TCAT Quick Stats
In 2014, TCAT...
....operated 1,586,902 revenue miles
....operated 120,657 revenue hours
....recorded 4,296,844 rides
....recorded 10,879,160 passenger miles
As of December 2014, TCAT...
....operated 33 routes (including one demand-response
route and one summer-only route)
....had 49 vehicles (48 transit buses, 1 mini-bus)
TCAT recorded 41.5 rides per capita in 2014.
(based on the 2014 population of Tompkins County)
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Ridership Stats
Service Productivity
Other Ridership Fleet and Operations Metrics
Budget/ Fuel costs
Communications
Human Resources
Conclusion
3
4
11
13
15
23
26
28
29
Prepared by:
Matt Yarrow
TCAT Service Analyst
May 2015
Cover by Jenn Jennings
900
Executive Summary
After seven straight years of ridership increases, 2014 brought a slight dip in ridership with a 2.1%
decrease. This turned out to be a harbinger for other measures of TCAT’s system – it was a difficult
and challenging year for TCAT. This report will illustrate some of the current challenges TCAT faces
as well as some opportunities for improvement in 2015. What is more difficult to show in graphs is
the effort that TCAT employees invest in the success of this organization on a daily basis.
Some challenges that TCAT faced in 2014 (and beyond):
• Decreasing ridership: decreasing gas prices, especially in the second half of 2014, likely contributed to TCAT’s lower ridership.
• A shrinking and aging fleet: TCAT started the year with 53 vehicles and ended it with 49 (having
lost one bus to an accident and 3 to old age (excessive corrosion and skyrocketing repair costs).
Out of the entire fleet, 37% of buses were at or past their replacement age.
• Maintenance challenges: the number of road calls (bus breakdowns) increased in 2014 and at the
same time on-time preventative maintenance performance decreased. These measures underscore
the effect of an aging fleet and insufficient bus spare ratio.
• Missed trips became a thorn in the side of TCAT’s usually impeccable service. The main peak of
missed trips occurred in the late summer to early fall and spurred TCAT to make important changes
in its service at the beginning of 2015.
• Increase in unpreventable accidents: Although the vast majority of accidents TCAT sees are
minor (e.g. mirror clips), 2015 saw the unfortunate increase in non-preventable accidents while
preventable accidents stayed relatively unchanged. This is an indicator of increasing traffic volume
on local streets as well as the effect of several long-term detours.
• TCAT faced increasingly severe budgetary issues in 2014. Falling federal funding levels and flat
state and local funding have impacted TCAT’s operational and capital budgets. Service increases
were put on hold; three staff positions were not filled or canceled altogether. TCAT was unable to
undertake important capital projects in 2014, such as bus replacements, facility upgrades, and the
the ITS (intelligent transportation systems) project that will bring real-time information to TCAT
passengers.
Some positive trends and opportunities:
• A May 2014 TCAT rider survey showed that customers are satisfied with TCAT. Most respondents
agree or strongly agree that TCAT gets them where they need to go (84%), service is dependable
(77%), and staff is professional and courteous (78%).
• Funding eventually came through in 2014 to order 2 large buses and 2 small buses; which went
into service by March 2015.
• After noting that Cornell’s average fare per ride had dropped from close to a dollar in 2010 to
83¢ in 2013, negotiations ensued, ultimately resulting in an increase in Cornell’s bulk fare payment
that will be phased in over 3 years.
• The lower fuel prices meant that TCAT spent less on fuel in 2014 than it has in three years.
• TCAT’s DOT inspection rate stayed over 90% for 2014.
• 2014’s annual employee retention rate was higher than in 2013.
The 2014 yearbook provides an honest look at the current state of TCAT as a transit system and a
non-profit organization providing a critical community service. While the challenges we face going
into 2015 are numerous, TCAT staff bring energy every day to the task of improving service and
molding the local transit system to the needs of the community. Some exciting projects coming
in 2015 and beyond: a technology project will bring real-time information to our passengers and
improve internal efficiency, several new 40-foot and mini-buses will be ordered to help us rejuvenate our fleet, and the “What’s a Bus Stop?” project will optimize and improve our bus stops and
shelters.
Ridership Stats
Prior to 2014, TCAT’s ridership had been growing consistently since 2007; in 2012, TCAT joined the
ranks of mid-sized transit agencies by surpassing 4 million rides annually. 2014 brought a change in
this pattern of consistent growth. Looking at ridership by quarter, it is evident that 2014 started with
positive growth (2.3%) and then fell to zero growth by the second quarter and descending to -4%
growth by the fourth quarter. In the table below, the change in ridership by quarter is compared to
the change in Upstate NY gas prices from the previous quarter and the missed trips by quarter. Both
of these measures correlate well with the decrease in ridership, showing that they are likely factors
in explaining the ridership decrease.
When considering changes in TCAT ridership
over the past dozen years, it is clear from the
graph below, that the overall trend is toward
higher ridership. Even with the decrease in
ridership in 2014, the R-Squared value for the
trend line is 0.94 – indicating a good fit with a
linear model. Over this period, TCAT added, on
average, more than 155,000 rides/year. TCAT
benefits from a local community that rides the
bus in high numbers. The 2009-2013 American
Community Survey showed that 12.4% (±1.9%)
of workers in Ithaca used public transit to get to
work. This compares favorably to Syracuse (8.0%),
Binghamton (7.5%), and Rochester (7.7%).
Ridership, Gas Prices, Missed Trips by Quarter
2014
Measure
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Change in TCAT
ridership from same
quarter 2013
2.3%
0.0%
-3.5%
-4.0%
Change in Upstate
gas prices from
previous quarter
2.0%
3.4%
-2.8%
-13.4%
45.0
66.0
231.0
72.0
Ave Missed
trips/month for
quarter
Annual TCAT Ridership and Percent Growth
5 .0 M
4.39M
6.3%
4 .5 M
3.94M
10.3%
To ta l A n n u a l R id e rsh ip
4 .0 M
4.30M
-2.1%
3.58M
6.7%
3 .5 M
3 .0 M
4.13M
4.7%
3.11M
1.3%
3.09M
12.9%
3.32M
6.8%
3.35M
1.0%
2.79M
7.4%
3.07M
-0.9%
2.74M
-1.7%
2 .5 M
2 .0 M
% ∆ Total Rides
Total Rides
-2.5%
2.0M
4.5M
0.0%
1 .5 M
5.0%
10.0%
13.0%
1 .0 M
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Y ear
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Ridership by Route Category
A look at the ridership by route category (graph below) shows that all the major categories exhibited
decreasing ridership in 2014. Interestingly, the urban category decreased the least – only 1%. If the
downtown-Cornell circulator (route 10) is removed from the urban category, the remaining urban
routes actually had slightly positive ridership growth in 2014. This suggests that a dip in Cornell
ridership contributed to the overall decline in system-wide ridership. When campus ridership is
split into day vs. night, a clear difference emerges: the daytime ridership decreased significantly by
5.7% while nighttime ridership increased 4.7% for the year. In fact, the campus night category (90,
92, & 93) has increased a whopping 150% since 2007! On the other hand, campus day service (81,
82, & 83) has been relatively stable over the last decade with only a 13% increase since 2005.
The rural “minimum service” routes (20, 22, 36, 37, 40, 53, 65, 74, 75, & 77) have only a few peak
hour trips a day; ridership on these routes declined 3.2% in 2014, but this category is still up 117%
since 2005. The rural “large market” routes (21, 41, 43, 52, & 67) serve the larger outlying villages
and have mid-day trips and peak hour service; this category decreased 3.5% in 2014.
Annual TCAT Ridership by Route Category
Route Category
2005
Urban Total
C am pus
C am pus D ay
C am pus Night
Urban
R ural Total
R ural Large
R ural Min.
2,735,944
1,026,261
912,409
113,852
1,709,683
358,416
260,432
97,984
2006
2,674,183
876,575
777,038
99,537
1,797,609
391,126
276,983
114,143
2007
2,713,008
850,437
752,856
97,581
1,862,571
393,207
270,646
122,561
2008
2,862,428
848,242
743,487
104,755
2,010,748
455,283
300,824
154,459
2009
2,869,689
833,048
718,450
114,598
2,036,641
482,103
311,317
170,786
2010
3,089,507
1,040,386
903,188
137,198
2,049,121
488,072
298,674
189,398
2011
3,407,935
1,154,271
979,944
174,327
2,253,664
536,690
339,617
197,073
2012
3,591,621
1,200,811
995,650
205,161
2,390,810
536,621
334,036
202,585
2013
3,839,443
1,271,435
1,027,417
244,018
2,568,008
549,256
336,086
213,170
2014
3,766,431
1,224,343
968,740
255,603
2,542,088
530,413
324,157
206,256
Total
3,094,360 3,065,309 3,106,215 3,317,711 3,351,792 3,577,579 3,944,625 4,128,242 4,388,699 4,296,844
Percent Change
12.9%
-0.9%
1.3%
6.8%
1.0%
6.7%
10.3%
4.7%
6.3%
-2.1%
Annual TCAT Ridership by Major Route Category
Measure Names
2 ,5 4 2K
2 ,3 9 1K
2 ,0 3 7K
1 ,2 2 4K
1 ,2 7 1K
1 ,2 0 1K
2009
2010
5 3 0K
8 3 3K
8 4 8K
2008
5 4 9K
2007
5 3 7K
2006
5 3 7K
2005
1 ,1 5 4K
1 ,0 4 0K
2004
4 8 8K
3 9 3K
2003
4 8 2K
3 9 1K
2002
4 5 5K
3 5 8K
8 5 0K
8 7 7K
1 ,0 2 6K
3 3 9K
0K
3 7 1K
9 6 9K
1,000K
500K
1 ,8 6 3K
1 ,4 9 8K
9 0 2K
1 ,4 4 6K
9 7 1K
1 ,2 9 2K
1,500K
3 3 5K
Annual Ridership
2,000K
1 ,7 9 8K
1 ,7 1 0K
U rban
2 ,0 1 1K
URrban
ural
2 ,0 4 9K
2 ,2 5 4K
RCural
am p us
2,500K
2 ,5 6 8K
C am p us
Measure Names
2011
2012
2013
2014
Change in Ridership by Route
From 2013 to 2014, changes in ridership by route ranged from a high of 8.5% (Rt. 93) to a low of
-15% (Rt. 20). The average change in ridership across all routes was -2.1%. Route 93 and 92 serve
Cornell’s Campus, student housing, Collegetown and East Hill Plaza, with route 93 extending to
Eastern Heights. Demand for these night routes (92 also runs weekend days) increased in 2014, a
trend that continues from 2013. Remarkably, despite an overall decrease in rural ridership, many of
the best performing routes in 2014 were rural routes: 75, 65, 52, 36, and 53. An increase of ridership
on 52 and 53 indicate indicates an increase in bus commuters living in Ellis Hollow, Brooktondale
and Caroline. The two poorest performing routes (20 and 21) serve Enfield and Trumansburg. In
June of 2014, the Enfield Park ‘n’ Ride at the corner of Route 79 and Enfield Main Rd was moved
to Enfield Town Hall due to objections of the property owner. This is likely to have negatively
impacted the travel patterns of people commuting into Tompkins County along Route 79 and, in
turn, the ridership on route 20. On these rural routes especially, the lower gas prices in 2014 may
have changed commuters’ personal calculus in determining whether it is easier or cheaper to drive
versus taking the bus. The campus day routes also had a lackluster performance in 2014. Because
dispatchers often removed buses on routes 81 and 82 when there were bus shortages during peak
times of day, it makes sense that ridership on these routes was negatively affected. Most of the
urban routes clustered around the zero growth line (see below). Absolute ridership numbers by
route are shown on the next page.
