More gory details about the Bravo! limited-stop bus

Unfortunately, almost all of OCTA's publicly-released material isn't accessible (as in, hundreds of pages of documents through a black-and-white scanner into a hastily-assembled un-searchable PDF). So, I present to you OCR'd text from this document given to the Transit Committee on June 11, 2009.

The good news: the project will happen one way or another, or else OCTA will lose lots of federal funding. (word from the grapevine)

The bad news: again, it doesn't seem OCTA's very enthusiastic about the project. There's barely any public outreach. They keep cutting back on elements of bus rapid transit so much that it can no longer be called "bus rapid transit." OCTA sends flashy 4-color brochures to millions of homes about the Obama stimulus, versus zero marketing effort for the Bravo! limited-bus project. And the limited-stop buses may cannibalize local bus service if OCTA doesn't get CMAQ funding.

Obviously, if you're not into gory policy details, a lot of this is yawn-inducing. But it's fascinating to learn where the money (or, lack of money) for the Bravo! limited-stop bus project is coming from.

Here's the OCR'd text:

Overview

As part of the Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors
approved Ten Strategic Initiatives in 2002, the Bravo! program is a required
Transportation Control Measure which will help meet air quality conformity
requirements in the South Coast Air Basin in 2010. In 2005, the Board of
Directors approved the implementation strategy and in June 2007, the
implementation plan which defined the components and implementation
timelines for the three corridors within the program. As identified funding
sources continue to decrease and become constrained, adjustments to the
construction timeframes for the program components as well as the
recommended service implementation dates and operation levels are required.

Recommendation
Receive and file as an information item.

Background
In April 2002, the Bravo! program began as a demonstration project as
part of the Board of Directors (Board) approved Ten Strategic Initiatives
with the implementation of service on two corridors - Harbor Boulevard
and Westminster Avenue/1ih Street. In October 2005, the
Bristol Street/State College Boulevard corridor, the third corridor, was identified
as part of a replacement Transportation Control Measure (TCM) package to
provide emissions reductions equivalent to those attributed to the discontinued
Centerline Light-Rail Project. The implementation of all three Bravo! corridors
are required TCMs to meet air quality conformity requirements in the
South Coast Air Basin as included in four plans: the 2008 Southern California
Association of Governments Regional Transportation Plan, the 2008 Regional
Transportation Improvement Plan, the 2007 Air Quality Management Plan
prepared by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the State
Implementation Plan. In reference to the discontinuation of The Centerline
project, the Orange County Transportation Authority (Authority) has made
commitments to the state and federal government for equivalent emissions
reductions in 2010 that include the implementation of the Bravo! services as
one TCM package to meet the same implementation timeframe and
geographic area.

Discussion
As a result of the discontinuation of The Centerline Project in October 2005,
the implementation of the Bravo! program has been under development for the
primary purpose of meeting regional air quality conformity requirements in the
South Coast Air Basin in 2010. Within the Bravo! program, the three Bravo!
corridors to be implemented by late 2010 are the Harbor Boulevard corridor,
Westminster Avenue/1 i h Street corridor, and the Bristol Street/State College
Boulevard corridor, as shown in Attachment A. Past Board-approved actions
that have helped define the Bravo! program can be found in Attachment B.

Adopted Components
The Bravo! Implementation Strategy and Plan are key documents which outline
and define the Board-approved Bravo! components and required procurements
to move the program through the current design phase and into operation. The
adopted components are as follows:
• Unique vehicle branding
• Shelters/stations
• Real-time passenger information system (RTPIS)
• Traffic signal synchronization (TSS)
• Preliminary design for transit signal priority (TSP)
With the initiation of the project approval/environmental document (PAlED)
phase in February 2006, funding to support this phase as well as the design
phase which began in December 2007, was obtained from the
State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) Section 5309 Capital Program funds. With funding
secured, two contracts were awarded in May and June 2008 to support the
design of the architectural, engineering, and technology components listed
above. The design phase is within budget and fully funded with expected
completion in December 2009. At that time, the designs for the adopted
components will be "shelf-ready" to begin construction activities within the
construction phase which is currently unfunded.

