Developing, Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services: A Guidebook (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 118-161
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118 Introduction This chapter describes the typical steps necessary to implement a transit program, to make enhancements to an existing program, or to ensure sustainability of transit service. Operations Plan As part of the operations plan, the following elements need to be determined so that implementation can begin as soon as funding is secured: • Routes and schedules: The types of service and route structures need to be determined and the preliminary schedules planned.
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elements of transit program Implementation 119 – headways (intervals of time between vehicles running in the same direction on the same route) ; – fare structures for various types of service; and – discounts (including whether to offer discounts for tribal members, seniors, or people with disabilities; discounts for monthly passes and ride passes; and the value of each type of discount)
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120 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Job Descriptions Job descriptions are important for the implementation of a transit service because they distribute the workload and clarify responsibilities. Job descriptions should be as detailed as possible.
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elements of transit program Implementation 121 when a passenger will be considered late and the driver will move on, a call-in phone number, detailed instructions for how to call and reserve or cancel a trip, and a policy on no-shows. • Fares: Detailed breakdown of the system's fare structure including special considerations for different types of passengers and eligibility requirements.
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122 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Many grant programs may require monitoring and reporting as described in Chapter 8. Although reporting to funding agencies is obviously important, monitoring is even more important for good management.
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elements of transit program Implementation 123 should not leave prior to a scheduled stop time to make up time along a route. Leaving early could cause riders to miss a bus.
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124 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook • have a strong functional relationship to actual system operations so that when changes occur in system operations, changes in performance (and to the performance measure, if needed) can readily be determined; • provide the most cost-effective means of data collection; • be based on statistically sound measurement techniques where appropriate; and • be consistent with measures identified for other systems.
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elements of transit program Implementation 125 ".
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126 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Marketing Mix This portion of marketing is what most people believe marketing is all about. The marketing mix is often described in terms of the "Four Ps" of marketing.
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elements of transit program Implementation 127 When selecting and preparing user aids, transit planners should consider the following factors.
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128 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook 2. Aesthetics • Does this item reflect the system's organizational identity, using the service's name, telephone numbers, colors, typeface, logos, slogans, and artwork, so that people can instantly recognize its source?
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Figure 9.3. Home page, Cherokee Transit website.
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130 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Customer Service TCRP Report 47: A Handbook for Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality lists the following benefits from increases in customer satisfaction that relate to service quality measurement. According to research cited in the report, .
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elements of transit program Implementation 131 Comment cards only provide broad opinions. These opinions often are valid, but they cannot be used to track trend changes in riders' opinions.
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132 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Figure 9.5. Sample rider comment form.
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elements of transit program Implementation 133 Figure 9.6. Sample form documenting transit system response to complaint.
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134 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Figure 9.7. Sample rider survey.
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elements of transit program Implementation 135 Figure 9.7. (continued)
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136 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook 10. Do I tend to make too many assumptions about a rider right away?
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elements of transit program Implementation 137 caring, and correct, they can be excellent promoters of the service and they need a 1- to 3-minute "stump speech." • Recognize riders. Drivers and other staff who come in contact with riders need to know them by name and should address riders by name.
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138 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook assistant director, transportation manager or coordinator, finance/grants director, bookkeeper, transportation program assistant or administrative assistant, and secretary/dispatcher. Some employees' time may be split between tasks that are an operations cost and tasks that are administrative.
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Table 9.1. Comparison of cost allowability standards for state, local, and tribal Indian governments with nonprofit organizations and educational institutions.
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Table 9.1. (Continued)
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elements of transit program Implementation 141 Fares Farebox revenue includes fares paid by passengers and prepaid fare media used by passengers, including multi-ride passes and tokens, prepaid passes, or other fare media purchased by a human service agency for distribution to its clients, and user-side subsidy arrangements. Farebox revenues do not include payments made to the transit provider by human service agencies under the terms of a purchase-of-service agreement.
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142 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook 2. Contract service must be operated as eligible mass transportation.
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elements of transit program Implementation 143 involved are not found in other activities of the organization, the rates must be consistent with those paid for similar work in the labor market. For example, if the agency has some paid and some volunteer drivers performing the same tasks, and those who are paid are paid at a rate of $10.00 per hour, then the volunteer's time should be valued at $10.00 per hour.
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144 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook After explaining the assumptions, summarize the strategy for financing the project. Briefly describe project costs and the sources that will be used to pay for them.
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elements of transit program Implementation 145 project concept against project expenses; enables a "reality check" on the reasonableness of estimated expenses; and helps to determine if the intended goal and objectives for the project are achievable. Operating Revenue.
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146 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook county, and sponsor sources. A $20,000 reserve (8 percent of anticipated revenue)
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elements of transit program Implementation 147 costs also involve the procurement of equipment, furnishings, and lighting, and the construction or repair of facilities or infrastructure needed for the project.
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Figure 9.8. Sample rules guiding vehicle replacement.
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elements of transit program Implementation 149 Vehicle leasing is an often-used financing tool in transit service planning. Several tribal transit programs participate in the U.S.
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Table 9.9. Sample project capital needs and budget.
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elements of transit program Implementation 151 More than 5 years of analysis may be required when preparing cash flow, depending on the duration and complexity of the project or the requirements of the granting agency. Cash flow analysis is a valuable tool for project planning.
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152 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Economic, Demographic, and Related Documentation. • Historical data and forecasts of local economic, demographic, employment, and population levels and conditions that support the need for or affect the costs of the proposed service.
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elements of transit program Implementation 153 Information About Other Sponsors. • Description of other sponsors, subcontractors, or subrecipients involved in the delivery of project services or financing of project assets including the financial profile of each and description of their involvement.
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154 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook and maintenance and warranty services. Infrastructure risks are generally for less broadly used fuels.
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elements of transit program Implementation 155 Figure 9.12 shows a basic comparison of emissions from various types of fuels. Figure 9.12 shows only tailpipe emissions of regulated pollutants -- these pollutants are released locally as the bus operates.
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156 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook GHG emissions are not currently regulated. A fuel's lifecycle GHG emissions can vary greatly depending on how it is produced and transported.
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elements of transit program Implementation 157 remaining federal interest. This interest is determined by calculating the fair market value of the property immediately before the removal from use.
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158 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Fair Market Value Less than $5,000 Vehicles with a fair market value less than $5,000 may be retained, sold, or disposed of without obligation to reimburse FTA after the service-life of the vehicle has been reached. Additional information regarding vehicle disposal and service-life can be accessed via the following sources: • FTA Circular 5010, at http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/C_5010_1D_Finalpub.pdf • FTA Useful Life of Buses Report, at http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Useful_Life_of_ Buses_Final_Report_4-26-07_rv1.pdf Legal Issues Legal Authority A public tribal transit authority is an expression of tribal sovereign power.
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elements of transit program Implementation 159 sovereigns. In the absence of clear congressional directives in this area, tribes, states, and local agencies are left to negotiate their own terms for transit funding agreements.
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160 Developing, enhancing, and Sustaining tribal transit Services: a Guidebook Change in Administration At the final stages, some tribes have had to face challenges such as a change in administration. For example, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe applied for a technical assistance grant through the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
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elements of transit program Implementation 161 For More Information Advertising Age. Crain Publications.
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