Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 
August 2, 2005

6:00 PM

Capital Metro, 323 Congress, 1st Floor

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

 

Members:        Rene’ Barrera, Jimmy Davis, Barbara Espinoza, Colleen Fisher/Stoll, John Taylor, David Patterson, Alfredo Ojeda, Mike Waddles, and Bettye (BJ) Taylor,

 

Associates:     Joseph Thornton, Jerry Balaka, and Glenna Balch

 

Staff:                Dianne Mendoza, Patricia Guajardo, Roberto Gonzalez, and Meredith Highsmith

 

 

               I.      Meeting called to order at 6:05 PM.

             II.      January 2006 Service Changes – Roberto Gonzalez and Meredith Highsmith

Roberto and Meredith presented handouts on the January 2006 Service Changes.  They discussed the following changes to the committee:

 

·         Route 1 North Lamar/South Congress

·         Route 3 Burnet/Manchaca

·         Route 151 Allandale

·         Route 161 Dellwood

·         Route 201 Southpark Meadows

·         Route 242 Metric

·         Route 243 Wells Branch Feeder

·         Route 252 Buckingham/Slaughter

·         Route 392 Braker

·         Route 440 Tech Ridge Circulator

·         Routes 484, 485, 486 (Night Owl-Lamar/South First, Night Owl-Cameron Rd., Night Owl-Dove Springs)

·         Route 495 Tech Ridge Shuttle (formerly Dell Express)

·         Route 935 Tech Ridge Express (formerly IH-35 Express)

 

Route 1 North Lamar/South Congress

Route 1 will be consolidated with Route 242, forming one route with two branches, each terminating at the Tech Ridge Park & Ride.  Route 1L (via Lamar) will assume the current course of Route 1 and be extended northward to the Tech Ridge Park & Ride.  Route 1M (via Metric) will combine Route 1 south of Rundberg Lane with current Route 242 south of Howard Ln. and create a continuous path from Metric Boulevard to Central and South

 

Austin, thereby eliminating transfers at North Lamar Transit Center.  Route 1L/1M will increase transit options at the Tech Ridge Park & Route 1L/1M will increase transit options at the Tech Ridge Park & Ride and provide a transition to Rapid bus.  Roberto & Meredith asked the committee for their opinion regarding the name of the routes: 1L & 1M vs. 1A & 1B.   The committee favored the 1L & 1M name.

Route 3 Burnet/Manchaca

Service will be eliminated along 29th Street from Rio Grande to San Gabriel and along Lamar from 29th Street to 38th Street, thereby addressing several travel issues currently experienced, including: limited roadway width, limited visibility, and lack of signalized intersections.  New service will be introduced along Guadalupe from 29th Street to 38th Street and along 38th Street from Guadalupe to Lamar, providing direct access to Seton Medical Complex and multi-family developments along 38th Street.

Route 151 Allandale

Service will be reduced to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only.  Service on Wednesdays and Fridays will be replaced by Route 161 Dellwood, a proposed service route similarly targeting senior citizens.  There will be no change to current hours of operation (9am to 3pm only) and frequency (60 minutes).

Route 161 Dellwood

Proposed service route will target high-density senior citizen populations in the Cameron Road/Dellwood area.  Route 161 would operate Wednesdays and Fridays during midday hours (9am-3pm) similarly to Route 151 Allandale and also include limited service stops available upon request.

Route 201 Southpark Meadows

Proposed feeder route will replace portions of Route 252 Buckingham/Slaughter and introduce new service to South Congress Avenue, from William Cannon Dr. to Slaughter Lane.  In addition, Route 201 will link the South Transfer Center (terminus for Route 1/101 North Lamar/South Congress, Route 27/127 Dove Springs, and Route 333 William Cannon), emerging Southpark Meadows development and Akins High School.  The proposed route would remove service from the Emerald Forest and Meadow Creek neighborhoods currently served by Route 252, as requested by residents.

Route 242 Metric

Replaced by Route 1M North Lamar/South Congress (via Metric).

Route 243 Wells Branch

Proposed feeder route will provide the Wells Branch and Merrilltown area with direct access to multiple transit options at the Tech Ridge Park & Ride and surrounding employment opportunities.  The proposed route will be comprised of the northernmost portion of current Route 242 Metric and will also extend northward into areas of multi-family residential development and active community centers.

Route 252 Buckingham/Slaughter

Replaced by Route 201 Southpark Meadows.

Route 392 Braker

Crosstown service will be extended northward to Tech Ridge Park & Ride, increasing transit options for all routes anchored at that location.  The Copperfield neighborhood, apartments along Yager Ln., and Dell complex would be served in both directions, potentially increasing ridership.  Service to Park Thirty-Five Circle and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will be eliminated from Route 392, but replaced by proposed Route 440 during morning and afternoon peak periods only.

 

 

Route 440 Tech Ridge Circulator

In conjunction with the opening of the Tech Ridge Park & Ride, the proposed Tech Ridge Circulator will enhance connectivity from associated routes to employment opportunities and retail locations within the Tech Ridge area.  The proposed route would operate in a counterclockwise direction via Howard Lane, Lamar Boulevard, Parmer Lane and McCallen Pass from Monday to Saturday at a 20-40 minute frequency.  Route 440 will also deviate from its route during Weekday morning and afternoon peak periods to serve Thirty-Five Park Circle and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Route 484 Night Owl – Lamar/South First

Route 485 Night Owl – Cameron Rd

Route 486 Night Owl – Dove Springs

Capital Metro introduced Night Owl service in 2003 in an effort to provide late night and early morning bus service to shift workers.  With three routes currently in operation, staff seeks to add three additional routes to expand the area of service and reach targeted areas. 