In November 2005, the Board approved a projected expenditure plan of
$133 million for the development of a bus rapid transit program. In June 2007,
the Board approved a refined budget of $126.6 million to implement the
program. Since that time due to changes in the purchase of rolling stock and
scope, the budget was reduced to $67 million. At this time, the program budget
is estimated at $20 million as a result of further scope reductions and changes
and unavailable construction funding. Additional details regarding the funding
history and status can be found in Attachment C.

Program Changes - Adopted Components
Recently, the RTPIS component under the technology contract has been
cancelled. Staff is exploring other methods to implement a RTPIS for the
Bravo! program by utilizing the radio upgrade project and the regional
511 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) project which are both underway. By
using Bravo! as a starting point, real-time passenger information may be
available throughout the bus system at a later date.
In regards to the construction phase, the funding to support the branding of the
vehicles and the installation of TSS is available through FTA Section 5309
capital program funds. Staff is actively seeking funding from a federal grant to
support the installation of the RTPIS components. Federal funds may be
available in the future to support the construction of Bravo! shelters, stations,
and additional features such as electronic real time information displays.
As of this date, Bravo! components to be implemented in 2010 on all three
corridors include Bravo! branded vehicles, static Bravo! signage at bus stops,
and TSS. In addition, scheduled arrival and/or departure time information will
be available in concert with the current 511 IVR project implementation
timeframe. After 2010, unfunded remaining components as described in the
paragraph above can be incorporated pending future funding availability.
Program Changes - Implementation Schedule and Service Operation
In preparation for the implementation of the first corridor, the Authority Board
conducted a public hearing on December 8, 2008, to receive public input and
comments regarding the proposed implementation of Route 543 Bravo! service
on Harbor Boulevard, the first of three corridors to be implemented. Following
the public hearing, staff returned to the Transit Committee and the Board in
January 2009. Then, staff traveled to the York Region of Toronto, Ontario to
evaluate the VIVA bus rapid transit system to respond to questions and
comments raised at the public hearing, as well as provide additional
information with regard to the Bravo! program. Staff responses to questions
and comments raised at the hearing can be found in Attachment D. Information
regarding travel time comparisons among car, Bravo!, and local bus within the
Harbor Boulevard corridor can be found in Attachment E.
Due to the economic downturn and its impact on transit operating funds, the
implementation date is now proposed for June 2010 instead of the previously
proposed June 2009 date as stated at the public hearing. For the
Westminster Avenue /17th Street corridor, the implementation date
is planned for September 2010. The implementation date for the
Bristol Street/State College Boulevard corridor is planned for December 2010,
the latest that the Bravo! program can be implemented to comply with air
quality requirements. Staff will be integrating the Bravo! services with the
underlying bus services to minimize costs. In addition, staff is proposing to use
approximately $8 million of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
funds to help operate the Bravo! services over its first three years. A Board
item on this will be presented for consideration in the near future. Public
hearings will be conducted in the future prior to the implementation of the
second and third corridors.

Next Steps
In regards to next steps in the Bravo! program, staff will be conducting the
following efforts:
• Complete a report on the public hearing for the implementation of
Route 543 on the Harbor Boulevard corridor
• Identify possible funding sources to support unfunded components critical
to program success
• Continue to explore operating funding options
• Prepare for future public hearings for the remaining Bravo! services
• Conduct quarterly updates for the Board through the implementation of
each corridor and other components of the program

Summary
The Bravo! program is one of the Authority's Board-approved initiatives. All of
the lines are required Transportation Control Measures; the third corridor was
added with the discontinuation of The Centerline Light-Rail Project to meet air
quality conformity requirements in the South Coast Air Basin in 2010. As a
result of changes in capital and transit operating funding, the status of the
adopted components, implementation dates, and service operating levels
within the Bravo! program continues to be modified to ensure Authority air
quality compliance through the implementation of the Bravo! services.

