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Table 1.10 - Elevators Available at 6:00 AM, January 1 to March 31, 2005

(Editor’s note: Data in the table is first provided for the Blue Line, then the Green Line, then the Orange Line, then the Red Line, and then for all rail lines. For each rail line, data is presented in the following order: Time Period; Number of Elevators; Average Availability; % Available)

Blue Line

1/1/05-1/8/05;14;0.13;99%

1/9/05-1/15/05;14;0;100%

1/16/05-1/22/05;14;0.43;97%

1/23/05-1/31/05;14;1.22;91%

2/1/05-2/5/05;14;0.4;97%

2/6/05-2/12/05;14;0;100%

2/13/05-2/19/05;14;0.14;99%

2/20/05-2/28/05;14;0.56;96%

3/1/05-3/5/05;14;0;100%

3/6/05-3/12/05;14;0.57;96%

3/13/05-3/19/05;14;0.14;99%

3/20/05-3/26/05;14;0.86;94%

3/27/05-3/31/05;14;1.2;91%

1/1/05 – 3/31/05;14;0.43;97%

Green Line

1/1/05-1/8/05;12;0;100%

1/9/05-1/15/05;12;0;100%

1/16/05-1/22/05;12;0;100%

1/23/05-1/31/05;13;78;94%

2/1/05-2/5/05;13;1;92%

2/6/05-2/12/05;13;.57;96%

2/13/05-2/19/05;13;.71;95%

2/20/05-2/28/05;13;.67;95%

3/1/05-3/5/05;13;0;100%

3/6/05-3/12/05;13;1;92%

3/13/05-3/19/05;13;.86;93%

3/20/05-3/26/05;13;.29;98%

3/27/05-3/31/05;13;.2;98%

1/1/05 – 3/31/05;13;047;96%

Orange Line

1/1/05-1/8/05;40;3.88;90%

1/9/05-1/15/05;40;3.71;91%

1/16/05-1/22/05;40;3.14;92%

1/23/05-1/31/05;40;5.89;85%

2/1/05-2/5/05;40;6.4;84%

2/6/05-2/12/05;40;4.57;89%

2/13/05-2/19/05;40;4.57;89%

2/20/05-2/28/05;40;2.67;93%

3/1/05-3/5/05;40;2;95%

3/6/05-3/12/05;40;2.57;94%

3/13/05-3/19/05;42;3.86;91%

3/20/05-3/26/05;42;3.29;92%

3/27/05-3/31/05;42;0.8;98%

1/1/05 – 3/31/05;42;3.64;91%

Red Line

1/1/05-1/8/05;41;3.63;91%

1/9/05-1/15/05;41;1.43;97%

1/16/05-1/22/05;41;2.29;94%

1/23/05-1/31/05;41;7.56;82%

2/1/05-2/5/05;41;7;83%

2/6/05-2/12/05;41;6.14;85%

2/13/05-2/19/05;41;6.57;84%

2/20/05-2/28/05;41;9.67;76%

3/1/05-3/5/05;41;10.2;75%

3/6/05-3/12/05;41;7.71;81%

3/13/05-3/19/05;41;7.86;81%

3/20/05-3/26/05;41;7.29;82%

3/27/05-3/31/05;41;10.8;74%

1/1/05 – 3/31/05;41;6.78;83%

Totals

1/1/05-1/8/05;107;7.64;93%

1/9/05-1/15/05;107;5.14;95%

1/16/05-1/22/05;107;5.86;95%

1/23/05-1/31/05;108;15.45;86%

2/1/05-2/5/05;108;14.8;86%

2/6/05-2/12/05;108;11.28;90%

2/13/05-2/19/05;108;11.99;89%

2/20/05-2/28/05;108;13.57;87%

3/1/05-3/5/05;108;12.2;89%

3/6/05-3/12/05;108;11.85;89%

3/13/05-3/19/05;110;12.72;88%

3/20/05-3/26/05;110;11.73;89%

3/27/05-3/31/05;110;13;88%

1/1/05 – 3/31/05;110;11.33;90%
Since May 2005, the MBTA has implemented a new method of tracking availability of elevators that have been removed from service and returned to service during the day. Since September 1, 2005 the MBTA reports elevator availability of 96% and above. Inspector Reports, Elevator Incident Reports from MCRS, Elevator Maintenance Reports from the MBTA maintenance contractor and MBTA Public Information Elevator Reports were reviewed for all Red Line stations for the week of May 8-14. Two hundred and fifty-two (252) Daily Inspector Reports documented 572 elevator inspections during the week for the 36 Red Line elevators. There were no reports for five elevators. The distribution of inspections is presented in the table below. As indicated, most elevators were inspected at least twice a day.
Table 1.11 - Red Line Elevators Transportation Inspections

(Editor’s note: The following data is provided in this table:

There are a total of 36 Red Line elevators;

35.3 elevators were inspected per day, which accounted for 98% of all elevators;

There were a total of 81.7 inspections per day;

0.7 elevators (2.0%) had no inspections per day;

3.6 elevators (9.9%) were inspected once per day;

17 elevators (47.2%) were inspected twice per day;

14.7 elevators (40.9%) were inspected three times per day;

The average number of inspections per day was 2.3. i

For the surveyed week, during morning inspections 15 elevators were recorded as inoperable. As part of the MBTA’s audit program six additional elevators were reported inoperable for a total of 21. Also, two elevators previously reported inoperable were reported as operational for a net total of 19. During afternoon and evening inspections three additional elevators were identified as inoperable for a total of 22 inoperable elevators.
Table 1.12 - Inspection Results and Maintenance Reports

(Editor’s note: Data in the table is presented first for AM inspections (about 5:00 AM), then for Audit Inspections (about 10:00 AM), then for Afternoon and evening inspections. For each type of inspection, data is presented in the following order: Number of Inspections; Inoperable Elevators; Same Status; Additional Inoperable Elevators; Repaired Elevators; Net Inoperable Elevators. The total number of inspections in the MCRS system is then given. The total number of inspections reported by the maintenance contractor is then given)

AM Inspection (5:00 AM +/-); 214;15; N/A; N/A; N/A; 15

Audit Inspection (10:00 AM +/-); 20; 10; 12; 6; 2; 19

Afternoon & Evening Inspections; 358; 22; 336; 3; 0; 22

In MCRS; 3

Reported by Maintenance Contractor; 8
Of these 22 elevators, five appeared in the MCRS report of elevator incidents opened for the Red Line during the week of May 8 to 14. Of these five elevators, three appeared in the maintenance contractor’s report. The maintenance contractor’s report also included five additional inoperable elevators as identified by MBTA Inspectors for a total of eight.
Although elevators are inspected every eight hours by Transportation Inspectors, the information that they gather from first hand observation is not captured in the MCRS system in an accurate and consistent manner. If the MCRS system is to be used as the central management tool for reporting elevator status information to the public and to initiate service requests it is essential that the Inspector’s information be entered into the MCRS system. In the short term heightened focus on clear communications between the Inspectors and Maintenance Control Center can help to address this problem. In the long term the MBTA may wish to use a more automated procedure, such as PDA recorded reports, to capture the valuable data collected by Inspectors during station inspections. Such a procedure could result in more timely and accurate tracking of elevator outages.
When reports of elevator outages are received by the MCC they should be confirmed by the Inspector on site to both avoid unnecessary deployment of maintenance personnel if the elevator is operating and to alert the Inspector to a change in the condition of the facility to which he is assigned. Similarly, when an elevator is scheduled for maintenance by the maintenance contractor the period of maintenance should be reported to the MCC, recorded in MCRS so the maintenance performance can be tracked. Also the information could then be shared with the PA announcer so the period of elevator outage can be announced on the Hot Line and Web Site (i.e. the inbound elevator at Kendall/MIT will be out of service for maintenance between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.). Finally, the information should be communicated to the Inspector so he/she is aware of the status of assigned facilities and can assist customers accordingly.
When elevator repairs and maintenance are complete, they should be recorded in the MCRS system in a timely manner and the MCC should confirm the status of the elevator as operational with the Inspector. Again this will facilitate timely updates to public information through the Hot Line, Web Site and Inspectors.
Table 1.13 - Public Information at Approximately 10:00 a.m.

(Editor’s note: Data in the table shows information about elevators in various reports and public information sources. Data is presented in the following order: Number of Inoperable Elevators; Number In Inspector Reports; Number Not In Inspector Reports; Number on Hot Line; Number on Web Site)

Inspectors Reports; 19; NA; NA; 9; 10

Elevator Hot Line; 13; 9; 4; NA; 11

MBTA Web Site; 17; 10; 7; 11; NA
Based upon a review of the Inspector Reports and the MBTA audit, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Inspectors were reporting 19 elevators as out of service. Nine of those elevators appeared on the hot line and 10 on the MBTA’s web site. The maintenance contractor report indicates that service was performed on one of the elevators identified by Inspectors as being out of service and identified as operational on the MBTA’s web site. Accordingly, one of the elevators reported as out of service by the Inspector at 5:00 a.m. could have been restored to operation by 10:00 a.m. Based on the Inspector’s report, 8-9 inoperable elevators were not reported on the Hot Line and 9-10 inoperable elevators were not reported on the Web Site. Similarly, 4 operable elevators were reported as inoperable on the Hot Line and 7 on the Web Site.
In addition to inconsistency between the Inspectors reports and the public information there were internal discrepancies between the information on the Hot Line and the information on the web site. Of the 13 elevators out of service on the Hot Line, 2 were not included on the Web site. The Web Site listed 6 stations that were not on the Hot Line. In five of these cases where the elevator was reported out of service on the web page, the Current Status per the Inspector Report indicated that the elevator was in service.
Harvard Station elevator #821 was one case on May 12 where the update line reported an elevator out of service but the webpage did not. This elevator had work orders placed by Inspectors on the 8^th, 9^th, 11^th and 12^th, and had appeared on both the update line and the webpage on every day observed until the 12^th, where it appeared only on the update line. The repair work was assigned at 1:33 p.m. on the 12^th and work was completed at 2:52 p.m. the same day.
One other instance where elevator status information did not seem to be consistent was with Quincy Center station Elevator 896. This elevator, which serves the commuter rail platform but is part of the Red Line elevator contract, had work orders placed on every morning from May 8-12. The elevator was not reported as being out of service on the update line or the webpage until May 14.
There were three instances where repair work was assigned, but not completed within the 24-hour period stipulated in the elevator maintenance contract. All three of these events took place on May 12. Information on these repairs is provided in the following table:
Table 1.14 - May 12 Elevator Repairs Taking Longer Than 24 Hours

(Editor’s note: Data in the table is presented in the following order: Date; Station; Elevator; Work Assigned; Date and Time Work Completed; Time to Complete Work)

5/12; JFK/UMass; 830; 4:02 p.m.;5/13, 5:01 p.m.; One day, 59 min

5/12; Quincy Ctr.; 871; 6:00 a.m.; 5/13, 6:24 a.m.; 1 day, 24 min.

