Report to/Rapport au :

 

Transit Commission

Commission du transport en commun

 

 

May 4, 2012

4 mai 2012

 

Submitted by/Soumis par: Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager, City Operations

Directeur municipal adjoint, Opérations municipales

 

Contact Person / Personne ressource: John Manconi, General Manager/Directeur général, Transit Services/Services du transport en commun   

613-842-3636 x2111, John.Manconi@ottawa.ca

 

 

CITY WIDE / À L’ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

Ref N°: ACS2012-COS-TRA-0006

 

 

SUBJECT:

 

TRANSIT SERVICES DEPARTMENTAL PRIORITIES - 2012

 

 

OBJET :

 

PRIORITÉS DU SERVICE DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN – 2012

 

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION:

 

That the Transit Commission table this report to be received and discussed at the May 16 meeting of the Transit Commission.

 

 

RecommandationS du rapport

 

Que la Commission du transport en commun dépose le présent rapport afin qu’il soit reçu et examiné à la réunion du 16 mai de la Commission.

 

 

 

  

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

In recognition of the change in senior management at Transit Services on February 22, 2012, the Transit Commission, at its meeting of February 29, 2012, approved a motion that referred the 2012 OC Transpo Business Plan, tabled in January, to the General Manager of Transit Services for his review.

The General Manager has undertaken a comprehensive review of Transit Services operations and identified a prioritized workplan for 2012.

 

The Departmental priorities have been identified based on a review of the capacity of the Department to appropriately resource the volume of projects contained on its 2012 workplan within the context of the Term of Council priorities approved by Council in July of last year. 

 

In particular, the priorities of Transit Services for the remainder of 2012 are centred upon stabilizing the organization and strongly focussing on the implementation phase of key projects aligned to Term of Council priorities and the three pillars of service excellence:  customer satisfaction, employee engagement and improved operational performance.

 

The Transit Commission has a direct accountability for strategic objectives, initiatives and performance measures falling under the Strategic Priorities:  “Transportation and Mobility” and “Service Excellence”

 

The Transit Commission has a fundamental objective to “Ensure sustainable transit services” by offering “reliable travel options at the lowest possible cost and in a financially and operationally sustainable way”.

 

The Transit Services Department, with support and guidance from the Transit Commission and Council, has already laid the groundwork for success of this key priority by:

 

Other key strategic initiatives that will be advanced by the Transit Services Department as part of its 2012 prioritized work plan will include work on:  Double Decker Buses, Facilities; Para Transpo; Ottawa Light Rail; O-Train Expansion; IT Review; Employee Engagement; Financial Management; and, Service Plan, as outlined in this report.

 

 

RÉSUMÉ

 

Reconnaissant les changements survenus à la haute direction des Services de transport en commun, le 22 février dernier, la Commission du transport en commun a approuvé, lors de sa réunion du 29 février, une motion concernant le plan d’affaires d’OC Transpo 2012, remis en janvier au directeur général des services de transport en commun, à des fins d'examen.

Le directeur général a entrepris un examen exhaustif de l’exploitation des services de transport en commun et défini un plan de travail prioritaire pour 2012.

 

Les priorités du service ont été déterminées en fonction d’un examen de la capacité du service à affecter les ressources appropriées aux différents projets prévus dans son plan de travail 2012, conformément aux priorités du mandat du conseil, que ce dernier a approuvées en juillet 2011. 

 

D’ici la fin de l’année 2012, les priorités des Services de transport en commun consisteront avant tout à stabiliser l’organisation et à se concentrer tout particulièrement sur la mise en œuvre des phases des projets clés alignés sur les priorités du mandat du conseil et les trois piliers de l’excellence du service, en l’occurrence, la satisfaction des clients, l’engagement des employés et l’amélioration du rendement opérationnel.

 

La Commission est directement responsable des objectifs stratégiques, des initiatives et de l’évaluation du rendement relevant des priorités stratégiques : « Transport et mobilité » et « Excellence du service ».

