Text-Only Version Prepared by: TranSystems Corp. Medford, ma and: Planners Collaborative Boston, ma august 24, 2007 contents

OFFICE OF TRANSPORTATION ACCESS- THE RIDE 10 PARK PLAZA-5750

(Editor’s note: This figure shows the organizational structure of the RIDE portion of the MBTA’s Office of Transportation Access. It shows the names and titles of employees and the lines of authority between each)

The Office is within the Operations Department and is under Kevin McGuire, Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Mr. McGuire is supported by Joanne Naughton, Secretary. Mr. Robert P Rizzo is the Manager of Paratransit Contract Operation and reports to Mr. McGuire. Eight people report to Mr. Rizzo. They are Dorothy Winn, Paratransit Eligibility Coordinator; Carol Joyce-Harrington, Administrative Coordinator; Paul Fitzgerald, JV Paratransit-Contract Admin; Strobis, Paratransit System and Data Analyst; Michael Hulak, KTI Paratransit-Contract Admin; Lisa Semoer, Clerk RIDE Revenue; Alex Murkison, GLSS Paratransit-Contract Admin; Cari Merrick, VTS Paratransit-Contract Admin. Three people report to Dorothy Winn, Paratransit Eligibility Coordinator. They are Tangela Burgess, Access Representative; Maureen Kelly, Administrative Clerk; Christine Nee, Access Clerk. Three people report to Carol Joyce-Harrington, Administrative Coordinator. They are Thomas Burgos, clerk; Gloria Jolly, Access Clerk; Diana Fiamma, Clerk.

• 
  First thing in the morning, each Contract Administrator will open the Terminal Service connections to each service provider. This allows the Contract Administrators to have access to real-time trip scheduling and dispatching screens that allow them to see scheduled trips and to follow the actual performance of the trips throughout the day. At a minimum, each Administrator opens the dispatch screen so they can follow the delivery of service throughout the day.
  
• 
  Each Administrator also opens the AVL viewer feature within system, which allows them to locate and track individual vehicles within the fleet.
  
• 
  Each morning, the Administrators will check provider phones by actually calling the number to make sure the phones are functioning as designed.
  
• 
  Each morning, the Administrators also will check to be sure that the Internet and IVR systems at each provider location are functioning.
  
• 
  A “Daily AM Report” also is run each morning and reviewed by the Contract Administrators. This report shows the number of trips that have been requested for the day, the number denied, and the number scheduled. This information is used to track trip denials. It also shows the number of vehicle hours of service scheduled for the day and the number of hours per route. This information is helpful in checking on scheduling efficiency and on the average total hours being worked by drivers. Finally, the report shows how many of the MDTs and AVL systems on vehicles that are in service are functioning. This information is important for ensuring that all data collection and operating systems are functioning as needed.
  
• 
  Once the real-time monitoring systems are opened, the Administrators typically also scan the dispatch screen to get a sense of how service is going in the morning. They also will periodically check on-time performance and the status of trips throughout the day to get a sense of how things are going. If problems are noted, they may also call and get an explanation from the providers.
  
• 
  On a daily basis, and throughout the day, the Contract Administrators also scan for responses to complaints from their assigned provider (see Section 2.7 for more detail).
  
• 
  On a daily basis, and throughout the day, the Contract Administrators also scan the system for accident or incident reports filed by their assigned provider.
  
• 
  Throughout the day, the Administrators also review e-mail received.
  
• 
  Throughout the day, the Contract Administrators also check on the number of trips on each provider’s “Wait List.” This gives them an idea of how much same-day dispatching will be needed to accommodate trips not actually scheduled onto runs.
  
• 
  Throughout the day, the Administrators also will do random checks of no-shows, check the trip data associated with these no-shows and look at associated “dispatcher notes” to ensure that no-shows are being accurately reported and handled in accordance with service policies.
  
• 
  Administrators also receive and act on any “waiver” requests from contract service providers. These are requests associated with performance that is not in compliance with service standards. For example, a carrier might request a waiver for performing a trip late and cite unusual traffic conditions or weather conditions as the cause. The Administrators must review the merits of each case and then act on and notify the service providers of their decisions.
  
• 
  Each Administrator also has a two-way radio that is on the same frequency as the system used by the service provider they are monitoring. The radio is always playing in their offices and they monitor activity and issues throughout the day. They are skilled at recognizing when service issues are developing by the type and demeanor of the transmissions. This also allows them to regularly monitor interactions between drivers and dispatchers.
  
• 
  Each Administrator also checks the AAA fuel price on a daily basis. This information is then used to review monthly invoices.
  
• 
  Finally, the written Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) also calls for Administrators to review Vehicle Location Audit Reports (see Figure 2.2) on a daily basis. These reports were created to check the accuracy of automated pick-up and drop-off information being recorded by drivers. The reports show all pick-ups and drop-offs by run. The pick-up and drop-off locations, along with the X-Y coordinates for each address are shown. For pick-ups, the promised time is then shown. For drop-offs, the appointment time or requested drop-off time is shown if this was provided by the rider. The times and X-Y coordinates for vehicle arrivals and departures from each pick-up and drop-off are then shown. And finally, the variations (in minutes and in miles) of the recorded pick-up and drop-off versus the scheduled pick-ups and drop-offs are shown. A sample report for Run #1005 on October 1, 2005 is provided on the following page (note that rider names and addresses have been hidden on this copy for confidentiality reasons). By reviewing these reports, Administrators can see if drivers pressed the “arrived” button when they were not near the actual pick-up or drop-off location. Some small variations are expected due to system tolerances, but major variations are noted. If major variations are noted, the Administrators will look more closely at information about the pick-up/drop-off (e.g., review AVL and route records) to see if the variation is a technology issue or an operations issue.
  

