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To help improve consistency in data definitions and reporting for DRT, this chapter addresses performance data, definitions, and data collection practices and procedures. Practices that lead to inconsistencies are also outlined. Terms and definitions established through the Federal National Transit Database (NTD) are used where appropriate. For those readers not interested in the details of DRT terminology and data collection, Table 3-1 provides a listing of DRT terms and definitions used for the Guidebook. 3.1 A Trip Is A Trip Is . . . Not Always A Trip Itâs not just the term âtripâ that may have multiple meanings across DRT systems. Other terms, including miles, hours, passengers, and cancellations have different meanings at different DRT systems. Some of these data are included and reported through the NTD, which provides specific definitions for its terms. The NTD publishes an annual Reporting Manual to assist systems in reporting the data. Despite this, variations exist across DRT systems, affecting com- parisons across DRT systems. Beyond NTD, other data are used for assessing DRT operations and performance, such as can- cellations, no-shows, and missed-tripsâand the definitions vary. At one system, for example, âmissed-tripsâ includes not only trips where the vehicle never showed up, but also late trips that do show up and transport the rider, with this subset termed âmissed but transported.â This chapter addresses performance data used in DRT in two categoriesâthose data elements included in the NTD and those not included (see Table 3-2). Procedures related to data collec- tion are also addressed. 3.2 NTD Data and Definitions for DRT Performance Assessment NTDâStandardized Data and Definitions for Transit Systems in Urban Areas All public transit systems that receive funds or benefit from the FTAâs Urbanized Area Fund- ing Program (Section 5307) are required to file an annual NTD report. The data required for this report are defined in the annual NTD reporting manual for all transit modes including DRT. (The annual Reporting Manual is published each year and is available on the NTD website at www.ntdprogram.gov ). 10 C H A P T E R 3 Performance Data and Definitions
Performance Data and Definitions 11 Revenue Hours Revenue hours include all time from the point of the first passenger pick-up to the last passenger drop-off, as long as the DRT operator and vehicle do not return to the dispatching point (e.g., the garage or some other location such as a satellite location or the operatorâs home) having completed the operatorâs work assignment. Revenue hours do not include scheduled time off such as operator lunch breaks. (NTD definition) Revenue Miles Revenue miles are the distance traveled from the point of the first passenger pick-up to the last passenger drop-off, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Revenue miles do not include travel during scheduled time off such as driver lunch breaks. Revenue miles correspond to revenue hours. (NTD definition) Vehicle Hours Vehicle hours cover the time from when a transit vehicle starts (pull-out time) from a garage (or other storage location) to go into revenue service to the time it returns to the garage (pull-in time) after completing its revenue service, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Vehicle hours do not include scheduled time off such as vehicle operator lunch breaks. (NTD definition) Vehicle Miles Vehicle miles cover the distance traveled from when a transit vehicle starts (pull-out) from a garage (or other storage location) to go into revenue service to the time it returns to the garage (pull-in time) after completing its revenue service, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Vehicle miles do not include travel during scheduled time off such as vehicle operator lunch breaks. Vehicle miles correspond to vehicle hours. (NTD definition) Passengers The NTD term for passengers, or ridership, is unlinked passenger trips (UPT). UPT are the number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination. Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) and companions are counted as passengers on DRT as long as they are not employees of the transit system. (NTD definition) The Guidebook uses the term passenger trips. Passenger Miles Passenger miles are the cumulative sum of the distances ridden by passengers on transit vehicles. (NTD definition) Operating Expense (Cost) Operating expenses are the day-to-day operating costs of a transit agency such as labor, fuel, vehicle parts, and utilities. Includes consumable items with a useful life of less than one year or an acquisition cost which equals lesser of (1) the capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes or (2) $5,000. (NTD definition) Acciden t The NTD term for accidents is incidents. An incident is an event and can involve multiple people and vehicles. An event is defined as a safety incident if it involves a transit vehicle or occurs on transit-controlled property and meets specific NTD-defined thresholds, which determine if the incident is major or non-major. (NTD definition) On-Time Trip A trip where the vehicle arrives at the scheduled pick-up (or drop-off) location within the DRT systemâs definition of on-time, often a âwindowâ of time. Many DRT systems include early trips within the count of on-time trips. Requested Trips Passenger trips that eligible DRT individuals or their agents ask for. Scheduled Trips Trips that are placed onto vehicle schedules for service the next day, including any âexcessâ trips that are to be placed onto schedules. Completed Trips Trips where a passenger was transported from an origin to a destination. A completed trip may carry more than one passenger, if there are two or more passengers traveling from the same origin to the same destination. Cancellation A deletion of a trip that has been reserved or scheduled for a passenger. Cancellations can be categorized as:advance, same-day, and late. Advance Cancellation A cancellation made before the day of service. Same-Day Cancellation A cancellation made on the day the trip is scheduled to occur. Same-day cancellations include trips cancelled early in the day, possibly hours before their scheduled time, as well as trips cancelled with less notice. Late Cancellation A cancellation made shortly before the scheduled trip is to occur. The exact time that a cancellation becomes a late cancellation for a particular DRT system will depend on DRT policy. No-Show A failure of a rider to show up for a scheduled trip at the scheduled time and location, when the vehicle has arrived within the DRT systemâs definition of on-time, and the rider has not cancelled the trip in advance. If a rider cancels the trip at the door when the vehicle arrives, this is also counted as a no-show, though some systems report such occurrences as a subset of no-shows. Table 3-1. DRT terms and definitions used for the guidebook. (continued on next page)
FTA also makes the reported NTD data available to the public. Since 1997, FTA has posted these data on the Internet at the NTD program site. Using the posted electronic spreadsheets and databases, the performance data of the many transit systems within the NTD databases, includ- ing DRT systems, can be accessed. Beginning in 2006, public transit systems that receive funds from the FTAâs Non-Urbanized Area Funding Program (Section 5311) are also required to file an NTD report. This means that rural systems (Section 5311), in addition to urban systems (Section 5307), must file an annual report summarizing transit service and safety data. The reporting requirements for rural systems, however, are tailored to the smaller size of the typical public transportation system in rural areas, while still providing enough information to assess rural services. The key NTD performance data, identified through earlier project efforts, are discussed below. Key NTD Performance Data Revenue Hours, Revenue Miles, Vehicle Hours, and Vehicle Miles The key to understanding the NTD definitions for these terms is the proper consideration of revenue and deadhead operations. Revenue service is when the transit vehicle is providing public transportation and is available to carry passengers. Revenue service excludes transportation activities such as exclusive school bus service and charter service. Vehicles operated in fare-free service are considered in revenue service. In some states, revenue hours and miles are called vehicle service hours and miles. The NTD definition of revenue service is based on the operations of fixed-route bus service. Revenue service is defined as the service (miles and hours operated) going from the beginning to the end 12 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation Missed Trip A failure of the vehicle to show up for a scheduled trip. A missed trip can also be defined to include a trip that arrives late, and because of that lateness, the passenger is no longer there for the trip or declines to take the trip. In both cases, the trip is not completed. Trip Denial A DRT trip requested by a passenger, but that the DRT system is not able to provide, typically because capacity is not available at the particular requested time. Trip Length The distance, measured in miles, from the passenger pick-up to drop-off location. The sum of all passengersâ trip lengths is an NTD data element, passenger miles, and must be included with DRT systemsâ annual NTD reports. Travel Time The time that the passenger spends on-board the vehicle from time of boarding to arrival time at the destination. Complaints An expression of dissatisfaction by a passenger or the passengerâs agent over some aspect of the DRT service. DRT systems generally monitor complaints related to service and those over which they control day-to-day. DRT Performance Data Included in NTD DRT Performance Data Not Included in NTD Revenue Hours On-Time Trips Revenue Miles Requested Trips Vehicle Hours Reserved Trips Vehicle Miles Scheduled Trips Unlinked Passenger Trips Completed Trips Operating Expense (Cost) Cancellation Accidents/Incidents No-Show Missed Trip Trip Denial Trip Length Travel Time Complaints Table 3-1. (Continued) Table 3-2. DRT performance data.