 

La Commission du transport en commun s’est donné comme principal objectif de « garantir des services de transport en commun durables » en proposant « des options de déplacement fiables, au coût le plus bas possible et d’une façon durable sur le plan financier et opérationnel ».

 

Appuyés et orientés par la Commission du transport en commun et le Conseil, les Services de transport en commun ont déjà jeté les bases de la réussite de cette priorité clé en :

•     ratifiant un contrat de travail de quatre ans assurant aux usagers du transport en commun un service continu et ininterrompu pour les quatre prochaines années;

 

Comme le souligne le présent rapport, le plan de travail prioritaire 2012 des Services de transport prévoit d’autres initiatives clés telles que : les autobus à deux étages, installations; Para Transpo; Train léger sur rail d’Ottawa; l’élargissement du réseau O-Train; l’examen des TI; l’engagement des employés; la gestion des finances; et le plan des services.

 

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

In recognition of the change in senior management at Transit Services on February 22, 2012, the Transit Commission, at its meeting of February 29, 2012, approved a motion that referred the 2012 OC Transpo Business Plan, tabled in January, to the General Manager of Transit Services for his review.

This document constitutes the Transit Services 2012 prioritized workplan that will allow Transit Services to stay focused and committed to the implementation phase of key projects aligned to Term of Council priorities and the pillars of service excellence: customer satisfaction, employee engagement and improved operational performance.

 

The General Manager has undertaken a comprehensive review of Transit Services operations and identified a prioritized workplan for 2012.

 

The Departmental priorities have been identified based on a review of the capacity of the Department to appropriately resource the volume of projects contained on its 2012 workplan within the context of the Term of Council priorities approved by Council in July of last year.  In particular, the recommended priorities for Transit Services for the remainder of 2012 are centred upon stabilizing the organization and strongly focussing on the implementation phase of key projects aligned to Term of Council priorities.

 

Term of Council Priorities:

The Term of Council Priorities approved by City Council defines what the City will accomplish over the 2011 to 2014 term and forms the basis of the City Strategic Plan. Council has approved the following 8 priorities for the term of Council:

 

·         Economic Prosperity;

·         Transportation and Mobility;

·         Environmental Stewardship;

·         Healthy and Caring Communities;

·         Service Excellence;

·         Governance, Planning and Decision-Making;

·         Employee Engagement; and,

·         Financial Responsibility.

 

Two of the Council priorities, Transportation & Mobility and Service Excellence, have specific strategic objectives and strategic initiatives that fall within the jurisdiction of the Transit Commission.  These proposed strategic priorities have been further translated into a set of executable strategic objectives to give further clarity and meaning to the priorities.

 

The Performance Measures associated with the Transit Commission priorities will be considered by the Transit Commission at its meeting of May 16, 2012 (Report:  2011–2014 City Strategic Plan - ACS2012-CMR-OCM-0008). 

 

The following strategic objectives are assigned to the Transit Commission under the Strategic Priority of Transportation & Mobility:

 

1.    Ensure sustainable transit services:
Offer reliable travel options at the lowest possible cost and in a financially and operationally sustainable way; and,

2.    Promote alternative mobility choices: Promote alternative mobility choices by emphasizing transit, cycling and walking as preferred ways of getting around the City.  Use education, promotion and incentives to encourage alternatives to driving, and provide information that encourages responsible travel.

 

Service Excellence:

 

The Service Excellence priority has an overall goal to improve client satisfaction with the delivery of municipal services to Ottawa residents by measurably increasing the culture of service excellence at the City, by improving the efficiency of City operations, and by creating positive client experiences.

 

The City of Ottawa has adopted a Service Excellence Framework.  It is a set of inter-related components that work inter-dependently to produce a strategic outcome.  It is the City’s version of the Public Sector Value Chain.

 

 

 

 

 

The report sets out 12 priorities that align to the Term of Council Priorities, which are all contributors to achieving client satisfaction, engaged employees, and, improved operational performance.