Changes in Annual TCAT Ridership by Route (2013-2014)
2014 Ridership
0
8.0%
93
75
65
400,000
600,000
6.0%
Percent Change in Ridership by Route
800,000
52
36
4.0%
53
15
2.0%
0.0%
92
51
40
11
-2.0%
90
72
30
67
32
10
C am p us N ig ht
R ural Larg e M ark et
R ural M in. S erv ic e
77
70
A ve ra g e p e rce n t ch a n g e 2 0 1 3 -2014
43
13
82
74
-6.0%
83
37
22
31
41
-10.0%
-12.0%
Route Category
C am p us D ay
U rb an
14
-4.0%
-8.0%
200,000
81
21
-14.0%
20
-16.0%
labeled
D Datapoints
ata p o in ts areare
labeled
by T Cby
ATTCAT
ro ute route
Ridership by Route: 2013 vs. 2014 (recodes are miscoded trips where the route is unknown)
Rt.
Destination
N/A Rec odes
10
CU - Com m ons
11
IC - Com m ons
13
Norths ide - M all
14
W es t Hill
15
S W S hopping
17
TCA T/F all Creek
20
E nfield
21
Trum ans burg
22
S tate P ark s
30
Com m ons - M all
31
NE Ithac a
32
A irport
36
S outh Lans ing
37
North Lans ing
40
G roton
41
DR F reeville
'13 Rides '14 Rides Change
94
1
-93
479,177 474,938
-4,239
211,803
52,522
122,536
119,338
215,513
3,710
1.7%
52
'13 Rides '14 Rides Change Δ (%)
141,701 138,375
Dry den - TC3
-3,326 -2.4%
E as tern Heights 143,075 146,842
3,767 2.6%
45,327
Newark V alley
47,794
2,467 5.2%
50,324
-2,198
-4.4%
53
E llis Hollow
122,446
-90
-0.1%
65
Danby
2,652
121,990
35,285
48,314
8,896
N/A
43
-0.9%
51
Destination
2.2%
67
Newfield
70
W k end M all
42,019
-6,295 -15.0%
72
W k end A irport
94,662
-10,792 -11.4%
74
W k end G roton
8,288
-608
-7.3%
75
W k end Dry den
764,100
1,242
0.2%
77
W k end W arren
106,056
-8,303
-7.8%
81
C.U. W eek day
278,884
-3,753
-1.3%
82
C.U. W eek day
20,805
1,069
5.1%
83
C.U. W eek day
27,270
-1,582
-5.8%
90
C.U. Night
37,812
808
2.1%
92
C.U. Night
17,463
-1,597
continued at right
-9.1%
93
C.U. Night
TOTAL
762,858
114,359
282,637
19,736
28,852
37,004
19,060
Rt.
-13,677 -63.3%
21,608
105,454
Δ (%)
↗
14,690
20,991
42,849
175,402
62,534
4,339
8,587
433
569,609
411,312
55,395
57,270
129,310
57,950
15,183
493 3.2%
22,726
1,735 7.6%
42,334
-515 -1.2%
172,664
-2,738 -1.6%
62,990
456 0.7%
4,146
-193 -4.7%
9,365
778 8.3%
429
-4 -0.9%
520,012
-49,597 -9.5%
401,279
-10,033 -2.5%
52,451
-2,944 -5.6%
58,270
1,000 1.7%
134,466
5,156 3.8%
63,339
5,389 8.5%
4,388,699 4,296,844 -91,855 -2.1%
Map of TCAT Ridership by Stop 2014
Rides2014
≤ 10
50,000
Route Category
C am p us
R ural
100,000
Suburban
150,000
U rban
≥ 200,000
Ridership by Stop
For 2014, all boarding locations were analyzed and grouped by the closest bus stop. We kept some
stops, such as Greet St. and Seneca St. as distinct; in other cases the easiest approach was to group
paired stops such as Sage Hall and Statler Hall on Cornell’s campus. As in previous years, Green
@ Commons had the highest ridership system-wide with close to 360,000 rides in 2014. Seneca @
Commons, as the paired stop for Green St, also had high ridership. Together, these two stops make
up over 15% of total TCAT ridership in 2014. At just under 275,000 rides in 2014, the two main
Collegetown stops (Schwartz PAC and College @ Dryden) shows the importance of Collegetown as
both an area of student housing and student-oriented services. A series of paired stops on Cornell’s
campus are the next highest ridership stops (see figure below). The Shops at Ithaca Mall stop (with
125,000 rides) shows the importance of the mall as a destination and a terminus to the route 30
(TCAT’s highest ridership route). The TC3 stop and the Dryden Village stops are the highest rural
ridership stops, being served by routes 43 and 75.
Ridership by Stop - 2014 total boardings
K ennedy / C orson &
M udd
155,832
R isley H all/ B alc h @
Thurston
199,984
H asbrouck
A pts.
65,901
V et
S c hool/B TI
58,742
H elen
N ew m an
56,141
U ris H all
218,348
R oy P ark
S c hool
47,453
S tate @
Q uarry
50,011
S hops at Ithac a
Mall @ S ears
124,977
A Lot/ J essup Tennis
C ourts
158,894
Tioga @ C ourt
66,326
Tripham m er
M all
48,073
C ourt @
Linn
49,784
A nabel
Tay lor/C arpenter
H all
93,909
S age/ S tatler H all
266,328
D airy B ar
68,627
B ak er Flagpole
81,752
S c hw artz/ C ollege @ D ry den
274,871
S enec a @ C om m ons
293,672
G oldw in S m ith/ R oc k ef eller
246,784
G reen @ C om m ons
359,740
Ridership by month, day of week, hour of day
TCAT’s annual ridership patterns reflect the collegiate academic year, with ridership peaks in the
spring and autumn while classes are in session. As expected, the majority of ridership occurs on
weekdays with weekends making up a small fraction of total boardings by month (see pie chart
below). As shown in the ridership-by-day graph, weekdays see higher ridership than weekends.
Thursdays have the highest average daily ridership with 14,953 rides/day, followed by Fridays with
14,809 average rides/day. Daytime ridership drops off on Fridays, while Thurs-Sat late night ridership
has grown over the years. Weekends have significantly lower ridership with an average of 6,996 and
4,400 rides on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively. This reflects fewer commute-to-work trips and
a reduced offering of transit service on weekends. The graph below shows that the 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.
hour records the most boardings on weekdays. Interestingly, the p.m. peak is lower overall, but also
spread out more than the a.m. peak. The late-night bump in ridership at 1 a.m. occurs primarily
Thurs-Sat when party-goers are returning home. Weekend ridership has a distinctly different form
than weekday ridership, with one gradual peak occurring mid-afternoon.
Ridership by Month for 2014 (weekday vs. weekend)
Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Weekday
Ridership
Weekend
Ridership
Size of sphere is propotionate to total monthly ridership
Ridership by Day of Week and Hour of Day
1800
1600
1400
Average Ridership per Hour
1200
Day(s) of the Week
1000
800
M o n -W e d (a ve ra g e )
Th -F ri (a ve ra g e )
S a tu rd ay
S u n day
600
400
200
0
4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 1 0am 11am Noon 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12am 1am 2 am
H ou r of D ay
3am
Ridership by Fare Type
As a percentage of total boardings, Cornell fare
types remain the most common of all fares,
comprising 71.16% of 2014 ridership. This is a slight
decrease from 2013, when Cornell rides accounted
for 71.42% of TCAT ridership. Cash and TCAT
passes were the second and third most commons
fare types at 11.72% and 10.35% respectively. Cash
fare ridership decreased slightly more in 2014
– at 2.6% compared to TCAT Passes with a 0.9%
decrease. TCAT considers decreases in cash usage
positive due to the staff time involved in handling
cash. The only positive trend in usage by fare
type is the Ithaca College passes, particularly the
student 15-ride pass, which increased a healthy
26.6% in 2014. Tompkins Cortland Community
College (TC3) passes decreased 4.3% after three
years of healthy increases, perhaps indicating
that the TC3 student pass program has reached a
saturation point among the student body. City of
Ithaca employees increased their ridership, while
Tompkins County passes exhibited a drop in
ridership. More details on ridership by fare types
are shown in the table below.