of the bus route and back again. It includes the small amounts of time scheduled as layover/ recovery time, typically at both ends of the route. However, revenue service excludes scheduled breaks such as lunch, and it does not include vehicle operator training or maintenance testing. It is related only to passenger service. Deadhead is the operating time needed to move a transit vehicle before revenue service begins and after revenue service ends. When transit vehicles are deadheading, they operate closed-door and are not available to passengers. Deadhead in fixed-route services can involve travel between the garage and the beginning of a route at the start of the day and back again at the end of the day. The application of this fixed-route concept to DRT required some adjustments in the defini- tion. Revenue time includes all travel and time from the point of the first passenger pick-up to the last passenger drop-off, as long as the vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. The idea behind this NTD concept is that the DRT vehicle is fully and efficiently scheduled and is transporting passengers between the first passenger pick-up and the last passenger drop-off. While there may be periods of time when there are no passengers riding or the vehicle is stopped, these periods are unavoidable and are similar to scheduled layover/recovery time on fixed-route services. The NTD definition uses the term dispatching point to mean that the DRT operator and vehi- cle have returned to either the garage or some other location (e.g., a satellite garage or the oper- atorâs home) and have completed the operatorâs work assignment. The operator may have a scheduled time off or is paid stand-by time and is waiting for a passenger to make a real-time request for service. The scheduled time off may include a meal break. This scheduled time off does not cover oper- ators who quickly grab something to eat as they travel between pick-up and drop-off points, but are not provided a reasonable lunch break. Vehicle hours and miles cover the time and travel from when a transit vehicle starts (pull-out time) from a garage to go into revenue service to the time it returns to the garage (pull-in time) after completing its revenue service. Since vehicle hours and miles cover the time and travel between pull- out and pull-in, it therefore includes both deadhead and revenue service. In some states, vehicle hours and miles are called total service hours and miles. The specific definitions follow. Revenue Hours Definition: Revenue hours include all time from the point of the first passenger pick-up to the last passenger drop-off, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Revenue hours do not include scheduled time off such as driver lunch breaks. Discussion of Definition: Revenue service occurs when the DRT vehicle is providing public transportation and is available to carry passengers. For DRT service, there may be periods of time when there are no passengers riding or when the vehicle is stopped and waiting to proceed to the next pick-up. This time is considered revenue time as long as the vehicle operator does not return to the dispatching point. Scheduled time off is typically a lunch break, but this does not include the time it might take for an operator to quickly grab something to eat when traveling between pick-up and drop-off points. The NTD does not provide an extensive definition of a dispatching point. It is understood that the dispatching point can be either the transit systemâs garage or another location where the operator is waiting for an unscheduled passenger trip assignment. When the operator is at the dispatching point, some transit systems would schedule time off for the operator. Other systems, however, would continue to pay the operator for his time waiting for another passenger trip assignment. In either case, revenue hours should not be recorded. Performance Data and Definitions 13
If volunteers are used to provide DRT service, their time is counted as revenue time, using the same definition, that is, the time from the point of the first passenger pick-up to the last passenger drop-off, exclusive of any scheduled time off. If a volunteer driver accompanies the passenger to an appointment, for example a medical appointment, as part of the trip, the time spent at the medical appointment is counted in the same way as scheduled time off; it is not counted as revenue time. Where DRT service is provided by taxis or other providers that are not exclusively providing DRT service (referred to as non-dedicated providers), revenue time is counted the same way, that is, the time from the first passenger pick-up to the time of last passenger drop-off. Often taxis are used to provide DRT trips on a trip-by-trip basis. In such cases, revenue time is simply the time from the passenger pick-up to that passengerâs drop-off. However, if taxi service is scheduled to operate with no breaks and be available for DRT service for a part of a day, such as during specific late night hours, then the hours that are dedicated to DRT service are counted as revenue time, using the same definition as above. Data Collection: Revenue hour data are obtained from driver logs or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs), which should be configured so that vehicle operators report the actual times that they go into and out of revenue service. For taxi or other non-dedicated service, the taxi or other provider company should be required to report the time from passenger pick-up to passenger drop-off for all trips it provides for the DRT system. Some DRT systems that use taxis on a limited, supplemental basis through a non-dedicated arrangement neglect to include the revenue time accumulated by the taxi trips when calculating total revenue time, perhaps because taxi companies may not report time data. However, such omission will result in an under-reporting of revenue time. When certain performance meas- ures are later calculated, for example, productivity, this will mean the productivity figure is some- what over-stated if the taxi trips are included, but the taxi revenue time is not. For those DRT systems that report revenue hour data through their CASD systems, it is important that the right definition be used and system parameters set accordingly so that the correct time is being reported. Revenue Miles Definition: Revenue miles are the distance traveled from the point of the first passenger pick- up to the last passenger drop-off, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Revenue miles do not include travel during scheduled time off such as driver lunch breaks. Revenue miles correspond to revenue hours. Discussion of Definition: For DRT service, the vehicles may travel between a drop-off and a pick-up when there are no passengers riding; even though there is no passenger on-board, the miles traveled are considered revenue miles as long as the operator does not return to the dis- patching point or does not have scheduled time off. The use of paid or volunteer drivers is not a factor in determining revenue miles. If volun- teers are used to provide DRT service, the miles that they drive between the first passenger pick- up and the last passenger drop-off are counted as revenue miles. Where DRT service is provided by taxis or other non-dedicated providers, revenue miles are counted the same way, that is, the miles operated from the first passenger pick-up to the last pas- senger drop-off. Often taxis are used to provide DRT trips on a trip-by-trip basis. In such case, revenue miles are simply the miles operated from the passenger pick-up to that passengerâs drop- off. However, if taxi service is scheduled to operate with no breaks and be available for DRT ser- vice for a part of a day, for example, during specific late night hours, then the miles operated are counted as revenue miles, using the same definition as above. 14 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