In summary, Transit Services Management Team will focus the remainder of 2012 on these projects which are contributors to:

 

·       Ensuring sustainable transit services;

·       Promoting alternative mobility choices;

·       Service excellence.

 

The following 12 priorities are being recommended and are described in further detail in the attached document:

 

1.    Labour Relations

2.    PRESTO

3.    Fares

4.    Double Decker Buses

5.    Facilities

6.    Para Transpo

7.    Ottawa Light Rail Project

8.    O-Train Expansion

9.    IT Review

10. Employee Engagement Plan

11. Financial Management

12. Service Plan

 

 

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

N/A

 

 

CONSULTATION

There is no consultation required for this report.

 

 

Comments by the Ward Councillor(s)

N/A

 

 

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no legal impediments to receiving the report.

 

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Risk management implications are outlined within this report.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The initiatives and assumptions outlined in this report and the supporting document are consistent with those included in the 2012 Operating and Capital Transit Budget and  Transit Long Range Financial Plan. 

 

 

ACCESSIBILITY IMPACTS

Accessibility issues were taken into account when developing the 2012 Departmental Priorities.  There is a separate section in the Business Plan dedicated to OC Transpo's Accessibility Plan, as well as elements related to Para Transpo.

 

 

Technology Implications

The Transit Services Departmental Priorities - 2012 report refers to the delivery of major business technology solutions.  Further discussion will be required in order to determine the level of impact these initiatives will have on IT resources as well as, assessing associated costs.  A detailed business case may need to be evaluated through the City of Ottawa’s Portfolio Value Management process for IT investments, in advance of any planned implementation.   ITS cannot commit to all of the potential work identified in this report at this time, however ITS will work with Transit Services during the development phase of these initiatives to further determine potential needs.

 

 

TERm of council priorities

This report directly and indirectly supports the following objectives of the Transportation Master Plan and previous Council strategic directions.

 

TM1 - Ensure sustainable transit services

 

SE1 - Ensure a positive experience for every client interaction

 

SE2 - Improve operational performance

 

EE4 - Build a positive, productive and engaged workplace

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 – Transit Services Departmental Priorities – 2012

 

DISPOSITION

Staff will undertake any further action and direction of the Transit Commission.

 

 

Transit Services Departmental Priorities 2012

 

 

 

[Type the author name]

May 4, 2012

 

 

 

City Operations

City of Ottawa

Presented to Transit Commission

May 4, 2012

 

 

 

 


1.     Labour Relations


In order for customer confidence and employee morale to increase it is imperative that labour relations at OC Transpo improve.  The recent ratification of a four year labour contract with the largest employee group is a significant milestone that contributes to customer service as transit users are now assured continuous, uninterrupted service for the next four years. For our employees, our focus will now be in engaging them in their ideas and contributions to service excellence.

 

The Departmental management team will work collaboratively with the unions and their members on a number of key initiatives that will continue to cultivate positive labour relations. There are four key items that form part of the new contract and that will continue to demonstrate collaboration.  These items will need appropriate resourcing and oversight by the General Manager. They are listed below and they will be led by the General Manager’s office:

 

a.   Scheduling Committee;

b.   Merivale Garage;

c.   Contracting out/in review; and,

d.   Safety on Buses (Cameras).

 

 

2.     PRESTO

Presto is a major contributor to improving customer service. Convenience, simplicity and transferability will all improve the transit user’s experience and will lead to increases ridership. The focus for this project is marketing, Friends and Family testing/feedback pilot and day one readiness.

 

On May 1, 2012 OC Transpo launched the convenient PRESTO smart card to 400 Friends and Family as a pilot to transit customers.  An additional 500 Friends and Family will be added to participate in the June pilot.  The purpose of the two month pilot is to further test the PRESTO system to ensure that it will be ready for the broader customer base before we go live July 1, 2012.  

 

PRESTO cards will eliminate complicated interactions between customers and operators, expand user options for fare purchases (by the Internet, as well as by phone, in person, or by mail), and simplify the fare system.