Annual Rides by Fare Type
Fare Type
Cash
Adult
Youth
Half fare
TCAT Passes
Ride Passes
Day Passes
Other Passes
Youth
Cornell
All Zones
Zone 1 Pass
Eve + Weekend Pass
Not Specified
Ithaca College
Faculty/ Staff
Student Semester
Student 15-Ride Pass
Student Month Pass
TC3 Student
Unlimited Pass
Limited Pass
Government
City of Ithaca
Tompkins County
Other
Other
Transfers
Total
Ridership by Pass 2014
TC A T P asses
Transf er/
O ther
C ornell - Zone 1
Faculty & Staff
IC
G
TC3
C ornell E v e/W eek nd
C ornell - A ll Zones
New S tudents
C ash Fares
C ornell - A ll Zones
Faculty & S taf f
C ornell - A ll Zones
Other S tudents
G = Government
IC = Ithaca College
TC3 = Tompkins Cortland
Community College
Ridership by Fare Type 2010-2014
Percentage of Annual Rides by Fare Type Percent Change
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
10-'14
13-'14
456,010
373,571
32,069
50,370
412,548
113,008
237,837
103,662
19,744
2,528,728
1,924,733
458,384
139,519
6,092
71,570
38,404
33,166
0
0
10,129
7,777
2,352
11,807
4,306
7,502
86,786
0
86,786
3,577,579
520,536
416,422
47,822
56,292
421,411
139,217
233,180
5,439
43,575
2,725,731
2,069,886
498,508
150,274
7,063
114,502
45,698
47,817
15,716
5,271
17,317
13,560
3,757
11,588
2,931
8,657
133,540
23,927
109,613
3,944,625
510,997
408,571
49,050
53,376
430,863
135,700
235,349
4,831
54,983
2,913,855
2,250,289
474,200
169,140
20,226
123,231
45,814
49,471
21,770
6,176
25,356
19,252
6,104
11,722
2,747
8,975
112,218
2,898
109,320
4,128,242
514,408
414,691
47,199
52,518
454,077
134,502
249,326
8,110
62,139
3,134,298
2,435,977
477,574
200,324
20,423
128,614
47,500
44,667
27,861
8,586
23,871
18,630
5,241
11,893
3,235
8,658
121,538
1,370
120,168
4,388,699
500,860
402,658
43,524
54,678
450,064
130,247
249,553
9,090
61,174
3,057,500
2,381,075
446,481
215,797
14,147
133,523
44,148
46,004
35,266
8,105
22,843
18,143
4,700
11,622
3,605
8,017
120,432
1,071
119,361
4,296,844
12.75%
10.4%
0.9%
1.4%
11.53%
3.2%
6.6%
2.9%
0.6%
70.68%
53.8%
12.8%
3.9%
0.2%
2.00%
1.1%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.28%
0.2%
0.1%
0.33%
0.1%
0.2%
2.43%
0.0%
2.4%
100.0%
13.20%
10.6%
1.2%
1.4%
10.68%
3.5%
5.9%
0.1%
1.1%
69.10%
52.5%
12.6%
3.8%
0.2%
2.90%
1.2%
1.2%
0.4%
0.1%
0.44%
0.3%
0.1%
0.29%
0.1%
0.2%
3.39%
0.6%
2.8%
100.0%
12.38%
9.9%
1.2%
1.3%
10.44%
3.3%
5.7%
0.1%
1.3%
70.58%
54.5%
11.5%
4.1%
0.5%
2.99%
1.1%
1.2%
0.5%
0.1%
0.61%
0.5%
0.1%
0.28%
0.1%
0.2%
2.72%
0.1%
2.6%
100.0%
11.72%
9.4%
1.1%
1.2%
10.35%
3.1%
5.7%
0.2%
1.4%
71.42%
55.5%
10.9%
4.6%
0.5%
2.93%
1.1%
1.0%
0.6%
0.2%
0.54%
0.4%
0.1%
0.27%
0.1%
0.2%
2.77%
0.0%
2.7%
100.0%
11.66%
9.4%
1.0%
1.3%
10.47%
3.0%
5.8%
0.2%
1.4%
71.16%
55.4%
10.4%
5.0%
0.3%
3.11%
1.0%
1.1%
0.8%
0.2%
0.53%
0.4%
0.1%
0.27%
0.1%
0.2%
2.80%
0.0%
2.8%
100.0%
9.8%
7.8%
35.7%
8.6%
9.1%
15.3%
4.9%
-91.2%
209.8%
20.9%
23.7%
-2.6%
54.7%
132.2%
86.6%
15.0%
38.7%
N/A
N/A
125.5%
133.3%
99.8%
-1.6%
-16.3%
6.9%
38.8%
N/A
37.5%
20.1%
-2.6%
-2.9%
-7.8%
4.1%
-0.9%
-3.2%
0.1%
12.1%
-1.6%
-2.5%
-2.3%
-6.5%
7.7%
-30.7%
3.8%
-7.1%
3.0%
26.6%
-5.6%
-4.3%
-2.6%
-10.3%
-2.3%
11.4%
-7.4%
-0.9%
-21.8%
-0.7%
-2.1%
10
Service Productivity
Service productivity measures ridership change per unit of service delivered. The most common units
of measure are riders per revenue mile and riders per revenue hour. In 2013, system-wide averages
were 2.77 riders per revenue mile and 36.4 riders per revenue hour. In 2014, these measures were
2.71 riders per revenue mile and 35.6 riders per revenue hour, representing small decreases of 2.25%
and 2.1% respectively. These decreases in service productivity parallel the small decrease in total
ridership in 2014. However, TCAT’s service continues to have high service productivity measures – the
chart below shows that riders/hour and riders/mile were still higher in 2014 than the period between
2010 and 2012. As we reported last year, given that a high percentage of peak hour buses are full
or close to full - without changes in work hour start and end times to smooth out ridership demand
peaks - there is likely little room for increased efficiency above the current levels. Regardless, TCAT
continues to strive for efficiency in operations and service delivery.
Unsurprisingly, routes that travel through areas of high density during peak hours, namely urban
and campus routes, are the most productive based on these measures. Rural routes seem highly
unproductive, however, rural routes must travel greater distances over longer trips in order to pick
up riders. A better measure of rural route productivity would be the utilization of the capacity of
the bus—i.e. how “full” the bus is. Because TCAT has the technology to count passengers only
as they board, and not as they disembark, there is no easy and standardized way to measure the
“fullness” of buses without actually riding the buses and manually counting passengers. TCAT staff
has documented very full buses on rural routes 43, 40 and 21 during certain trips.
Productivity Measures for 2010 - 2014: Riders/hour and riders/hour are system-wide annual averages; Revenue Hours and Revenue Miles are broken into the three main route categories
40
Ave. Riders/hour
34.5
Riders/hour
31.0
30
26.5
20
31.8K
∫
32.1K
64.5K
69.5K
30.8K
33.5K
29.6K
62.0K
28.0K
29.8K
30.2K
62.5K
3 .0
Ave. Riders/mile
35.6
36.4
28.0K
62.4K
Rev. Hours
28.5K
2.8
2.6
2 .5
2.7
Riders/mile
2.3
2.2
677K
∫
706K
722K
263K
277K
260K
2 .0
666K
730K
268K
680K
637K
636K
264K
Rev. Miles
677K
646K
0.0
2010
2011
2012
Route Category:
C am p us
2013
R ural
U rban
2014
11
Comparison with other transit agencies
In relation to other transit agencies in Upstate New York, TCAT compares favorably. The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) designates extra funding for Small Transit Intensive Cities (population 50,000200,000). TCAT qualifies for STIC funding because TCAT is above the national average on 4 of the 6
STIC metrics. These metrics can also be useful to compare service among different agencies. In the
table below, TCAT is compared to other upstate transit agencies for 2013, the last year that data were
available. TCAT data for 2014 is also included; although ridership decreased in 2014, a new passenger
mile survey indicated that riders were traveling farther per trip - leading to increases in several metrics.
Examining the metrics in the four right-most columns in the table below, it is clear that TCAT has the
highest levels of transit service provision and consumption per capita of any transit agency in Upstate
New York. The vehicle utilization measures (left two columns in the metrics section of table below)
are lower because commuter-oriented (low ridership in off-peak direction) rural service makes up a
significant proportion of TCAT’s service. Nevertheless, these stats still compare favorably to some of
the larger transit operators in the state and mid-sized cities nationally (see last line of table below).
Principal Upstate New York Transit Agencies - 2013 Stats
Service
Area
Populaon
Unlinked
Passenger
Trips
Small Transit Intensive Cies Performance Metrics 2013
Vehicles Passenger Passenger Vehicle Vehicle
Operated Miles per Miles per Revenue Revenue Passenger Passenger
Maximum Revenue Revenue Miles per Hours per Miles per Trips per
Service
Mile
Hour
Capita
Capita
Capita
Capita
Transit
Agency
Locaon
Broome
Transit Binghamton
165,000
2,251,455
39
CDTA
Albany
618,360 15,062,212
184
Centro
Uca
154,159
1,170,926
23
CNY Centro Syracuse
467,025
9,372,854
123
GGFT
Glens Falls
61,090
331,728
5
NFTA
Buffalo
1,182,165 23,270,057
269
RTS
Rochester
694,394 19,975,013
213
TCAT 2013
Ithaca
102,554
4,388,699
43
TCAT 2014
Ithaca
103,617
4,296,844
43
US Urbanized Areas - populaon 200,000 - 999,999 (Averages)
7.1
6.8
4.1
9.2
3.6
10.3
9.9
6.4
6.9
6.3
78.1
80.9
49.6
102.4
64.1
109.3
128.2
83.5
90.2
104.6
6.8
11.5
6.3
6.3
5.4
7.1
8.4
15.4
15.3
10.6
0.6
1.0
0.5
0.6
0.3
0.7
0.6
1.2
1.2
0.7
48.5
78.0
25.8
58.3
19.5
73.1
82.4
98.3
105.0
82.4
13.6
24.4
7.6
20.1
5.4
19.7
28.8
42.8
41.5
13.2
Missed trips
Every transit agency has missed trips – there are certain factors in transit that cannot be completely
controlled. For TCAT, 2014 was not a good year for missed trips, especially in the summer and fall.
The graph below shows that the vast majority of one-way missed trips were due to bus shortages.
After four buses were retired from the fleet by mid-2014, TCAT’s spare ratio went down. This meant
that at peak times, only 6 buses could be out of service due to major mechanical issues, preventative
maintenance service, and DOT inspections. And two of these six were not full-sized buses! This turned
out to be an untenable situation and was a primary reason why the number of buses needed in peak
service was reduced for the January 2015 service period. Two major factors that contributed to the
missed trips issue were the aging fleet and the difficulty in obtaining capital funding for new buses.
