Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JUNE 20, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: JUNE 2024 SERVICE CHANGE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a status report on the bus and rail service changes effective Sunday, June 23, 2024.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro makes service changes twice a year, each June and December, to improve service for our riders. These service changes are also coordinated with bus and rail operator assignment changes required by the labor contract. The June 2024 service change will focus on enhancements to routes and schedules to help customers conveniently and reliably travel where and when needed.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro bus service levels were fully restored as of December 2022 and are being delivered reliably.
The most recent service change was implemented in December 2023. There were no issues encountered with implementation. Ridership continues to increase, with the data from March 2024 showing year-over-year growth of 16.8% for bus weekday ridership and 6.4% for rail weekday ridership. Average weekly bus on-time performance has also improved from 71.0% (January to March 2023) to 73.5% (January to March 2024) in response to the many improved bus schedules, additional field supervision, operator hiring, and reduced bus service cancellation rates, all of which contribute to improved reliability since the December 2023 service change.
To reduce average wait times for customers, all light rail (Lines A, C, E, and K) off-peak weekday and weekend service frequencies were improved in December 2023 from every 12-15 minutes to every 10 minutes, and weekday peak frequencies on Lines A (Long Beach - Downtown LA - Azusa) and E Line (Santa Monica - Downtown LA - East LA) increased from every 10 minutes to every 8 minutes weekday morning and afternoon peak hours (6-9 am, 3-6 pm). Two additional late-night trips in each direction were also added to the end of the day for the A and E Lines in response to customer requests for later last trips on rail. These initiatives have helped support ridership recovery on the Metro light rail network. The B and D Line subway services between North Hollywood, Wilshire/Western, and Union Station continued to operate every 12 minutes daytime weekdays and weekends, which was implemented in September 2023. These rail services will continue to operate at those improved frequencies through the remainder of 2024. Rail on-time performance remained high at 99.2% for Q3 FY24 (January - March 2024), compared to 99.3% for Q3 FY23 (January to March 2023).
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Rail Service:
Rail service ridership continues to recover, with March 2024 average weekday rail ridership at 66.1% and average weekend rail ridership at 84.3% of pre-COVID levels, compared with 62.1% weekday and 82.6% weekend ridership recovery a year earlier in March 2023.
The weekend K Line rail service weekend frequency improvement to 10-minute service was implemented May 25, 2024. The K Line operated at a reduced 20-minute frequency from December 2023 to allow final construction and testing to integrate the K Line with the new AMC station.
the light rail C and K Lines will be restructured as Metro moves to open the new LAX/Metro Transit Center later this year. The K-Line will extend south from Westchester/Veterans Station to serve the new LAX/Metro Transit Center and Aviation/Century Stations. It will then continue south to serve the four existing C Line Stations of Mariposa, El Segundo, Douglas, and Redondo Beach. The C Line would continue to operate as usual between Norwalk Station and Aviation/LAX Station (renamed Aviation/Imperial Station), then turn north to serve the new Aviation/Century Station (connection to K Line) as well as the new LAX/Metro Transit Center Station. LAX shuttle buses will link the new LAX/Metro Transit Center Station to the LAX terminals before the expected opening of the LAX People Mover Train in 2025.
Bus Service:
The June 2024 bus service changes will include a range of customer experience improvements, with enhancements to routes and schedules to help people more conveniently and reliably travel where and when they need to.
Improved Reliability:
Operator and customer feedback and system data reports on ridership and on-time performance are reviewed to identify lines with ongoing low on-time performance or crowding. On-time performance has improved to an average of 73.5% in the first three months of 2024 but remains below the goal of 78.5%. Of Metro’s 120 bus lines, 49 weekday, 42 Saturday, and 41 Sunday bus schedules have been reviewed and adjustments made in the June 2024 service change to better match current traffic levels and travel times in support of improved on-time performance and to ensure operators have enough time to take rest breaks at the end of each trip. New schedules can be viewed at https://mybus.metro.net.
