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4From its beginnings in the early 1970s, the airport auto- mated people mover (APM) industry today is well established. As of 2010, there were 44 APM systems operating at airports worldwide. Performance measurement of airport APM sys- tems has generally been focused on service availability and its component subparts. However, unlike in other industries, a common set of metrics to measure and compare performance of airport APM systems does not exist. The reasons for this include that: ⢠There is no central authority over airport APM systems that requires performance reporting or performance visibility to the general public, such as exists for most public transit agencies in the United States [i.e., because airport APM systems typically are not funded with federal dollars, they are generally not subject to the performance reporting requirements established by Congress through 49 United States Code (USC) 5335 and the National Transit Database]. A by-product of federal funding involvement in the com- mercial aviation and highway industries has been the cre- ation of common performance measures that are tracked, reported, compared, and publicly disclosed. ⢠Airport APMs are largely operated and/or maintained under contract to a private services provider, often the system supplier. These contracts typically compensate the provider based on performance, the terms of which are incorporated as part of the contract. The performance measure or mea- sures made part of these contracts generally include at least service availability, but the ultimate rules, exclusions, and method(s) of calculating these measures are subject to negotiation with the owner. Therefore, the service availability performance metric can vary dramatically from one system to the next. ⢠Airport APM systems vary greatly in their sizes, configu- rations, technologies, maintenance provisions, ages, and operating environments, making it more challenging to spe- cifically identify a common set of measures applicable to all. Because a common set of performance measures within the airport APM industry does not exist, the call for research on the topic was initiated by ACRP through this project. 1.1 Research Approach Research on the project was undertaken using a stepwise approach, with assistance from the larger airport and urban APM community, and under the oversight of a panel composed of members from the airport APM industry. The project team began by reviewing pertinent literature on performance measurement, both in general and as specifically applied to APM systems at airports worldwide. The review identified best practices as well as the processes undertaken to develop and implement performance measurement programs for APM systems at airports. The project scope was limited to airport APMs in North America. The review concluded with a summary of the theory and practice of performance measure- ment in other relevant transportation and service industries, the relevant aspects of those performance measurement practices, the performance measures used, and their potential usefulness to airport APM systems. The next step of the research involved developing a plan for a survey to investigate the current practice of performance measurement by APM systems at airports. The plan included details on gathering data from visits to select airport and urban APM system sites in North America, a copy of the survey instruments, a list of the airport and non-airport APM properties to be surveyed, and the areas that the survey addressed, which included the characteristics of APM systems, the performance measures used, the data collection practices associated with the performance measures, performance data for the most recent year, and suggestions for improving data collection and performance measurement practices. The inclusion of urban (non-airport) APM systems in the survey was required as part of the survey plan, and the goal was to obtain at least 10 responses from the survey C h a p t e r 1 Background
5 (at least seven airport APM responses and at least three non- airport APM responses). Upon approval of the survey plan by the panel, the project team implemented the survey across approximately 30 airport and non-airport APM properties in North America, obtaining an almost 50% survey return rate. The survey results were compiled and subsequently analyzed, identifying similarities and differences in defining performance measures and data among APM systems. Following the analysis of the survey results, the project team assessed the feasibility of developing performance measures that could be used to assess and compare APM systems at airports, considering the differences among such systems. An interim report was prepared that documented the results of the work up to that point, and the project team met with the panel to discuss the findings. For various reasons, including the significant differences among airport APM systems, the meeting involved a vigorous discussion about the feasibility of developing a common set of performance measures to be used to compare airport APM sys- tems, with some believing it was possible and others believing it was not. The project team moved forward with developing the performance measures to be part of the guidebook, concise definitions for each measure, the data needed to calculate each performance measure, and the required data collection and reporting techniques and associated resource requirements. This information was placed into the draft guidebook, itera- tions of which were reviewed by the panel. Several rounds of comments were provided by the panel, which were considered and almost universally incorporated into the guidebook by the project team. These comments from panel members who are part of the airport APM industry, the research undertaken by the project team, the experience of the project team in the industry, and the knowledge gained from responses by the airport APM properties have resulted in a collaborative, com- prehensive guidebook for measuring performance of APM systems at airports. This report begins with a summary of the guidebook, this chapter, which provides the background on the project and research approach, and follows with: Chapter 2: Introduction Chapter 3: Transitioning from APM Planning and Implemen- tation to APM Operations and Maintenance Chapter 4: Performance Measurement of APM Systems at Airports: The Current Situation Chapter 5: Performance Measures for APM Systems at Air- ports: Recommended Approach Chapter 6: Other Airport APM System Performance Measures Chapter 7: Implementing an Airport APM Performance Measures Program The guidebook also includes Exhibit A, which contains the forms to be used to report the airport APM performance measures and descriptive characteristics on a monthly basis, as well as the survey to be used to gather data for the Passenger Satisfaction performance measure. The forms provided in Exhibit A are available for down- load from the summary page for ACRP Report 37A at http:// www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/166387.aspx. The electronic ver- sion of these forms will provide for easier dissemination and tracking. A Microsoft Excel workbook file of numerous spreadsheets that will aid the user in tracking and calculating the performance measures and descriptive characteristics described in the guidebook is also available for download from the ACRP Report 37A summary page.