Board of Directors — Key Actions

• April 2002 Bravo! Demonstration Project
• October 2005 Bravo! Implementation Strategy and
  the contract award of the program
  management consultants (PMC) to
  support five-year rapid transit program
• June 2007 Bravo! Implementation Plan with
  defined components including
  branded vehicles, shelters, real-time
  passenger information system
  (RTPIS), traffic signal synchronization
  (TSS), and preliminary design for
  transit signal priority (TSP)
• October 2007 Amendment to PMC contract for
  option term one
• November 2007 Bravo! branding concept
• January 2008 Contract award to provide design
  services for bus stop enhancements
  for shelters and stations
• February 2008 Contract award to provide design,
  furnish, installation, and testing
  services for Intelligent Transportation
  Systems (ITS) or RTPIS, TSS, and
  preliminary design services only for
  TSP
• August 2008 Contract award to conduct Fare
  Integration Study in regards to fare
  collection methods
• December 2008 Conduct public hearing for the Harbor
  Boulevard corridor

At the public hearing, staff received the following comments from the Board. Staff has
provided a response below each comment.

1. What air quality conformity requirements are we required to meet? Are we
required to achieve a certain amount of ridership?
With the discontinuation of the 8-mile Centerline Light-Rail Transportation Control
Measure (TCM) Project in 2005, the Southern California Association of Governments
(SCAG) required a replacement TCM to provide equivalent or greater emission
reductions by the end of 2010, while meeting all TCM substitution requirements
specified in the 2007 South Coast Air Quality Management Plan and State
Implementation Plan. In reference to the Bravo! program, the Authority committed to
implementing the Bristol Street/State College Boulevard corridor from Brea Mall to
Irvine Station as one of four replacement TCM projects in 2010. The Harbor Boulevard
corridor (Route 543) and the Westminster Avenue/1 i h Street corridor are also
committed TCMs in the 2007 Air Quality Management Plan prepared by the South
Coast Air Quality Management District and the State Implementation Plan.
Other Board-approved elements including vehicle branding, shelters, and technology
enhancements are not committed as part of the Bravo! TCM projects. The Authority is
not committed to meeting a specific ridership or service level for air quality conformity
purposes.

2. Why are the stops where they are and why are there so many?
To be an effective bus system within our service area, individual transit lines must be
coordinated if the overall system is to be usable by riders. Connections at transfer
points provide riders with a method to travel within the bus system. With over two-thirds
of our daily ridership boarding more than one route each day, riders rely on transfer
connections to reach destinations within the system.
The Route 543 proposed Bravo! stops are located at major east-west connection points
where other Authority bus routes intersect with the proposed Bravo! service. As a final
recommendation to complete the public hearing, there are 42 stops proposed,
approximately 21 in each direction. The stops are limited to locations where high
ridership exists and provides an opportunity for existing riders to reduce their travel time
while creating convenient connection opportunities for new riders. The number of Bravo!
stops proposed is far fewer than the number served by companion local Route 43 which
stops at approximately 130 stops between Fullerton Transportation Center (FTC) and
Triangle Square in Costa Mesa. Route 543 is planned to serve 32 stops between the
same two points, only 25 percent of the number served by local Route 43. Ten more
stops will be served along the route segments between the FTC and Cal State Fullerton
and between Triangle Square and Newport Beach. As noted in the report, Route 543
will service stops an average of 1.2 miles apart which is considerably wider than the
1/4 mile average for local bus stops, and wider than the 3/4 mile distance between
typical Metro rapid bus stops in Los Angeles. The wide stop spacing on Route 543 will
directly result in a reduction in travel time between station stops and terminal points as
compared to our local bus services.
Finally, the stop count for the Authority's proposed Bravo! service includes the terminals
at the ends of the route. Excluding these locations, the number of intermediate stops is
only about 19 in each direction. Given the long one-way route length of about 22 miles,
the number of proposed stops is not excessive.

