Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JUNE 15, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: JUNE 2023 SERVICE CHANGE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a status report on the June 2023 bus and rail service changes effective Sunday June 25, 2023.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro regularly makes service changes each June and December, to improve service for our riders on a predictable schedule without an excessive number significant changes each year. These changes are also coordinated with bus and rail operator assignment changes required by labor contract. In December 2022, Metro restored the full scheduled 7 million revenue service hours (annualized) of bus service, based on the NextGen Bus Plan approved by the Metro Board in October 2020.
This report describes Metro bus and rail service changes being implemented in June 2023, with a primary focus on service reliability.
Background
BACKGROUND
With the COVID-19 cases now having much less impact on the community and Metro transit system, in 2023, Metro is resuming the usual practice of twice-annual service changes. This allows Metro to improve the customer experience through revised transit routes and schedules. Metro is seeing few cases of COVID among the workforce, and the hiring and training of many new transit operators continues. Metro looks forward to being fully staffed with bus operators by mid-year. As Table 1 below shows, service cancellations have declined steadily since the December 2022 service change. Cancellations will continue to decline as more new operators are hired and trained.
Chart 1: Weekly Bus Service Cancellation Rates Dec 22 to Apr 23
Discussion
DISCUSSION
For the June 2023 service change, Metro will continue to schedule the full 7.0 million revenue service hours (annualized) that were restored in December 2022. This followed a ten percent temporary reduction in bus services in February 2022 due to the acute bus operator shortag...
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