250
Mis s ed trips
200
Reason for Missed Trip
Bus Sh o rtage
D riv er Sh o rtage
Eq uip m en t F ailure
150
O th er
100
50
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
12
Paratransit and Vanpool
As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990, TCAT contracts with Gadabout to provide
complementary paratransit to people who are unable to take fixed-route transit due to their disability. In addition to TCAT’s paratransit service,
Gadabout also provides transportation for senior
citizens in Tompkins County. Total Gadabout trips
decreased at a higher rate than last year at -6.1%
in 2014, compared to -3.3% in 2013. Gadabout suspects that the transition in Medicaid trip scheduling from the local Department of Social Services to
Medical Answering Services, LLC (MAS) in late 2013
has been a factor in declining ridership. MAS often schedules trips on taxis, leaving paratransit and
small rural transit systems with less ridership and
revenue. Another interesting trend is that non-ADA
trips continued to decrease at a higher rate than
ADA trips. The result is that ADA trips now make
up just less than 50% of total Gadabout rides – up
from 33% in 2009.
The discontinuation of service to Schuyler County
in January 2011 triggered the formation of the first
vanpool group in the region. By the end of 2011, a
second group had formed. Total vanpool ridership
in 2014 was down from 2012 and 2013 due to a
couple of passengers dropping out of the program.
The graph below shows changes in monthly vanpool ridership from 2013 to 2014.
Gadabout ridership and service measures.
Read chart from bottom up.
R id e rsh ip
S e rvice M e a su re s
2014
3 3K
3 0K
2 9K
4 6 3K
2013
3 5K
3 2K
2 8K
4 7 4K
2012
3 7K
3 2K
2 7K
4 6 8K
2011
3 9K
2 7K
2 4K
4 1 8K
2010
4 0K
2 3K
2 3K
3 9 8K
2009
4 1K
2 1K
2 2K
3 9 0K
2008
4 4K
2 0K
2 1K
3 7 8K
2007
3 9K
1 9K
2 2K
3 6 8K
2006
4 2K
1 6K
2 4K
3 2 8K
N on-A D A
ADA
R ev . H rs R ev . M iles
Vanpool Ridership 2013-2014: Ridership change by month
Ja n .
Feb.
M a rch
A p ril
May
M o n th
Ju n e
Ju ly
A u g.
S e p t.
O ct.
N o v.
D e c.
350
300
250
2014
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
200
2013
R id e s p e r M o n th
400
13
Bicycles and Mobility Devices Boarded on Buses
In 1996, TCAT became the first agency in New York State to install bicycle racks throughout its
fleet. Today, all TCAT vehicles are equipped with bicycle racks mounted on the bus. In 2014, the
number of bikes boarded increased slightly over 2013 to 34,024. Overall the trend (see tan line in the
graph below) is in the upwards direction. The map at the bottom of the page shows that the main
downtown stops have the most bike boardings, while stops on the hills board less buses overall.
This alludes to the advantage of biking with gravity. TCAT’s vehicle fleet is universally accessible
to people who use mobility devices such as wheelchairs. In 2014, TCAT transported approximately
1,250 passengers with their mobility devices. This is a decrease of 25% from 2013 and the overall
trend is in the downwards direction (see light blue line on graph below).
Bikes and mobility devices boarded on TCAT buses 2010-2104
1 ,8 00
4 2K
1 ,7 00
4 0K
1 ,4 00
3 4K
1 ,3 00
3 2K
1 ,2 00
3 0K
1 ,1 00
2 8K
1 ,0 00
2 6K
2 4K
2 2K
2 0K
9 00
Bik es bo ard ed p er y ear
8 00
M o bility d ev ic es bo ard ed per year
7 00
Thin lines show trends for bike and mobility device boardings
2 010
2 011
2 012
Y e ar
6 00
2 013
2 014
Map of bikes boarded by stop 2014
B ike s b o a rd e d p e r ye a r
1 ,5 00
3 6K
M o b ility d e vic e s b o a rd e d p e r ye a r
1 ,6 00
3 8K
14
Fleet Summary and Narrative
As of December 31, 2013, TCAT’s inventory included 49 vehicles with an average age of 8 years. Thanks
to federal stimulus funds, TCAT was able to purchase 15 new buses for delivery in 2011. No new vehicles
were added in 2012 through 2014. In 2014, four buses were retired from the fleet: mini-buses 610 and
611 were retired due to frame corrosion, the trolley (bus 73) was past its useful life and becoming increasingly unreliable, bus 201 was involved in an accident and retired due to structural damage.
As 2014 drew to a close, TCAT had 18 vehicles (the 2001 Nova and 2002 New Flyer series, the 30’ International, “Old 914” and the remaining Ford mini-bus (“T-kitten”) that were past their FTA suggested
retirement age. This represents just over 1/3 of the fleet. By early 2015, two 40-foot buses and two minibuses are scheduled to be delivered; however, TCAT still faces a major hurdle in terms of financing the
replacement of these old buses and potentially restoring the fleet to the 54 buses of 2012. The table at
the bottom of the page shows TCAT’s fleet as of Dec 31, 2014, while the bubble chart below shows the
number of buses in each series and the years remaining to the FTA recommended retirement age.
TCAT Fleet: Number of buses by series and age to retirement
2 0 1 1 G illig
8 B u se s
‘0 7 Int’l
1 Bus
‘0 6 Ford
1 Bus
2 0 0 2 N e w F lye r
7 B u se s
2 0 0 9 G illig
2 B u se s
2 0 1 1 O rio n
7 B u se s
‘9 1 Orion
1 Bus
2 0 0 7 G illig
3 B u se s
2 0 0 6 G illig
1 1 B u se s
2 0 0 1 N o va
8 B u se s
Years to retirement
-12
8
TCAT Bus fleet by series
914
Body
Total # of Bus Age in Replacement
Manufacturer Power
Buses
Years
Year Length (ft.)
1
23
2003
35
O rion
D ies el
101 - 108
N o va
D ies el
8
13
2013
40
37
41
202-204, 206-209
N ew F ly er
D ies el
7
12
2014
40
39
38
601-608
G illig
D ies el
8
8
2018
40
38
28
612
F ord
G as
1
8
2013
23
16
6
613-615
G illig
H y brid
3
8
2018
40
38
28
701-703
G illig
H y brid
3
7
2019
40
38
28
704
In tern ational
D ies el
1
7
2014
30
22
11
901-902
G illig
D ies el
2
5
2021
40
38
28
1102-1103
G illig
H y brid
2
3
2023
40
38
28
1104-1108
G illig
D ies el
6
3
2023
40
38
28
1110-1116
O rion
D ies el
7
3
2023
40
36
41
Bus Numbers
Stands
Seats (# riders)
35
20
15
The table on pages 15-16 has details for each bus on fuel efficiency, parts costs, labor hours and reliability (road calls). While there is quite a lot of variation in each series, it is clear that certain patterns emerge among series. For example, among full-sized buses, the 2011 hybrids and the 2006 and
2009 Gilligs tend to have low parts costs and labor hours and fewer road calls per distance traveled
as compared to other bus series. On the other hand, the table below suggests that the 2001 Nova’s
showed their age in 2014; these vehicles are the most costly to maintain in terms of parts cost, labor time, and road calls/ disruptions to service. The trolley was retired part of the way through
2014, but before it left the fleet, it was one of the poorest performing buses by about any measure.
Principal maintenance metrics for each individual bus, by vehicle series
B u s in f o
M ilea ge
S eries
B u s No.
91 O rion
914
Ford Vans
(2006)
Gillig (2006)
New Flyer (2002)
Nova (2001)
Tro lle y
M iles
Tra veled
2 5 ,0 3 9
Fu el
G a llon s
M iles
of Fu el
per
Us ed
G a llon
6 ,4 7 6
3 .8 7
M a in ten a n c e
L a bor
Hou rs
Cos t of
P a rts
P a rts
Cos t per
M ile
3 1 3 .0 $
7 ,8 5 9
$ 0 .3 1
Other
M a jor
R oa d
Ca lls
M in or
R oa d
Ca lls
R d.
Ca lls /
1 K M i.
8
6
0 .6
73
2 ,0 2 1
643
3 .1 4
9 2 .8 $
1 2 ,3 7 5
$ 6 .1 2
0
1
0 .4 9
101
2 6 ,6 5 3
6 ,4 2 4
4 .1 5
5 7 3 .1 $
2 4 ,4 3 5
$ 0 .9 2
13
8
0 .7 9
102
1 1 ,8 9 3
3 ,4 9 9
3 .4 0
3 9 3 .6 $
3 9 ,8 8 5
$ 3 .3 5
4
6
0 .8 4
103
2 7 ,9 5 2
7 ,3 4 7
3 .8 0
4 1 8 .2 $
3 4 ,1 5 7
$ 1 .2 2
3
5
0 .2 9
104
2 3 ,1 5 2
5 ,7 4 0
4 .0 3
5 4 5 .7 $
3 7 ,4 7 2
$ 1 .6 2
5
14
0 .8 2
105
3 7 ,7 0 6
1 0 ,1 1 7
3 .7 3
2 6 6 .1 $
1 8 ,3 9 8
$ 0 .4 9
4
2
0 .1 6
106
1 3 ,0 6 4
3 ,5 9 6
3 .6 3
3 0 9 .7 $
3 2 ,3 0 7
$ 2 .4 7
5
1
0 .4 6
107
3 5 ,9 8 6
9 ,0 2 4
3 .9 9
3 0 4 .8 $
1 7 ,0 1 4
$ 0 .4 7
8
1
0 .2 5
108
TO TAL
3 7 ,5 4 0
1 0 ,0 4 0
3 .7 4
3 2 9 .3 $
1 4 ,8 9 8
$ 0 .4 0
2 1 3 ,9 4 6
5 5 ,7 8 7
N /A
AVG .
