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Winter 2024 Service Change Title VI Analysis
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DESCRIPTION: Review and acknowledgment of the Title VI analysis conducted for implementation of the Winter 2024 Service Change. |
AGENDA NO: Click or tap here to enter text. |
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ACTION REQUEST: ☐ Approval ☐ Review Comment ☒ Information Only ☐ Other |
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
No action is requested. Title VI Equity Analysis of the Winter 2024 Service Change. Staff finds a small disparate impact on vulnerable communities based on the RTA’s Title VI and Environmental Justice Policy Manual. However, the negative impact caused by reductions in service will be mitigated by a significant increase in service reliability.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates 4 streetcar lines, 27 bus routes, 3 dedicated Owl/Late Night routes and offers para-transit services. Due to various factors explained below, the RTA is experiencing fleet reliability issues which are impacting the agency’s ability to provide reliable service to the community. One of the short-term actions to address this issue is the enacting of a Winter 2024 Service Change on January 14, 2024, to bring scheduled service in line with the agency’s current fleet availability.
The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has established a Title VI Program, the Environmental Justice and Social Equity Policy (2013), in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 49 CFR Part 21; FTA Circular 4702.1B; related statutes and regulations to ensure compliance with Title VI, to the end that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, services on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
The policy establishes that a change is considered to have a disproportionate burden (low-income) or disparate impact (minority) if the percentage of residents affected by the change is greater than the group’s proportion of the service area population. However, it does not specify a threshold above which a disparate impact or disproportionate burden would be found for a service change. The threshold has, therefore, been assumed to be 0% in past Title VI analysis. It is recommended that the RTA amend the Title VI policy to specify such a threshold. With that said, mitigation measures designed to lessen the effect of such an impact or burden may be considered when evaluating a change within the framework of the Title VI policy.
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DISCUSSION:
Currently, the RTA can consistently operate 70-80 buses in peak service. However, given that there is some day-to-day and week-to-week volatility to that number, the RTA decided to bring the peak weekday vehicles in service down to 73 for this service change, enacted January 14, 2024, down from 87 for Summer 2023, an initial reduction from 97 during Fall 2022/Winter 2023. This new scheduled service provides the public with schedules the agency believes it can reliably meet and provides the agency with a cushion in its vehicle fleet to maintain service even as other issues arise.
CHANGES TO ROUTE FREQUENCY
Understanding that this is a broad reduction in service, RTA staff took great pains to make sure the negative impacts from reductions in service didn’t fall disproportionally on any neighborhood or community. Furthermore, RTA leadership established that no part of the system would lose service in this reduction. Therefore, lines with only one bus - low-ridership coverage routes - would be untouched. To ensure minimal impact, the staff decided to reduce many lines by one vehicle each in peak service to reach the total reduction goal of 14 buses. This spread the cost of the reductions in frequency across the service area, while also spreading the benefit of increased reliability in a similar fashion.
Table 1: Headway Changes by Line
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Line |
Current Headway (As of 9/10/2023 |
New Headway (Beginning 1/14/2023 |
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3 - Tulane - Elmwood |
20 |
Decreased to 24 minutes |
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8 - St. Claude - Arabi |
18 |
Decreased to 24 minutes |
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9 - Broad - Napoleon |
20 |
Decreased to 23 minutes |
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11 - Magazine |
24 |
Decreased to 33 minutes |
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27 - Louisiana |
35 |
Decreased to 53 minutes |
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52 - Paris - Broadmoor |
34 |
Decreased to 44 minutes |
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61 - Lake Forest - Village de L'Est |
24 |
Decreased to 30 minutes |
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62 - Morrison - Bullard |
24 |
Decreased to 30 minutes |
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66- Hayne Loop |
35 |
Decreased to 70 minutes |
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67 - Michoud Loop |
30 |
Decreased to 60 minutes |
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84 - Galvez - L9 |
30 |
Decreased to 45 minutes |
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103 - General Meyer Local |
30 |
Decreased to 45 minutes |
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105 - Algiers Local |
40 |
Decreased to 80 minutes |
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114A - Garden Oaks - Sullen |
30 |
Decreased to 40 minutes |
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114B - Garden Oaks - Woodlands |
30 |
Decreased to 40 minutes |
ROUTE CHANGES
103-General Meyers Local
In order to mitigate the reduction in service on the West Bank and Algiers routes, the decision was made to adjust the route of the 103-General Meyers Local. Under the previous set-up, this route would terminate at Wilty Terminal in Gretna. Riders seeking to go downtown would then have to transfer to the 114A/B. This was previously a timed transfer, with the 114A/B scheduled every 15 minutes. With the reduction in service on the 114A/B, the timed transfer was no longer feasible, creating longer and inconsistent wait times for riders of the 103. Therefore, instead of having the 103 stop at Wilty Terminal and force a now onerous transfer, the 103-General Meyer will continue past Wilty to the Main Library Hub (see map), bringing riders to downtown directly.
The number of peak vehicles on the route will remain the same, but the route extension will increase headways from 30 to 45 minutes. While this is a reduction in service, the elimination of a forced transfer, and the subsequent waiting cost, is eliminated for many riders.
Figure 1:103-General Meyers Route Change
31-Leonidas-Gentilly & 32-Leonidas -Treme
These two routes are being restored following cessation of roadway construction in the Hollygrove neighborhood that has caused the route to be on detour for the past year. This change improves service in a low-income minority neighborhood and has no impact to service frequency.
Figure 2: 31/32 Route Changes in Hollygrove
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SUMMARY OF TITLE VI REPORT FINDINGS
This analysis of the changes resulted in a finding of small disproportionate burden and disparate impact for low-income and minority communities. However, it is important to realize that reductions in scheduled service are merely reflective of the daily reductions in bus service currently happening and that riders are experiencing. Those daily, fleet induced reductions, however, are not planned or predictable for riders. This reduction in service is intended to be as short as possible and improve the reliability of the service. The goal is that even if the bus is less frequent, you are more confident it will arrive at the scheduled time.
The agency, therefore, concludes that the negative impact of the reduced service frequency, and the minor disproportionate burden and disparate impact therein, will be mitigated by a significant increase in service reliability.
Table 1: Disparate Impact of Service Changes
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Low Income |
Minority |
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Change Borne By |
24.8% |
72.0% |
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Area Average |
23.8% |
69.4% |
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Delta |
1.0% |
2.6% |
Figure 5: Trip Difference with Jan 2024 Service Change
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with the Title VI analysis and report. The reduction of service will result in an operational cost savings.
NEXT STEPS:
None required. Implementation of the Winter 2024 Service Change was January 14, 2023.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Winter 2024 Service Change Title VI Equity Analysis
Prepared By: Vivek Shah
Title: Director of Service Planning and Scheduling
Reviewed By: Dwight Norton
Title: Chief Planning & Capital Projects Officer
2/20/2024
Lona Hankins Date
Chief Executive Officer