 

The PRESTO card will redefine customer relationships by enabling easy monitoring and measurement of single-trip fares and monthly pass use. It will provide a better understanding of how our customers use our system and also provide further opportunities to improve OC Transpo’s operational performance.  As PRESTO’s functionality evolves to expand payment methods and additional services, customers will benefit from new opportunities for additional convenience.

 

 

3.     OC Transpo Fares 2012/2013

 

Transit Commission and Council recently approved the OC Transpo Fares – 2012/2013  report. This provides for transit fare increases at 2.5% overall effective July 1st, 2012.  This is in accordance with the Council approved 2012 budget.  This is the second year that fare increases do not exceed 2.5%. 

 

The report also included changes to fares to take advantage of the PRESTO smart card technology, which will be introduced on July 1, 2012.  The introduction of PRESTO will transform the way people in Ottawa experience transit. PRESTO offers convenience like never before, including for the first time a fare card that is transferable between two people, e.g. family members.

 

The new fare table has many attractive features, including discounted pay-per-ride fares for seniors, the elimination of rural express fares and a pay-per-ride fare increase capped at a nickel ($0.05) to make it easy for occasional customers to migrate to the PRESTO card instead of the less convenient paper tickets, which will be phased out over time.

 

Based on these rates, and on ridership projections, the fare revenues are expected to  meet the established 2012 Budget of $174.25 million.   Transit will also meet the 2012 budgeted revenue/cost ratio, which is the share of operating costs to be borne by transit riders, of 53.3%.  The City’s fiscal framework has established a goal of 55% for the Transit revenue/cost ratio to be achieved over several years.  Certain risks, however, if fully realized may alter the above projection. The Department will strive to meet the goal of maintaining average fare increases to 2.5% for the current term of Council.

 

4.     Double Decker Buses

The arrival of 75 new double decker buses will commence in Q4 of 2012.  The principal advantage of double-decker buses is that they carry more customers and offer more seating than any other bus type.  This will lead to improved customer service.  This increased capacity can be accomplished at about the same capital cost as a 60-foot articulated bus and in the same road space as a standard 40-foot bus. The double-decker buses are particularly well-suited for use on OC Transpo express routes where seating availability is critical to attracting and satisfying customers, and on future feeder routes that will accompany the opening of the light rail line through the downtown core.  By reducing the number of buses needed to serve customer demands, the use of double-decker buses will substantially reduce operating costs and long-term capital costs. Transit Services will be working with our manufacturer Alexander Dennis on a launch and public relations campaign to mark this significant addition to our fleet.

 

 

 

5.     Facilities

The provision of facilities that are clean, accessible and functional is a key contributor to customer satisfaction for transit users. 

 

In 2012, continued facility enhancements will be made throughout the system in order to improve customer experience and safety.  Specifically at Transitway stations, we will be providing improved accessibility and wayfinding measures and we will be undertaking many lifecycle projects such as elevator modernizations, signage replacement, flooring and stairs rehabilitation.  At the westbound platform Laurier Station, we are working with the University of Ottawa to provide a better and safer waiting area for our customers.  At Trim Station lot, the park and ride lot expansion will provide our customers with increased capacity and improved accessibility features.  Design work is continuing at the Woodroffe/Strandherd. Chapel Hill and Strandherd locations in order to meet increasing park and ride demand in those areas.  Changes are being made at Millennium Station to improve safety for traffic travelling along Millennium Blvd, as well as for our customers.  We will continue to monitor recent operating improvements made at Hurdman Station and, if needed, we will respond with additional changes that would improve customer travel time through the station.  Throughout the City, we will be adding 50 new bus shelters, benches and providing new bus stop pads to improve waiting areas for our customers.

