Increasing Bus Availability at MetroDade Transit Authority

In any transit agency, the relationship between the operations and maintenance divisions is subject to stresses caused by differing objectives. One of the operations division s primary functions is placing buses into service, while one of the maintenance division s primary roles is to ensure that buses are fit for service. Inevitably, conflicts will arise when objectives of these two divisions clash.

Improving communications between the two divisions can potentially minimize these conflicts and increase the level of bus availability to meet vehicle requirements. Improving coordination between bus operations and bus maintenance will help ensure that the required number of vehicles is in service at any one time, which, in turn, will increase overall rider confidence in the dependability of service.

As part of the interlocal agreement between the University of South Florida and Metropolitan Dade County, CUTR conducted a study to evaluate the interface between bus operations and maintenance at Metro-Dade Transit Agency (MDTA), with specific focus given to increasing the level of bus availability.

Currently, MDTA uses Transit Operating System (TOS) computer software to track bus availability and assignments. TOS is one of the major communications tools between MDTA s bus operations and maintenance divisions, but its effectiveness in assisting them to ensure sufficient availability of vehicles has been questioned by both divisions. Based on the findings of the study, improvements were recommended to increase the level of bus availability using TOS and other procedures. Highlights of these recommendations included:

• The operations and maintenance divisions should establish a liaison to work with the existing TOS coordinator to assist staff from both divisions regarding TOS training, refresher courses, etc. Refresher training courses with all bus operations and maintenance staff that work closely with TOS should be conducted.

• The existing batch reader in VMS should be enhanced to improve and speed up the operator check-in process in conjunction with using an external operator identification swipe-card device and printer to provide the operators with information about the location of their bus on the lot, run number, etc.

• New computer hardware should be purchased that will allow the TOS to operate as a stand-alone system, or the processing power of the cental VAX system should be increased to increase the TOS's processing speed to give bus operations and maintenance the ability to update the system in real time and make the system more user-friendly to dispatchers.

• The recently-implemented bus maintenance radio supervisor position, located at the County s Government Center to coordinate road calls, should be continued.

• What constitutes an "alive" and a "dead" bus should be formally defined in writing.

• A monitor display system that is interfaced with the TOS located in both the bus operations and maintenance divisions should be implemented at each facility to keep staff apprised of the status ("alive" or "dead") of buses in real time.

• The possibility of having the bus maintenance division be responsible for assigning buses to operators rather than the bus operations division should be investigated.

• The assignment of buses to specific runs and/or individual pieces of work should be by bus type (that is, articulated and/or handicap accessible) and not by specific bus number.

Finally, the study makes it clear that improving certain elements of TOS such as the speed with which it processes information will improve bus availability only to a certain degree, not eliminate the problem entirely. The report also points out that implementation of the automated bus operator check-in system could allow MDTA to deploy one dispatcher supervisory position per shift per facility to other high priority assignments. Coupled with improving TOS, the report recommends that MDTA address labor shortages in maintenance while creating new and refining existing procedures related to the placement of buses into service."

The report has re-energized interest in the Transit Operating System and its ability to help manage bus operations," said Alex Rey Panama, MDTA Assistant Director for Administration. "It has pointed out many areas where we can improve the agency's efficiency."

For further information, contact CUTR Research Associate Michael Baltes, baltes@cutr.usf.edu.