3. What is the average boarding time per passenger and the amount of time
required to board a wheelchair passenger?
The estimated time for about 10-15 ambulatory riders to board the bus ranges from
between 30 to 45 seconds. The amount of time required for a rider to board paying cash
is about 4 seconds. If a rider is purchasing a day pass on the bus, this one-time process
may take up to 15 seconds; however, a rider can swipe a pre-paid day pass in less than
one second. The average amount of time required to board a wheelchair rider is about
3 minutes, but additional time may be required if an operator is having difficulty.

4. What about off-board fare collection or at least passes only?
The implementation of an off-board fare collection system requires the design, furnish,
and installation of capital infrastructure, as well as operating, maintenance and
enforcement resources to prevent fare evasion. At this time, a consultant is conducting
a fare integration study which will provide the Authority with additional information on
various fare policies to consider along with the implementation of advanced fare
technology, which may include the use of smart cards in support of an integrated
regional system to include the Authority's fixed route service, Metrolink, and other
local transportation programs. In the future, the Board will be presented with
recommendations from the study.
In addition to efforts underway with the fare integration study, staff is currently studying
operational methods and related fiscal impacts of potential travel time savings options
related to boarding activity. To further reduce boarding time and travel time, staff is
investigating the possibility of promotional fares and the use of passes only to board
Route 543. By way of comparison, on local Route 43, approximately 70 percent of
riders board using passes in lieu of cash. Although the use of more passes results in a
reduction of boarding time due to less interaction with the farebox and/or operator, new
potential enforcement situations between the operator and riders will require further
study. For example, an existing or new rider requiring only roundtrip travel may choose
to pay with cash as this would total $3.00 which is a lower cost as compared to the
$4.00 one-day pass.
In regards to a possible near-term strategy related to off-board fare collection which
would avoid operator and rider conflicts, staff are in discussions with the Anaheim
Transportation Network to evaluate the possibility of utilizing existing ticket vending
machines to issue OCTA fare media at station stop locations within the resort area.
Other operational methods including rear-door boarding using on-board validators are
under study. If this type of operating strategy is implemented, fare enforcement
activities are typically used to monitor the appropriate use of passes and to enforce
payment.
In reviewing other existing fare enforcement practices, Metrolink currently contracts with
the Sheriff's Department and other personnel at an annual cost of over $500,000 to
enforce proof-of-payment by checking an average of 120,000 riders per month across
the commuter rail system to achieve an average weekday daily fare evasion rate of
0.08 percent. The majority of the fare evasion is found during the off-peak and
weekend periods. This cost includes training and the use of vehicles but does not
include costs for the operations and maintenance of off-board ticket vending machines.
In reference to the VIVA bus rapid transit system in the York Region near Toronto,
Ontario, fare enforcement practices to support off-board fare collection includes a staff
of 27 fare enforcement inspectors, constables, and dispatchers at $3,200,000 per year
(Canadian dollars) to check 3 percent of the daily ridership to achieve a fare evasion
rate of 2.8 percent according to York Region Transit staff. In addition, in order to
provide adequate security at the off-board fare collection locations, York Region Transit
recommends the installation of cameras to deter vandalism. Although the revenue
generated from fines is about $220,000 (Canadian dollars) per year, the cost to enforce
fare payments is much greater.
In using Metrolink as an example, if the Authority were to implement off-board fare
collection and conduct similar fare enforcement activities on Route 543 through the
Sheriff's Department, the estimated annual cost could be higher than Metrolink's costs
as each Route 543 trip would require one officer unless a select number of trips are
identified or point checks are randomly performed along the route which may help
reduce costs but result in a less effective enforcement process.