5/12; South Sta.; 927; 6:53 p.m.; 5/14, 10:48 p.m.; 2 days, 3 hrs, 55 min.
Procedures for public communication of elevator status are further discussed in the Public Information section of this report.
Public Address & Variable Message Signs (PAVMS)
With respect to ADA requirements, PA and VMS can be very helpful in assuring that requirements for route announcements at stations serving more than one route are met. Specifically, systems that provide automatic audible announcements of train arrivals can effectively address this requirement. Although signs on trains identify the routes for people who have hearing impairments, variable message signs provide another method of doing so. PAVMS systems can also be an effective way of communicating equivalent service information to people who have hearing or sight impairments as well as the general public. Continued advancement of the PAVMS system installation at passenger platforms and lobbies should improve communications to all of these transit customers.
VMS equipment can also be helpful in identifying elevator outages. Coupled with direct or intercom access to a customer service agent, VMS equipment can be helpful in quickly identifying an alternative travel route, thereby minimizing a customer’s delay in reaching his or her destination. To be effective, such equipment must be located on the accessible path of travel at or before the customer encounters an elevator that could be out of service and before the customer passes through the fare gate of the key station at which they are entering the system. A system of this type is used by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) in San Francisco. The MBTA should consider installation of elevator status information on variable message signs located so they can be read by a passenger before entering the station. Means for obtaining alternate route information or assistance should be located near the VMS.
Passenger Vehicles
The discussion of maintenance and operation of passenger vehicles begins with a presentation of regulatory requirements for maintenance and operation of vehicle features required to make vehicles readily accessible and usable to people who have disabilities. This is followed by a discussion of vehicle accessibility features of each transit mode. The bus discussion addresses lifts and ramps and associated operator training. A brief summary of accessible vehicle features is provided for the other modes.
USDOT ADA Regulatory Requirements
The USDOT regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) contain requirements that are meant to assist persons with disabilities using fixed route transportation services. Specifically, 49 CFR Section 37.161 requires that:
(a) Public and private entities providing transportation services shall maintain in operative condition those features of … vehicles that are required to make the vehicles … readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. These features include, but are not limited to, lifts and other means of access to vehicles, securement devices…, signage and systems to facilitate communications with persons with impaired vision or hearing.
In addition to the general maintenance provisions described above, 49 CFR Section 37.163 requires public transportation providers to institute regular and frequent maintenance checks of lifts:
(b) The entity shall establish a system of regular and frequent maintenance checks of lifts sufficient to determine if they are operative.
(c) The entity shall ensure that vehicle operators report to the entity, by the most immediate means available, any failure of a lift to operate in service.
(d) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, when a lift is discovered to be inoperative, the entity shall take the vehicle out of service before the beginning of the vehicle's next service day and ensure that the lift is repaired before the vehicle returns to service.
(e) If there is no spare vehicle available to take the place of a vehicle with an inoperable lift, such that taking the vehicle out of service will reduce the transportation service the entity is able to provide, the public entity may keep the vehicle in service with an inoperable lift for no more than five days (if the entity serves an area of 50,000 or less population) or three days (if the entity serves an area of over 50,000 population) from the day on which the lift is discovered to be inoperative.
(f) In any case in which a vehicle is operating on a fixed route with an inoperative lift, and the headway to the next accessible vehicle on the route exceeds 30 minutes, the entity shall promptly provide alternative transportation to individuals with disabilities who are unable to use the vehicle because its lift does not work.
In summary, the key element of vehicle operation is lifts and ramps and associated wheelchair securement equipment. These features provide vehicle access to people who have mobility impairments. Also important to use of transit service by people who have disabilities is public address and variable message sign equipment. Such systems can facilitate route and stop announcements and communication of other service information on passenger vehicles. A third vehicle feature that is needed to permit independent use of transit by people who have hearing impairments is signage and lighting that provides route information and identifies accessible entrances and priority seating locations for people who have disabilities.
