Staff Report #2
June 18, 2018
To All Members of the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee
Re: Specialized Service Performance Targets – 2018
Recommendation
That the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee:
- CONFIRM the recommended performance targets as set out in the table below
| Measure | 2018 Target |
| Rides over 1 hour | 2.0% of trips delivered |
| Pick Ups over 30 minutes | 0.5% of trips delivered |
| Non-Accommodated Trips | 2.8% of trips requested |
| Cancelled Trips | 12.5% of trips booked |
| No-Shows | 1.5% of trips booked |
| Trip Completion Rate | 86.0% of trips booked |
and;
- FORWARD the report to the Commission for their review and consideration.
Background
Each year, targets are established for a number of key performance measures for the Specialized Service. These targets are based in part on approved annual operating budgets, previous years’ performance, and customer priorities.
Service Quantity Measures
The measures that are included in the annual operating budget cannot be adjusted without adjusting the budget. The approved annual operating budget includes estimates of the following performance measures:
- Eligible Passenger Trips – this number is derived by multiplying the number of annual service hours by the estimated trips per hour (service productivity). Monthly service hours and related ridership projections fluctuate throughout the year based on day mix and time of year noting service hours are reduced in the summer months given the decrease in demand stemming from use of the Non-Peak Pass program.
The total Eligible Passenger Trips included in the 2018 operating budget is 316,200. The associated monthly targets have been included for reference in Staff Report #3, dated June 18, 2018.
- Attendant/Companion Trips – this number is derived based on previous years’ experience, as well as projected growth in specialized service registrants.
The total Attendant/Companion Trips included in the 2018 operating budget is 36,400. The associated monthly targets have been included for reference in Staff Report #3, dated June 18, 2018.
- Service Productivity – this number is derived based on previous years’ experience, assessment of the mix of vehicles that will be in service, and estimated ability to improve the efficiency of the schedules. This number was increased for the years 2017 through 2019 given the expectation of more efficient schedules relating to the new scheduling software. As indicated above, this number is one of the factors for determining the ridership forecasts.
The average Service Productivity included in the 2018 operating budget is 2.45 passengers per hour.
Service Quality Measures
The next set of performance measures provide insight as to whether the service being delivered is meeting the expectations of customers. The priority measures from the customer’s perspective have historically been arrived at through customer surveys, the last of which was done prior to the multi-year budget preparation. Targets in this area are being recommended for 2018 based on the historic survey information and assessment of customer contacts relating to service satisfaction. Given the success of the Voice of the Customer program on the conventional transit service, beginning in 2018, the annual survey will be extended to included specialized service customers. The survey questions will be tailored to be specific to the specialized service; however the underlying theme of the Voice of the Customer with respect to allowing the customer to prioritize their service expectations, and provide their assessment of how well the service is performing against those expectations will be maintained. The results of this 2018 survey will be utilized going forward to adjust any existing performance targets as well as to create any new ones based on customer feedback.
The service quality measures being recommended for 2018 are set out below.
- Rides over one hour is a measure used by both London Transit, as well as many other specialized transit systems in the province. The measure sets a maximum number of instances where a passenger will be on a vehicle for greater than 60 minutes. This target attempts to balance the desire for short, direct trips with the fact that the service is operated as a shared ride service and that many trips have origins and destinations spanning the boundaries of the city which, even if provided in a direct manner would be a long trip.
The rides over one hour target for 2018 is recommended to remain at 2.0% of trips provided. The associated monthly targets have been included for reference in Staff Report #3, dated June 18, 2018.
- Pick-ups over 30 minutes are a measure used to determine the on-time reliability of the specialized service. This measure sets a maximum number of instances when the vehicle will arrive to pick up a passenger more than 30 minutes past the scheduled pick-up time. This target has remained aggressive over the past given that on-time reliability has consistently been the top priority for customers of the specialized service.
The pick-ups over 30 minutes target for 2018 is recommended to remain at 0.5% of all trips provided. The associated monthly targets have been included for reference in Staff Report #3, dated June 18, 2018.
- Non-Accommodated Trips is a measure of the number of trips that were not able to be accommodated as requested, which in turn illustrates whether the system as a whole is meeting the needs of the customer base. This measure is defined differently by systems, in part due to the manner in which they book and deliver their trips, as well as the systems they utilize for scheduling. In London’s case, a trip is considered non-accommodated if it cannot be provided within 30 minutes of the requested time, a non-accommodated trip does not necessarily mean that a customer did not get a trip.
As set out in Staff Report #3, dated June 18, 2018, the manner in which the new scheduling system counts non-accommodated is different than the previous system. The new system has a number of ways in which a trip request can be entered, and as such, it is believed that some non-accommodated trips are being counted more than once. Administration is reviewing this anomaly in an effort to ensure an accurate non-accommodated trip rate is being reported.
Given the aforementioned, the recommendation for a 2018 target for non-accommodated trips is to remain the same as 2017, which is 2.8% of trip requests.
- Trip Cancellations is a measure that provides an indication of whether the current booking options are reflective of the customer needs. Trip cancellations are inherent in any pre-booked type of service given customers are required to book their trip in advance. High cancellation rates can also have a negative impact on the efficiency of the schedules, noting that cancellations can leave open time in schedules that could have been utilized by another customer trip. This issue is somewhat mitigated by the ability for customers to request same-day bookings, which are accommodated to the extent possible given cancellations of previously-booked trips.
This measure is another that is used by all specialized systems in the Province, and often as a peer comparator. When comparing rates to peers, it is imperative to understand the other differences between systems that may impact this rate. By way of example, the longer the booking window (earliest time a customer can book a trip in advance of the actual trip), the more chance there is that the trip will be cancelled. Conversely, a very short booking window would in all likelihood result in fewer cancellations, given the trip is booked very close to the date of travel and it is less likely that plans will need to be changed. Currently, London operates on a three day booking window, which provides a balance between required advance notice, and increased ability for customers to attempt to secure a booking given they have three days to do so.
The recommended target for trip cancellations for 2018 is 12.5% of trips booked.
- No-Shows are a similar measure to cancellations in that they are trips that were booked and did not occur; however, in the case of no-shows, they occur when a vehicle has showed up to the address of the booked trip, and the customer does not show up. A no-show is recorded when a vehicle has waited at the booked location for 5 minutes past the booked time, at which time they contact the trip assigner to confirm the no-show and request permission to leave. These events have a much more negative impact on service than cancellations given there is no opportunity to fill the gap left by the no-show.
Given the negative implications on the schedule relating to no-shows, the target is low, and recurring no-shows are managed. As discussed in Staff Report #5, dated June 18, 2018, the new trip reminder feature, which provides an automated call to customers 45 minutes prior to their trip, is hoped to reduce the number of no-shows. Given this feature is just being implemented, the recommended no-show rate has not been reduced, noting it will take some time for customers to embrace this new feature.
The recommended target for no-shows for 2018 is 1.5% of trips booked.
- Total Trips Completed is a measure that is the result of a number of other measures. This measure is the percentage of trips actually delivered as compared to the total trips actually booked, with the difference between the two being no-shows and cancellations. This measure provides insight into whether the booking window and booking options available are meeting the customer’s needs. It is also an indication of whether the targets established for no-shows and cancellations (discussed in greater detail below) are being met.
The recommended target for trip completion rate, based on the targets for no-shows and cancellations is 86% of trips booked.
Recommended by:
Christopher Murphy, Supervisor, LCTB
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager