Report to/Rapport au :

Transit Commission /

Commission du transport en commun

and Council / et au conseil

09 August 2011 / le 09 août 2011

Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/

Directrice municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Vincent Patterson, Manager, Marketing and Strategic Development; Transit Services/Service de transports en commun

(613) 580-2424 x3672, vincent.patterson@ottawa.ca

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That Transit Commission receive this report for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que la Commission du transport en commun prenne connaissance de ce rapport.

BACKGROUND

As part of the 2011 Budget process, City Council directed OC Transpo to achieve $22M in annualized savings.  On February 16, 2011, OC Transpo tabled the 2011 Business Plan as supplemental information to the budget.  As part of the Business Plan, staff identified “network optimization” as a means of saving $19.5M annually; $6.5M to be achieved in 2011 (additional savings add up to $22M and $7.3M).

On March 23, OC Transpo identified the routes that would be affected by the proposed network optimization changes, which were grouped into four categories:

·         Unchanged or enhanced;

·         Consolidated;

·         Shortened; and

·         Reduced hours of service for low-ridership routes or route sections.

Through an extensive public consultation process, which included five open houses, a variety of customer feedback opportunities and extensive advertising, OC Transpo made improvements to approximately two-thirds of the original proposed route changes.  More than 10,000 residents provided OC Transpo their feedback over the course of the public consultation period.

On April 20^th, Transit Commission approved the final Network Optimization Report (ACS2011-ICS-TRA-0011), which identified the specific route changes that will be implemented for September service (Document 1). 

Transit Commission gave OC Transpo a number of directions to address as a result of the extensive route changes, including: 

• Review budgetary impacts of the work required to implement the changes;
• Review the transfer points to ensure that the appropriate timing, shelters, locations, lighting and facilities are in place to provide convenient and safe connections;
• Review school zones to determine if the current proposals in effect are detrimental to parents who walk their children to school and then take the bus, and if this is creating an increased hazard due to additional vehicles driving in the vicinity of schools, adjustments are undertaken to mitigate any safety issues;
• Utilize the City’s Equity and Inclusion Lens to assist in assessing the impact on specific populations who may face barriers in a follow-up study after the service changes; and
• Create a working group of staff and four Commissioners to develop a comprehensive communications strategy.

OC Transpo staff have provided Transit Commission regular updates – both verbal and written – since the approval of the Network Optimization Report.  The purpose of this report is to provide the Transit Commission with final details regarding the work completed to date and the communication strategy to support customers leading up to and during the implementation of these changes.  

DISCUSSION

Communications and Information - Check Your Route

Customers see regular modifications to their timetables with the changing of every season, which usually generates increases in inquiries and traffic to the OC Transpo website, and customer service centre, as well as to councilor’s offices.

Based on past seasonal changes and the fact that September is “back to work/back to school” time, and recognizing that changes to the transit network as a result of the Network Optimization Plan are unprecedented in terms of scale and scope, it is anticipated that there will be an adjustment period for the commuting public.  Transit users, like others, will have to familiarize themselves with the new system and the time required to travel to their destinations.  Recognizing this, a comprehensive communication plan has been developed to ensure riders understand and can navigate the system before the new system takes effect on September 4.

The marketing and communication plan identifies objectives, strategies and a communication action plan to support the implementation of the OC Transpo bus route network changes that will take place in September as a result of the network optimization initiative.

The specific objectives for the campaign are to provide sufficient advance-route planning and schedule information to permit customers to easily use OC Transpo services throughout the network transition period – beginning September 4 - and beyond.

Recognizing the scale of the network optimization changes taking place in September, a range of communication and marketing activities have been identified to minimize confusion for customers, simplify the process of navigating the new network, and ultimately to ensure a successful implementation of the new services from the first day of operation.  While network changes take place regularly throughout the year and outreach plans exist to support them, the scope of these network optimization changes have resulted in additional efforts to reach out and help customers navigate the new system.

To provide direction and advice during the process, an internal working group was created, which comprised of OC Transpo and Corporate Communication staff, and Transit Commissioners Deans, Egli, Blais and Reporter. This Working Group met three times over the course of the summer to lead communication planning activities.  The development of all promotional items and supporting materials (bus cards, etc) was completed in consultation with this group.  Further, the sequencing of activities was discussed and debated during these sessions.  Finally, an overarching look and feel and campaign was debated and approved during these meetings; all communication material will have three distinguishing marks: the colour green, the checkmark symbol and the words “Check Your Route”.

www.checkyourroute.ca has been created specifically as a “one-stop shopping” point for the public to review route changes, plan their trips and gather information. The checkyourroute.ca Web site is prominently featured on communication material to lead people to check out what the service changes may mean for their own transit routine. It appears on bus cards, print advertising and bus shelter ads – all of which also feature a QR code leading directly to the Web site, on take-ones as well as on specially designed eye-catching placards attached from the bottom of bus stop signs.

Desktop, call-centre and mobile versions of the Travel Planner have been available since 20 July, and will be promoted in communication materials throughout the campaign.

The Next Stop Announcement System will be updated prior to the September service change with the new route structure.  In addition, by mid to late August automated announcements will be made reminding customers to check the Web site or contact the call centre if they have questions regarding their route. 

The Travel Planner, which can be found at octranspo.com and checkyourroute.ca, has the functionality of allowing customers to view their route up to 60 days in advance (was operational as of July 20). The usual process only allowed for a 14-day view.  This feature allows customers to plan their trips with the new routes and service schedule.

The communications plan outlines activities that include the production and distribution of written, graphical, and electronic information materials, as well as interaction with transit riders through front-line operations staff, sales and information centres, and customer call centres in the lead up and during the service change.

Information will be presented through print and media advertising, octranspo.com, updated maps and schedules, take-ones, PSAs, as well as student fact sheets for schools and universities.

The table below provides a summary of the communication materials that will be made available on the transit system in the lead up and during the service change:

Internal Preparation

As true ambassadors of the OC Transpo brand, it was important to keep employees in several work units informed and engaged throughout the Network Optimization. To ensure internal coordination, assist with preparing and organizing their work, and help identify issues, the September Service Implementation Working Group was created.

This internal working group consists of representatives from OC Transpo’s Service Design, Scheduling, Operations, Fleet Maintenance, Facilities, Customer Service and Public Information units.  The group met bi-weekly since May 4 to review the program implementation schedule, identify required resources, and ensure all units of OC Transpo are on schedule.

Frontline operations personnel are in an ideal position to make riders aware of the upcoming changes, and to direct people to comprehensive information sources such as the call centre or website. Most employees at OC Transpo will be counted upon to play an active role in helping our customers along and pointing them to the right places for them to check their route. In addition to the steps usually taken for service changes each fall, a number of initiatives were undertaken to ensure the work, scheduling and configuration of resources could be met.

Bus Operators

Operators are the face of OC Transpo and have the most direct contact with customers. Recognizing this, focused efforts and new and creative information resources and training were provided to Operators, to enable them to respond to customers in an informed and helpful way during the September 2011 campaign. Opportunities and resources for operators in the lead up to the campaign included: 

·         Participation in campaign launch;

·         For the September booking, bus Operators were provided route change details, including the one-time issue of a pocket-book that includes descriptions and maps;

·         A video presentation of service changes was posted on DriversSeat (web site available to bus operator at work or at home);

·         Email campaign that provided information related to the changes;

·         Operators have been provided with a green golf shirt with the checkmark and “Check your route” logo on the sleeve, which they will be asked to wear on specific days in August and early September; and

·         During their Clever Device training this summer, Operators received training on pointing customers to where to find information on the September 4 changes, starting with the checkyourroute.ca web address and the City of Ottawa Library branches.

Scheduling work (Booking) for Operators was addressed in early July.  One of the most important steps in developing the September Booking was to maintain and balance the improvements implemented in the June Booking with the direction of the network optimization recommendations.  As such, the September Booking was developed to distribute the work as evenly as possible amongst our existing workforce while considering the feedback received from Operators as a result of the June Booking.

The workload reduction represents approximately a 7% decline from September 2010 levels. As Transit was operating with 74 FTEs short to manage previous levels and new hiring was suspended in April following the approval of the budget, Transit has allocated the work hours over its current staff levels which is in decline every month. This will result in lower overtime as the spareboard (to cover sickness, vacations and other absences) has been increased proportionately. With increased control over daily planning this adjustment will result in meeting costs, improving service delivery without causing a layoff.

For All Staff

All staff of OC Transpo received information and/or training regarding the September schedule.  Special briefing sessions were held for Operations Supervisors and other frontline staff, including Customer Service Representatives, Special Constables and Fare Inspectors received specific training to help with customers.  In addition:

·         Information and awareness articles were provided throughout the summer in weekly operational bulletins and Transpo Express;

·         Classroom training  was offered (as part of scheduled SmartBus training), including the importance of the September service change, customer service expectations and messaging for Operators; and

September 6, 7 and 8, many office employees, including Managers, will make themselves available at Transitway stations and other important points in the system to help customers.

As has been the case throughout the Network Optimization exercise, Transit Commissioners will continue to be actively involved in helping riders navigate changes at the beginning of September, both through their offices and by being available at Transitway stations on or around September 6.

Implementation Costs

The service changes in September 2011 as part of the Network Optimization require more preparation than is usual for a fall schedule change.  OC Transpo has incurred approximately $450,000 in additional costs, which have been accommodated within Transit’s overall budget.  The incremental costs for the September 2011 route changes are:

·         For physical changes to bus stops and bus stop markers, approximately $200,000

·         For the “Check Your Route” information campaign, approximately $150,000

·         For preparing printed information and information on the web, approximately $50,000

·         For preparing service schedules and operators’ work schedules, approximately $50,000

These estimates are the costs for additional material, additional staff time, and additional work by contractors that would not have been required for a fall service change of customary magnitude.

Infrastructure

OC Transpo has been working closely with a number of City departments to ensure a smooth transition for transit customers.

In the immediate term, on-street service work (bus stops, flags, maps, etc) is scheduled to be completed by August 26.  As part of this, Transit facilities personnel will replace about 3,500 bus flags along bus routes; each new bus flag will have a prominent green flap below it with the checkmark and “Check your route” logo to signify that a change has been introduced.

In terms of infrastructure requirements, OC Transpo and Public Works are well into the process of moving bus stops, re-locating shelters and preparing for winter maintenance. 

Maintenance standards take into account various features of the road including bus routes, traffic volume, adjacent properties (ie: schools, hospitals, etc.). Analysis determined that due to these factors, the removal or addition of a bus route alone did not result in any changes to winter maintenance service levels as only sub class changes resulted.

The analysis also concluded that, where applicable, snow removal on pathways and sidewalks will be done without negative impacts.

If any sidewalk connectivity issues are identified by customers, lighting requirements will then be reviewed for those locations by Roads and Traffic Operations and the Maintenance part of Public Works (RTOM).

The table below highlights the extensive work required to implement these changes and the large number of issues that needed to be addressed.  For example, 1,500 schedules had to be revised, and 3,300 replacement flags had to be placed at bus stops.

Table 2

Reaching ALL Customers

As directed by Transit Commission, OC Transpo will initiate a 6-month impact study - after the service changes have been made - that will focus on those people who may face barriers using the new transit network. Those OC Transpo staff involved with the study will participate in training provided by the City of Ottawa Equity and Inclusion Lens.

OC Transpo will also focus on Travel Training, which is a comprehensive instructional program delivered by local schools, community groups, organizations and agencies in partnership with OC Transpo. The program is designed to teach people with disabilities, seniors and new immigrants to travel safely and independently on conventional transit.

The community agencies and schools that take part in travel training were contacted in mid-May to inform them of the upcoming route changes and to discuss the possible need for further training to individuals who have successfully completed travel training and may have to use a new route in the fall. These groups included all school boards (French and English) and hospitals, as well as, community agencies who serve people with developmental disabilities, mental health needs, acquired brain injury and stroke associations, people who use mobility devices, and various group homes and day programs.

Further, customers who are in need of learning a new route have had access over the summer to OC Transpo resources, such as the Travel Planner and employees, to acquire the new skills necessary to navigate the new or changed routes. Special Travel Training Passes have been issued to individuals over the summer months to continue their training and walk the new route to enable them to be prepared for the September change.

As September approaches and customers decide on school and job placements, there is an expectation that OC Transpo will receive a few more requests from customers who need additional training and the use of a Travel Training Pass.

OC Transpo enjoys invaluable cooperation from the City of Ottawa Library. Library staff at most branches have received training to respond to residents’ inquiries and support them by walking them through Travel Planner sessions on the OC Transpo Web site. Library staff are equipped to address customers’ needs in multiple languages.