Data Collection: Revenue mile data are obtained from driver logs or MDTs, which should be configured so that vehicle operators record the actual odometer readings when they go into and out of revenue service. For volunteer services, reporting forms should be developed that will cap- ture revenue miles. For non-dedicated service such as taxi services, arrangements with the taxi company will need to include requirements that vehicle operators report the mileage between the pick-up and drop-off locations, if such data are not routinely collected. These data would then be included on the taxi company invoice to the DRT system. While some DRT systems that use taxis for non-dedicated service check the taxi-reported data using mapping software that cal- culates distance between two locations, such calculated mileage cannot be used for NTD report- ing; NTD requires that actual miles be reported. As noted above for the collection of revenue hour data, for those DRT systems that report rev- enue miles data through their CASD systems, it is important that the right definition be used and system parameters set accordingly so that the correct mileage is being reported. Vehicle Hours Definition: Vehicle hours cover the time from when a transit vehicle starts (pull-out time) from a garage (or other storage location) to go into revenue service to the time it returns to the garage (pull-in time) after completing its revenue service, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Vehicle hours do not include scheduled time off such as vehicle operator lunch breaks. Discussion of Definition: Vehicle hours cover the time when the DRT vehicle is being oper- ated from the garage pull-out time to garage pull-in time. It is the sum of two types of hours: ⢠Revenue hours that cover the operating time between the first passenger pick-up and the last passenger drop-off, and ⢠Deadhead hours that cover the times between garage pull-out and the first passenger pick-up and between the last passenger drop-off and garage pull-in. Vehicle hours do not cover transportation activities such as exclusive school bus service and charter service. For DRT service, vehicle hours cover the time from garage pull-out to garage pull-in as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point or the vehicle operator does not have scheduled time off. If volunteers are used to provide DRT service, their time is counted as vehicle hours, using the same definition, that is, the time from garage (or other storage location) pull-out to garage pull-in, exclusive of any scheduled time off. If a volunteer driver accompanies the passenger to an appointment, for example, a medical appointment, as part of the trip, the time spent at the medical appointment is counted in the same way as scheduled time off; it is not counted as part of vehicle hours. Where DRT service is provided by taxis or other non-dedicated providers, vehicle hours are counted the same way as revenue hours, that is, the time from the first passenger pick-up to the time of last passenger drop-off. This means that revenue hours and total hours for non-dedicated service will be the same number. However, if taxi service is scheduled to operate with no breaks and be available for DRT service for a part of a day, for example, during specific late night hours, then the hours that are dedicated to DRT service are counted as vehicle hours, using the same definition as above. Data Collection: Vehicle hour data are obtained from driver logs or MDTs, which should be configured so that vehicle operators report the actual times that they leave the garage at pull- out and return at pull-in. For volunteer services, reporting forms should be developed that will Performance Data and Definitions 15
capture the vehicle hour time. For non-dedicated service such as taxi services, arrangements with the taxi company will need to include requirements that vehicle operators report pick-up and drop-off times, if such data are not routinely collected. These data would then be included on the taxi company invoice to the DRT system. Some DRT systems mistakenly compute vehicle hour data from operator time records, that is, they report total vehicle hours as the sum of operator pay hours. This is not correct. Vehicle hours, per the NTD definition, include only the time from vehicle pull-out to vehicle pull-in, minus scheduled breaks, and it does not include such time as that needed for pre-trip or post- trip inspections. Vehicle Miles Definition: Vehicle miles cover the distance traveled from when a transit vehicle starts (pull- out) from a garage (or other storage location) to go into revenue service to the time it returns to the garage (pull-in time) after completing its revenue service, as long as the DRT vehicle does not return to the dispatching point. Vehicle miles do not include travel during scheduled time off such as vehicle operator lunch breaks. Vehicle miles correspond to vehicle hours. Discussion of Definition: Vehicle miles cover the distance traveled by the DRT vehicle from the garage pull-out time to garage pull-in time. It is the sum of two types of miles: ⢠Revenue miles that cover the distance traveled between the first passenger pick-up and the last passenger drop-off, and ⢠Deadhead miles that cover the distance traveled between garage pull-out and the first passen- ger pick-up and between the last passenger drop-off and garage pull-in. Vehicle miles do not cover transportation activities such as exclusive school bus service and charter service. If volunteers are used to provide DRT service, their distances traveled are counted as vehicle miles, using the same definition, that is, the distances traveled from garage (or other storage loca- tion) pull-out to garage pull-in, exclusive of any scheduled time off. Where DRT service is provided by taxis or other non-dedicated providers, vehicle miles are counted the same way as revenue miles, that is, the time from the first passenger pick-up to the time of last passenger drop-off. However, if taxi service is scheduled to operate with no breaks and be available for DRT service for a part of a day, for example, during specific late night hours, then the miles operated as part of the DRT service are counted as vehicle miles, using the same definition as above. Data Collection: Vehicle miles data are obtained from driver logs or MDTs, which should be configured so that vehicle operators report the odometer readings when they leave the garage at pull-out and return at pull-in. For volunteer services, reporting forms should be developed that will capture the vehicle miles. For non-dedicated service such as taxi services, arrangements with the taxi company will need to include requirements that vehicle operators report pick-up and drop-off odometer readings, if such data are not routinely collected. These data would then be included on the taxi company invoice to the DRT system. Regarding the reporting of revenue hours and miles and vehicle hours and miles, there are sev- eral errors that can be made when the statistics are reported that lead to data inconsistencies. These include: ⢠Estimation of hours and miles data. NTD requires the direct recording of revenue and vehi- cle hours and miles. Some reporters incorrectly assume that estimated values can be reported as NTD allows for reporting unlinked passenger trips and passenger miles. This error occurs 16 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
most frequently for contracted taxi service where the contract does not require the taxi com- pany to record and report these data. ⢠Incorrect treatment of lunches and breaks. Some transit systems only follow the general rule that revenue service starts at the time of the first passenger pick-up and ends at the last pas- senger drop-off. These systems do not subtract scheduled lunches and breaks as is required by NTD. Therefore, these systems overstate revenue and vehicle hours. ⢠Incorrect use of dispatching point. Some transit systems exclude breaks in service when the vehicle does not return to a dispatching point or others may count revenue time as only that time when a passenger is on board. These systems will be underreporting revenue hours. Passengers Definition: The NTD term for passengers, or ridership, is unlinked passenger trips (UPT). UPT are the number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination. PCAs and companions are counted as passengers on DRT as long as they are not employees of the transit system. Discussion of Definition: Because there is typically little to no transferring of passengers in DRT service, the number of unlinked passenger trips is equal to the number of people trans- ported for most DRT systems. PCAs and companions are counted as passengers on DRT as long as they are not employees of the transit system. Attendants and companions are included regardless of whether or not they are fare-paying passengers. Transit system employees are not counted as passengers if they are performing work duties that require traveling on the vehicles and are being paid while traveling. Examples of these work duties are conducting surveys, observing vehicle operations, or serving as an on-board aide or assistant for the passengers. However, transit system employees are counted as passengers if they are traveling for personal reasons including commuting to and from work. Since there is little or no transferring of passengers on DRT services, use of the term âpassen- ger tripsâ is more common than âunlinked passenger trips.â However, when âpassenger tripsâ is shortened to âtrips,â this introduces a definitional issue, since âtripsâ is often used to mean âvehicle trips,â not âpassenger trips.â For improved clarity, this Guidebook uses the term pas- senger trips when referring to ridersâ trips or ridership. There can be inconsistent reporting of passenger trips by DRT systems, with the two most common problems being: ⢠Incorrect definition of passengers. Some reporters incorrectly define passengers in one of the following manners: all fare-paying passengers, ADA-certified riders only, all persons board- ing not including children, and all persons boarding not including PCAs and companions. ⢠Estimation of ADA UPT. NTD requires the reporting of UPT attributable to ADA paratran- sit requirements. This is an issue for transit systems that provide DRT service to riders who do not meet the ADA requirements and report ADA UPT that are less than the UPT reported for the entire DRT service. Some transit systems report only ADA-certified riders. Others include riders certified locally in other categories that may or may not be eligible for ADA-certification such as senior citizens. Finally, some transit systems report ADA UPT that is based on a man- agement estimate typically expressed as a percentage of total UPT. Often the same percentage is used for every NTD report. Data Collection: Passenger data are obtained from driver logs or MDTs, which should be designed so that vehicle operators record the number of passengers boarding at each pick-up Performance Data and Definitions 17