Current MBTA Program
The MBTA operates five modes of fixed route passenger service: bus and trackless trolley (Silver Line and other fixed route services), commuter rail (Purple Line), rapid rail (Blue, Orange and Red Lines), light rail (Green Line, Mattapan Trolley), and boat. Commuter rail, boat service, and some bus service are operated through contracts with private operators. The MBTA owns the vehicles for the service it operates directly as well as the contracted commuter rail service. The contract bus and boat operators own the vehicles for those services. No U.S. DOT ADA regulations are in effect for boat service and MAAAB Regulations do not address passenger vehicles. Accordingly, boats and MAAAB requirements are not further addressed in this section of the memorandum.
As identified in Technical Memorandum #2, the features of the MBTA fleet that must be maintained to make the passenger equipment accessible to people who have disabilities are described below:
Buses
With the retirement of the inaccessible trackless trolleys in 2005, the MBTA bus fleet is now 100% accessible. The fleet consists of 993 buses with 597 (60%) ramp equipped and 396 (40%) lift equipped.
As of the second quarter of 2005, seven hundred and twenty-two (722) of the buses were equipped with Public Address Variable Message Signs (PAVMS) systems. These systems provide the capacity for audible and visual automated stop announcements, automated route announcements at stops serving more than one route, and confirming stop requests inside of the vehicle. The 396 oldest buses are equipped with PA systems with goose neck microphones. The gooseneck handle has a tendency to break. The Nova bus overhaul being completed by Mid West Bus on 120 older buses requires the contractor to inspect, test and replace components of the PA system. Sixty (60) buses were completed in mid-2005.
Each bus is assigned to operate out of one of six districts (Arborway, Bennett, Cabot, Charlestown, Lynn, and Quincy). Buses are assigned to one of nine garage facilities, including out-of-service buses assigned to the Everett Shop.
A review of access-related fixed route complaints filed by customers during the first calendar quarter of 2005 revealed that of the 88 complaints, 18 related to vehicles. In the 18 vehicle-related complaints, 22 issues were cited. Twelve of the complaints related to access equipment: six for vehicle lifts, three for ramps, and three for kneelers. These equipment related complaints could be the result of operations, maintenance, equipment design, or all three.
Of the 23 stop and route announcement complaints, four were for bus service. Although these are likely related to operator performance, faulty public address equipment could be a contributing cause.
Inspection & Maintenance
Morning drivers are required to perform a pre-trip inspection, or circle check, of his/her assigned bus. The inspection includes cycling of the wheelchair lift. The driver is required to complete a numbered Vehicle Condition Report, “defect card,” and turn it in to the pullout Inspector. Drivers use the report to identify any defective items prior to pullout. The form lists safety and operating features. The form also includes a number of features needed for accessibility including destination signs, kneelers, lifts, wheel chair seats and buzzer. However, the list does not include wheelchair securements or the public address system. MBTA managers indicate that operators are required to test the PA systems both during pre-trip inspections and when the vehicle is returned from service. Operators are required to notify the Pullout Starter as to whether or not the lift is operational. The Starter then enters the information on the defective lift into the MBTA’s Maintenance Control and Reporting System (MCRS) as a “Service Request.” Although it is the MBTA’s practice to check the PA system during pull-out it is not included on the “Vehicle Condition Report.” Also, with the addition of ramps, a potential impediment to the use of buses by people who use wheelchairs is broken wheelchair securements on the buses. It is recommended that PAVMS equipment and wheelchair securements be explicitly included on daily vehicle inspection forms to reinforce the importance of their inspection to providing accessible service.
If, during pullout a lift/ramp malfunctions and cannot be repaired quickly, the MBTA’s policy is to pull the bus out of service and send another with a functioning lift/ramp in its place. If a lift malfunctions on a bus assigned to a “non-dedicated” lift equipped route, an effort will be made to replace the bus; however, buses will be sent out with non-functioning lifts if there is no spare available.
If a lift fails in service the driver is required to report it in accordance with MBTA Special Order #01-51. The order requires all bus operators to report any vehicle defect to an appropriate Inspector, any relief operator or next operator of the vehicle. Upon returning the vehicle to the bus garage the operator is to record the defect on a defect card to be placed on the windshield of the bus and report the defect to the Inspector at the garage. When a defective lift is reported to the Dispatcher as having failed in service, the Dispatcher enters it into MCRS as “Failed in Service.”