5. Explain what we're doing with traffic signals in reference to traffic signal
synchronization and transit signal priority.
As similar to the completed traffic signal synchronization projects on Euclid Street and
Oso Parkway, traffic signal synchronization enhancements will allow vehicles, cars, and
buses to travel through coordinated intersections within the three planned Bravo!
corridors. Upon full implementation in December 2010, estimated travel time savings
may improve by an additional 4 to 7 minutes within each corridor.
In regards to transit signal priority, staff is only completing a 30 percent preliminary
design effort with this traffic improvement which is solely designed for buses to travel
through intersections on either an early green or extended green signal. Upon future
implementation pending city agency and Board approval, additional travel time savings
above the traffic signal synchronization enhancements would be achieved within each
corridor. If city agencies do not agree with the installation of transit signal priority, then
this enhancement will not be implemented within the jurisdiction of the agency.

6. Are we replacing shelters in cities where a common theme exists?
With over 80 meetings with 14 agencies (Anaheim, Brea, Caltrans, Costa Mesa, County
of Orange, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Irvine, Long Beach, Long Beach Transit,
Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster) conducted in 2008
and 2009, staff is continuing to work closely with city agency staff within the Public
Works Departments in regards to the potential replacement of existing bus shelters as
well as the placement of new shelters at the proposed stop locations. Based on the
request of each agency, new Bravo! bus shelters mayor may not be designed and/or
constructed at stop locations.

7. Have we sought private partners to pay for our shelters?
Staff has contacted Clear Channel Outdoor, an advertising company at existing bus
shelters in Orange County, the company has no interest in paying for the Bravo!
shelters.

8. Why are we not contracting BRT to an operator as in the York Region with the
VIVA service?
The Authority currently contracts a portion of its fixed route bus service. Due to service
reductions and limitations in existing labor agreements, there is no plan to contract
additional bus services at this time.

9. Describe plans for BRT service between Tustin and the Laguna Niguel/Mission
Viejo Metrolink station.
At this time, the Authority has not developed plans to provide Bravo! service between
Tustin and the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Station.
Public Comments

During the public review period, the Authority received public comments from two
individuals regarding the proposal.
1. One individual supported the implementation of new Route 543 Bravo! service stating
support for the full implementation of features including automatic ticket vending
machines and dedicated lanes in reference to the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority's Route 522 BRT service. In addition, although not related
to Route 543, the individual suggested placing a stop for the proposed
Bristol Street/State College Boulevard corridor at the University of California, Irvine
campus since the buses are currently impacted with many riders due to increased
student housing on and near the university which may attract more ridership for the
Bravo! program.
In response to the comment regarding the recommendation of a full implementation of
the Bravo! components including automatic ticket vending machines and dedicated
lanes, a consultant is conducting a fare integration study which will provide the Authority
with additional information on various fare policies to consider along with the
implementation of advanced fare technology. As the Board has decided Bravo! service
will operate within mixed-flow traffic within the three planned corridors, the option of
using dedicated lanes is not within the current program.
In response to the comment regarding a request for additional service to the University
of California, Irvine campus, a Bravo! station stop at the university campus is under
consideration as part of the proposed Bristol Street/State College Boulevard corridor
implementation. This issue will be brought to the Board at a later date.

2. The other individual expressed interest for additional information regarding new
Route 543, which included a timetable for the proposed stops on Harbor Boulevard in
regards to measuring travel time. In addition, this individual stated concerns regarding
noise pollution with a request to stop service at various times of the day and asked for
clarification of which laws the Bravo! buses must conform to.
In response to the public comment requesting timetable information for Route 543, this
information will be available two weeks in advance of the implementation date of the
service as part of the June 2010 service change program. With respect to the
environmental concerns expressed by the respondent, the proposed Bravo! service will
be in conformance with the guidelines and criteria under the Federal Transit
Administration regulations established in 23 Code of Federal Regulations 771 and in
accordance with the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE) Standard
J366.