Meeting_Body
FINANCE, BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
JANUARY 16, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: ACCESS SERVICES - QUARTERLY UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on Access Services - ADA Paratransit.
Issue
ISSUE
This is a quarterly update on Access Services (Access), as requested by the Finance, Budget and Audit Committee.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Agency Overview
Access is the Los Angeles County transit agency that provides paratransit services on behalf of Metro and 44 other fixed route operators, as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Eligibility for Access is based on a person’s ability to use accessible buses and trains in Los Angeles County and has 158,000 registered riders to date. Access’ paratransit service is a next-day, shared-ride, curb-to-curb service with additional assistance available to qualified individuals. The service is operated by six contractors in the following regions of Los Angeles County: Eastern, Southern, West Central, Northern, Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley. Access provides services in which customers are picked up and dropped off within 3/4 of a mile of local bus route and rail lines. Customers call Access’ providers directly to make trip reservations.
FY19 - Operational Performance to Date
Access oversees its contractors’ compliance with federal law and regulations and their service to Los Angeles County paratransit customers through regular audits and the monitoring of a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The major KPIs are listed below.
From July 1 through November 1, 2018, Access provided more than 1.17 million passenger trips, approximately a two percent increase over the same period last year. Year to date, on-time performance (OTP) remained strong during September and October, which are generally challenging months because of increased customer demand coupled with significantly increased traffic congestion. Call center performance is generally positive, with the Customer Service and Operations Monitoring Center continuing to show significant improvement.
As discussed in prior reports, providers are reporting difficulties hiring and retaining customer service representatives because of the competitive labor market which caused reservations call center performance to be slightly below standard (5.8% versus 5%).
In FY19, preventable collisions have ticked upward but continue to be considerably lower than those experienced by peer transit operators. Access counts any contact as a collision (even if there is no damage), regardless of dollar value, to emphasize the importance of safety. This focus has led to a decrease in Access’ auto liability premiums for the past two years.
For providers that are not meeting established KPIs, staff requests the submission of corrective action plans and assesses liquidated damages to enforce contractual compliance.
|
Key Performance Indicator |
Target |
FY 2017 |
FY 2018 |
*FY 2019 |
|
On Time Performance |
≥ 91% |
91.5% |
92.1% |
92.4% |
|
Average Hold Time (Reservations) |
≤ 120 sec |
83 |
83 |
91 |
|
Calls On Hold > 5 Minutes (Reservations) |
≤ 5% |
4.5% |
5.1% |
5.8% |
|
Service Complaints Per 1,000 Trips |
≤ 4.0 |
3.8 |
3.4 |
4.0 |
|
Preventable Collisions Per 100,000 Miles |
≤ 0.50 |
0.64 |
0.68 |
0.70 |
|
Average Hold Time (Customer Service) |
≤ 180 |
131 |
126 |
92 |
|
Average Hold Time (Operations Monitoring Center) |
≤ 180 |
126 |
103 |
68 |
|
*FY19 as of 11/01/2018 |
|
|
|
|
On-time Performance (OTP) - Access has an OTP standard of 91% within a 20-minute arrival window and measures on-time performance by using GPS validation to verify driver-reported arrival time at pick-up locations. On-time windows of 20 or 30 minutes are standard for ADA paratransit.
Reservations - Average Hold Time / Calls on Hold over 5 Minutes - Access measures the average amount of time, in seconds, that calls for reservations are on hold before being answered. In addition, Access measures the percentage of reservation calls that are on hold for five minutes or longer before being answered.
Preventable Collisions - Access tracks preventable collisions system-wide, at the contractor level, and down to the driver level. As a primary measurement of how safe the paratransit system is, the preventable collision rate is calculated monthly and measures the number of preventable collisions per 100,000 service miles, an industry standard.
Service Complaints per 1,000 Trips - Access tracks the number of complaints it receives to monitor the overall quality of the service. All complaints received, regardless of validity, are included in this measure.