If a customer or other MBTA personnel notice a problem with a lift or some other component of the bus they can report it to the MCC and it will also be entered into MCRS as a service request. In addition the Office for Transportation Access (OTA) staff can report vehicle problems by entering them into MCRS.
The Maintenance Supervisor for each of three shifts reviews the MCRS at the beginning of the shift and may review the report 2 or 3 times during the 8 hour work shift. Buses that are identified for maintenance are parked in the “work row” when they are returned from operation. According to this procedure buses with reported defects remain in service for less than 8 hours. Until maintenance on the vehicle is initiated they remain in a “pending” category in MCRS. When a work order is issued the maintenance category is changed to “open.”
Routine Maintenance - Generally, each garage is responsible for maintaining its own fleet. Several types of maintenance are performed including preventive, routine repair work, and in-service. A common record-keeping system is used and repair and maintenance information is captured in real-time in a centralized computer database.
Routine preventive maintenance is scheduled at 6,000- and 12,000-mile intervals. The 6,000-mile inspection includes a steam cleaning, lubrication, and cycling of the lift and other routine maintenance as may be required. The 12,000-mile inspection also includes a more thorough lift inspection. In addition maintenance personnel inspect PA systems for buses at each 6000 mile interval.
Maintenance workers are available at pullout to troubleshoot problems including wheelchair lift repairs. The MBTA’s procedure of assigning a maintenance worker to troubleshoot problems during pull-out minimizes the number of buses with inoperable lifts/ramps in need of minor repair being placed in service.
Other problems with the buses identified during operator inspections or in service are addressed by maintenance personnel. At 9:00 AM each day the Maintenance Supervisor reviews the “priority check sheet” and a “defect log” that he receives from the pull-out Inspector and assigns vehicles to the day foreman for repair, giving priority to safety and mechanical problems, including wheelchair lifts. Cosmetic repairs are given low priority. Minor, non-safety repairs are addressed as vehicles return from service.
The foreman assigns the work, including lifts and non-functioning PA systems, for the shift. He records assignment and performance in the MCRS. The foreman also arranges for vehicles to be pulled in from service as needed for maintenance.
In-service repairs occur when a bus breaks down while in revenue service. If, for example, a wheelchair-lift malfunctions, the driver contacts the Operations Control Center and a maintenance truck is sent to assist the driver, if needed. Some repairs are simple – such as replacing a fuse. Others are more complicated and require the bus to be taken out of service. A “Failures In-service Daily Log” is used to track these types of road calls. The form includes various codes used to describe the problem, the vehicle number, a brief description of the type of trouble encountered, and the current garage assignment for the bus. A “Failure In-service Incident Detail Report” is used to document the repair. A “Vehicle History” report also may be generated to track repairs and to spot repetitive problems.
Based upon the MBTA’s progress reports to FTA on lift repairs, 1,028 lift repairs were made during the last calendar quarter of 2004 (October 1 to December 31). Lift repairs as tallied by the MBTA can include multiple repairs made at one time. Based on a sample week as described below, the 1,028 lift repairs indicates that about 870 vehicles received lift repairs during the 3 month period. The result is an average of 10 bus lift repairs per day or approximately 1 % of the fleet. For a sample week of October 1 through 7 the MBTA reported 59 lift repairs on 46 vehicles. Of the 46 vehicles repaired, four were out of service for repair on two occasions during the week and multiple repairs (17) were performed while servicing 8 vehicles. Two of the four vehicles that were out of service on two occasions were out of service for the same work item.
Sixteen (8000 series) of the 46 vehicles from the sample week have been retired by the MBTA. Twenty-six (0001-0400 series) of the vehicles are approximately 10 year old lift equipped buses. Lifts on this series of buses are being overhauled as part of a vehicle overhaul program. Four of the buses are equipped with ramps.
Lift and Ramp Reliability
The USDOT ADA Regulations require that buses with inoperable lifts or ramps not be used in service. The regulations allow an exception to this requirement when there are otherwise insufficient vehicles to meet scheduled service requirements, but even with bus shortages, buses with inoperable lifts or ramps are not to be used in service for more than 3 days.
The MBTA tracks bus lift and ramp repairs through maintenance tracking and reporting software. Among other things the software captures the date of the service request; the date work begins on the vehicle (the work order is opened), the date that the repair is completed (the work order is closed).
In addition, the mileage on the vehicle is captured at the end of each service day when the vehicle is fueled. The MBTA is transitioning from a manual system, in which the yard man records the mileage manually for later entry into the maintenance system, to an automated system through which the mileage is recorded in the maintenance system automatically when the vehicle is fueled.
