RID 2.25.3 - Service Planning Policy Document.pdf

RID 2.25.3: Service Planning Policy

Service Planning refers to the development and maintenance of schedule structures adequate to ensure that the necessary levels of customer service are provided. This customer service requirement applies to present and future demands for both drivers and call takers, as well as the support roles of scheduling, dispatching, and quality assurance. The success of these planning efforts will be overseen by a Service

Planning Manager as part of the The RIDE Access Center (TRAC) contractor’s leadership staff. This manager will be responsible for the development and maintenance of such staffing structures and the appropriate communication will all partner groups, internal and external, who are responsible for ensuring that the staffing requirements of these schedule structures are met.

Responsibilities:

The contractor shall develop internal schedule structures for the following departments:

• Reservations – schedules must be sufficient to satisfy the contractual requirements of the service level agreement.

• Scheduling – schedules must be sufficient to provide proper and appropriate placement of all customer trips with available dedicated and non-dedicated service providers, allowing for a ratio of unscheduled trips that can reasonably be competed on the day of service through anticipated customer cancellations. There must be adequate scheduling staff to ensure that vehicle type and capacity constraints are met.

• Dispatch - schedules must be sufficient to provide adequate safety support and communications to all drivers while maintaining responsible trip movement and oversight to ensure the program meets the contractual requirements for on-time performance.

• Quality Assurance -schedules must be sufficient to ensure that:

• TMS trip data is reconciled daily.

• Customer complaints that are assigned to TRAC are properly investigated and responded to within the contractually required duration from the time of assignment.

• An adequate audit rate of TRAC’s internal processes is maintained to ensure that TRAC quality levels are met.

External schedule structures for Drivers of RIDE Dedicated Service Providers (DSPs)

• Contractor shall ensure the development and optimization of a run structure (pattern of driver routes) at least twice a year (or as directed by the MBTA) for DSPs to cover all hours and days of

The RIDE operation and sufficient to meet customer travel demand patterns, noting periods of demand that may require consideration for alternative solutions such as non-standard driver routes or preplanned use of non-dedicated service providers (NDSPs).

• Contractor shall lead the development of the run structure in consultation with representatives from the MBTA and the DSPs, with final approval resting with the MBTA.

• Contractor shall ensure that the run structure provides an equal distribution of billable hours to each DSP, with exception being noted in the development consultation with the MBTA and the

DSPs, with final approval resting with the MBTA.

• Contractor shall ensure that the run structure uses the MBTA’s active inventory of vehicles assigned to each DSP.

• Contractor shall ensure through the development consultation with the MBTA and DSPs that the run structure does not violate labor agreements (see RID I: SERVICE PROVIDER

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS ("CBAs")) or make It Infeasible for DSPs to hire and retain drivers to work the runs.

• Contractor shall ensure that the run structure appropriately balances the use of RIDE resources and service quality standards.

• Contractor shall ensure the responsible use of NDSPs (such as Lyft, Uber, Curb, and/or UZURV) to maintain customer service requirements without diminishing serviceable trip assignments to

DSPs.

• Contractor is responsible for communicating to the MBTA any suggestions for modification of the existing run structure—including an increase of routes, decrease of routes, or the reassignment of routes from one DSP to another—to ensure ongoing quality service to customers, with final approval resting with the MBTA.

• At any time, the MBTA may direct the contractor to modify the existing run structure—including an increase of routes, decrease of routes, or the reassignment of routes from one DSP to another—to ensure ongoing quality service to customers.

• Contractor shall ensure that the entirety of the run structure, along with all required supporting routes for trip assignment to non-dedicated service providers, is entered and maintained within the MBTA’s Transportation Management System (TMS).

• Contractor shall ensure that all vehicle data is entered and maintained within the MBTA’s TMS such that proper assignment of vehicle characteristic meets customer requirements, that passenger assignments do not exceed vehicle capacity constraints, and that specific vehicles are properly paired with an associated route where applicable.

Communication:

Semi-Annually:

• Contractor will communicate the target date for implementation of the next iteration of the run cut to SPs. That communication will happen at least twelve weeks prior to the target date.

Determination of the target date will be supported by forecast data and collaborative discussion with the MBTA and SPs.

• Any threat to the target date must be communicated among all parties immediately.

• The route structure will include at a minimum the route numbers, garage locations, vehicle types

(van or sedan), driver shift start times (when the driver is to clock in and begin the vehicle check), route start times (when the vehicle is to leave the garage location), shift/route end times, and the days of the week worked for each individual route.

• Contractor will share a proposed route structure with the MBTA, SPs, and any additional parties designated by the MBTA at least eight weeks prior to the target date for review and feedback.

Feedback must be provided to the contractor within 1 week for review and incorporation into the route structure as appropriate and approved by the MBTA.

• Contractor will issue the run cut, divided between SPs, for driver bids at least six weeks prior to the target date. This deadline is required to provide SPs the necessary five weeks needed to post, conduct, and collate the results of the driver bids. Failure to meet this deadline may result in postponing implementation.

• Contractor will collect bid results from SPs at least one week prior to the target date. This deadline is required to provide TRAC minimal time needed to enter and check all route data prior to implementation. Failure to meet this deadline may result in postponing implementation.

• Contractor will continually communicate progress with data entry and checking of the route structure in the week leading up to implementation.

Monthly:

• Contractor will lead a meeting with TRAC operations managers and the MBTA to discuss the status of all schedule structures (internal and external) relative to forecasted needs.

• Contractor will report on forecasts for both trip demand and call volume.

• Contractor will report on the current state of the integrity of the run structure in the TMS.

• Contractor will report on the current state of filled route commitments per DSP.

• Contractor will report on the current state of the equal distribution of the run structure between

DSPs.

• Contractor will report on the integrity of current agent-level schedules compared to the staffing plans for each department at TRAC.

• Contractor will report on the fulfillment of actual labor hours compared to planned labor hours for each department at TRAC.

Weekly:

• Contractor will lead a meeting with DSPs and the MBTA to discuss the ability of presently filled routes to provide service to customers according to the current demand forecast.

• Contractor will report on the current state of filled route commitments per DSP as it presently appears in the TMS. DSP representatives will have opportunity to confirm or provide updates relative to any unfilled routes.

• Contractor will report on the most recent vehicle and driver performance stats relative to completion of service hours, which may include hours lost due to vehicle breakdowns, uncovered driver callouts, drivers requiring a premature end of their shift, etc.

• Contractor will ensure that meeting minutes are collected and distributed to representatives of the

MBTA and each DSP.

• During the twelve weeks prior to a run cut implementation target date, the contractor will provide ongoing updates on development and testing of the run cut to the MBTA.

Daily:

• Contractor will assess all unscheduled trips upon completion of the final scheduling optimization for the following day and promptly communicate the need for additional service hours to DSPs and the MBTA.

• Contractor will ensure that all supporting information regarding the need for additional service hours, such as the breakdown of unscheduled trips by interval and the specific daily intervals where additional service is requested to the extent such information is available, is clearly conveyed to DSPs and the MBTA.

Unscheduled:

• Contractor will provide the necessary details for required service hours at an interval level to the

DSPs such that so that drivers may participate in special bids for shifts on MBTA recognized holidays. These service hour details will be communicated to the DSPs and the MBTA at least four weeks prior to each holiday.

• Contractor will promptly communicate the need for additional service hours to the extent that the need can be identified and defined, to include non-bid holidays and special events.