Metro Ride CAD/AVL Procurement Baseline Conditions Report Final Version 1.0 Wausau Metro Ride Prepared by:

Date: May 2024 Draft Chapter 5 – For Public Comment January 2009 SRF No. 16897.00

Table of Contents

H:\Projects\16000\16897\TechData\Documentation\Task2- Baseline Conditions\Baseline Conditions Report_20240327.docx

Baseline Conditions Report i SRF Consulting Group Introduction The City of Wausau, Wisconsin’s transit division, Metro Ride, is undertaking procurement of a computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location (CAD-AVL) system and exploring other technology opportunities. Metro Ride currently does not have these systems in place. This document details the baseline conditions of the system and its processes related to operations, data management, fare management, security, and communication as relevant to procurement of a CAD-AVL system.

The baseline conditions are organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the technology procurement project. Chapter 2 summarizes existing Metro Ride service including the system’s routes, fleet, facilities, and staffing. Chapter 3 investigates the back-end systems for providing transit service including data management and reporting, cash management, ticketing, security, and communications. Chapter 4 concludes with preliminary identification of needs and goals.

Purpose This baseline conditions document sets the stage for identifying the CAD-AVL and other technology needs and wants of Metro Ride. The details may exceed the extent of technology Metro Ride will imminently procure and so set the stage for future technology procurement beyond this project. For example, implementation of electronic fare media may not be possible with the current resource allocation for technology, but this document describes the current processes pertaining to fare collection and management.

This document will serve as a reference throughout the procurement project. The broad range of goals identified in Chapter 4 will be narrowed to match agency resources according to priorities identified in later stages. Specific information pertaining to existing technology (such as communication networks) will be relevant during implementation of new systems.

While this document details goals for new technology systems, it is not meant to be a system requirements document. Specific requirements for the goals identified here and selected for implementation will be written in a subsequent document.

Methodology The content of this report was primarily collected during a site visit to Metro Ride’s transit operations center on December 13, 2023. Additional background including the service and routes Metro Ride operates was gathered via the Metro Ride website.

Information gathering occurred via an ad hoc interview process during the site visit. City of Wausau and Metro Ride staff provided narratives of relevant processes and functions by functional area. SRF staff met with specific groups of staff during the visit as opposed to individuals. Each group shared priorities and goals in addition to baseline conditions. Groups included:

1. Administration and management

2. IT

3. Vehicle operators

4. Maintenance Administrative staff including the interim transit manager, the maintenance supervisor, operations supervisors, and the administrative assistant participated in the first interview. These staff provided insight into reporting and data needs as well as a high-level overview of transit service operations and maintenance. The takeaways of this group of interviews are included in Chapter 3 sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.5.

IT staff interviewed service not just Metro Ride’s IT needs, but the City of Wausau as a whole. Staff spoke to the current network systems in place at City of Wausau and Metro Ride and provided insight into the ability of future technologies to integrate with these systems. More details of these interviews are included in Chapter 3, sections 3.4 and 3.5.

Vehicle operator interviews helped to identify end-user priorities for transit technology systems. The introduction of a CAD-AVL system will lead to changes in daily operator functions. Information from operators is included in Chapter 3, sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.5.

Similar to vehicle operators, maintenance staff shared end-user perspectives and priorities during their interview. While maintenance staff already have access to an electronic database and software for logging information, technology added for CAD-AVL will add to their regular maintenance tasks. Specific information from these interviews informed content in all of Chapter 3.

Summary of Existing Service As stated in Chapter 1, the purpose of this document is to set the stage for identifying the CAD-AVL and other technology needs and wants of Metro Ride. Before deeper analysis of Metro Ride’s current communication and technology capabilities, this chapter describes the current service including routes, fleet conditions, the agency’s facilities, and staff organization. This background provides important context for defining technology goals that are appropriate and applicable for the agency’s needs.

Transit Services and Routes Metro Ride operates seven fixed routes that operate over the span of its service period, often referred to as “regular” routes (Table 1). All regular routes operate weekdays on 30-minute headways from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Metro Ride does not operate on weekends; Saturday service was cut in 2012. Operating within a hub- and-spoke, timed-transfer (or pulse) system, each of the seven regular routes originates from the Transit Center in downtown Wausau. All regular routes meet at the Transit Center at the top of the hour and 30 minutes past the hour, every hour, facilitating easy transfers.

