AGENDA #

 

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

 

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

FROM:            R. Scott McClellan, Interim Transportation Director

 

SUBJECT:            Justification for Additional Transit Maintenance Positions

 

DATE:             May 17, 2000

 

This is in response to a request from Town Council for additional justification for the two new transit maintenance positions included in the Manger’s Fiscal Year 2000-01 Recommended Budget.  The new positions include a Maintenance Mechanic I and Service Attendant I at a proposed cost of $54,000.

 

The transit maintenance division is responsible for a fleet of eighty-five vehicles.  This includes 57 buses, 2 trolleys, 9 vans, and 17 support vehicles (cars & trucks).  Combined, these vehicles accumulate over 1.4 million miles a year.  The Mechanic I position is needed to perform preventive maintenance and general repairs on all transit vehicles and the Service Attendant I position would provide support services to the Maintenance Division, wherever needed.

 

The Federal Transit Administration requires Chapel Hill Transit to develop and maintain a Preventive Maintenance Plan (attached) as part of its overall System Maintenance Program.  Within this plan, Chapel Hill Transit outlines maintenance-related goals, objectives and methods of internal control to be used that will keep federally funded equipment and facilities in good operating order.  Chapel Hill’s plan requires that preventive maintenance services be conducted on our fleet of buses at 6,200-mile intervals.  This is the standard prescribed by vehicle manufacturers.  During the Federal Transit Administration’s most recent audit of Chapel Hill Transit, we were found to be deficient in meeting this standard and therefore not in compliance with our Preventive Maintenance Plan. 

 

Currently, we have one person dedicated to performing preventive maintenance services.  During the first six months of the current fiscal year, this person performed the following services for a total of 992 labor hours:  (Total work hours for a six month period is 1,040 hours.)

 

16  “A” Services X  8 hours each = 128 labor hours

33  “B” Services X  8 hours each =  264 labor hours

30  “C” Services X 20 hours each = 600 labor hours

                                                          992 total labor hours

 

The “C” service on a bus is the most thorough and time-consuming preventative maintenance performed.  It is also given priority over other services because, vehicles must be taken out of service until the “C” service can be done.  Problems arise when several buses need to have a “C” service and at the same time, other vehicles come due for “A” or “B” services.  These buses remain in service, accumulating additional miles until they can be worked on.  During the first six months of this year, we were not able to perform 41 “A” services within the prescribed interval.  It is not practical to take these vehicles out of service to maintain this schedule, but the fleet suffers because regular maintenance is not getting done.  If this practice continues failures will occur resulting in more costly repairs, more vehicle down time and ultimately results in reducing the useful life of the bus.

 

The recommended Mechanic I position would primarily perform preventive maintenance services on the bus and automotive fleets.  At times when these services are current, this person could perform mechanic-related duties. 

 

The Service Attendant I position is needed to perform a wide variety of duties that are currently either not being done or partially being done by the shift supervisors or the superintendent, as time permits.  Examples of duties include:

 

• Fueling and cleaning of cars, vans, and buses.
• Cleaning and repairs of bus shelters
• Pick up and delivery of vehicles being worked by private companies.
• Perform required inspections on all transit vehicles
• Automotive and Bus tire work

 

Chapel Transit conducted a survey of other area transit systems to determine the number of positions needed to maintain their transit fleet.  The results of that survey are as follows:

 

                                                  Vehicles Maintained                   Vehicles Maintained per

Transit Agency             per Mechanic Position                Total Maintenance Position

 

Capital Area Transit                              3.73                                         1.77

Greensboro Transit                              7.37                                          3.27

Winston-Salem Transit                        14.41                                         6.17

Durham Area Transit  (1)              6.14/4.63                                         2.68/2.31

Chapel Hill Transit (2)                14.16/12.14                                        5.31/4.72

 

(1)   Durham reportedly was also cited during their FTA audit for maintenance deficiencies.  The numbers represent their current ratio compared to their expected ratio upon hiring new positions.

(2)   The values shown for Chapel Hill represent our current levels and what our ratios would be with the new positions.

 

With the exception Winston-Salem, we have the highest vehicle to staff ratio of other comparable systems in North Carolina.  Please let me know if any additional information is needed.