School Service

OC Transpo operates approximately 325 special school trips each day, to carry approximately 5,000 customers each morning and 8,000 customers each afternoon. In addition to these special trips, many customers use the regular all-day OC Transpo services to travel to and from school. Trips are planned in consultation with Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (representing the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board) and the Consortium de transport scolaire d’Ottawa (representing the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario and the Conseil des écoles Catholiques du Centre-Est)

Every year, changes are made to the school services to respond to changes in school attendance and times and changes in the rest of the transit network. This year, the changes are more significant than in other years, because of the evolution of the bus fleet and because of the network optimization project.

The most evident change to the school service will be the renumbering of many of the special school trips to make identification and use easier for customers. These trips will now be designated as special trips on the main all-day route for the area rather than having a separate route number in the 600-series. The special 600-series numbers were created because the old scrolling front signs on buses could not be updated to include the school names as destinations. Now, with older buses having been retired and with 100 percent of the bus fleet having programmable electronic front signs, better information can be provided to customers. For example, “152X BELL H.S.” will replace the former “667 SPECIAL”. The school trips that do not follow the same streets as regular all-day routes or that do not reach the major destination that the regular routes serve (such as a Transitway station) will continue to be designated with a 600-series number.

Due to the realignment of some school routes, it may be beneficial for students to use regular routes instead of a designated school route.  These changes are part of the communications strategy and will be highlighted through octranspo.com and through the schools themselves (to the extent possible during the summer).

The most wide-ranging change to the school services this year is the realignment of some routes to follow the revised route network approved as part of the network optimization project. The school trips are being revised to follow the same streets and to use the same bus stops as the all-day routes in the area.  With these changes, approximately 270 individual customers of the 8,000 who use school services will have a longer walk to their nearest bus stop.  Some customers will have a shorter walk.

Route Changes Near Schools

As part of the Network Optimization initiative, the Transit Commission directed OC Transpo to review the current ridership patterns near schools where bus routes would be changing, to determine if the route changes would cause unsafe traffic congestion as a result of parents no longer being able to walk their children to school and then board at a nearby bus stop.

Staff from OC Transpo and Public Works analyzed and identified all street sections where there are elementary schools and where transit service is being removed. There are 23 such schools in the City. (High schools were not included in the analysis because students of that age generally walk to school without an accompanying parent.)

From current OC Transpo passenger counts, staff calculated that there are 53 transit customers who board buses at stops near these 23 schools on the trips closest to the school start time. This figure includes all customers, not just those who are parents and who have walked with their children to school.

On a school-by-school basis, staff prepared estimates of possible increases in auto traffic if some parents chose to drive their children to school rather than walk with them and then walk to a bus stop. If half of the customers boarding at the nearby stops at the school start time are parents (and staff suspect that the actual proportion is smaller than that), then there is one school (St. Michael, on Donald Street) where there could be as many as five additional cars, and for all of the other of the 23 schools there could be no more than three additional cars.

Public Works has confirmed that these small numbers of potential additional cars would not cause any congestion or safety problems in the vicinity of these 23 schools, including l’Étoile de l’Est on Beauséjour Drive, which was the school discussed at Transit Commission.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no specific environmental implications associated with this report.

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

N/A

CONSULTATION

Extensive public consultation was conducted in the development of the Network Optimization plan.  Although there is no specific consultation required for this report it should be noted that OC Transpo will be launching a comprehensive communications plan to engage customers.

COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR

N/A

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no legal implications associated with this report.

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

N/A

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

Implementing the Network Optimization proposal directly and indirectly supports the following objectives of the Strategic Plan.

A1.      Improve the City’s transportation network to afford ease of mobility, keep pace with growth, reduce congestion and work towards modal split targets.

I4.        Become a financially sustainable city.

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

All technical implications are outlined within the report.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The 2011 budget incorporated expenditure savings of $6.4M related to the network optimization plan, with savings increasing in 2012 when operational for a full year.  Transit has forecasted that 2011 financial results will be on budget.  This forecast will be reliant on adjusting costs as of September 2011 when the route optimization plan is implemented. 

IT IMPLICATIONS

There are no specific IT implications associated with this report.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

N/A

DISPOSITION

OC Transpo will implement the communications strategy to ensure that the public is engaged in the process and able to effectively use the public transit system.