2 6 ,7 4 3
6 ,9 7 3
3 .8 4
3 9 2 .6 $
2 7 ,3 2 1
201
2 1 ,4 1 9
5 ,4 5 0
3 .9 3
3 1 6 .7 $
202
3 5 ,0 2 6
9 ,0 0 3
3 .8 9
3 4 4 .4 $
203
3 6 ,8 5 3
9 ,0 8 8
4 .0 6
204
3 2 ,6 6 1
8 ,6 6 6
3 .7 7
206
2 7 ,0 9 9
7 ,1 7 1
207
3 6 ,8 3 0
208
3 3 ,0 2 1
209
TO TAL
AVG .
3 2 ,5 4 5
601
602
5
2
0 .1 9
47
39
N /A
$ 1 .0 2
5 .8 8
4 .8 8
0 .4 0
1 0 ,4 7 4
$ 0 .4 9
5
12
0 .7 9
1 9 ,0 5 7
$ 0 .5 4
7
5
0 .3 4
3 1 5 .0 $
1 5 ,1 7 8
$ 0 .4 1
6
9
0 .4 1
2 9 5 .6 $
2 1 ,1 3 5
$ 0 .6 5
8
4
0 .3 7
3 .7 8
3 3 5 .8 $
2 2 ,9 4 3
$ 0 .8 5
1
6
0 .2 6
9 ,3 6 5
3 .9 3
2 2 8 .2 $
1 7 ,3 9 1
$ 0 .4 7
4
8
0 .3 3
8 ,5 6 8
3 .8 5
2 6 7 .1 $
3 0 ,5 1 3
$ 0 .9 2
6
9
0 .4 5
3 7 ,4 5 3
9 ,9 3 5
3 .7 7
3 1 1 .3 $
2 0 ,1 7 7
$ 0 .5 4
2 6 0 ,3 6 2
6 7 ,2 4 6
N /A
8 ,4 0 6
3 .8 7
3 0 1 .8 $
1 9 ,6 0 9
3 3 ,5 3 0
8 ,2 7 8
4 .0 5
3 2 8 .9 $
3 9 ,5 3 3
1 0 ,6 1 9
3 .7 2
3 1 9 .0 $
603
4 1 ,4 9 0
1 0 ,4 1 7
3 .9 8
604
4 1 ,9 1 7
1 0 ,3 3 2
605
3 7 ,6 9 3
9 ,8 8 7
606
4 1 ,3 8 7
607
3 9 ,9 7 0
608
TO TAL
AVG .
3 1 4 0 .4
$ 2 1 8 ,5 6 7
N /A
2
5
0 .1 9
39
58
N /A
$ 0 .6 0
4 .8 8
7 .2 5
0 .3 7
1 3 ,6 5 8
$ 0 .4 1
0
4
0 .1 2
2 2 ,2 9 2
$ 0 .5 6
5
12
0 .4 3
2 6 5 .0 $
1 2 ,8 7 6
$ 0 .3 1
0
3
0 .0 7
4 .0 6
2 6 4 .0 $
1 3 ,3 7 0
$ 0 .3 2
2
2
0 .1 0
3 .8 1
3 7 1 .2 $
1 3 ,5 3 0
$ 0 .3 6
4
1
0 .1 3
1 0 ,5 6 8
3 .9 2
3 1 8 .6 $
1 4 ,5 7 6
$ 0 .3 5
3
4
0 .1 7
1 0 ,1 2 7
3 .9 5
2 7 3 .7 $
1 3 ,4 5 7
$ 0 .3 4
0
5
0 .1 3
4 0 ,1 7 3
9 ,9 9 7
4 .0 2
3 3 5 .1 $
1 6 ,1 9 6
$ 0 .4 0
1
6
0 .1 7
3 1 5 ,6 9 3
8 0 ,2 2 4
N /A
15
37
N /A
3 9 ,4 6 2
1 0 ,0 2 8
3 .9 4
3 0 9 .4 $
1 4 ,9 9 4
$ 0 .3 8
1 .8 8
4 .6 3
0 .1 6
610
1 0 ,0 2 3
1 ,5 3 6
6 .5 3
1 7 .7 $
510
$ 0 .0 5
0
0
0 .0 0
612
3 3 ,3 5 2
4 ,8 1 3
6 .9 3
2 1 9 .1 $
1 1 ,3 7 7
$ 0 .3 4
0
8
0 .2 4
TO TAL
4 3 ,3 7 5
6 ,3 4 9
N /A
2 3 6 .8 $
1 1 ,8 8 7
0
8
N /A
AVG .
2 1 ,6 8 8
3 ,1 7 4
6 .7 3
1 1 8 .4 $
5 ,9 4 3
0 .0
4 .0
0 .1 2
2 4 1 4 .1
2 4 7 5 .4
$ 1 5 6 ,8 6 9
$ 1 1 9 ,9 5 3
N /A
N /A
N /A
$ 0 .2 0
16
B u s in f o
Hybrids (2007)
Hybrids (2006)
S eries
Orions (2011)
Gilligs (2011)
Hybrids
(2011)
Gillig (2009)
Int'l
Fleet
Diesel
Hybrid
Ford Vans
M ilea ge
B u s No.
M iles
Tra veled
Fu el
G a llon s
M iles
of Fu el
per
Us ed
G a llon
M a in ten a n c e
L a bor
Hou rs
Cos t of
P a rts
P a rts
Cos t per
M ile
Other
M a jor
R oa d
Ca lls
M in or
R oa d
Ca lls
R d.
Ca lls /
1 K M i.
613
614
28,810
6,297
4.58
263.9 $
8,446
$0.29
3
5
0.28
27,239
5,891
4.62
219.9 $
19,116
$0.70
1
3
0.15
615
24,402
5,516
4.42
325.3 $
20,808
$0.85
4
10
0.57
TOTAL
80,451
17,704
N/A
809.1 $
48,370
8
18
N/A
AVG.
26,817
5,901
4.54
269.7 $
16,123
$0.60
2.67
6.00
0.32
701
27,841
6,241
4.46
298.7 $
9,862
$0.35
1
5
0.22
702
22,776
4,984
4.57
201.5 $
13,394
$0.59
2
3
0.22
703
27,729
6,224
4.46
181.4 $
11,489
$0.41
3
6
0.32
TOTAL
78,346
17,448
N/A
681.7 $
34,746
6
14
N/A
AVG.
26,115
5,816
4.49
227.2 $
11,582
$0.44
2.00
4.67
0.26
704
17,318
2,332
7.43
252.0 $
11,596
$0.67
1
4
0.29
901
38,101
10,048
3.79
233.4 $
9,808
$0.26
3
6
0.24
902
TOTAL
33,252
8,600
3.87
224.4 $
17,172
$0.52
4
3
0.21
71,353
18,648
N/A
457.8 $
26,980
7
9
N/A
AVG.
35,677
9,324
3.83
228.9 $
13,490
$0.38
3.50
4.50
0.22
1102
35,901
7,985
4.50
222.8 $
14,345
$0.40
9
0
0.25
1103
TOTAL
35,732
8,005
4.46
174.7 $
7,682
$0.21
4
3
0.20
71,633
15,990
N/A
397.4 $
22,026
13
3
N/A
AVG.
35,817
7,995
4.48
198.7 $
11,013
$0.31
6.50
1.50
0.22
1104
36,825
9,975
3.69
280.5 $
14,301
$0.39
2
4
0.16
1105
41,524
11,161
3.72
368.9 $
15,826
$0.38
4
13
0.41
1106
45,942
12,707
3.62
233.2 $
14,767
$0.32
11
8
0.41
1107
40,747
11,353
3.59
258.0 $
15,340
$0.38
7
4
0.27
1108
39,481
10,583
3.73
313.6 $
11,315
$0.29
6
7
0.33
1109
39,780
10,315
3.86
270.8 $
12,328
$0.31
6
9
0.38
TOTAL
244,299
66,094
N/A
1725.0 $
83,878
36
45
N/A
AVG.
40,717
11,016
3.70
287.5 $
13,980
$0.34
6.00
7.50
0.33
1110
40,817
11,425
3.57
303.6 $
18,610
$0.46
4
10
0.34
1111
37,993
10,658
3.56
312.7 $
18,307
$0.48
7
13
0.53
1112
41,292
11,558
3.57
212.8 $
10,447
$0.25
2
3
0.12
1113
39,237
10,742
3.65
312.2 $
13,060
$0.33
4
9
0.33
1114
38,519
10,638
3.62
209.4 $
8,682
$0.23
2
8
0.26
1115
41,231
11,596
3.56
248.9 $
9,279
$0.23
5
13
0.44
1116
TOTAL
35,894
10,345
3.47
167.5 $
7,877
$0.22
274,983
76,961
N/A
1767.0 $
86,261
AVG.
39,283
10,994
3.57
252.4 $
12,323
1,698,819
431,901
31,726
8,105
1,425,014
374,411
AVG.
34,334
9,075
3.81
TOTAL
230,430
51,142
N/A
AVG.
28,804
6,393
4.51
236.0 $
TOTAL
43,375
6,349
N/A
AVG.
10,844
1,587
6.83
TOTAL
AVG.
TOTAL
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0
8
0.22
24
64
N/A
3.43
9.14
0.32
N/A
204
306
N/A
15,656
$0.50
3.83
5.70
0.30
N/A 12,637.6 $ 724,338
N/A
177
263
N/A
17,384
$0.51
4.29
6.32
0.31
1,888.2 $ 105,142
N/A
27
35
N/A
13,143
$0.46
3.38
4.38
0.27
236.8 $
11,887
N/A
0
8
N/A
17
59.2 $
2,972
$0.27
0.00
2.00
0.18
N/A 14,762.6 $ 841,367
3.93
273.8 $
302.1 $
N/A
$0.31
Bus 703
R an k 38
Bus 614
R an k 39
Bus 604
R an k 50
Bus 608
R an k 36
Bus 1109
R an k 34
Bus 612
R an k 48
Bus 902
R an k 32
Bus 607
R an k 47
1105
14
Bus 1114
R an k 40
Bus 207
R an k 33
Bus 1103
R an k 51
Bus 603
R an k 49
208
11
101
104
204
10
Bus 1113
R an k 19
Bus 107
R an k 24
206
13
602
12
Bus 203
R an k 21
Bus 1104
R an k 31
Bus 1107
R an k 23
Bus 108
R an k 22
Bus 209
R an k 20
Bus 610
R an k 52
Bus 701
R an k 35
102 73
201
106
615
Bus 1115
R an k 25
202
15
1111
Bus 601
R an k 37
Bus 1106
R an k 26
1110
16
103
Bus 914
R an k 17
Bus 704
R an k 18
Bus 1108
R an k 27
Bus 105
R an k 28
Bus 605
R an k 30
Bus 613
R an k 41
Bus 702
R an k 29
Bus 1116
R an k 42
Bus 606
R an k 43
Bus 901
R an k 44
Bus 1112
R an k 46
Bus 1102
R an k 45
Bus ranking by bus number - larger circles indicate a higher ranking.