 

We are also in the process of rehabilitating and modernizing the maintenance facilities, some of which are more than 30 years old and require lifecycle upgrades for capacity, cost effectiveness and sustainability objectives. The work is required to improve employees working environment (including restrooms, showers, lockers and lunchrooms) at St. Laurent, Merivale, Pinecrest garage, the Walkley O-Train facility and some operator washrooms across the Transitway system.

 

The Facilities Maintenance and Non-Revenue Repair facility at 805 Belfast is to be consolidated into existing facilities at 899 Belfast (Facilities Maintenance) and Pinecrest (Non-Revenue Repair) by the end of 2012, to enable construction of the future light rail maintenance facility.

 

Industrial garage will undergo minor modifications to the servicing bays and one countdown lane to accommodate the new fleet of double-decker buses and the floor throughout the garage will undergo surface treatments to improve friction and address health and safety concerns.

 

The renovations to the administrative building at 1500 St. Laurent are planned for 2012 with a reduced scope and total value of $7 million.

 

6.     Para Transpo

 

Improving service to Para Transpo customers will include the following:

-       Implementation of Electronic fare payment system;

-       Replacement of the Para Transpo fleet which is nearing end of life;

-       Accommodate most ridership growth using contracted taxis; and,

-       Continuing to operate mini bus services internally.

 

In 2012, as approved by the Commission, funds for Para Transpo service in the rural parts of Ottawa are being redirected to community support service agencies that offer transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities in rural areas, and to new once-a-week OC Transpo services from rural villages to shopping and service destinations in central Ottawa.  Para Transpo is an extremely expensive way to provide mobility in rural areas, and these changes will improve overall mobility for seniors and people with disabilities without increasing costs. 

 

7.     Ottawa Light Rail Project

 

OC Transpo staff have been participating with the Rail Implementation Office on the development of the plans for the light rail line, and this collaboration continues as the project moves into detailed design and construction. The light rail line will make dramatic improvements for transit customers in many ways – from improving reliability of service and reducing travel times for current transit customers, to unlocking the capacity for downtown Ottawa to continue to grow, to opening up downtown streets for other uses as many bus routes are replaced by the new light rail service.  The light rail line, its stations and vehicles, and its service plans, are all being set based on transit customers’ travel needs.

During the years of light rail construction, there will be significant disruption to the current transit network. This impact will be managed to be as low as it can reasonably be.  The increased O-Train capacity will be in place before heavy construction begins, to give more customers a way to bypass the congested areas.  The City is co-ordinating the expansion of Highway 417 so that the new lanes can be used by buses during light rail construction. But the sections of the Transitway between Tunney’s Pasture and LeBreton Stations and between Laurier and Blair Stations will need to close for some time to be converted to light rail tracks, and when they do, buses will need to operate on parallel highways and streets. When these detours are in place, the travel time for customers will increase. The higher operating costs and the need for more buses and operators in the system are built into the long-term financial plan for Transit, and the details of the construction and the mitigation of its effects will be determined following the award of the contract to build the light rail line.

In the coming months, the Transit Services Department will be faced with many decisions and choices that will impact our services and our customers.  A coordinated and experienced lead is needed in Transit Services that will assist the Department in understanding the issues, plan proactively for service interruption and focus on day one operations and readiness.  Working in partnership with the OLRT office, a resource is being secured that has extensive experience in the operations of rail service to assist in this regard. 

 

8.     O-Train Expansion

 

Progress continues on the project to expand the capacity of the O-Train service.  This project was approved by the Commission and Council in 2011, to provide more frequent service and greater capacity on the O-Train.  One of the benefits of this project is to divert some customers away from the section of the Transitway between downtown and Hurdman Station during the years of light rail construction.  In the longer term, the service improvements on the O-Train will accommodate increasing ridership in the corridor, including the area near Carleton University, will make it more attractive for customers to use the O-Train to bypass downtown, and would be compatible with any possible extension or other enhancement to the line, with possibilities to be examined as part of the refresh of the Transportation Master Plan.  Construction is currently planned for summer 2013.

