Guidebook for Rural Demand-Response Transportation: Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 59-85
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From page 59... ...
However, another system went the other way, changing part of its demand-response service to route deviation and improving productivity. Thus, it is important to understand the operating environment within which a rural system operates when planning performance improvements.
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From page 60... ...
60 Guidebook for Rural Demand-Response Transportation: Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance Identified Actions By Rural DRT Systems By Urban DRT Systems Through Research & Experience Operations Improve vehicle operator compensation Establish comprehensive vehicle operator training program Use part-time drivers Schedule back-up operators Rotate demand-response and fixed-route operators Establish satellite parking areas for service vehicles Assign certain operators to take DRT vehicle home at night Align operator shifts to meet ridership demand Cross train staff Scheduling/Dispatch Implement computerized scheduling/dispatch system Implement AVL and MDTs Provide scheduled service to frequented destinations Provide immediate response service Professionalize scheduling/dispatch function Maximize use of subscription service Review, refine, tighten subscription trips on periodic basis Accept "will-calls" judiciously Obtain operator input on schedules on periodic basis Service Design Ensure service design "fits" community, revise as needed Use volunteers for long-distance one-to-one trips Use rural DRT as feeder service to rural inter-city routes Policies and Procedures Adopt and enforce no-show/late cancel policy Develop and enforce cancellation policy Shorten the advance reservation period Establish on-time pick-up window Establish wait time policy Establish policies/procedures for bad weather operations Educate riders on policies and procedures Funding Get involved in community, build relationships, and gain funding Establish effective payment schemes for human service agency clients/riders Sell advertising on vehicles Marketing, Public Relations, and Passenger Relations Focus marketing efforts on general public Advertise with campaign/yard signs Identify key person at human service agencies to address riderrelated issues Maintenance and Vehicles Provide effective preventive maintenance practices Ensure appropriate mix of DRT vehicles Safety Monitor accident trends Involve operators in a safety committee Reward safe operators Establish a "culture of safety" Table 7-1. Actions to improve DRT performance identified through research project.
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From page 61... ...
Performance Issue Management Action See Page Implement AVL (and MDTs) 68 Align operator shifts to meet ridership demand 66 Provide scheduled service to frequented destinations 70 Consider immediate response service 72 Professionalize scheduling/dispatch function 73 Maximize use of subscription service 73 Review, refine, and tighten subscription trips on periodic basis 73 Accept "will calls" judiciously 73 Obtain vehicle operator input on schedules on a periodic basis 74 Establish wait time policy 78 Adopt and enforce no-show/late cancel policy 75 Improve productivity Educate riders on policies and procedures 79 Ensure effective preventive maintenance practices 83 Focus marketing efforts on general public 82 Advertise with campaign/yard signs 82 Increase ridership Get involved in community, build relationships 80 Implement AVL (and MDTs)
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From page 62... ...
. Performance Issue Management Action See Page Improve vehicle operator compensation 63Stabilize operator workforce Establish comprehensive vehicle operator training program 63 Improve vehicle operator compensation 63 Establish comprehensive vehicle operator training program 63 Rotate demand-response and fixed-route operators 65 Cross train staff 66 Improve DRT staff working environment: – increase retention, – increase understanding across functional areas, and – improve relationship with riders Educate riders on policies and procedures 79 Get involved in community, build relationships, gain funding 80Increase funding resources Sell advertising on vehicles 81 Improve cost efficiency Use part-time operators 64 Implement computerized scheduling/dispatch system 67 Establish satellite parking areas for service vehicles 65 Use volunteers for long-distance one-on-one trips 75 Ensure effective preventive maintenance practices 83 Ensure effective mix of DRT vehicles 83 Establish comprehensive vehicle operator training program 63 Monitor incident and accident trends 84 Involve operators in a safety committee 84 Reward safe operators 85 Establish policies/procedures for bad weather operations 79 Ensure effective preventive maintenance practices 83 Implement AVL 68 Educate riders on policies and procedures 79 Improve safety Establish a "culture of safety" 85 Change route deviation to demand-response 74 Change demand-response to route deviation 74 Use volunteers for long-distance one-on-one trips 75 Consider alternative service design options Use rural DRT as feeder service to rural intercity routes 75 Coordinate separate, neighboring DRT services 75
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From page 63... ...
. A number of the participating rural systems specifically cited their comprehensive operator training program as a practice that had performance benefits.
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From page 64... ...
Many of the participating rural DRT systems use part-time vehicle operators, with several calling out specific actions related to part-time staff. One rural system reported that it hired part-time operators to cover mid-day time periods so that service capacity during the mid-day, when DRT ridership can remain strong, would not be impacted when fulltime operators had lunch breaks.
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From page 65... ...
Assign certain operators to take service vehicle home at night to reduce deadhead. Several of the participating rural systems reported that they have selected operators to take their assigned transit vehicle home at night.
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From page 66... ...
Other Improvement Actions Align operator shifts to meet ridership demand. DRT systems should ensure that they schedule their vehicle operators' shifts to match the system's ridership patterns.
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From page 67... ...
The following performance improvements were reported: • Reduced staff efforts for scheduling/dispatch function: With a CASD, several participating rural systems reported specific reductions in staff efforts involved with scheduling/dispatch and related recordkeeping duties. One system, operating a county-based coordinated service with about 30 vehicles and multiple funding sources, said it reduced its staff involved in trip editing from somewhat more than four FTEs to two.