From this information reports are produced that indicate the number of days and the mileage between the period that a service request is made and the repair is completed.
During this period, bus service availability and use can vary. Vehicles are inspected by operators before being used in service. Lift and ramp problems are reported to the pull-out supervisor who enters a service request for the vehicle into the maintenance system. If there are sufficient vehicles to meet schedule needs it is MBTA procedure to return the bus to the “work row”, an area of the bus facility that buses awaiting repair are stored. If there are an insufficient number of buses to meet schedule needs the bus is used in service and returned to the work row at the end of the driver’s shift. Buses commonly remain in the work row until repairs begin. If there are insufficient buses to meet schedule needs buses that are otherwise operational and have no safety defects may be taken from the work row for use in service. When work is initiated on the vehicle a work order number is assigned for the repairs and the work order is opened. Normally, the repair is completed and the work order is closed. On occasion the bus could be returned to service while the work order is still open. This could happen if there are insufficient buses to meet the schedule, the bus can be operated safely, and the repair has been delayed while awaiting a part, or from some other reason. Were this to occur, the bus would be returned to the work row at the end of the operator’s shift. Upon completion of the repair the bus is returned to service and the supervisor closes the work order. On occasion there could be a lag between completion of the repair and closing the work order.
The MBTA does not specifically track the period that buses with inoperable lifts/ramps are used in service. From a report on lift repairs, the period from service request to repair can be identified. As a result buses with repair periods exceeding 3 days could potentially be used in service. The report also indicates the miles traveled by the vehicle during the period from service request to repair. Vehicles with repair periods exceeding 3 days with high mileage could have been used in service. As a result, using the current reports, only potential in service buses with disabled lifts or ramps can be identified, actual use can not. The MBTA should develop reports that clearly identify daily use of vehicles with inoperable lifts. The reports should be used to withhold buses with inoperable lifts from service after three days and to assist in setting maintenance priorities. Such reports would permit better monitoring and compliance with the requirement that buses with inoperable lifts and ramps be used only when other vehicles are not available and that in no circumstances buses with inoperable lifts/ramps be used in service for more than 3 days. The reports should identify the date the lift/ramp is reported inoperable service and use of the vehicle (mileage) for each day from the service request. Change in daily mileage could be used to indicate bus use, with zero or few miles indicating that the bus was not used in service. A report for all buses that identified daily mileage for the period of interest for buses with inoperable lifts/ramps would permit identification of days in service. Such a report could be created by modifying the maintenance reports or by exporting data from the maintenance reports to a spreadsheet and creating a report from the exported data. With this information the pull out dispatcher or mechanical supervisor could hold the bus from service unless there are insufficient buses to meet pull out and hold the bus from service if it has been used for 3 days after the date of the service request.
For a sample week of October 1-7, 2004 the MBTA data indicates 50 reports of bus lift problems on 46 vehicles. The 50 reported problems include two reports for four buses. Forty-one of the buses were reported repaired in less than 3 days from the out of service date with 28 repairs made on the “out of service” date. Nine bus lift repairs took more than three days with four taking four days, two repairs in five days, two in six days and one in 19 days. Of the longer repairs, five were on buses that have since been retired and four were on ten year-old buses that are undergoing lift overhauls.
A report on wheelchair lift service for the month of July 2005 was also reviewed. Of the 83 reported lift/ramp defects reported in July, the vehicles appeared to be used in service 48.2 % of the time (based on the reported mileage). The report provided mileage from date of service request to completion of repair. On average, MBTA buses travel approximately 30,000 miles per year or about 100 miles per weekday. Based on a review of mileage data in the report it appears that it is common for buses to travel 200 miles per day. Absent more specific information on daily usage and mileage, it is likely that many of the buses that operated more than 600 miles and some of the buses that operated more than 300 miles were used in service for more than 3 days from the date the lift/ramp was reported as inoperable. About 47.7% of the buses were operated more than 600 miles and 56.8% were operated more than 300 miles.

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