to view Short Range Transit Plan FY 2007/2008 - Tri Delta Transit

CHAPTER5Operations Plan and BudgetThis chapter presented the recommended 10-year transit operationsplan for Tri Delta Transit. Based on geography and demographicsalone, significant fixed route service expansion seems warranted toaddress growing commute travel congestion on Highway 4, rapiddevelopment in southeast Antioch and communities east and south tothe Alameda County line, and in-fill residential and commercialactivities occurring in the mature communities of Antioch, Pittsburgand unincorporated Bay Point. Eastern Contra Costa County leads theBay Area in the pace of residential growth projected through 2020despite the current slump in the housing market. The once-ruralcommunities of Brentwood, Byron, Discovery Bay and Oakley areexperiencing dramatic suburban expansion more or lesssimultaneously, while densities in Bay Point and other developedcommunities are also increasing.Recommended service changes and improvements are based on thefindings described in Chapter 3 and the potential of bus rapid transit(BRT) described in Chapter 4, and take into account the variousconstraints on the transit system as well as available opportunities.This chapter also provides the basis for the recommended Capital Plandiscussed in Chapter 6. Service recommendations have also beendeveloped consistent with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) andMetropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) guidelines requiring aShort Range Transit Plan to be “financially constrained,” e.g., with abalanced budget every year.The proposed operating budget and projections is discussed at the endof this Chapter. The major assumption is that the total level of busservice, as measured by revenue vehicle hours (RVH), will remain atcurrent levels over the 10-year period.Tri Delta Transit Strengths & WeaknessesBased on the findings outlined in Chapter 3, the major strengths of TriDelta Transit include:• Tri Delta Transit fixed route operating performance iscomparable to other transit systems operating in dispersed,low-density suburban environments. Overall occupancy rateswere typical of such areas, given the nature of the service area.• Tri Delta Transit has reasonable operating expenses. in the midrangeof peer suburban transit systems in the Bay Area.Average utilization rates are comparable to other suburban bussystems, but are generally lower than “mainline” transitsystems catering to longer trips such as BART.85