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From page 68... ...
Implement AVL and MDTs. While AVL and MDT technology are less common at rural systems, research has found that such equipment provides for performance improvements for rural transit in the following areas: better customer service since dispatchers can provide more accurate information to riders because they can "see" where the vehicles are; increased system safety, with dispatchers more easily and more quickly able to respond to incidents since they can "see" vehicles' locations; reduced data entry time; more informed maintenance decisions, when MDTs are used to transmit pre-trip inspection reports for vehicles housed at remote or satellite locations; better control over operator hours; and improved monitoring of schedule adherence (26)
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From page 69... ...
. While only a few of the participating rural DRT systems have AVL and MDTs, the few that have the technology cited performance improvements, particularly related to productivity.
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From page 70... ...
While there were numerous permutations on these policies and procedures as reported by the participating rural systems, the general practice is particularly important in large, sparsely populated service areas, characteristics of many rural DRT systems. Based on the research, two main "themes" for the scheduled service practices emerged: first, there are services scheduled by geography, either for sub-areas within a larger service area or to out-of-service area destinations, and second, there are services scheduled by trip purpose, for example, shopping trips or medical trips.
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From page 71... ...
Medical trips are another common trip purpose for rural DRT systems, and, because some of these trips are longer distance and problems can be encountered with changing times for return trips, many of the participating rural DRT systems have developed policies and procedures just for medical trips. For example, as noted above, a number of the participating systems serve medical trips that are out of the service area only on specified days per week, and some specify that medical appointments should be made for morning hours only, allowing adequate time to provide return trips.
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From page 72... ...
While provision of immediate response service was not cited as a specific performance improvement action by any of the participating rural DRT systems, data from the systems indicate that the provision of immediate response/same-day service can benefit productivity, especially when the transit system has AVL. This is a strategy that is appropriate in smaller service areas.
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From page 73... ...
If riders schedule such return trips in advance, they may end up as "no shows" because their appointments are not yet completed when the vehicle arrives for the trip home. In such case, the DRT system Improving Performance 73
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From page 74... ...
Service Design While the research project did not focus on service design options, several of the participating rural systems specifically identified service design changes that benefited their performance. Improvement Actions Reported by Participating Rural Systems Ensure service design "fits" community, revise as appropriate.
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From page 75... ...
DRT service operates more smoothly and, from a performance perspective, more productively when both the DRT staff and the riders that are served understand and follow the system policies and procedures. Improvement Actions Reported by Participating Rural Systems Adopt and enforce no-show policy.
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From page 76... ...
The following improvement was reported: • Reduced no-shows: Several of the participating rural systems noted performance benefits from enforcement of their no-show policies (see Table 7-3)
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From page 77... ...
Of the 16 rural systems participating in the research that have formal advance reservation time periods, 9 use a 14-day advance reservation window. Improving Performance 77 1 Should an ADA paratransit system change its advance reservation scheduling window, it must ensure public input and participation in developing changes, in keeping with ADA regulations.
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From page 78... ...
While the majority of the participating rural DRT systems have defined "on-time" for their service, only one of these systems formally reports its on-time trip percentage on a routine basis. Trip timeliness is perhaps the most important single measure of service quality from a DRT rider's perspective.
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From page 79... ...
Given the interdependency between riders and DRT staff and particularly vehicle operators, such education efforts can improve the functioning of the DRT system and its performance. Since riders of rural DRT systems are frequently clients of human service agencies that have arrangements with the DRT system, it is also important that the DRT system educate staff at those agencies on the policies and procedures of the transportation service.
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From page 80... ...
Funds from the local level are the largest single share of operating subsidies and are clearly important for rural transit systems, particularly where state support is limited. Improvement Actions Reported by Participating Rural Systems Get involved in the community, build relationships, and gain funding.
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From page 81... ...
A number of the smaller rural systems have arrangements so that the agency riders use tickets or punch cards for trip payment, with the agencies purchasing the fare media directly from the transit system and then providing that to their clients, either at the full or discounted price. As another approach, one of the participating rural systems invoices each of the human service agencies for which it provides service a flat rate per month per client.
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From page 82... ...
Beyond involvement in the community to build support for rural transit, there are other actions identified by rural DRT systems that participated in the research. Improvement Actions Reported by Participating Rural Systems Focus marketing efforts on the general public.
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From page 83... ...
Maintenance and Vehicles Improvement Actions Reported By Participating Rural Systems Ensure effective preventive maintenance practices. Maintenance costs may consume roughly from 15% to 20% of a transit agency's operating budget, depending on a variety of factors.
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From page 84... ...
Safety The participating rural systems did not frequently discuss safety in direct relation to performance improvements although several systems noted that they believed their vehicle operator training programs were comprehensive and contributed to a safer operating environment and fewer accidents. One system noted that it has provided the CTAA PASS program (a driver certification program)
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From page 85... ...
With its comprehensive approach, the rural system, operating in a large multi-county service area with close to 50 vehicles in peak service, has seen its accidents decrease from an annual average of nine from 2005 to 2007 to none in 2008. Reward safe operators.
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