Route 495 Tech Ridge Shuttle

Reverse commute route (currently named Dell Express) will be renamed and extended to the Tech Ridge Park & Ride, providing access to employment centers including Dell, Tech Ridge Center, The Shops at Tech Ridge, and Five Oaks Plaza.  The number of northbound (morning) trips will be increased from 1 to 5, while number of southbound (afternoon) trips will be increased from 1 to 4.

Route 935 Tech Ridge Express

Suburban express route (currently named N IH-35 Express) will be renamed and extended to Tech Ridge Park & Ride, relieving space constraints currently experienced at Wells Branch HEB Park & Ride and providing access to more transit options as requested by current passengers.  The number of southbound (morning) trips will be increased from 5 to 8, while number of northbound (afternoon) trips will be increased from 6 to 9.

 

            III.        Rapid Bus Update – Roberto Gonzalez

·         Will begin in 2007.

·         Will run along the North Lamar/South Congress corridor.

·         Will operate 20-30% faster than regular local service.

·         Rapid Bus Network was discussed (North Lamar/South Congress, Oak Hill/South Lamar, Northeast/Robert Mueller, Rundberg/Northwest, Riverside/ABIA, 51st/Pleasant Valley/Oltorf, East 7th/ABIA, Burnet, Ben White/ABIA, and Parmer.

·         Will have limited stops that will be spaced farther than local service (1/2 to 1 mile between stops)

·         Will use traffic signal priority to move through intersections more quickly (bus can extend green times by 8-10 seconds).

·         Will use regular traffic lanes (no dedicated lanes).

·         Will offer frequent service (up to 71/2 minutes in peak hours, depending on route).

·         Will be implemented quickly at a low cost (typical capital costs of $250,000 per mile plus vehicles).

·         Will have unique stops with real-time passenger information.

 

·         Rapid Bus Branding is being worked on (i.e., logotype, bus stop signage, promotion).

·         There were three Rapid bus community open houses for public review. 

 

          IV.        Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System Update – Patricia Guajardo

                 Information provided by Jane Schroter (Technology Project Manager at Capital Metro)

 

·         On July 15th, Capital Metro activated, after business hours only, the new automated telephone system commonly referred to as IVR (interactive voice response system). 

·         The system is a test version that incorporates changes and suggestions received from internal testers and external testers from our citizen advisory groups. 

·         From 10pm to 6am, callers can get bus schedules, stop times at their location, plan a trip, and obtain information about Capital Metro services. 

·         Callers are presented with the option to try the test version of the system or call back during office hours when Customer Service is open.  This is a soft launch and no announcements have been made to the public about its availability. 

·         Capital Metro has released a test system in order to obtain customer feedback.  

·         On average, Capital Metro currently receives 130 calls per night to the automated system with 86% of the calls requesting bus schedule or stop time information. 

·         Capital Metro has received only a few comments from customers with both positive and negative feedback. 

·         Capital Metro is reviewing the call statistics to see where it makes sense to make system changes for improvements. 

·         Capital Metro expects to continue this testing over the next few months until the system is ready for a full release. 

·         Capital Metro encourages members of all citizen advisory groups to call after hours and test the system.

 

            V.       Subcommittee Reports

 

·         Rapid Transit Subcommittee – Rene Barrera

o        Individuals who attended the open houses asked very good questions & appeared knowledgeable of the bus system, particularly at the Grace United Church open house. 

·         Amenities Subcommittee – David Patterson – No Report

·         Technology Subcommittee – Open

o        Chairman Barrera announced the Technology Subcommittee  vacancy. 

·         Fixed Routes Subcommittee – Jerry Balaka – No Report

 

          VI.        New/Other Business

 

·         Chairman Barrera would like to see CSAC agendas & executive summaries posted on the Capital Metro website.

·         There was discussion about the importance of CSAC becoming more proactive at reporting problems regarding bus operators.

 

 

 

·         Mr. Thornton reported that there appears to be a disconnect between UT shuttle information and Capital Metro customer service regarding bus stop closures (West Campus stop, between Rio Grande & Nueces). 

·         Ms. Taylor asked if a stop on Loyola Ln. & Manor can be implemented through the Adopt-A-Stop program. 

·         Dianne Mendoza briefed the committee on the strike issue and that Capital Metro is still under contract negotiations.  The contract was extended until August 5, 2005.  On August

4, 2005, Capital Metro will meet again for negotiations.  The two main issues that are at the core of the strike matter are: Benefits and salary.

 

        VII.        Action Items

 

·         Contact Marketing and/or IT regarding website postings. 

·         Contact Planning & Travis Hausmann regarding bus stop closure concern.

·         Contact Rachid Breir and Thomas Brisco regarding detours.

·         Contact Sam Archer regarding Adopt-A-Stop program.

 

       VIII.        Meeting adjourned at 7:45PM.

 

          IX.        Next meeting date: September 6, 2005