 

9.     IT Review

Transit Services has an extensive list of IT projects underway.  A detailed review of all IT projects is being undertaken.  This review, which will form part of a report to the Commission, will bring forward recommendations on prioritization of projects, organizational accountabilities and identify opportunities for leveraging corporate initiatives.  IT projects will have a solid business case that clearly brings forward benefits to our customers or enables our employees to provide better service. In addition, it will ensure that all projects underway and approved by the Commission are adequately resourced, managed and set up for success.  

 

10.      Employee Engagement

 

Employee engagement has a direct and measurable impact on employee retention, productivity, customer satisfaction, and financial results. It has been proven that operational performance and customer satisfaction improves when employees are engaged. Investing time and resources in this area will help Transit Service drive up customer satisfaction.

 

The Employee Engagement program will focus on elements such as:

·         Being part of a successful organization;

·         Having positive working relationships;

·         Doing meaningful work; and,

·         Recognition and appreciation.

The Department’s priority will be to develop and implement strategies, programs and policies that facilitate the building and strengthening of a committed, engaged and satisfied client-centric workforce.  The corporate Service Excellence framework will form the basis of the road map and the Department will leverage the corporate resources and ideas all ready in place to help make meaningful change in this regard.

 

11.      Financial Management

In addition to ensuring our customers are satisfied and employees are client focused, strict financial oversight is a priority for the Department.  Detailed financial tracking has already been implemented and key line items such as fuel, overtime costs, etc. are being monitored.  A comprehensive review of all capital projects, commitments and Work-in-Progress is also underway and revenues will be closely monitored.

 

Marketing/Advertising

Marketing in 2012 will focus on the introduction of the new PRESTO card for fare payment. Customers will be faced with significant messaging in this regard and introducing new marketing concepts are not recommended.  Relating to advertising, an RFP will be concluded by Q3 2012 to establish new advertising contract(s) for both new assets and those covered by existing expiring contracts.  These new contracts will be structured to reserve advertising streams that could be of particular interest to the City’s strategic partners in economic development endeavours – for example, transportation partnerships developed through tourism, events and festivals.  Advertising at on-street passenger shelters and benches is covered by contracts ending in 2013. 

 

Arising from the Service Ottawa initiative, a market review and RFI by the City determined that transit revenue could be maximized by offering more assets for advertising purposes, and by bundling assets differently within each contract.  The assets will be offered through a subsequent process as part of the Integrated Street Furniture Program.  


Fuel

On fuel, we can advise that OC Transpo will continue to focus on diesel consumption as our primary focus.  Over the past few years several initiatives have implemented to reduce the numbers of litres consumed per customer including:

 

·       Completed driver training to improve efficiency;

·       Changing idling procedures in cold weather;

·       Added more high capacity buses; and,

·       Replaced high fuel consuming first-generation articulated buses with newer, more efficient articulated buses.

 

We have also benefited from the hedge strategies implemented by Corporate Finance.  These strategies reduce our exposure to the unpredictable diesel fuel market.  City Council approved a Commodity Price Hedging Policy in 2008.  Under the policy, the City is able to enter into financial agreements that fix the price of fuel.  The benefit of the policy is that it allows the City to manage financial risk by establishing a level of certainty with respect to the price of fuel, and removes the budget to actual price volatility and exposure that would otherwise occur.

 

Under the policy, up to 85 percent of the forecast fuel volume can be hedged (price is fixed) on an annual basis.  Approximately 60% of the City’s 2012 forecast fuel volume is now protected with these fixed prices, at a level close to the rates budgeted for 2012. 

Finance staff determines its hedging strategy by setting target prices at which it is appropriate to enter into fixed contracts.  These target prices are based on a review of historical price data.  Staff continue to monitor the markets and may execute more contracts for 2012.   In addition, staff have commenced putting in place fixed price contracts for the 2013 budget year.