The data on the previous pages were used to create a ranking of each bus in terms of its performance
in 2014. The four factors considered in this ranking are fuel efficiency, labor hours (mechanics) per 1,000
miles driven, parts costs per 1,000 miles driven, and road calls per 1,000 miles driven. The lowest ranked
bus was #102 – a 2001 Nova (see center of graphic above). This bus traveled less than 12,000 miles in
2014, spending several months in Syracuse for dealer repair. The 102 required an engine replacement,
transmission repair, AC system repair, among other things. This combination of high cost of parts, significant labor hours and low miles traveled shows how an old bus such as the 102 can begin to turn into
a financial liability for TCAT. Not only that, but the 102 had the worst road call ranking – as it required
road-side assistance from maintenance staff every ~1,200 miles. One unfortunate pattern that we began to see in the 2013 data is that the 2011 Gilligs and Orions are not as highly ranked as they could be.
This is because that, while the parts costs and labor hours are lower than older buses, the fuel efficiency
is less than stellar and the number of road calls is high for such new buses. TCAT staff looked into this
problem and discovered that many road calls on the 2011 buses are due to problems with check engine
lights. The DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) system, which increases combustion efficiency, triggers the check
engine light and reduces the buses’ power output. This, in turn, requires that the buses be brought back
to the garage. Other agencies have had to deal with such sensitive electronics in their newer buses as
well.
The best bus in the ranking was a “T-kitten”, followed closely by one the two 2011 hybrids. The smaller
T-kittens often rank higher due to better gas mileage; there is also the fact that these Ford Vans use
18
many basic automotive parts that can be acquired very inexpensively directly from a consumer parts
supplier, helping to keep their parts cost down. The 2011 hybrids are about 23% more fuel efficient than
the other full-sized 2011 buses. They also had relatively low parts costs and labor hours in 2014. The
“middle-age” diesel buses (2006 and 2009 Gilligs) seem to be better performing than older generation
hybrids (2006 and 2007). The hybrids have more (electronic) parts than the diesels and replacing these
parts when they fail adds to labor hours. The four metrics and the final ranking of vehicles by series are
displayed in the table below.
Bus metrics and ranking by bus series - green cells indicate better performance.
Miles per
Gallon
Labor Hours/
1,000 Miles
Road Calls/
1,000 Miles
Total Rank
(higher is better)
F ord V ans ('06)
6.7
4.2
$
H y brids ('11)
4.5
5.6
$
196
0.12
50
307
0.22
48
G illig ('06)
3.9
7.9
$
381
0.16
38
G illig ('09)
3.8
6.4
$
387
0.22
38
H y brids ('07)
H y brids ('06)
4.5
8.7
$
452
0.25
34
O rions ('11)
4.5
10.2
$
616
0.33
30
3.6
6.4
$
313
0.32
28
G illigs ('11)
3.7
7.1
$
344
0.33
26
Int'l ('07)
7.4
14.6
$
670
0.29
18
O rion ('91)
3.9
12.5
$
314
0.56
17
N ew F ly er ('02)
3.9
9.7
$
609
0.39
16
N ova ('01)
3.8
17.6
$
1,368
0.47
12
3.1
3.93
45.9
8.7
$
$
6,123
313.70
0.49
0.3
2
mid-point = 26.5
Bus Series
Trolley ('01)
Fleet Average
Parts Cost/
1,000 Miles
The graph below shows the year-to-year patterns in parts costs per mile and road calls per mile.
It shows that road calls dropped off steeply in 2011 as 15 new buses joined the fleet. The influx of
new buses also had a downward impact on the parts cost per mile. 2014 brought a jump in road
calls and parts costs, indicating that the current fleet is aging and becoming more expensive to
maintain. The data from 2014 seem to indicate that as buses (with the exception of 914) pass their
12-year FTA life expectancy, parts and labor costs may not rise in a gradual fashion, but rather
jump up relatively quickly. Clearly, buses in the Nova series will need to be retired as new buses are
gradually delivered in 2015 and 2016 (at which point the Novas will be 15 years old). Bus replacement is a top priority of TCAT management.
Parts costs and road calls per revenue mile for 2009-2014.
0.5
V a lue
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
Parts C o s t/ M ile
R o ad C alls / 1K M iles
2009
2010
2011
2012
Y ear
2013
2014
19
Road Calls
While the revenue miles traveled by TCAT
buses stayed essentially unchanged in
2014, the number of road calls per year increased from 382 in 2013 to 510 in 2014.
The number of major road calls in 2014
was the highest since 2010 (512 road calls)
and road calls per revenue mile was the
highest since TCAT began systematically
tracking road calls in 2007 (see chart on
this page). The older buses tended to have
higher road calls – the trolley, the 1991 Orion and the 2001 Novas all had high road
call rates. However, the 2011 buses had
higher than expected rates of road calls.
Month
Year
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Jan
24
27
25
37
25
23
27
Feb
25
28
30
44
15
26
26
Mar
30
29
27
25
30
15
23
Apr
21
20
33
32
21
17
27
May
17
24
19
27
32
24
44
Jun
26
24
32
41
25
24
31
Jul
31
15
32
20
25
25
34
Aug
28
41
26
27
30
29
32
The reason that these later models have
higher road calls stems from a push by the
Sep
30
28
41
20
27
42
41
EPA to instate stricter emissions standards
for heavy-duty diesel engines. In order to
Oct
32
33
31
13
14
23
32
meet these standards, engine manufacturers like Cummins added new emissions sysNov
19
28
35
32
25
23
36
tems and sensors to their transit bus line of
products. In addition to a catalytic converter,
37
Dec
34
30
23
19
21
34
the 2011 buses have a Diesel Exhaust Fluid
(DEF) Dosing Valve (which allows a fine mist Average RC/ 27
28
30
28
24
24
32
100k Miles
of fluid to be sprayed into the hot exhaust
stream) and a particulate filter to decrease Total Yearly 135K 144K 143K 143K 131K 132K 132K
Rev. Miles
the fine particulate emissions. Each of these
components has sensors that trigger the check engine light in the driver’s compartment and reduce a
bus’s power output. This in turn triggers a road call. A mechanic may then try to clear the error message
through a process called regeneration, where the particulate filter is heated to oxidize excess particulates. This can solve the issue and allow the bus to continue to operate, but unfortunately leads to missed
trips because it takes about an hour to complete. Often, however, the entire particulate filter needs to be
replaced at a cost of several thousands of dollars. A look into the prevalence of this problem showed that
at least 65 of the 185 road calls in the 2011 buses during 2014 were directly due to emissions systems
problems. As old buses are replaced by newer buses that meet the emissions standards, TCAT hopes that
new generation of emissions technology is less prone to these types of problems that our mechanics
have been grappling with the past couple years.
Road calls and preventative maintenance of buses are connected in an inverse relationship: as fewer
preventative maintenance services are performed on-time, the likelihood of a bus breaking down on the
road increases. And the more mechanics that are required to travel to a road call, the less time is available for keeping up with the preventative maintenance program. A look at the data from 2008 through
2014, shows that, as expected, the number of road calls and the on-time preventative maintenance rate
are negatively correlated.
Bus Series
Road calls per 100,000 revenue mile for 2014 by principal bus series.
Nova ('01)
47.4
New Flyer
Hybrids
('02)
Gillig ('06) ('06)
39.2
16.5
33.3
Hybrids
Hybrids
('07)
Gillig ('09) ('11)
25.3
22.3
22.3
Gilligs
('11)
Orions
('11)
32.7
32.0
20
2014 Preventative maintenance on time performance
Overdue PM Services
2014
Jan
On time PM services
Average Miles Overdue: 528
Feb
1,196
Mar
1,152
Apr
1,266
May
895
Jun
71
Jul
Aug
1,111
Sep
3,506
Oct
3,711
Nov
2,309
Dec
141
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
O n Tim e / O v erdue Preventative Maintenance Services per Month
Preventative Maintenance and Inspections
26
28
30
2014 DOT Inspections of
TCAT Buses
It was a difficult year for TCAT’s maintenance department. With a
large increase in road calls, an aging fleet, and a dwindling spare
ratio toward the end of the year, the preventative maintenance program suffered. As can be seen in the graph above, the rate of on time
services varied quite a bit month-to-month. July was the only month
with a 100% on time preventative maintenance performance. Other
months were more challenging for the maintenance department, especially the Aug-Oct period, which coincided with significant numbers of missed trips. During these three months, the maintenance
department dealt with five buses sent away for warranty/dealer repair, five engine replacements or overhauls, and numerous problems
with emissions systems and performance issues. These constraints
impacted the ability of the maintenance staff to keep up with the
preventative maintenance services. Overall in 2014, 63% of the preventative maintenance measures were done on time and 71% were
done within a 10% buffer. This leaves room for improvement in 2015
and hopefully as TCAT’s spare ratio returns to the 20% goal and
some of the mechanically worst buses are retired, the maintenance
team with be in a better place this time next year.
On the other hand, the maintenance staff was able to maintain an
excellent DOT inspection record – just a hair under a 90% pass rate
for 2014 and an 18-month moving average of close to 92%. It should
be noted that most transit agencies do not have to do NY DOT inspections; the extra burden on DOT inspections is a result of TCAT’s
somewhat unique status as a non-profit.
