SFMTA home > About Us > Meetings > SFMTA Board > February 21, 2006, calendar item 7, Transit Effectiveness Project memo

MEMORANDUM

DATE: February 13, 2006

TO:

Cleopatra Vaughns, Chairman
Mike Kasolas, Vice Chairman
Shirley Breyer Black, Director
Wil Din, Director
James McCray, Jr., Director
Peter Mezey, Director

THROUGH:

Nathaniel Ford, Sr.
Executive Director, MTA

FROM:

William Lieberman, AICP
Deputy General Manager, Planning

RE: Transit Effectiveness Project Scope of Work

The purpose of this memorandum is to update the Board on our progress with the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) since the last report on January 17, 2006, and to transmit a copy of the contract scope of work for the Board’s review and comment (see attached). This document describes in detail the major tasks to be performed, which include: defining our vision for public transit; revisiting service design policies; evaluating both existing and potential markets; reviewing performance trends and exploring best transit planning practices; reviewing operations to identify opportunities for improvement; and developing recommendations for management and staff. A high-level summary of these activities and their associated costs is included at the end of this memorandum.

Transit Effectiveness Project

The Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) is an 18-month effort to comprehensively review and evaluate the existing Muni transit system, and to recommend measures to make service more attractive to the public and more economical to operate. It will begin with a review of Muni service policies and operating procedures, and include analyses of Muni’s overall route structure, factors affecting service reliability, and the efficiency of transit operations.

It has been over 25 years since the last comprehensive examination of San Francisco’s transit system, and travel patterns have changed considerably during that period. The TEP is needed to strengthen Muni’s ability to respond to current mobility needs, provide a blueprint for future service expansion, incorporate industry best practices into service delivery, and promote the MTA’s long-term financial stability.

Necessity of the Transit Effectiveness Project

The importance of the TEP derives from some difficult fiscal truths that Muni has faced, including a budget shortfall ranging between $15-$60 million over the last five years. At its current levels of revenues and expenses, the MTA is projecting a multi-million dollar deficit for FY 2007, and additional shortfalls through 2025. Relatively flat ridership over the past fifteen years, coupled with the rising costs of doing business (i.e., health care, retirement benefits, wages and fuel), has contributed to these projections.

Recent trends in transit use also suggest that the current system, developed in 1979, may not be adequate to meet today’s travel demand. Such trends include:

Declining Market Share. Only thirty percent of city residents use public transit to commute to work, down from thirty-five percent in 1970.
Changing Commute Patterns. Twenty percent of San Francisco residents commute to other counties for work, up from ten percent in 1970.
Rising Car Ownership. The share of households in the city with a car rose from about sixty percent in 1970 to nearly seventy percent in 2000.

In addition, recent business and residential development growth in the South of Market and Mission Bay areas have changed ridership demand patterns for the city. Congestion has also worsened, contributing to the overall slowdown of the system, and making it increasingly difficult for MTA to reach its Prop E benchmark for on-time performance.

Consultant Selection

The MTA and Controller’s Office worked together over the past several months to administer a Request for Qualifications process to select a consultant for the Transit Effectiveness Project and establish a qualified pool of consultants for other as-need transit services. From an initial list of 63 potential transit consultants, five responded for Project Type 1 (Transit Efficiency Project) and eleven for Project Type 2 (as-needed services).

A selection panel, consisting of representatives from the MTA, the Controller’s Office, the Transportation Authority, AC Transit, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the MTA’s Citizen Advisory Council, reviewed these responses and concluded that two firms for Project Type 1 were pre-qualified, while seven of the eleven firms for Project Type 2 were pre-qualified.

The panel selected two finalists to interview for the Transit Effectiveness Project. Following two rounds of interviews, the panel determined that Transportation Management & Design, Inc. (TMD) provided the best mixture of experience and expertise to successfully manage this project. The proposed project team represents a group of firms with strong knowledge of MTA and local markets, operating conditions, and the policy environment. Contract negotiations are

expected to be finalized by the end of this month, and TMD and its team should commence work in early March.

Project Management and Governance

The project will be directed through two separate groups; a Policy Advisory Group responsible for policy guidance; and a Project Working Group responsible for technical direction.

The Advisory Group, chaired by Mr. Ford, has been convened as of February 1, 2006. The purpose of this group is to provide a forum to consider the transit-related values and policy issues affecting the TEP study, and to review and respond to findings from the consultant. Membership is comprised of representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Board of Supervisors, MTA Board, Controller’s Office, Union leadership, Transportation Authority, MTA’s Citizens’ Advisory Council and Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The Project Working Group, comprised of Mr. Ford, the MTA Board Chairman Cleopatra Vaughns, and Controller Ed Harrington, will provide oversight to ensure that the project is meeting its staffing, budget, and timeline targets, and will coordinate recommendations to the MTA Board.

The project will also convene both Citizen Advisory and Technical Advisory Committees, and offer other opportunities for the community at large to provide input.

Work Program Summary

The work program, as currently proposed by TMD, is comprised of ten distinct tasks. Each task is briefly described below, along with its estimated budget:

1. Visioning, Goal-Setting and Policy Framework ($64K)

Goal: Establish a policy framework to guide the project and develop a vision for Muni service over the next five years through a review of previous work and best practices, stakeholder interviews and meetings with the Advisory Group and Project Working Group.

2. Benchmarking and Best Practices ($62K)

Goal: Concurrently with Task 1, identification and analysis of peer systems for best practices review that can show “lessons learned” and make recommendations that may be applicable for Muni service.

3. Market Assessment ($404K)

Goal: Increase Muni’s market share by assessing existing and potential markets for Muni service in the city, through investigation of mode choice behaviors of various market segments, the characteristics of destination attractions, and the patterns and volumes of persons making those trips.

4. Service Evaluation ($199K)

Goal: Analysis of service and operations data and extensive fieldwork to make route-specific findings regarding service performance.

5. Operations Review ($398K)

Goal: Operational review of Muni scheduling and service implementation, including the development of strategies to ensure service delivery efficiency, reliability and predictability.

6. Early Action Plan ($89K)

Goal: Identification of specific policies and practices, service network and route adjustments, service scheduling and operational changes for expedited implementation.

7. Recommended Service Plan ($194K)

Goal: Development and evaluation of potential transit service network and route restructuring alternatives based on Tasks 1-5.

8. Operations & Financial Plan ($464K)

Goal: Development and application of an operating and maintenance cost allocation model and financial plan.

9. Environmental Assessment ($90K)

Goal: Development of an environmental assessment of the recommended service plan.

10. Stakeholder Participation ($268K)

Goal: Stakeholder outreach and facilitation through mailing lists, newsletters, web site, and other media.

The full project budget is estimated at $2.4 million, to be largely funded through the Controller’s City Services Auditor Proposition C funding. The Controller’s Office will be responsible for contractual and administrative issues, and the MTA will be the responsible for technical transit-specific issues. We will work closely together to manage the project and will continue to provide regular updates to the Board.

Attachment: Transportation Management and Design Scope of Work

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