 

OC Transpo has reviewed many solutions and will be focusing on adding specific modifications to reduce fuel consumption. These include implementing electric fan modifications on hydraulic fan equipped buses, improving the functionality of automatic vehicle monitoring systems to help drivers know when they are driving with optimum fuel efficiency and completing the purchase of double decker buses, which bring economies by requiring fewer buses on the road as well as providing the value of the new fuel efficient engines. We are also looking at garage parking strategies as the smaller fleet may enable a higher percentage of buses to be stored inside and reducing the use of the bus heater.

 

The transit industry has many major alternate fuel related initiatives under way and OC Transpo is keeping informed on all the technology changes and the results they can tangibly provide.  A key strategy of any future procurement will be to reduce the amount of diesel we consume by acquiring the best proven products at the time of natural procurement cycles. This will support our trend of using less fuel per ride.
 

A key challenge identified through long-range forecasting is the growing discrepancy between the growth rates of fuel prices and transit fares.  Diesel costs are forecast to continue increasing at long-term rates of 5 per cent, while opportunities to use fuel more efficiently have been maximized. A switch to a lower-cost fuel may be required to contain fuel cost pressures as fleets are renewed in 10 to 15 years.  

This has led to a continued pressure on the diesel fuel budget in 2012 and will continue to challenge future years.  The Department will provide updates as part of regular quarterly operating and capital budget status reports.

 

 

 

 

12.      Service Plan

Ridership levels on the transit system are expected to continue to grow, and service levels and the route network will continue to be adapted to accommodate increased numbers of customers and changes in customers’ travel needs. No major route changes are expected in 2012, except for improvements in Stittsville following its inclusion in the Urban Transit Area and the opening of the new park and ride lot at Scotiabank Place. Planning is continuing for service changes in future years, including the opening of the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge, improved interprovincial services in coordination with the opening of the STO’s Rapibus facility, the relocation of federal workers to the former Nortel location, the opening of new park and ride capacity, and the increase in capacity on the O-Train.

 

Work continues to improve the reliability of service for customers in several ways. The actual running time required on all routes is being measured by on-board GPS equipment and analysed using new software and procedures, so that the scheduled time for every trip better matches the operating conditions. The continuing implementation of transit priority measures reduces travel time for customers and reduced the variability of travel time through congested locations. Staff are also continuing to improve workforce planning and management, to strike the best balance possible between efficiency and quality.

 

Safety

Relating to safety, our focus in 2012 will be on exploring the feasibility, costing and logistics associated with the use of Cameras on our buses.  The safety of our Customers and Employees is our number one priority.  This complex issue has a range of financial, operational, maintenance, legal (including privacy) and other implications. As such, OC Transpo staff will consult with all affected stakeholders in the development of a report, and will make recommendations for Transit Commission to consider in time for 2013 Budget deliberations.

 

Accessibility
Our goal of enhanced accessibility will continue in 2012.  OC Transpo will enhance barrier-free access to transit stations and facilities by installing more power doors, lowering operating controls, improving signage and lighting, installing new curb ramps, and modernizing older elevators.  As well, all transit employees who deal with the public or develop policy will be trained in accessible customer service; additional training will be undertaken on the AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards regulation, and planned for any new accessibility standards tabled in the coming months. The organization will continue its very successful partnership with community agencies in the provision of travel training, which provides persons with disabilities the confidence and skills needed to use public transit

 

 

Community Partnerships

OC Transpo has a long history of nurturing community partnerships, as evidenced by its receipt of a special award in 2011 to recognize 25 years of leadership in raising impressive Ottawa Food Bank donations through its annual food drive.  OC Transpo is also proud of its role and reputation in serving our community’s needs beyond the issue of mobility.  Our many operators are the community’s eyes and ears, and contribute to the safety of Ottawa residents at all hours of the day and night. Every year, TRANSECURE Awards formally recognize individual employees who go above and beyond the call of duty in improving public safety.

 

Building on these successes, OC Transpo will focus on creating long-lasting partnerships that benefit customers and the community, leveraging OC Transpo’s brand and assets to provide tangible benefits and maximize marketing opportunities.