Table 1. Fixed-Route Service Summary (Regular Routes)

Like typical fixed-route transit service, Metro Ride regular routes adhere to public schedules and maps and serve designated bus stops. Deviations from the established routes, and drop-offs/pick-ups not at designated bus stops, are not allowed under standard policy.

In addition to its seven regular fixed routes, Metro Ride operates eight “Express” routes while K-12 public schools are in session. Express routes are designed to “enhance [the] regular fixed routes and accommodate the increased passenger loads” experienced while schools are in session. These routes serve most of the many K-12 schools in Wausau. Express route service operates as public transit and is open to the general public.

Figure 1. Metro Ride System Map

Source: Wausau Metro Ride Fares Metro Ride’s fare structure includes regular and discounted single-ride cash fares. Adult and student riders can also access a discounted fare by purchasing ride tokens in bulk. Monthly passes are available for all passenger groups as well. A full list of current fares is shown in Table 2. Elderly and disabled passengers can ride for half the adult fare by showing a valid Medicare Card issued by the Social Security Administration or a Reduced Fare Card issued by Metro Ride.

As Metro Ride considers upgrades to its fare collection technology, updates to the fare structure may also be necessary – especially for the cash-based, student ticket, and token-based fares if the agency moves away from these physical forms of payment. Updates to the distribution of student tickets may also be necessary. Currently, these tickets are distributed to qualifying students by the school for free. Metro Ride counts the number of student tickets and bills the school district accordingly.

Table 2. Fixed-Route Fares

* Age 5 through senior high school. Valid for unlimited rides from Jun 1 to Aug 31 Fleet For the purposes of this report – and the overall project – fleet condition and age can influence goals and the implementation of strategies recommended to meet those goals. Metro Ride will need to consider whether technology can or should be installed in the existing fleet or plan to implement technology upgrades as replacement vehicles are purchased over time.

Summarized in Table 3, Metro Ride’s active revenue fleet consists of 27 Gillig Low Floor heavy-duty buses for fixed-route service, and four Glaval Titan II medium size, light-duty (“cutaway”) buses for paratransit service. Eighteen of the 27 fixed-route buses are operated during the AM peak service – a spare ratio of 22 percent and nineteen in the PM peak – a spare ratio of 17 percent[footnoteRef:1] For paratransit service, two of the four vehicles are typically operated in peak service – a spare ratio of 100 percent. [1: Spare ratio calculated as number of spare vehicles divided by number of vehicles operated in peak service (e.g., for Metro Ride fixed AM route service: [22-18]/18=.22). ]

Table 3. Revenue Fleet

*As of 2023 Per Federal Transit Administration (FTA) useful life benchmarks (ULB), buses have a default useful life of 12 years or 500,000 miles[footnoteRef:2]; medium-size, light-duty buses have a minimum useful life of at least 5 years or 150,000 miles. Based on these measures, twenty-four of Metro Ride’s fixed-route buses, and all four of its paratransit buses, have exceeded FTA’s minimum useful life age threshold. [2: Federal Transit Administration. Circular 5010.1E: Award Management Requirements. 2017. Page IV-25.

https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/Grant%20Management%20Requirements%20Circular_5010-1E_1.pdf. ]

Facilities There are two primary facilities in the Metro Ride system: the Transit Center located in downtown Wausau, and the administrative and maintenance facility just south of downtown. Additionally, Metro Ride owns and maintains six out of eight bus shelters in the system, located at high ridership origins and destinations. The remaining two are owned by Lamers and Jefferson Lines.

All seven Metro Ride regular fixed routes meet at the downtown Transit Center (Figure 2) twice per hour. The Transit Center features sheltered waiting areas with customers information (including maps and schedules), seating, lighting, trash and recycling, and 12 bus bays where passengers can board and alight. The facility was designed with raised curbs to enable level boarding with a low-floor bus with the air suspension raised to maximum height while parking. In addition to the seven regular routes, three Express routes, and two intercity services serve the Transit Center. During the peak period, 10 of 12 bus bays are occupied.

