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Service Reliability Restoration Plan
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DESCRIPTION: Authorization to improve fixed-route service reliability by optimizing the active bus fleet, reducing fixed-route frequencies, and reducing ferry service hours
AGENDA NO:
ACTION REQUEST:
? Approval ? Review Comment ? Information Only ? Other
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to improve fixed-route service reliability by optimizing the active bus fleet, reducing fixed-route frequencies and reduce Canal Street-Algiers Point ferry service hours. This includes reducing total active bus fleet and reduce fixed-route bus frequency to provide more reliable fixed-route service; reduce ferry service based on available revenue in 2024; and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to complete any additional approvals as required by local, state and federal regulations. As the RTA introduces new buses into its fleet, the agency will reassess service levels systemwide.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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The agency's current challenges are directly related to a combination of major events going back over fifteen years. After several years of negotiating federal recovery funds for the loss of RTA's fleet in 2005, the agency received 104 buses for fixed-route service from 2008 to 2010. The standard useful life for buses per the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is twelve (12) years. Without such a system shock event, buses are typically purchased and replaced on an evenly distributed schedule. While the timeline for the replacement of these 104 buses was well known, no complete plan for their funding nor for smoothing out future replacement schedule was put in place by previous management. While an additional 31 buses were ordered in 2011-2013, these vehicles served to expanded fleet and service as population and jobs continued their recovery. However, no new buses were ordered for service from 2013 to 2018.
In the last 5 years, RTA has ordered and received 66 buses and as ...
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