Adding More Trips:
Extra Trips will be added on bus Lines 14 (Beverly Bl - one extra trip weekday), 62 (Telegraph Rd, one extra trip added Saturday), 81 (Figueroa St - two extra trips added weekdays), 152 (Roscoe Bl - seven extra trips added weekdays), 165 (Vanowen St - two extra trips added weekdays), 166 (Nordhoff St - eight extra trips added weekdays), 169 (Saticoy St - two extra trips weekdays) and 243 (Winnetka Av - one extra trip added) to provide enough service to accommodate all riders without crowding.
Improved Connectivity:
To improve regional connectivity, the following bus routing changes are being made:
• Optimizing Line 76 to provide a more direct route to downtown LA via Alameda St and 1st St and direct connectivity with the Little Tokyo/Arts District A & E Line Station.
• Revised Line 127 operating pattern to increase service between Compton and Downey via Compton Bl and Bellflower Bl.
• Extending Line 217 from the Mid City/Hollywood area to Eagle Rock Plaza through Glendale via Los Feliz Bl and Brand Bl.
• Merging Lines 267 and 686 to become an extension of Line 267, providing more convenient opportunities for local travel through Pasadena.
• Modifying Line 268 route to restore bus service to the City of Sierra Madre and connectivity to the El Monte Metrolink Station.
Other Changes:
Schedules are also being adjusted to maintain sufficient capacity on all lines. Previously implemented NextGen Bus Plan service frequency improvements are being maintained. In order to make the above improvements while remaining within the allocated 7 million bus revenue service hours, some lines have had a span of service adjusted where trip usage on early morning or late-night service (12 a.m. - 6 a.m.) was very low. Adjustments were made to the number of trips on 53 bus lines, generally with three or fewer trips impacted.
Full details of all changes are included in Attachment A.
Customer Information:
As is the practice for all service changes, printed materials summarizing the changes will be distributed starting two weeks ahead of the service change (summary brochure, service change notices, and updated schedules for each impacted line) on buses in a dedicated service change section on Metro.net, via social media and Source posts, and on signage installed at all impacted bus stops to inform riders. Implementation will also be supported by staff assigned to stops with more significant changes as well as Metro Ambassadors throughout the system during the week leading up to the change to inform riders of route changes.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The June 2024 service change focuses on improving customer experience for our riders, especially residents of Equity Focus Communities (EFCs) who rely on transit for their mobility. It includes revised bus schedules to enhance service reliability (on-time performance), extra bus trips for added capacity, increased bus service frequencies for reduced wait times, and rerouted bus services for greater connectivity and improved access to opportunity.
Of the 49 weekday, 42 Saturday, and 41 Sunday bus lines with revised schedules for improved reliability, 19 weekday, 18 Saturday, and 19 Sunday lines have over 50% of their route miles operating in EFCs. Overall service cancellations are low and should remain very low (< 2.0%) as additional new bus operators are hired to maintain complete operator staffing levels. Three of the seven lines with extra trips added for more capacity are lines with over 50% of their lines located in EFCs. Twenty-two of the 53 lines with the number of trips adjusted to offset the cost of improvements have over 50% of their lines located in EFCs.
The continued operation of the entire 7 million revenue hours of service based on the NextGen Bus Plan allocates the highest service levels to EFCs, where high-quality transit is a key to enhanced mobility for residents. Metro will continue to receive feedback on the changes directly from riders via Metro Ambassadors and other agency staff deployed to inform riders about the most significant changes at key bus stops and on key bus lines serving EFCs through the Metro Customer Service call center, the Metro website, social media blog (The Source), and at the five Metro Service Council meetings held monthly across the Metro’s service area and located in or very close to EFCs.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
These service changes support strategic plan goal #1: Provide high quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling. The service changes also respond to the sub-goa of investing in a world-class bus system that is reliable, convenient, safe, and attractive to more users for more trips.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will implement the June 2024 service change on Sunday, June 23. The changes will be marketed beginning Monday, June 10, and continue to and beyond the implementation date.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - June 2024 Bus Service Changes Brochure
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Joe Forgiarini, Senior Executive Officer, Service Development, (213) 418-3400
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