Figure 2. Metro Ride Downtown Transfer Center

Metro Ride’s 31 staff are based at, or report to management based at, the administrative and maintenance facility (Figure 3). Constructed in 1979, the facility consists of a public counter and reception area staffed by the Administrative Assistant; offices and meeting space; an operator break room; locker rooms; maintenance area with two bus bays; and a bus barn that allows for the entire fleet to be stored indoors. While the facility has been in use for some time, it is well-maintained and meets the basic needs of the transit system.

Figure 3. Metro Ride Administrative and Maintenance Office Exterior

Figure 4. Metro Ride Garage and Bus Bay Interior

Staffing Metro Ride has a staff of 31 full-time employees and five part-time drivers. Drivers, mechanics, and other maintenance staff report to supervisors who report to the Transit Director along with a Deputy Transit Director. The full organizational chart is shown below in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Metro Ride Organizational Chart

Chapter 3 Systems and Processes Metro Ride, like all transit properties, must keep detailed records of operations and maintain communications between vehicles and transit facilities. This section details the tools and processes used to support daily operations and data management.

Chapter 1 Operations Data Management and Reporting Metro Ride’s record keeping and reporting relies heavily on data recorded on paper forms which are manually entered into electronic data storage and reporting systems. This process requires several error checking and reconciliation steps to ensure consistency and accuracy of operations and financial data. The primary sources of information are:

1. Operator’s Daily Report (ODR) which is completed by drivers with supplementary information added by administrative staff

2. Vehicle Servicing Report (VSR) completed by maintenance staff

3. Vault Count Sheet (VCS) completed by administrative staff

4. Metro Ride daily revenue count sheet At the end of a shift, the driver enters information into the ODR such as run number, time on, time off, miles traveled, value of cash, and totals for each fare type. This form is then given to administrative staff.

The VSR is completed when a vehicle is returned to the maintenance facility. The odometer, cash and token totals, and fuel level are recorded on the form for each vehicle. VSR data is entered into RTA Navigator software, which provides fleet management functionality and fuel usage tracking.

When the cash/token vault is removed from the vehicle, it is taken to a cash handling room to be emptied. The cash is fed through an automated cash counter (Cummins 4601) and the totals entered into the VCS. Metro Ride staff noted that the Cummins counter produces occasional errors in counts.

The three primary sources often have discrepancies in one or more data elements. Resolving these requires that data be entered into an Excel spreadsheet by administrative staff to identify occurrences where there is disagreement. Once a discrepancy is identified and the correct value determined, an update is noted on the original paper form. A unique copy of the spreadsheet is kept with a current date as part of the filename each time reconciliation is performed. No off-site backups of the spreadsheets are maintained, and it is the responsibility of administrative staff to ensure that older versions are deleted or renamed.

Once reconciliation is complete, the values from the spreadsheet are hand-keyed into an in-house developed data management application called “Metro Ride”. Metro Ride provides a graphical user interface to a Microsoft SQL Server database that stores agency operations data. The SQL server resides on a virtual machine in the City’s data center. There is no specific staff assignment for maintenance of Metro Ride. The original developer currently works as a driver but does not have specific responsibilities for support.

The Metro Ride application programmatically updates a second Excel Financial Summary spreadsheet with summary daily operations data and teller sales. This spreadsheet is then updated with paratransit operation data and saved on a workstation. The Financial summary spreadsheet also has an embedded macro that updates a table in the Metro Ride application database. This table is accessed by the City Finance department for summary reports.

Finally, the Metro Ride application produces printed operations summary reports of passenger counts, miles traveled, and hours of operation. The reporting process is summarized in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Reporting Process

Cash (Fare) Management Metro Ride accepts cash fare payments from riders through a registering (automatic counting) farebox on each vehicle. Drivers are not authorized to handle cash and cannot make change for riders as they board. No electronic payments or electronic fare media are used by Metro Ride.

Fareboxes are GFI model Genfare CentsaBill, The farebox automatically determines the denomination of coins or bills inserted and keeps a record of the total inserted for the fare. Occasional cash miscounts have been noted by Metro Ride staff. The fareboxes cannot make change, and over- or under-payments occur for a fare.

For each boarding, the driver keeps a running tabulation of the fare type. An in-house developed mechanical counter has been developed by Metro Ride and installed in each vehicle. The fare type counter is shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Metro Ride Mechanical Fare Counter on Vehicle

Valid fare types include:

· Standee

· Mobility Device

· Youth Pass

· Student Cash

· Senior/Disabled Cash

· Student Pass

· Senior/Disabled Pass

· Adult Pass At the end of the shift, drivers return to the maintenance facility and read the total value for all fares from the farebox display. Drivers record this value on their Operator’s Daily Report.