location. For volunteer services, reporting forms should be developed that will capture passen- ger counts. For non-dedicated service such as taxi services, contract arrangements with the taxi company need to include requirements that vehicle operators report the number of passengers boarding at each pick-up location, if such data are not routinely collected. These data would then be included on the taxi company invoice to the DRT system. Passenger Miles Definition: Passenger miles are the cumulative sum of the distances ridden by passengers on transit vehicles. This is an NTD definition. Discussion of Definition: Passenger miles constitute the second measure of service consumed by transit users after unlinked passenger trips. This measure tracks the distance traveled by each passenger, namely, the distance from the time of boarding until the time of getting off the vehicle. The annual totals for passenger miles are used in some performance analyses, for example, to assess service effectiveness of fixed-route transit. When it is compared to seat miles, a measure of capacity, an assessment can be made of capacity utilization. This data element is not gener- ally used for assessing DRT system effectiveness, which is more commonly measured by relating passenger trips to revenue hours (productivity). However, passenger mile data often is used to compute average trip length, which is a local external factor that affects DRT productivity. The NTD requirements for the collection and reporting of passenger miles are identical to those for unlinked passenger trips. If available and reliable, 100% counts of passenger miles must be reported. Many DRT systems collect and report 100% counts; computerized scheduling/dispatch systems can ease this data collection and reporting. If 100% counts are not available and reliable, the passenger mile values must be estimated and reported based on statistical sampling. The FTA requirements are a minimum confidence of 95% and a minimum precision level of ±10%. The circular FTA C 2710.2A Sampling Procedures for Obtaining Demand Responsive (DR) Sys- tem Operating Data Required under the Section 15 Reporting System provides instructions for meeting the FTA requirements for passenger miles. However, transit systems may use any other procedure that is approved by a qualified statistician that meets the FTA requirements. (A copy of the circular can be found on the NTD website at www.ntdprogram.gov). There can be inconsistent reporting of passenger miles by transit systems. These problems are similar to those for unlinked passenger trips. The two most common problems are: ⢠Incorrect definition of passengers. Some reporters incorrectly define passengers in one of the following manners: all fare-paying passengers, ADA-certified riders only, all persons board- ing not including children, and all persons boarding not including PCA and companions. Therefore, they report only passenger miles for these incorrect definitions of passengers. ⢠Improper administration of sampling plans. The sampling plans generally involve the ran- dom selection of vehicles. Sometimes transit systems use processes that appear to them to be more representative than random selection procedures. For example, transit systems may choose to sample a vehicle because it has not been selected by the random process in the last 6 months and it is felt that the vehicle should have been selected. Data Collection: Two types of data collection can be used to collect passenger mile data. When a system chooses to do 100% data recording, passenger mile data are obtained from driver logs or MDTs, which should be designed so that operators record the number of passengers board- ing, the number of passengers alighting, and the vehicle odometer reading at each pick-up loca- tion. For volunteer services, reporting forms should be developed that will capture these three data items. For non-dedicated service such as taxi services, contract arrangements with the taxi company need to include requirements that drivers report the number of passengers boarding 18 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
at each pick-up location, if such data are not routinely collected, along with trip distances. These data would then be included on the taxi company invoice to the DRT system. The other data collection option is sampling. In this approach, the same three data items are collected on a selected sample of trips. Operating Expense (Cost) Definition: Operating expenses are the day-to-day operating costs of a transit agency such as labor, fuel, vehicle parts, and utilities. The accounting definition defines operating expenses as NTD defines operating costs, that is, consumable items with a useful life of less than 1 year. Items with useful lives greater than 1 year are defined as capital assets. The NTD definition requires that the operating expenses be recorded on an accrual basis to ensure that operating expenses are properly matched against the service provided and passengers served. Discussion of Definition: The NTD allows some capital items with low unit costs to be âexpensedâ or treated as operating costs even though these assets have a useful life greater than one year. The criterion for these capital items is that the unit acquisition cost equals the lesser of: ⢠The capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes, or ⢠$5,000. Some transit systems operate several modes of transit service including DRT. It is important for purposes of performance measurement and analysis that the operating costs be separated by tran- sit mode. Most transit expenses are known as direct expenses and can be associated on one-on-one basis with a specific transit mode. Examples include operator labor and fuel costs. However, some expenses, known as indirect, or shared expenses, cannot be directly associated since they support several modes. The majority of these costs, often called overhead costs, are administrative such as accounting and planning. These costs must be allocated on a reasonable basis to the individual transit modes. Where there are problems with DRT system reporting of operating expenses, it is often related to two issues: ⢠Inclusion of capital charges in purchased transportation costs. Some transit systems contract out for DRT services and require the contractor to provide the vehicles. The contractor charges one unit cost per hour that includes both the operating costs associated with vehicle operations and maintenance and the capital cost associated with providing the vehicle. Some transit sys- tems report the total cost paid by the contractor as operating expenses, when in fact the capital costs should not be included. In such cases, the transit system should require the contractor to report in its monthly invoice the portions of the invoiced costs that are capital and operating. To the extent that DRT systems can obtain from their private contractors operating cost data that separates out any charges for vehicles, they will have data consistent with that reported by directly operated DRT systems so that comparisons across DRT systems are reasonable. ⢠Poor cost allocation of joint expenses. Transit systems that operate more than one mode or type of service must allocate certain shared expenses such as the administrative costs and shared building expenses. Overhead functional areas such as payroll, human resources, and legal services must be allocated fairly among the different modes, including demand-response. Some transit systems may not use reasonable allocation procedures or use procedures that should be updated. At some agencies where fixed-route service is the dominant mode, cost allocation to the DRT mode may be neglected or may be insufficient, which results in an under-reporting of total operating costs for DRT. Data Collection: The transit systemâs accounting system records and reports operating expenses. It is important that all operating expenses are included. For example, some DRT systems that Performance Data and Definitions 19