• 
  Contract Administrators check to be sure the TTY at each provider location is working by making a test call to each number.
  
• 
  Administrators check the reservations/scheduling system parameters that have been set by each provider by going into the system once a week and verifying that the settings are in accordance with contract requirements.
  
• 
  The automated information on provider personnel (information about prequalification and training requirements) is checked once each week.
  
• 
  The standard on-time performance report is run to check weekly performance by each provider.
  
• 
  Administrators log into the Fleet Maintenance section of the TRMIS system to check preventative maintenance intervals to verify they are within contract requirements.
  
• 
  Administrators also review phone MIS reports to check on phone hold times.
  
• 
  On a weekly basis, Administrators also are tasked with getting out on the road and making on-street observations of the service. This would, for example, include observing driver performance at pick-up and drop-off locations, or following vehicles to observe safe driving habits. The Administrators have PDAs that are tied into the TRMIS system to facilitate these on-the-road activities.
  

• 
  The four Contract Administrators are also responsible for reviewing and signing off on service provider invoices each month. Several detailed reviews are involved. First, the administrative costs in the invoices are checked against contract and bid agreements to ensure that all administrative costs are appropriate. Next, the per trip portion of the billing is checked against trip records for the month. Third, fuel purchases throughout the month are checked to ensure that they were at the prevailing prices. Fuel purchases are actually checked on a daily basis and compared to the average area price as reported by the Automobile Association of America (AAA) for that day. All fuel purchases are reported in the invoices on a daily basis and the rates are checked against the AAA rates. Any purchases over the prevailing prices are adjusted. Finally, a series of checks are made to determine what incentive payments or penalties need to be applied. This includes checking late trip and missed trip reports, checking responses to complaints, checking other late reporting for accidents and incidents, and reviewing other contract violations recorded for the past month.
  

Because office staff is limited, the Contract Administrators also have been assigned other office support duties. For example, one Administrator handles all issues related to vehicle registrations and insurance. With 298 of the vehicles in the fleet owned by the MBTA, this can be a significant task, particularly at certain times of the year. This same Administrator also is responsible for preparing monthly reports that are provided to the Access Advisory Committee to the MBTA (AACT). One of the Administrators also is responsible for preparing any Braille materials requested from the office. One significant request can take a day or more to properly format and produce. Another Administrator handles billing to the service providers of Nextels assigned to OTA office staff (the contract with the service providers calls for them to pay for Nextels that are used by OTA staff). One of the Administrators also handles all supply orders for the office and coordinates activities of THE RIDE Safety Committee. One of the four Contract Administrators also has been assigned the responsibility of tracking and reviewing safety procedures and information. He conducts regular checks of accident and incident information, takes and reviews accident and incident reports filed by the four contract service providers, participates in regular safety meetings held by the four providers, and tracks and analyzes the safety records of each provider.

• 
  The following observations and recommendations were made concerning the MBTA’s monitoring of THE RIDE service by the TranSystems study team.
  

• 
  With the addition of new technologies in 2004 and the development and implementation of the TRMIS system, the MBTA has excellent systems and technologies in place for service monitoring. These systems and technology are already being used to perform several contract management and oversight activities. Additional monitoring appears possible with these systems. These additional monitoring opportunities are discussed in the remainder of this memorandum.
  

• 
  It also was noted that while a number of daily, weekly and monthly contract monitoring and oversight functions are specified in the SOP, the actual outcomes of these activities could be more defined and documented. For example, while each Contract Administrator reviews the Vehicle Location Audit Report, there is no defined standard for what variations should be explored (e.g., all variations over 1.0 miles). Each Administrator also pursues and documents these variations in different ways. More standard criteria for what should be identified and documented could be helpful.
  

• 
  The customer service function performed by the OTA also is very important. With contract providers handling all aspects of service delivery (reservations, scheduling, dispatch) it is important that riders be able to raise issues with the MBTA if the service they are receiving is not adequate or appropriate. The daily contact that OTA has with riders also is very helpful for providing the staff with a sense of how the service is performing.
  

• 
  Given the staff available, though, the time required to perform customer service functions takes away from the ability to perform important contract management and oversight functions. Half of the time of the four Contract Administrators appears to be spent on customer service and complaint processing tasks. As a result, some important contract management and oversight functions are being deferred. Regular on-site visits at the provider locations and on-street observations are currently very limited.
  

• 
  To allow for more on-site visits to the providers and on-street observations, we would recommend that the MBTA consider additional staffing within the OTA. Additional staff also is needed to be able to conduct the additional monitoring activities included in the Monitoring Plan (detailed in the next section). We would recommend that four additional professional positions be added to OTA. These addition staff would allow OTA to have a team of two people assigned to oversee each service provider. With two-person teams, OTA could conduct the needed on-site and on-street monitoring activities as well as cover customer service issues related to each service provider. If one member of the team was on the street or at the provider site, the other could cover customer service tasks.
  

• 
  The professionalism and courtesy of dispatchers and reservationists;
  
• 
  Adherence to service policies in the trip reservations and dispatch processes.
  

Calls concerning very late rides and disputed no-shows also should be noted and then investigated.