Metro Ride maintenance personnel also read the total value and enter it into the Vehicle Service Report when the vehicle returns to the maintenance facility. The value is recorded on the Vehicle Service Report form.

Both the Operator’s Daily Report and Vehicle Service Report are returned to Metro Ride administrative staff, who transcribe both values into an Excel spreadsheet to reconcile any differences. The process for managing fares is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Fare Management Process

Tickets and Transfers In addition to cash, Metro Ride sells tickets (students) and tokens (adults) for transit fares and issues paper tickets for transfers between routes. The process for handling either tickets or transfer media is the same once the passenger boards a vehicle. Drivers issue transfer media when requested by a passenger on the vehicle, but tickets must be purchased at a retail outlet as drivers do not handle cash. Current retail outlets include:

· Country Market

· Metro Ride Plumer St. Offices

· Wausau City Hall

· East High Schools

· Horace Mann Middle School

· John Muir Middle School

· Northcentral Technical College

· West High School

· Sturgeon Bluff Apartments (Senior Housing)

· Towers Apartments (Senior Housing)

· North Central Health Care Center

· Community Partners Campus Handling of physical media (tickets and transfers) differs from cash and token handling. Upon boarding, passengers hand the physical media to the driver, who places it in a bag specifically for this purpose. At the end of a shift, the driver consolidates tickets and transfer media into a bundle, which is dated and initialed, then stored in the vehicle’s cash bag.

When the cash bag is turned in upon returning to the Metro Ride maintenance facility, the bundles are extracted from cash bags and put into a basket identified for temporary storage. The basket is taken by Metro Ride staff and each individual bundle is tabulated for totals to be entered into a Ticket and Transfer Sheet. The totals from the Ticket and Transfer Sheet are then transcribed by office staff onto the Operators Daily Report. This process is illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 9. Ticket and transfer handling process

Drivers record the route for transfers on a mechanical device installed in the vehicle that allows for a single indication of a route that one or more passengers will travel to. One indicator per available route is included and is operated by moving a toggle switch to the “transfer” position. The indication reminds the driver to provide a notification via voice radio to the receiving driver in the event that the receiving vehicle needs to extend its layover at the transit center.

Security Video Each vehicle in Metro Ride’s fleet is equipped with a multi-camera digital video recorder (DVR) system. Video systems are AngelTrax Vulcan V12, which can record up to 8 channels of video up to 1280 x 720 (720p) plus four channels of 1920 x 1080 (1080p) video. This system is used for both training and incident management purposes.

Typically, there are eight cameras on each vehicle, with both interior and exterior views. Cameras are fixed (no pan-tilt-zoom operation) and generally transmit D-1 digital video, although in some cases digital “IP” cameras are used. The use of IP cameras requires a converter to feed analog video to the DVR.

There is no real-time display for the driver for on-vehicle security video, and video is not transmitted in real-time to any external entity.

Video recordings are only retrieved from vehicles on an as needed basis. When an event is reported to a supervisor, the hard disk storage unit is removed from the vehicle and replaced with another unit. The retrieved hard disk is then connected to a supervisor’s computer workstation, and the video segment of interest located using AngelTrax’s Pro8 software.

The video segment is copied to a DVD-R disk with an accompanying software viewer application, which is meant to preserve video integrity for evidentiary purposes. The DVD is stored at the Metro Ride offices for seven years, per data retention policy.

The supervisor who reviews the video also completes a Video Supervisor Report (VSR) form. A copy of this form is sent to Metro Ride’s insurer. If a request is made for the video segment, Metro Ride will supply a DVD copy. The video management process is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. Video Management Process

Figure 11 provides an overview of the Security Video system hardware.

Figure 11. Schematic of Security Video System Hardware

Communications Metro Ride uses two methods of communication, a radio system and network connectivity.

Radio System Mobile communications for buses and supervisor vehicles uses a 400 MHz digital radio system. Each bus has a 40-watt mobile radio installed with a handheld microphone. Audio uses the radio’s built-in speaker. There are also radios installed at the Metro Ride offices at 420 Plumer Street and 555 Jefferson Street. These have fixed power supplies and small antenna assemblies connected to the radio unit. Nine handheld portable radios are available for supervisor and maintenance personnel when needed.

