj~ !;r r .5' ~:I r;': OJ !Ii '" ,n !::L !::xi 'G, i=' ~ OJ ~ '~, -~ ~ OJ :5 -T.J ~ '" "G~ ," ill .;:t.. " ~J <: :~ ~ ,~ -t, ~u1 '~ ... t.:! JC: 13 ~ :,.. ~ '" "' '" :r: G' _~' ~ " E) OJ n. ~ .. .. ~ ., u, :e li ., 1J ~ i!' i:! E t: '" '" ~ 'tj U :>- r: <; aJ !:; '''13 ., ~ .2 0 ~ D ;;> I: OJ "' '" '" " "'- "f1 ,Q' I E -'1 I .J::. " ~ m J:: > E ~ CL Li: " IJ" 'IJ! '" <;> "'~ '" m SB 'J W '" .t: <i " ~~ J:: U '" CL :;:), 0 ;::- ;;- l? ~ u , APPENDIX C SANTA MONICA'S BIG BLUE BUS PUBLIC HEARING PROCEDURES FOR MAJOR SERVICE OR FARE CHANGES 1 BACKGROUND Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (BBB) is required by the Federal Transit Act, as amended through 1992, to establish a policy which defines a process to solicit and consider public comment prior to raising fares or implementing a major reduction of transit services. II BBB POLICY 1 It shall be the BBB's policy that public comments be solicited prior to: Any permanent change that increases fares on the BBS's service. A twenty-five percent (25%) or more, reduction of the number of daily transit revenue vehicles miles of a route; i.e., the total number of miles operated by all vehicles in revenue service for a particular day of the week on an individual route. A twenty-five percent (25%) or more reduction of the number of transit route miles of a route, i.e., the total mileage covered during one round trip by a vehicle in revenue service on a particular route. (iv) Proposed introduction of a new route. 3, It shall be the BBB's policy that the following shall be exempt from public comment and public hearing: (1 A minor change in fare or service. Examples would be temporarily reduced or promotional fares, minor reroutes or minor temporary reroutes due to street construction(s) or minor schedule changes. Experimental or emergency service or fare changes expected to exist fewer than one hundred andeighty (180) days and standard seasonal variations in service. If these changes ultimately continue to remain in effect for more than one hundred and eighty (180) days, they will be the subject of public comment and public hearing. ' 16 APPENDIX C 3. PUBLIC NOTIFICATION When required, the public comment process will begin with the publishing of a legal notice thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the public hearing date in the local newspapers of general circulation. This notice will set a specific place, date and time for one or more public hearings. Written comments will also be accepted on the proposed changes twenty (20) calendar days beyond initial publishing of the legal notice. Legal notices will inform the public of the proposed actions that initiated the public comment process. Press releases will also be prepared and sent to the local media. 4. SCHEDULING PUBLIC HEARING(S) The public hearing(s) will be scheduled and conducted by the City of Santa Monica City Council at a time, date and place to be designated. The facility utilized for public hearings will be accessible to persons with disabilities. Special arrangements will be made for sight or hearing impaired persons if requested. 5. PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARING Forms will be available to attendees to register their presence and desire to speak. Public hearings will begin with a reading of the public notice, purpose and proposed action that necessitated the public hearing. After an explanation of the proposed action is completed, the public will be invited to offer their comments. The City Council will determine the amount of time the public has to comment during the public hearing. After all registered persons have commented, a final opportunity will be offered for any additional public comment. This offering will precede the close of the public hearing. 6. DOCUMENT A liON OF PUBLIC HEARING Official records of BBB public hearings on fare or service adjustments will be generated by: (i) Affidavits of newspaper publications of public notices. (ii) Press releases conveying information on upcoming public hearings. (iii) Tape recordings and transcripts of proceedings. 17 APPENDIX C 7. ADDRESSING PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED All relevant comments received verbally or in writing at a public hearing, or as otherwise conveyed to BBB prior to the established deadline, will be entered into the public record of the comment process. Subsequent to the public comment period, staff will evaluate and analyze all relevant comments received and prepare a written report for consideration by the Santa Monica City Council. 8. CITY COUNCIL The City Council will be notified by the City Manager of all written public comment solicitations in advance of all scheduled public hearings on fare and service adjustments. A subsequent report on public comment received will be provided to the City Council along with staff recommendation for final disposition of the issues. Upon review by the City Council, the City Manager will be directed accordingly to proceed with or amend the recommended service and/or fare adjustments. 18 APPENDIX D SANTA MONICA'S BIG BLUE BUS SUMMARY OF REVENUE SOURCES FOR OPERATING AND CAPITAL EXPENSES The following provides a general description of the capital and operating revenue sources listed in Table L-4: Historical & Projected Financial Status. 