contract for service allow their contractor to obtain fuel from the city or county yard; the costs for the fuel should be included as part of operating costs. If the transit system purchases transit services, it needs to ensure that the contractors provide cost data that are separated into operating and capital costs. This requirement should be explic- itly stated in the contract to make it clear to the operator before service starts. Too often, this requirement is not clearly started, but is enforced instead through general language that states that the contractor will provide data required for Federal reporting purposes. Experience sug- gests that these general contract requirements are often not rigorously enforced. Accidents The NTD term for accidents is incidents, and its definition is very specific, including the exis- tence of one or more specifically defined conditions, such as injuries, fatalities and non-arson fires. The NTD safety-related data items differ from the other data items in that FTA does not make the reported data available to the public at the individual system report level. Those inter- ested in reviewing the safety records of other transit systems cannot use posted electronic spread- sheets and databases to make safety performance comparisons among individual transit systems as they can for other NTD data items. However, since common definitions are used, data requests can be made to the transit systems. NTD distinguishes incidents as either major or non-major, and urban DRT systems must report both types of incidents. Definition: An incident is an event and can involves multiple people and vehicles. An event is defined as a safety incident if it involves a transit vehicle or occurs on transit-controlled prop- erty and meets one of the following thresholds: A major incident is defined by NTD as: ⢠A fatality other than a suicide, ⢠An injury requiring immediate medical attention away from the scene for two or more persons, ⢠Property damage equal to or exceeding $25,000, ⢠An evacuation of a revenue vehicle due to life safety reasons, ⢠A collision at a grade crossing, ⢠A mainline derailment, ⢠A collision with person(s) on rail right-of-way (ROW) resulting in injuries that require imme- diate medical attention away from the scene for one or more persons, and ⢠A collision between a rail transit vehicle and another rail transit vehicle or a transit non- revenue vehicle resulting in injuries that require immediate medical attention away from the scene for one or more persons. It is noted the last three conditions are not applicable to DRT. A non-major incident is defined as the existence of one or more of the following: ⢠An injury requiring immediate medical attention away from the scene for one person, ⢠Property damage equal to or exceeding $7,500, but less than $25,000 (since that would mean the incident becomes major), and ⢠All non-arson fires. Discussion of Definition: An important element of this definition is that the accident must involve a transit vehicle or occur on transit-controlled property. This means that the accident occurs in an environment under the direct control of the transit system. For DRT systems, this definition typically limits the counting of accidents to those involving transit vehicles since most DRT systems do not own or control other transit facilities such as stations, buildings, or shelters. 20 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
Another important element is the requirement that an injury involves immediate medical attention away from the accident scene. This means that injured people who receive treatment at the accident scene are not counted toward the definition of an accident. It also means that injured people who delay receiving treatment after the event also are not counted. This accident definition is event oriented. The definition goes beyond measuring injuries to passengers and includes events related to property damage and other safety concerns. Elements of the definition for incidents are also defined specifically in NTD. An injury, for NTD reporting purposes, requires immediate medical attention away from the scene. Immediate medical attention includes, but is not limited to, transport to the hospital by ambulance. If an individual is transported to a hospital or physicianâs office by another type of emergency vehicle, by passenger vehicle, or through other means of transport, this is also considered an injury. If an individual seeks medical care several hours after an incident or in the days following an incident, this is not consid- ered immediate medical attention. The medical attention received must be at a location other than the location at which the incident occurred. NTD does not require the transit system to follow-up on each person to ensure that they actually received medical attention at the hospital. A fatality is a transit-caused death that occurs within 30 days of a transit incident. If death occurs after 30 days, it is classified as an injury. The NTD definitions for accidents and injuries have evolved over the years, and the current thresholds for reporting safety incidents are considerably different than they were prior to changes made to NTD in 2002. Given the threshold for reporting property damage and other aspects of an incident for NTD, DRT systems typically count and monitor other accidents as wellâthose that do not reach the NTD threshold. Many DRT systems often distinguish acci- dents as preventable and non-preventable. The NTD definition, though, provides a standard def- inition consistent across DRT (and other transit) systems. Data Collection: The data on accidents are collected as part of the claims management func- tion. Specific reports should be prepared monthly to document the events that meet the accident criteria. Since DRT systems typically collect data on all safety-related incidents and accidents, regardless of NTD reporting thresholds, this means that DRT managers have essentially two sets of data on safety incidents. 3.3 Beyond NTDâOther Performance Data and Definitions for DRT Beyond the NTD data, there are various other data items used to assess DRT operations and performance. Among these is on-time trips, which is among the key DRT performance data. This data element and other non-NTD data terms are reviewed in this section of Chapter 3. It should be noted that not all DRT systems collect all the data discussed below. While many DRT systems have a wealth of data provided through their computer-assisted scheduling and dispatch (CASD) systems (although the increase in data availability with CASD systems creates more opportunity for the evolution of differing terms for the same or similar data items), not all DRT systems have sophisticated CASD systems. These DRT systems have more limited data availability, and they should focus their data collection resources on the key performance data needed to assess their service and operations. On-Time Trips Definition: An on-time trip is a trip where the vehicle arrives at the scheduled pick-up loca- tion within the DRT systemâs definition of on-time. An on-time trip may also include a trip where Performance Data and Definitions 21
the vehicle arrives at the scheduled destination within the DRT systemâs definition of on-time for drop-offs. Most DRT systems monitor on-time at the pick-up end, however some monitor on-time at the drop-off end as well. Many DRT systems include early trips within the count of on-time trips. Discussion of Definition: On-time trips is an important data element for DRT. Data for on-time trips is needed to calculate on-time performance, which is among the key performance measures for DRT (and discussed in Chapter 4). The definition of on-time, set by DRT system policy, is typically a âwindow of time.â This win- dow is often 30 min, but DRT systems use variations, with windows of 15, 20, 35, 40, and 45 min. DRT systems in rural areas may use a longer window, for example, 1 hour, if a formal window is used at all. Some DRT systems establish a window of time that is communicated to the passengers when scheduling a trip, but have a somewhat longer window for determining vehicle timeliness. For example, two of the DRT systems participating in the research project have established a 30-min on-time window for their passengers, but the vehicle is not determined late until 15 min after the window ends. Another issue was reported by one large urban system, where operators report pick-up times both by MDT and paper manifest. After analyzing sampled late trips (beyond the systemâs 30-min on-time window) for a period of time, this DRT system found that a noticeable number of the late trips were late only by a few minutes as reported by the operatorsâ MDTs. However, the times reported on the manifests for these trips were frequently up to several minutes earlier, often within the on-time window. This mismatch tended to result from the operatorsâ practice of reporting times on their manifests before using their MDTs. Based on this analysis, the sys- tem determined that the window for calculating vehicle timeliness would add 5 min. From a data reporting perspective, there are a number of issues with the data element on-time trips, including the following: ⢠On-time windows vary. With varying