21
Accidents/incidents
The number of accidents and incidents involving TCAT buses rose in 2014. This is a trend that TCAT supervisors are taking very seriously. The problem has been analyzed extensively in-house and some interesting
patterns have emerged. First, there were only three major accidents/incidents in 2014 - only one of which
was preventable. Although every major accident is a painful event, this is a relatively low number for more
than a million and a half revenue miles traveled in 2014 on local streets and roads. On the other side of the
coin, there were 24 negligible accidents and incidents that resulted in no injuries, no damage to the bus,
and no insurance claims. The rest of the incidents and accidents (a total of 65) could be classified as “minor”, characterized by fender-benders, mirror clips, or other incidents with little overall damage. A second
interesting trend was that while preventable accidents rose by 8% from 2013, unpreventable accidents
rose by 150%. This indicates that TCAT drivers were not the cause of the upward trend in accidents; rather
it was the context in which the drivers operated that seemed to present more unexpected and unavoidable challenges. As an example, the one-way lane on East Avenue during the Klarman Hall construction
was so narrow that there were only inches between a bus’s mirror and the construction fence, and the
traffic gates erected on either end of this stretch of road came down on top of a bus at least twice during
2014. Anecdotally, traffic on Ithaca’s streets has been trending upwards and the winter of 2014 was one
of the coldest and harshest on record. There were also more incidents involving passengers falling while
getting on or off a bus or running up to a bus as it was pulling away from a stop. TCAT dispatchers and
supervisors work to alert drivers to detours, other accidents or areas of difficult passage when they are on
the road. Besides an extensive training when they are hired at TCAT, drivers are given an annual refresher
training that covers all aspects of safety.
The map below shows accident and incident hotspots in 2014. The place with the most accidents is the
TCAT garage where several small incidents occurred due to tight spaces. The “accident/incident” intensity
measure is scaled with the 9 accidents at TCAT as the maximum. Unsurprisingly, heavily traveled /narrow
corridors through Downtown Ithaca, Collegetown and Cornell were the main hot spots in 2014.
22
Fuel Costs and Usage
In 2014, TCAT used close to 432,000 gallons of fuel – 98.5% of which was diesel - at a cost of $1,352,473. In
2014, diesel prices were lower than 2013 and 2012; the fourth quarter of 2014 had the cheapest fuel prices
since 2010. TCAT paid an average of $3.19 per gallon in 2014, a decrease of almost 7% from 2013.
Estimates of the efficacy of transit systems in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) as compared to the use
of single occupancy vehicles (SOV) require many assumptions and should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, it is instructive to take a quick look at TCAT’s performance in this regard. Using TCAT’s average
fleet MPG for 2014, the number of miles that TCAT buses traveled in revenue service and passenger miles
traveled for 2014, a TCAT bus gets the equivalent of 28.2 miles per gallon (MPG) when compared to a
SOV. The US Department of Transportation estimates that for 2013 the average MPG for light duty, short
wheelbase vehicles (passenger cars) was 23.4 and 17.2 for light duty, long wheel base vehicles (large cars,
pickups and SUVs). If we assume that the fleet of passenger vehicles in Tompkins County is an equal mix
of these two categories, then TCAT is potentially reducing the amount of fuel burned by about 170,900
gallons/year or ~1,520 metric tons of CO2/year. Of course, we know that not all passenger vehicles are
SOVs, but during peak commuting hours when TCAT operates its maximum service, the majority of cars
on the road are SOVs (ITCTC – 2035 LRTP). It is important to note that although transit can contribute to a
reduction in GHG, there are many other benefits to a local community of having a strong transit system.
Average fuel prices and gallons purchased by quarter: 2010-2014
1 2 0K
$ 4 .5 0
1 1 0K
$ 4 .0 0
1 0 0K
8 0K
7 0K
$ 3 .0 0
6 0K
5 0K
G allons Purchased
3 0K
2013 Q4
2013 Q3
2013 Q2
2013 Q1
2012 Q4
2012 Q3
2012 Q2
2012 Q1
2011 Q4
2011 Q3
2011 Q2
2011 Q1
2010 Q4
2010 Q3
2010 Q2
2010 Q1
$ 2 .0 0
2014 Q4
4 0K
2014 Q3
Measure Names
Average Fuel Pric e
2014 Q2
$ 2 .5 0
2014 Q1
Average Fuel Price
$ 3 .5 0
Gallons of Fuel Purchased
9 0K
Operating and Capital budgets
Each year, TCAT staff and board members create an operating and capital budget for the following year
and revise the 5-year budget projections. With rising personnel costs and health insurance premiums, and
shrinking or flat-lined federal, state, and local funding, TCAT continues to face an extremely challenging
budget environment. In the past couple years, TCAT has not been able to keep up with bus replacements
or expand service as much as increasing demand warrants. Transit agencies all over the country have felt
the squeeze, however TCAT’s postition as a non-profit means it does not have some of the financial tools
available to large agencies, such as the ability to levy taxes. The following discussion first looks at TCAT’s
sources of revenue for its operating budget, then at its operational expenditures, and finally at the capital
budget.
23
TCAT’s total operating revenue for 2014 was $13,243,450. As can be seen in the chart below, TCAT depends heavily on the NY Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance (STOA) program. STOA is
administered by NY Department of Transportation and the amount received by each transit provider is
based on the number of rides and revenue miles per year. The Cornell bulk fare program provided $2.6
million in 2014; close to 3.1 million rides were taken in 2014 using Cornell credentials. Non-Cornell passenger fare revenue came in third place at $1.6 million – this represents over 1.2 million rides. This difference between the average price of a CU fare ($0.86/ride) and the average of the other fare groups ($1.30/
ride) led to negotiations between the TCAT Board of Directors and the Cornell administration. In an initial
agreement, Cornell agreed to pay more for its bulk fare payment. Currently, both sides are continuing to
meet to achieve a long-term Memorandum of Understanding about Cornell’s bulk fare payments.
TCAT partner’s (Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University) each contributed $829,432
in 2014 – representing a total of 18.8% of total revenue. While this local support is critical in allowing
TCAT to provide a high level of service, the graph at the bottom of the page shows that the contribution
has been flat since 2009, while the percent of TCAT’s budgeted revenue each partner share represents
has been declining in recent years. In addition, the Town of Ithaca which had been contributing $50,000
annually to the operating budget, decided in 2014 to cease contributions despite Zone 1 service from
numerous urban and rural routes. On a positive note, in 2014, TCAT received its first revenue from a 0.25%
increase in the County mortgage recording tax (MRT). The revenue from the first year was $245,000 and is
expected to rise in subsequent years. However, TCAT’s budget committee hopes to allocate a large portion (if not all) of the MRT revenue to the capital budget, which needs more funding (see next page).
Sources of TCAT’s Operating Revenue - Calendar Year 2014
State Operating Assistance
Cornell University Bulk Fares
$2,613,748
$4,644,357
Federal
Operating
Assistance
$1,391,003
City
Partner
Share
Cornell
Partner
Share
6.3%
6.3%
$829,432 $829,432
19.7%
35.1%
10.5%
Passenger Revenue
$1,602,929
County Partner Share
12.1%
6.3%
$829,432
Other Revenue
$258,117 - 1.9%
Mortgage Rec Tax
$245,000 - 1.8%
Local funding partners’ contribution and corresponding percentage of total revenue: 2005-2015
0.08
$800K
0.07
$700K
0.06
$600K
Measure Names
% Bud g eted R ev en ues
Lo c al F un d er Sh are
$500K
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
2011
% Budgeted R ev enues
Loc al F under Share
$900K
0.05
2012
2013
2014
2015
24
Total 2014 operating expenditures was $13,071,275, resulting in a $172,175 surplus. The surplus was
primarily due to lower than projected fuel prices and budgeted positions that went unfilled in 2014. The
2014 operating expenditures are broken down in the figure below by TCAT department and expense
category. The operations and maintenance departments make up 79% of operating expenses, indicating
that the vast majority of TCAT’s budget is allocated to providing convenient and safe transit service. The
right side of the figure below shows a majority of operating expenditures goes to TCAT’s employees in
the form of wages and benefits. The third largest cost category is fuel, underlining the potential impact
that alternative fuel vehicles could make to TCAT’s bottom line.
Actual 2014 year-end expenditures by department and expense category
Operations Department
$7,974,334
Employee Wages
$5,601,388
Vehicle & Facility
Maintenance
$2,353,167
Fuel
$1,462,893
Service
Contracts
$1,061,106
18.0%
Operations
Admin & Safety
$837,685
General Expenses
$678,104
61.0%
5.2%
6.4%
Marketing
$137,978 1.1%
6.4%
Maint. Admin
$162,692 1.2%
Executive,
Human
Resources
& Finance
$838,600
Service Dev
$88,715 0.7%
8.1%
11.2%
Parts Expenses Other
$839,581
Employee Benefits
$2,580,522
42.9%
19.7%
Expenses
$633,613
6.4%
4.8%
Insurance:
Professional &
Bus & Facility Technical Fees
$273,739 2.1%
$447,027
Utilities
3.4% $171,405 1.3%
TCAT’s capital budget represents a compromise between TCAT’s real needs and financial constraints.
Some of the capital needs were alluded to in previous sections: by the end of 2014 there were 18 buses
past their useful life (16 full-size and 2 smaller buses) and by 2018 there will be an additional 16 buses
that need to be replaced. An ideal bus replacement schedule would replace a small number of buses each
year. However, the vagaries of federal funding in the last half a dozen years has meant that TCAT received
a large influx of buses associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but zero buses in
the years preceding and following this influx. A more stable and predictable funding source would be
beneficial to TCAT, which currently struggles to fund each and every new bus.
TCAT’s facility, which it shares with Gadabout, is currently operating at capacity. There is no additional
room in the garage to add to the fleet. In addition, the mechanics bays operate at capacity, and certain
big-ticket items such as bus-lifts and the bus-wash are due for replacement. Futhermore, there are space
constraints in the administrative wing where, during certain times of year, the two meeting rooms are
booked continuously. If funding were available to support a larger transit system, it is almost certain TCAT
would need a new facility. In the current situation of stable to slightly declining fleet size, the facility continues to be adequate as long as certain major components are regularly updated.
TCAT has spent several years doing ground work for a major IT/ITS (Information Technology/Intelligent
Transportation Systems) project. As this report is being written, the final selection process is underway to
pick a contractor to undertake phase A1. This initial phase will update technology on our fleet and allow
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TCAT to offer real-time passenger information – probably the most frequent request from our riders.