1 FEDERAL Urbanized Area Formula Program (Section 5307) The Urbanized Area Formula Program (Section 5307) makes Federal resources available to transit agencies for capital assistance in urbanized areas. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency (LACMT A) calculates the annual allocation for each transit agency in the county based on a local formula. The local match required for this program varies between 50 and 90 percent depending on the type of capital project. Capital Bus Program (Section 5309) The Capital Bus Program (Section 5307) makes Federal resources available for bus related projects on a discretionary basis. Congress allocates funding for specific projects as part of the FT A's annual budget. The local match required for this program varies between 80 and 90 percent depending on the bus project. Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Program (CMAQ) The primary purpose of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) is to fund capital projects that improve air quality and reduce transportation related emissions. Similar to the Section 5307 Program, the LACMT A calculates the annual allocation for each transit agency based on a local formula. The local match required for this program also varies between 80 and 100 percent depending on the type of project. 2. STATE Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 4 The State Legislature approved Article 4 of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) in 1971 to provide a funding source for public transportation systems. TDA funds are locally used to subsidize operating and capital expenses. Funding is appropriated to the County Controller and reallocated to local transit operators on a formula basis. A local match is not required for TDA funds. State Transit Assistance (STA) Originally created by the State Legislature in 1979, the fund provides a second source of TDA funding for planning, operating, and capital expenses. The County 19 APPENDIX D Controller also reallocates this funding to local transit operators on a formula basis. A local match is not required for STA funds. 3. LOCAL Passenger Fares The Big Blue Bus receives approximately $8.5 million per year from passenger fares. Most passengers are charged between $0.25 and $0.50 per boarding for local service, and between $0.25 and $1.25 for express service. Charter Services The Big Blue Bus provides two types of charter bus services. Special contract service is provided to the Hollywood Bowl and Santa Monica College in addition to excursion trips throughout Southern California. The second type of charter service is customized service to individuals and groups on a trip-by-trip basis. It is estimated that the annual charter service revenue provides over $800,000 annually to the Big Blue Bus. Auxiliary Transportation Revenue Auxiliary Transportation Revenue comes from the Big Blue Bus external bus advertising program administered by a private advertising firm. The current budgeted advertising revenue is $1.85 million annually. Non- Transportation Revenue All locally generated revenue from services not directly tied to the operation of bus service such as interest earnings, rental revenue, and reimbursement of fuel used by other city departments. It is estimated that the Big Blue Bus will receive over $1.6 million per year from non-transportation revenue sources. Proposition A - Discretionary Forty percent of the sales tax revenue collected from Proposition A is set aside by the LACMT A for Discretionary Grant Programs. These funds are distributed on a formula basis for operating and capital assistance. There are currently no agency match requirements for these funds. Proposition A - Fare Subsidy Up to twenty percent of Proposition A Discretionary funds can be considered "fare subsidies". The Big Blue Bus applies over $2 million per year of Proposition A - Fare Subsidy funds toward operating costs. Proposition A - Local Return Twenty-five percent of the sales tax revenue collected from Proposition A is set aside by the LACMT A for Local Return Program. Funding is allocated to local jurisdictions on a per capita basis for public transit programs. The Big Blue Bus receives approximately $300,000 a year to subsidize operating costs. 20 APPENDIX D Proposition C - Discretionary Forty percent of the sales tax revenue collected from Proposition C is set aside by the LACMT A for Discretionary Grant Programs. The primary objectives of these programs are to maximize mobility and provide funds for expanded transit services in the County. There are currently no agency match requirements for these funds. Proposition C - Security Five percent of the sales tax revenue collected from Proposition C is set aside to improve rail and bus security. Funding for these projects is awarded on a discretionary formula basis to local transit operators. Other Local This category includes general funds collected from community organizations and private businesses to subsidize the cost in operating specific routes. The Big Blue Bus funding includes revenue from the Getty Museum for the Line 14 service and hotel developer subsidies for the Tide Shuttle. 21