Two communications channels are commonly used on the radios. One is for communication between vehicles and vehicle to dispatch, the other channel is for communications between supervisors.

A single repeater is installed to provide coverage in the Metro Ride service area. A Motorola XPR 8400 is located at a water tower in the parking lot of Highland Community Church at 1005 N 28th Avenue. The antenna is installed at roughly 60 feet above ground level. Coverage for the radio system is reported to be good.

The mobile radios are capable of obtaining and transmitting a GPS-derived position (hardware and software are present), but this capability unused. A diagram of the radio system is shown in Figure 12.

Users report several uses for the radio system, including:

· Detour notifications

· Special need (wheelchair, etc.) alerts

· Passenger transfer notifications

· Accident reports

· Disruptive passengers

· Breakdowns or mechanical issues

· Weather or other delays

· “Tripper” coordination for special purpose vehicle runs (such as school transportation) Figure 12. Radio System Schematic

Network Metro Ride’s facilities connect to a shared fiber optic ring facility that serves the Wausau central business district (CBD). However, the 420 Plumer Street office and maintenance building’s fiber cable is not yet connected to the local area network (LAN) at the time of this writing. Connection to the fiber network is anticipated in early 2024.

The transit center at 420 Plumber Street uses a Ubiquity XG point-to-point wireless link for connectivity. This device connects to an identical hardware installation on the rooftop of an assisted-living facility at 500 Grand Avenue. The municipal fiber ring extends to this building and provides wide-area connectivity. There is currently no redundancy for the network connection to 420 Plumer Street. Network speeds are roughly one gigabit/second for connections to facilities with greater speeds available in the network ring core. Overall reliability of the wireless connection is described as good, but no uptime statistics are available.

The LAN at 420 Plumer consists of a Cisco 9200 gigabit Ethernet switch with Cat5 UTP cabling for workstations and office devices such as printers. There are three Ubiquity Wi-Fi access points at the building: two in the office/administrative area and one in the maintenance area. There are no access points in the garage/vehicle storage area and coverage is thought to be poor.

Other City facilities, such as City Hall and City data centers are connected to the municipal fiber ring, providing a private network for city functions.

The overall layout of the network and connections to Metro Ride facilities are shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Metro Ride Network Layout and Connections

Identified Needs and Goals The site visit to Metro Ride brought to light a few key needs and goals for technology implementation. These can be organized into the following themes:

· Data management and administration

· Operational efficiency

· Customer experience Throughout the site visit, data management arose as an area benefitting from technology implementation. Current practices require significant amounts of staff time to track, reconcile, log, and share ridership, fares collected, and vehicle miles. Ultimately this information is reported to other city staff, WisDOT, and FTA. Goals related to data management and administration for technology system implementation can be summarized as:

· Automate logging of mileage by vehicle

· Automate logging of fares collected

· Automate tracking of passenger counts

· Streamline database connections

· Standardize reporting Technology can help to improve operational efficiency by connecting vehicles and drivers on route to management staff at the transit center. This begins with scheduling and work piece assignment and extends to incident management and maintenance tracking. Goals related to operational efficiency can be summarized as:

· Electronic driver assignment and schedule generation

· Electronic vehicle assignment

· GPS vehicle tracking

· Integration of vehicle mileage maintenance tracking Transit technology can be leveraged to provide benefits beyond those experienced internal to Metro Ride. Goals for improvements to the customer experience overlap with improvements for vehicle operators:

· Automatic stop annunciators

· Electronic fare payment options

· Real-time vehicle location feeds

· Ability to export GTFS to share with online trip planning programs As this project progresses, these goals will be narrowed based on agency priorities to match the level of investment available at this time. A more specific set of technical needs will also be developed for inclusion in the request for proposals.

Transit Director

Operations Supervisors (2)

Maintenence Supervisor

FT Drivers (21)

PT Drivers (5)

Other FT Operations Staff (1)

FT Mechanics (3)

Other FT Maintenance Staff (1)

Deputy Transit Director

Admin Assistant

Baseline Conditions Report 1-2 SRF Consulting Group, Inc.

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