Phase A1 is currently funded, but funding gaps remain to complete the entire project. Many of the components of the IT/ITS project will help TCAT staff more effectively and efficiently plan our service, manage
our fleet, respond to customer feedback and provide a better on-board technology in support of our
operators.
Another initiative that TCAT would like to complete in the next 3-5 years is the “What’s a Bus Stop?” project. This project will inventory all TCAT’s stops, optimize the distance between stops, plan for amenity
upgrades and carry out these upgrades. Upgrades will include additional shelters for heavily traveled
stops, improved signage, seating, lighting and accessibility. As much as possible, TCAT will also work to
integrate bus stop amenities with sidewalks and bike/recreational paths. This could mean adding bike
storage at stops near bike ways, or providing curb cuts and crosswalks to ensure seamless integration
with the pedestrian network.
Of the $15.38 million in estimated capital needs over the next five year period, TCAT can count on $5.21
million in federal Section 5307 grants, state and local contributions to the 5307 grants, and county mortgage recording tax revenues. A maximum of $6.66 million could come from competitive federal grants
every two years (Section 5311 grants). This leaves between a $3.51 and $10.17 million dollar capital
shortfall over the next five years. Not included in this capital needs estimate are a new facility, support
vehicles, office equipment and shop equipment. Needless to say, the capital budget projection is dire.
TCAT has communicated this situation to local partners, state officials and TCAT board members (along
with CU, County and City officials) have even taken the message to Congressional representatives and
policymakers in Washington DC.
TCAT Communications and Marketing
TCAT’s Communications and Marketing team, which includes two full time and two part time employees,
enjoyed another productive year in 2014. Projects and duties spanned participating in public outreach
events; responding to media inquiries, issuing media releases and alerts; assisting with internal employee
communications; designing and producing public information materials to include the Fall, Winter/Spring
and Summer TCAT Schedules & Service guides.
Outreach included field trips
to Enfield Elementary School,
TST-BOCES and Dewitt Middle
School. TCAT also participated in
the annual GIAC Fest street festival, the McGraw House Health
and Services Fair. TCAT also
parked a bus at Streets Alive! in
both May and in September to
demonstrate how to use the bus
bike rack, give tours of the bus,
as well as to answer any TCATrelated questions.
The team issued a total of 61
alerts and press releases regarding detours, service changes and
other news to include seasonal
service changes as well as Cornell University’s commitment to
increasing payments for its volume discount plan with TCAT.
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On Dec. 24, the team issued a press release about bus operators’ and dispatchers’ quick reaction to
an Amber Alert at which time a bus operator tipped off local police enforcement that missing children
were on a TCAT bus resulting in the safe custody of two children. In July, 2014, the department officially
launched the TCAT Times, an employee newsletter, which is produced every two weeks to update employees on TCAT’s operations, human resources and service development and other departments. The
publication occasionally profiles interesting work histories, avocations or hobbies of TCAT employees, as
well as includes feedback from customers.
The team improved its communications for Title VI, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, by translating
posters and brochures and website information into six different languages using human translators as
opposed to Google Translate. TCAT’s Communications and Marketing team worked closely with Service
Development to participate in a total of 11 meetings to set minimum standards for TCAT’s Service Standards Policy, as required by Title VI.
TCAT’s Communications and Marketing team includes customer service representatives at the front desk
who answer anywhere between 30 and 90 calls per day depending on varying situations, such as weather
and service changes. A full-time customer service representative, on a monthly basis, stocks and reconciles TCAT passes at 20 retail outlets throughout Tompkins County.
TCAT’s website continues to be a critical source of information for our riders. The main website (tcatbus.
com) includes the homepage, information about the organization, system alerts and TCAT news, the
online store for TCARD purchases, employment opportunities and much more. The route and schedule
information and the trip planner are seamlessly integrated into the website, but hosted by nextinsight.
com. The graph below shows that, in 2014, approximately 776,000 unique user sessions were recorded on
the tcatbus.com side of the website and approximately 890,000 sessions were recorded on the nextinsight
part of the website. The total user sessions averaged about 4,630 per day in 2014, but spiked during the
beginning of a new service period as people learn about route changes or when there are detours or bad
weather. For example, the spike of website usage on Feb 5th, 2014 was due to a winter storm and the
sustained high usage in late August and early September was due to a service change and the influx of
new students that occurs every fall. As there were only website usage data until early September 2014 for
nextinsight.com, the final months of the year were estimated based on 2013 data (see graph below).
Daily sessions on tcatbus.com and tcat.nextinsight.com for 2014. Chart areas are additive.
Measure Names
10K
Tcatbus.com
9K
Tcat.nextinsight.com
Nextinsight estimate
8K
Daily Sessions
7K
6K
5K
4K
3K
2K
1K
0K
Jan 1
Feb 1
Mar 1
Apr 1
May 1
Jun 1
Jul 1
Date [2014]
Aug 1
Sep 1
Oct 1
Nov 1
Dec 1
Dec 31
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Human Resources
TCAT Human Resource Department’s list of accomplishments in 2014 included enhancing recruitment
strategies, updating administrative staff job descriptions and representing management in what resulted
in successful contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers Local 2300.
As the Human Resources Manager/ Assistant General Manager took over more leadership duties to
become temporary Acting General Manager in 2014, the department essentially had one full-time employee, the Human Resources Assistant. This position is dedicated to the” nuts and bolts” of human resources to include recruiting, hiring, interviewing, training and refresher training. The Human Resources
Assistant is also responsible for coordinating meetings, creating board agendas and fulfilling all recording secretary duties for the TCAT Board of Directors. To ease the workload and boost recruitment efforts,
TCAT’s HR in 2014 enlisted the help of a temporary recruiter for three months to assist with generating
applicants. In addition, the department hired a temporary consultant for one month to help update job
descriptions for all administrative employees.
Due to a relatively tight labor market, particularly for bus operators, the department placed emphasis
on improved advertising and outreach via career web sites; tabling at regional job fairs; and face-to-face
meetings with potential candidates. In 2014, TCAT’s HR department processed more than 350 job applications; conducted 184 phone interviews; contacted nearly 300 potential candidates through recruitment efforts. In total for 2014, and after comprehensive interviews and background checks, the department hired 23 new employees, including the two temporary employees. New hires also included 19 bus
operators, one custodian and one accounts payable assistant.
In addition to organizing extensive
training for new bus operators, HR
worked with TCAT’s Operations Department and coordinated the annual
refresher training for all bus operators
in two separate weekend sessions in
2014. Topics covered were: defensive
driving; wheelchair securement, distracted driving, bad weather driving
tips, accident statistics and forms, customer service and bus operator expectations. Bus operators were asked
to give feedback, and, of the 31 percent responding, all comments were
positive.
The department provided each of
TCAT’s 114 full-time and four parttime employees with a total compensation statement outlining his or her
base salary, overtime wages, as well as
the cost of the benefits TCAT provides
to employees. Adhering to federal law,
the department reviewed, updated
and filed its annual Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO-1) Report in 2014 to
the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as required of private
entities.
Rider Survey: TCAT staff is professional and courteous.
How strongly do you agree with the following statements?
[Staff is professional and courteous] n = 1,235
3% 2%
16%
35%
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neutral
44%
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
On the bus: New Employee Training
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In 2014, the department, working closely with TCAT’s Communications and Marketing Department, initiated the twice-monthly employee newsletter called the “TCAT Times.” (The launch of the newsletter
helped pave the way for a new initiative implemented this year to improve communications among all
TCAT employees.)
Conclusion
The data and analysis of the proceeding pages has shown that 2014 was a challenging year for TCAT. For
the first time in eight years, ridership in 2014 took a dip. The high numbers of missed trips and road calls
(bus breakdowns) were symptomatic of a transit system that has struggled in recent years to fund bus
replacements. TCAT has been operating under the mantra “do more with less” since the financial crisis of
2008-2010, when local funding was flat-lined and federal funding became less plentiful and more erratic.
TCAT’s efficiency measures actually rose significantly over the past few years with increasing ridership.
However, with an aging fleet and no additional operating funds to expand, demand for transit service
outgrows supply, TCAT’s service degraded in the second half of 2014. A May 2014 rider survey found
76% of riders agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that TCAT service was dependable. Since
May, TCAT experienced several month of high missed trips rates and road calls. By the end of 2014, ridership was in decline. As described, in the body of this document, many factors contribute to ridership
trends, but it does seem like some riders may have grown disenchanted with TCAT’s service and chosen
to ride less or switch modes altogether. This is a reality that TCAT, our funding partners, local planners
and policymakers, and state and federal lawmakers need to take seriously. In the long run, it is hard to
imagine further growth and density in Ithaca’s core without a reliance on transit to reduce traffic and
the need for expensive road and parking construction projects. TCAT depends on the local community
to help fund its mission of providing safe, high quality, reliable and efficient public transportation. This
includes financial support but also the foresight to consider transit as integral to local planning efforts
and development projects. We hope this yearbook gives community members and decision-makers the
information required to promote and support this critical community service.
Despite some troubling patterns coming to the forefront in 2014, TCAT’s employees worked hard to
provide the best service possible 360 days a year. In rain, sleet, snow and shine, TCAT’s buses traveled
city streets and county roads, ferrying a diverse mix of people to work, school, shopping, medical appointments, and entertainment. Despite the challenges TCAT faces, it is critical to remember the importance of transit service to our local community. From copious email, phone calls, public meetings, and
feedback received by our operators, we know that people depend on and care about this service. TCAT is
dedicated to improving service whenever possible. As this is written, TCAT is deciding on a contractor to
design and install an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which will provide real-time information to
passengers and improve efficiency within TCAT. TCAT’s executive staff and board members have made
the replacement of buses an absolute priority, and it looks like a handful more of new buses can be ordered before the end 2015. TCAT is also moving ahead on a project to plan for and ultimately upgrade
its bus stops, shelters and other public amenities to improve operating efficiency and rider experience.
Undoubtedly 2015 and beyond will bring new challenges, but TCAT employees are dedicated to building
on the hard work of previous years. See you on the bus!
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All photos from: tompkinstransitarchive.weebly.com
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