definitions of on-time, reported numbers have differ- ent meanings. A DRT system with a 20-min on-time window and 85% of its trips on-time could generally be said to be providing âbetterâ service quality than a similar DRT system with the same percentage trips on-time, but with a 40-min on-time window (assuming that the two systems have the same distribution of late trips). Given the wide variety among DRT systems and their operating environments, it is reasonable that definitions of on-time vary. ⢠On-time measured at vehicle arrival. In some communities, on-time is measured when the passenger boards the vehicle; however, this is not correct. Once the DRT vehicle arrives at a location, it may be another 5 to 10 min or possibly longer before the passenger has boarded, particularly for systems serving riders who are frail or have disabilities. On-time at the pick- up end is measured when the vehicle arrives at the scheduled location and is ready to trans- port the rider. For drop-offs, on-time is measured when the vehicle arrives at the scheduled destination. ⢠Exceptions to late trips. Where DRT systems are operated by contractors, it is common that the contract includes exceptions for late trips. That is, there will be circumstances beyond the control of the contractor that may impact trip timeliness, such as extreme weather conditions or major traffic incidents beyond normal congestion, where the contractor is not held respon- sible for late trips. Generally, such late trips will be excluded from the on-time performance calculation for purposes of any liquidated damages. ⢠Treatment of no-shows for on-time calculations. DRT systems use different procedures for no- shows when calculating on-time performance. Some systems include no-shows, so that a trip that arrives on-time is included in the on-time calculation regardless of whether a passenger is 22 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
picked up. Other systems may exclude no-shows as no passenger service was provided; on-time performance is calculated then only for completed trips. While no-shows should not account for a significant number of trips, different data collection and calculation procedures may impact the resulting performance statistics, particularly when no-shows occur because vehicles are late (which are actually not legitimate no-shows) and such trips are included in the calculation. In this case, the inclusion of illegitimate no-shows will make the performance statistic look better than it should. Where DRT systems have data monitoring procedures that ensure that passen- ger no-shows are in fact legitimate no-shows (e.g., Automatic Vehicle Location [AVL]), pas- senger no-shows appropriately can be included as on-time trips. ⢠On-time at pick-up end or drop-off end. While DRT systems generally focus on measuring on-time performance at the pick-up end, timely service at the drop-off end may be more important for the passenger, particularly for a time-sensitive trip such as to work or a medical appointment. It is recommended that DRT systems monitor on-time performance at the drop- off end for those trips that are time-sensitive. Typically, these trips will have an âappointmentâ time included with the scheduling information, allowing a comparison of actual drop-off time with scheduled appointment time for on-time assessment. An appropriate window for on-time at the destination end could be the same window as used at the pick-up end, with the window ending at the scheduled appointment time. As part of this discussion, it is important to state that DRT systems need to schedule ridersâ trips based on either the desired pick-up time or the desired drop-off time; a DRT system can- not schedule a riderâs trip with both a requested pick-up time and requested drop-off time, given that both computerized and manual scheduling procedures must have some degree of flexibility for scheduling purposes. Riders must choose which end of the trip to focus on when requesting their trips. When riders have time sensitive trips, the DRT system is better able to provide a timely arrival when riders accept a DRT system-determined pick-up time that is cal- culated to meet the appointment time. Otherwise, riders may face late arrivals for appoint- ments, as they may not allow adequate time for DRT shared-ride service. For those DRT systems that are ADA paratransit, it is also important to note that schedul- ing trips to destination arrival times may introduce some complications, given that the ADA regulations do not specifically address destination arrival times. ⢠Early trips. For monitoring timeliness, DRT trips are typically classified as on-time, early, late, no-shows, and missed. To determine on-time performance, most DRT systems include early trips with on-time trips. Many riders are happy if their vehicle arrives somewhat early. But early trips can be problematic if the vehicle is very early and the vehicle operator pressures the rider to leave, or if the operator marks the passenger a no-show because the passenger is not ready to leave before the on-time window begins. ⢠Data collection procedures vary. Many DRT systems use vehicle operator-reported data to determine the timeliness of trips. These systems will often use a sample of trips to calculate on-time performance. For those DRT systems with MDTs, the collection of data for calculat- ing on-time performance is greatly facilitated. The MDTs allow operators to enter data for each vehicle trip, so that arrival times at passengersâ pick-up and drop-off locations are time- stamped and captured in the CASD system. Most of these DRT systems with MDT technol- ogy also have AVL, which allows verification of operator-reported data. ⢠Self-reporting bias. For many DRT systems, the on-time data are recorded by vehicle opera- tors on their trip manifests. There may be tendency for some operators to âroundâ the pick- up times to fit within the on-time window if their performance evaluation is based on the on-time data. Use of MDTs/AVL can help with the reporting of accurate data. The AVL data can be used to verify operatorsâ locations at specified times, providing a check on operator reporting and specifically on-time performance data. Some DRT systems have been surprised to learn their âtrueâ on-time performance once they have transitioned from operator report- ing via manifest to MDTs/AVL. One large DRT system in a major metropolitan region found Performance Data and Definitions 23
its on-time performance went from a reported 91% with manual reporting to 68% once MDT/AVL technology was installed that provided more accurate data. While this might be an extreme case, differences of more than 5 to 10 percentage points for on-time performance are not uncommon once a DRT system transitions from manual reporting to MDTs/AVL. Data Collection: As noted above, data collection for on-time performance is done through vehicle operator-reported data with written manifests or MDTs. Systems using MDTs typi- cally have vehicle operators also use paper manifests. While MDTs allow for electronic data reporting on all trips, there are times when the MDTs malfunction or there are other system problems, so that the manifests provide back-up data to ensure complete reporting for DRT operations. Requested Trips Definition: Requested trips are the passenger trips that eligible DRT individuals or their agents ask for. Discussion of Definition: While not all DRT systems track the number of requested trips, this can be useful data for monitoring the demand for DRT service and identifying unmet needs. Monitoring the number of trip requests that come to the DRT systemâs scheduling and dispatch center as well as when those calls come in and the length of the calls can also help with manage- ment of the call-taking function. Such information will help identify the size and length of the peak call periods, and this can be used for determining staffing needs and for scheduling staff. For ADA paratransit systems, the number of requested trips that cannot be served due to inad- equate capacity must be tracked because of ADA regulations related to capacity constraints. Data Collection: Data on requested trips is typically captured in the CASD system. For those systems without a CASD system, these data would be collected manually. Reserved Trips Definition: Reserved trips, also called reservations or trip bookings, are those trips that are accepted as trips to be served by the DRT system and include subscription or standing order trips as well as one-time trips, often referred to as demand trips. Discussion of Definition: Reserved trips are those trips that are accepted by the call-taking function and placed onto schedules, or held as âunscheduledâ trips until the vehicle schedules are created the day before service. If a DRT system accepts all of its requests for service, then the number of reserved trips will be the same as the number of requested trips. Reserved trips are those trips booked or scheduled over the advance reservation period. If the DRT system accepts trips 7 days in advance of a trip, for example, then reserved trips are the total number of trips that are booked or scheduled over the 7-day period. Not all reserved trips, how- ever, will be placed onto a vehicle schedule the day before service, as some reserved trips will be cancelled before the day of service. It can be useful to monitor the total number of trips reserved over the reservation window, as this number will represent the results of the call-takers/reserva- tion staff efforts. For those systems that accept same-day reservations, the count of reserved trips will also include same-day trips. Data Collection: Data on reserved trips are calculated by the CASD system. For DRT systems without a CASD system, the data would be provided through the trip reservations function. Scheduled Trips Definition: Scheduled trips are those trips that are placed onto vehicle schedules for service the next day, including any âexcessâ trips that are to be placed onto schedules. 24 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
