Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 21, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: DECEMBER 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, December 15, 2024.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro makes service changes twice a year in 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.
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 June 2024. There were no issues encountered with implementation. Ridership continues to increase, with the data from September 2024 showing year-over-year growth of 7.2% for bus average weekday ridership and 11.7 % for rail average weekday ridership. Average weekly on-time performance for bus has also improved from 72.9% (July to September 2023) to 75.0% (July to September 2024) in response to the many improved bus schedules, additional field supervision, operator hiring, and low bus service cancellation rates. These efforts contributed to improved reliability since the June 2024 service change.
Rail on-time performance remained high at 99.45% for Q1 FY25 (July to September 2024), compared to 99.1% for Q1 FY24 (July to September 2024).
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Rail Service:
No changes to rail line services are proposed for December 2024.
Bus Service:
The December 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 feedback, customer comments, 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 75.0% in the first quarter of FY25 (July to September 2024), compared to 72.9% for the same quarter of FY24, but remains below the goal of 78.5%. Metro’s 119 bus lines, 54 weekday, 39 Saturday, and 35 Sunday bus schedules have been reviewed, and adjustments were made to the December 2024 service change to better match current traffic levels and travel times. This is in an effort to support improved on-time performance and to ensure operators have enough time for rest breaks at the end of each trip. New schedules can be viewed at mybus.metro.net <https://mybus.metro.net>.
• Increased Capacity:
Extra trips will be added on 10 bus lines on weekdays (Lines 14/37, 33, 55, 105, 108, 150, 164, 165, 244, and 601), three lines on Saturdays (Lines 62, 601, 910), and two lines on Sundays (601, 910) to provide enough service to accommodate all riders without crowding or to assist with late-night connections.
• Improved Connectivity:
To improve regional connectivity, the following bus routing changes are being made:
• Every second trip on Line 260 during weekdays and weekends between Pasadena and South Gate via Atlantic Bl will be extended via Imperial Highway to serve Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station. This is an initial step in establishing this connection to the key regional destination and transit hub of Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station, as included in the NextGen Bus Plan. The existing Line 260 service between Pasadena and Artesia Station via Atlantic Bl will be maintained but renumbered to Line 261.
• With the anticipated opening of the new LAX/Metro Transit Center, Lines 102, 111, 117, 120, and 232 will be modified to terminate at this location to improve bus connectivity and offer better passenger facilities. This center will replace the LAX City Bus Center and Aviation/LAX Station (these stations will continue to be served pending opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center). Municipal bus services (Beach Cities Transit, Big Blue Bus, Culver Citybus, GTrans, and Torrance Transit) will also be relocated to this terminus. The LAX Metro Transit Center shuttles will also move to the LAX/Metro Transit Center.
• Line 96 (Burbank - Chinatown via Riverside Dr) will be rerouted to terminate at Lincoln/Cypress A Line Station, as planned under the NextGen Bus Plan. This will improve access for the Elysian Valley area and to A Line light rail service between Azusa, Pasadena, downtown LA, and Long Beach.
• Improved Frequency:
Line 665, serving Eastern Avenue, City Terrace, Gage Avenue, and Indiana Street between Rose Hill Transit Center, California State University Los Angeles, and Olympic Boulevard through East LA, will be improved weekdays from every 50 minutes to every 35 minutes.
• Other Changes:
As in the approved NextGen Bus Plan, two Metro local bus lines will become part of the Pasadena Transit network, as they can be well integrated due to overlapping routes:
• Metro Line 177 (Pasadena-Jet Propulsion Lab) weekday peak-period service will become Pasadena Transit Line 53. The existing route, schedule, and stops will be maintained.
• Metro Line 256 (Sierra Madre Villa Station-Highland Park Station) via Washington Bl in Pasadena will become Pasadena Transit Line 33. Service frequency will be improved from every 50 minutes on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays to every 35 minutes. The existing route, operating hours, and stops will also be maintained.
The G Line BRT 901 between Chatsworth, Canoga Park, and North Hollywood will be rerouted via Oxnard St between Sepulveda Bl and Woodman Av. The Van Nuys G Line Station will be closed for the construction of a new station on a grade separation at Van Nuys Bl. A temporary set of stops on Oxnard St at Van Nuys Bl will replace the Van Nuys G Line Station for approximately 18 months.
Various bus stop changes will be made on Van Nuys Bl between Sherman Way and Arminta St to accommodate construction for the East San Fernando Valley light rail line. Stops will be maintained at the intersections of Sherman Way and Keswick St, but bus stops at Saticoy St and Valerio St will be closed for up to three years. This impacts Metro Lines 169 and 233.
Line 16 on Third St will revert back to a schedule with timepoints weekdays following the completion of over one year of weekdays on a pilot headway-based operation, which did not show improved headway reliability. With the end of this pilot, this line will revert to the previous terminus at 5th-6th/Los Angeles St in downtown LA from 5th/6th/Central (next to Metro Division 1). Line 662 Pasadena-Altadena's counter-clockwise direction will be modified slightly in downtown Pasadena to serve Fair Oaks Av, improving connections and reducing delay.
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, social media, and Source posts, and on signage installed at all impacted bus stops to inform riders. This will include materials from Pasadena Transit to transfer the two lines to their operation. The October Metro Service Council meetings included an initial update, and the November meetings will provide a final overview of the changes. Implementation will also be supported by staff assigned to stops with more significant changes, as well as Metro Ambassadors during the week leading up to the change to inform riders of route changes throughout the system.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The December 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 54 weekday, 39 Saturday, and 35 Sunday bus lines with revised schedules for improved reliability, 24 weekday, 15 Saturday, and 13 Sunday lines have over 50% of their route miles operating in EFCs, mostly in South LA and Southeast LA. Overall service cancellations are low and should remain very low (< 2.0%) as additional new bus operators are hired to maintain operator staffing levels. Five of the 12 lines (Lines 14/37, 55, 105, 108, 910) with extra trips added for more capacity or connections are lines with 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 gather feedback on the changes directly from riders via Metro’s Customer Call Center and online forms from Metro Service Councils and other Metro Committees. Some of the December 2024 service changes were based on feedback received through these channels.
Metro Ambassadors and other agency staff will be deployed in advance of the December 2024 service change 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 (supporting multiple languages), Metro website, social media blog (The Source & El Pasajero), and at the five Metro Service Council meetings held monthly across the Metro’s service area that are 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-goal 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
The changes will be marketed beginning Monday, December 2, and through the implementation of the December 2024 service change. The changes will take place on Sunday, December 15.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Description of December 2024 Service Change
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
