Towards greater efficiency in transportation
April 27, 2010
Service rationalization is the next chapter
TransLink’s program to increase efficiency is taking another big step forward with a study into the way bus service is delivered. The Service Rationalization Initiative (SRI), part of the Strategic Bus Network Review called for in the TransLink 2010 10-year plan, is designed to find ways of increasing service in areas that need it most, within the current envelope of service hours.
TransLink has been taking efficiency measures at all levels since 2008. A hiring freeze is currently in place, and an ongoing organizational review has led to a re-working of the corporate structure, with many departments being combined and condensed. Three vice-president positions have been eliminated, and a total of 96 positions have been affected by this re-structuring since the beginning of 2009.
This efficiency program is having an impact. In 2009, corporate administrative costs were just over 3.4 percent of revenue: the target for this year is less than 2.9 percent. TransLink’s general administrative expenses last year were 11.9 per cent of its operating expenses. That’s a lower ratio than STM in Montréal and TTC in Toronto, and about the same as Calgary Transit and GO Transit (Ontario); this year, TransLink hopes to lower that ratio even further, to 9.6 percent.
The cost of running buses has increased significantly in recent years, with no sign of turning away from that trend. TransLink recognized this several years ago: rising prices for fuel and maintenance, and investment in the modern communications systems and the latest technology for engines to reduce GHG emissions and other pollutants, have all contributed to rising costs.
Metro Vancouver is one of the very few transportation systems in which the fleet is 100 percent accessible. That requires frequent and expensive maintenance, and is also costly in terms of travel times; however, we believe the social benefits of such a system far outweigh the cost.
This is not unique to TransLink’s bus system. All the bus companies in the International Bus Benchmarking Group (IBBG) – of which Coast Mountain Bus Company is a member, along with systems in other urban areas including London England, Montréal, Sydney Australia and New York City – are experiencing similar cost increases. Of the 12 IBBG members, Coast Mountain Bus Company has the 4th lowest cost per kilometre.
The same factors driving up bus costs are also driving people to choose transit over a private vehicle, so the Service Rationalization Initiative will look at bus service and ask whether TransLink’s considerable human and equipment resources are being used to their best advantage.
The SRI is a data-driven approach to planning, putting to use emerging technologies like Automatic Passenger Counters, Geographic Information Systems (electronic maps), and the multi-faceted technology of TMAC – the Transportation Management and Communications system. These will help provide data on bus movements, and ridership patterns to get a clearer picture of where and when our bus system is utilized.
As well as data from automated sources, customer satisfaction surveys, Customer Service Reports and traffic checks will also create a stop-by-stop profile of each route and a set of realistic options for planners to choose from.
“Service rationalization does not necessarily mean whole routes will be cut or truncated,” says Michael Shiffer, TransLink Vice President, Planning. “It may simply mean adjusting how frequently buses run at certain times on various segments depending on demand. TransLink is a regional system and as such we need to consider the wide diversity of neighborhoods and communities we serve.”
One example of the aim of the SRI is to make use of the integrated nature of the transportation network. Some buses, which had been travelling frequently earlier in the morning, could now run less frequently in the earlier times and more frequently later, as commuters no longer have to leave home as early. The introduction of higher capacity articulated trolley buses on the region’s busiest trolley routes (including Main, Commercial/Victoria, and Fraser) has allowed TransLink to serve more customers more efficiently.
The guiding principles of the SRI call for maintaining service as much as possible for transit-dependent customers, minimizing reductions in areas where there are no other transit alternatives and keeping as much service as possible where ridership has been increasing substantially. It also involves reinvesting where there is a strong chance of increasing revenue ridership so that the overall productivity of the network can be improved.
The SRI is currently at the data collection and analysis stage. Meetings with stakeholders, members of the public and local politicians will go ahead through the coming year, with implementation tentatively planned for next fall.