Customer Service Center and OMC - Average Hold Time - Access measures the average amount of time, in seconds, that calls for its Customer Service Center and OMC are on hold before being answered.
Working with Community Partners
The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (Rancho): Rancho in Downey is one of Access’ largest trip generators. Several enhancements were implemented by Access’ Southern Region provider, Global Paratransit (Global), including the provision of a dedicated road supervisor to Rancho who is also serving as a “floater.” Staff from both the provider and Access are monitoring this arrangement and have received positive feedback from Rancho leadership and customers. In addition, Global hosts an annual review of all drivers on proper mobility device securement protocols. This year, Global has integrated Rancho staff’s feedback into the training and collaborated with Rancho to ensure that the mobility devices used as part of this training reflect the devices used by Rancho's customers.
Aging and Disability Transportation Network (Network): In June 2016, the Metro Board passed a motion (“Countywide Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities”) that asked for an action plan to better address the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities that included an evaluation of the feasibility of enhancing Access. Metro and Access staff have been meeting with Network representatives to discuss and study the following enhancements to the service: technology to improve dispatching/routing; website enhancements to improve the customer experience; improved processes to facilitate the negotiation of pick-up times; and continued enhancements to the travel training program. The proposed enhancements will ultimately be brought to the Access Board of Directors for consideration. One such proposal, regarding adding additional transfer times between the North County and the Los Angeles Basin, will be brought to the Access Board in February 2019.
The Network and Access have also been working together on strategies to continue the Parents with Disabilities (PWD) program, which provides additional assistance to Access customers with school-age children. Access and the Network have met with possible program partners, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, and are discussing different service models that could be used to expand the program countywide.
Technology Update
Where’s My Ride (WMR): More than 3,100 customers have downloaded the WMR application. The app, which is being used nearly 7,000 times a day, allows customers to obtain an estimated time of arrival (ETA) and vehicle location for their trips, and provide feedback and comments after the trip is completed. Based on customer feedback, the latest update now displays the vehicle identification number and type of vehicle to assist customers in identifying their vehicle. Access is also expanding the WMR Help Desk phone line to provide customers with information and tech support.
Online Reservations: Access is in the process of implementing an Online Reservations platform. Currently beta testing of the new system is taking place with customers in its West Central and Eastern Regions. This test group is booking trips online and has provided valuable feedback. This platform is expected to go live in March 2019 in those two regions.
All of the above initiatives, as well as the expanded suite of KPIs that will assist in providing enhanced service to Access customers are funded by Measure M 2%.
Woolsey Fire: From Thursday, November 8, 2018, through Saturday, November 17, 2018, Access and regional contractor staff were involved in response efforts due to the destructive Woolsey wildfire, which affected both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Access’ Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated to monitor the fire’s effect on Access’ operations.
The Woolsey Fire highlighted the importance of Access’ Emergency Management Program and demonstrated the effectiveness of Access’ partnerships with its contractors and member agencies. This partnership proved critical when Access was contacted by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District for assistance evacuating 103 adults and children from a Malibu youth camp. Access helped coordinate the evacuation using buses from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus (BBB) on behalf of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority.
Free Rides to the Polls
Access joined with Metro and other transit operators to provide free rides to the polls on Election Day. The initiative was approved by the Access Board at a special meeting and staff then informed riders using seat drops, website notices and recordings on reservations and customer service lines. Access received positive feedback from customers for this effort and is making this a permanent policy moving forward.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system
Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Access is in the process of completing the following:
• Continue development and implementation of an online reservations platform with initial deployment in March 2019;
• Amend existing contracts to include an expanded suite of Key Performance Indicators (with accompanying liquidated damages) to provide enhanced ADA paratransit service;
• Continue to work with Community Partners;
• Work with Metro staff to develop the FY20 Budget.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Giovanna M. Gogreve, Senior Manager Transportation Planning, (213) 922-2835 (in consultation with André Colaiace, Executive Director, Access Services, (213) 270-6007)
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nalini Ahuja, Chief Financial Officer, (213) 922-3088