Discussion of Definition: Scheduled trips are those placed onto vehicle schedules as well as any excess that may remain âunscheduledâ the day before service. Scheduled trips are the sub- set of reserved trips that remain when the reservation window closes, that is, scheduled trips will be the number of reserved trips minus the number of trips cancelled in advance. Unscheduled trips are trips that are in fact reserved trips but that have not been âformallyâ placed onto a vehi- cle schedule the night before service. These unscheduled trips will typically be inserted into vehi- cle operatorsâ schedules on the day of service using space created by same-day cancellations or they may be dispatched to an âoverflowâ provider, for example, a taxi company. For those systems that accept same-day reservations, scheduled trips will also include same- day trips. But, such trips, of course, are placed onto vehicle schedules on the day of service, rather that the day before. Some DRT systems refer to scheduled trips as âmanifestedâ trips, since these are the trips that are actually put onto driver manifests. The number of trips scheduled for next-day service is the template for which capacity is to be provided. Data Collection: Data on scheduled trips are calculated by the CASD system. For DRT sys- tems without a CASD system, the data would be provided by the scheduling function. Completed Trips Definition: Completed trips are those trips where a passenger was transported from an origin to a destination. A completed trip may carry more than one passenger, if there are two or more passengers traveling from the same origin to the same destination. Discussion of Definition: Completed trips, which may also be called performed trips, are a subset of scheduled trips, as some trips will not be completed because of same-day cancellations, no-shows and missed trips. DRT systems, particularly large systems, often report the proportion of completed trips to scheduled trips. Data Collection: Data on completed trips is collected by vehicle operators, who report the data on their manifests, or MDTs, or both. For systems that have MDTs, the data on completed trips is also captured in the CASD system. Cancellation Definition: A cancellation is a deletion of a trip that has been reserved or scheduled for a passenger. Discussion of Definition: There are different kinds of cancellations, with the distinguishing fac- tor being when the cancellation occurs. A trip may be cancelled 3 days before the scheduled trip is to occur; a trip may be cancelled the morning of the day of the scheduled trip; or it may be cancelled 30 min before the vehicle is scheduled to arrive. A scheduled trip cancelled 3 days before should have limited impact on a DRT system: the capacity for that trip can be used for another trip. However, a trip cancelled 30 min before scheduled vehicle arrival is typically a wasted resource, as the vehicle is likely already on its way for pick-up. For this reason, most DRT systems have a policy that addresses cancellations that happen late in the process, and typically the policy combines late cancellations with no-shows, as the two often have the same negative impact on DRT system operations. Because the result of the cancellation on DRT operations varies by when the cancellation hap- pens, the Guidebook recommends that DRT systems differentiate among cancellations. Advance Cancellation Definition: An advance cancellation is generally defined as a cancellation made before the day of service. Advance cancellations may be called simply cancellations, but the term advance cancellation is more accurate, distinguishing these from other cancellations. Performance Data and Definitions 25
Same-Day Cancellation Definition: A same-day cancellation is a cancellation made on the day the trip is scheduled to occur. Same-day cancellations include trips cancelled early in the day, possibly hours before their scheduled time, as well as trips cancelled with less notice. While some DRT systems that moni- tor same-day cancels include late cancellations within this tally, the Guidebook suggests that if same-day cancellations are monitored and reported, this number should be distinct from advance cancellations and late cancellations. Monitoring same-day cancels allows the system to monitor scheduled capacity that typically becomes available on the service day. At least one DRT system reports that it uses this informa- tion when taking reservations and âoverbooksââknowing that those additional trips can be inserted into its schedules each service day, using the capacity generated by the same-day can- cellations. This is essentially what the airline industry has done for decadesâoverbooking âto ensure efficient use of plane capacity. Late Cancellation Definition: A late cancellation is a cancellation made shortly before the scheduled trip is to occur. The exact time that a cancellation becomes a late cancellation for a particular DRT sys- tem will depend on DRT policy and the degree to which the scheduling and dispatch functions can make adjustments and âre-useâ the space made by that cancellation. One DRT system may define a late cancellation as one that is made 1 hour before the scheduled pick-up time of the trip. Others may define a late cancellation as one made several hours or more before the trip. For ADA paratransit service, the FTA has commented that a late cancellation for purposes of rider sanc- tions should be the operational equivalent of a no-show. Determining the specifics of the definitions related to cancelled trips is a matter of DRT sys- tem policy. TCRP Synthesis 60: Practices in No-show and Late Cancellations Policies for ADA Para- transit provides detailed information on DRT system practices related to cancellation and no-show policies for DRT systems that provide ADA paratransit service, including FTA guid- ance on this topic. Data Collection: DRT systems should be mindful in their handling of cancellation report- ing, as sometimes trips are inappropriately classified as late cancellations. For example, when a DRT system is handling a late trip, it may re-schedule that trip onto another vehicle or pos- sibly send it to a supplemental provider such as a taxi company. In such case, it should ensure that the original trip, which has become a late trip, is not changed to a late cancellation or other status. No-Show Definition: A no-show is defined as a failure of a rider to show up for a scheduled trip at the scheduled time and location, when the vehicle has arrived within the DRT systemâs definition of on-time, and the rider has not cancelled the trip in advance. If a rider cancels the trip at the door when the vehicle arrives, this is also typically counted as a no-show, though some systems report such occurrences as a subset of no-shows. Discussion of Definition: No-show is one DRT data term that is fairly unambiguous. No- shows have a detrimental impact on DRT operations, and it is very important to monitor their occurrence. Data Collection: No-shows are reported by vehicle operators. Many DRT systems require that vehicle operators obtain approval from a dispatcher before marking a passenger as a no-show. This allows the dispatcher the opportunity to try and contact the passenger so that the trip might be provided, and it also provides a level of supervision over the vehicle operator. 26 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
Missed-Trip Definition: A missed trip is defined as a failure of the vehicle to show up for a scheduled trip. A missed trip can also be defined to include a trip that arrives late, and because of that lateness, the passenger is no longer there for the trip or declines to take the trip. In both cases, the trip is not completed. This more expansive definition of a missed trip is recommended. Discussion of Definition: Some DRT systems use the term vehicle no-show instead of missed- trip. There may also be confusion with the term âmissed tripâ since some DRT systems combine missed trips and late trips together for purposes of contractor monitoring or for other reasons. But they are not the same operationally: a missed trip results with an incompleted passenger trip because of vehicle operator or other DRT system error, whereas a late trip, no matter how late, results in a completed trip. Because the term âmissed tripâ has a negative connotation, the Guidebook recommends that missed trips be categorized by their lateness; for example, 15- or 30-min increments could be used. A trip that is 15 min late and the rider declines to go is not the same as a trip that arrives an hour late and the rider is not even there anymore. By categorizing missed trips by their degree of lateness, the DRT system can more effectively monitor service. Data Collection: Data on missed trips are obtained from vehicle operator records or dis- patcher data. The degree of the lateness of the vehicle should also be collected from vehicle oper- ator and/or MDT records and reported. Trip Denial Definition: A trip denial is a DRT trip requested by a passenger but that the DRT system is not able to provide, typically because capacity is not available at the particular requested time. For ADA paratransit systems, the definition is considerably more complicated. A trip denial, for ADA paratransit, is a trip that the DRT system cannot provide within a 1-hour before-and-after ânegotiationâ window of the riderâs requested pick-up time. The ADA regula- tions allow an ADA paratransit system to ânegotiateâ requested trips up to 1 hour before and 1 hour after the riderâs requested pick-up time. If a riderâs trip cannot be scheduled at the exact time requested, the ADA system can offer an alternative time within the allowed negotiation win- dow. If the rider turns down such an alternative trip, however, the ADA paratransit system does not have to record that as a denial but rather as a ârefusal.â If there are no trips at all for the rider during the negotiation window, then clearly the trip is a denial. However, the DRT system may have a trip beyond the negotiation window for the rider and if the rider accepts that alternative, the trip is to be recorded as a denial, even though the rider has accepted the trip. Additionally, ADA paratransit systems are to be sensitive to ridersâ time constraints when booking trips and using the negotiation window. For example, if an alternative trip offered within the negotiation window would mean that the rider has to leave work before her work-day ends, then such alternative trip, even though it is within the negotiation window, is not a real alternative for her. Discussion of Definition: Prior to the ADA, DRT systems may or may not have collected data on trip denials. For immediate response DRT systems, trip denials were typically not recorded in any systematic way because it was during peak demand times that denials occurred and DRT control room staff was too busy to record denials. For advance reservation DRT systems, DRT staff may have had more time to record denials, but this data element was not always recorded on an ongoing basis. This changed with the ADA. Denials now receive considerable attention for those systems that provide ADA paratransit service. Data Collection: Data on trip denials are captured during the trip reservation process. DRT systems that are ADA paratransit should maintain records on any trip denials, though it is noted that the procedure for counting such denials has been an issue raised by the FTA. Performance Data and Definitions 27
Trip Length Definition: Trip length is the distance measured in miles, from the passenger pick-up to the drop-off location. The sum of all passengersâ trip lengths is an NTD data elementâpassenger milesâand must be included with DRT systemsâ annual NTD reports. Discussion of Definition: For NTD, systems must report either 100% counts of passenger miles or a sampling method can be used, which meets statistical accuracy with a minimum confidence of 95% and minimum precision level of ±10%. The 1988 FTA Circular C 2710.2A Sampling Procedures for Obtaining Demand Response (DR) System Operating Data Required under the Section 15 Reporting System provides instructions for meeting NTD requirements for report- ing passenger miles. Data Collection: Data on trip length is recorded by vehicle operators through their manifests or through MDTs. Travel Time Definition: Travel time is the time that the passenger spends on-board the vehicle from time of boarding to arrival time at the destination. Discussion of Definition: The time that passengers spend traveling on the transit vehicle is called travel time. Another way of looking at this data item is that it is the time that corresponds to passenger miles. Travel time is a useful data element, providing data to help measure both the degree to which the scheduling function has grouped similar passenger trips for greater efficiency and service quality from the passengersâ perspective. Travel time is also important to monitor for ADA paratransit systems. Under the regulations concerning capacity constraints, systems must not have substantial numbers of trips with exces- sive travel times. Data Collection: Data on travel time is recorded by vehicle operators through their manifests or through MDTs. Complaints Definition: A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction by a passenger or the passengerâs agent over some aspect of the DRT service. DRT systems generally monitor complaints related to service and those over which they control day-to-day. Such complaints may be referred to as valid complaints. Discussion of Definition: DRT systems can generate complaints for various reasons. There may be complaints about the hours of service that are operated, or someone in the community may complain that the vehicles are âdriving around empty.â These would not typically be included within a systemâs count of valid service complaints. DRT systems are primarily con- cerned about complaints related to service operations, for example, was the trip late? Was the vehicle operator rude? Are the vehicles dirty? These are service complaints, and DRT systems monitor these complaints as feedback on the quality of service. When reporting complaints, typically the number of complaints is compared to a measure of service provided, such as total passenger trips or revenue hours, for example, total service com- plaints per 1,000 passenger trips. This puts the number of complaints into perspective. Issues related to the collection and reporting of DRT service complaints include the following: ⢠Formal versus informal complaint. A DRT system may record a complaint only when the complainer does so formally. This may involve contacting the DRT system during office hours 28 Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation
and providing specific information to a specific staff member on the incident as well as pro- viding personal information such as name, address, and phone number and other contact information. In these cases, passengers may not follow through with a legitimate complaint because of the effort required. Additionally, some systems only record written complaints and do not accept or track complaints provided over the telephone or in person. This could mean that complaints are under-reported. ⢠Complaints related to circumstances beyond the DRT systemâs control. There may be com- plaints generated because of a particular event that the DRT system cannot control. For exam- ple, during a day of severe weather, many trips may be late. Complaints generated because of such late trips may or may not be included within the âofficialâ count of complaints. Depend- ing on the practices of the DRT systems, there will be variation in the reported totals. ⢠Multiple complaints on the same event. DRT systems may count each valid complaint that is received. Or they may try to distinguish whether complaints relate to the same event. For example, if a vehicle is very late in dropping off a passenger at a human service agency, staff at the agency may file a complaint, and the rider or a family member of the rider may also file a complaint about the late trip. Is this two separate complaints, or should these be counted as one complaint registered on a single event? Data Collection: The complaint process including data collection varies among DRT systems. Where service is contracted, complaints are often directed to the public agency. Alternatively, complaints may be given directly to the contractor, who then must notify the public agency of the complaints, or complaints may be given to either the contractor or the public agency. At sev- eral large urban DRT systems with contracted call centers, complaints are directed to the call center contractor, which then determines which entity should respond to the complaint. Many large systems have complaint tracking software to assist in complaint monitoring and response. Given the range in how complaints are defined, handled, and reported across DRT systems, it is more useful for DRT systems to monitor complaints internally, rather than compare their complaint performance to that experienced at other DRT systems. Performance Data and Definitions 29
