The NOACA Governing Board approved the following project as a candidate to be amended to the NOACA Transportation Plan by adopting Resolution No. 2004-044 on September 10, 2004.

Title: Laketran Mobile Data Terminal (MDT)/Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) System
Sponsor: Laketran
Estimated Total Cost: $3,500,000
Proposed Source of Federal Funds: NOACA

History/Background:
The MDT/AVL project is listed in Laketran’s state fiscal year 2004 capital and operating program in the NOACA Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), at a total cost of $1,500,000. Eighty percent ($1,200,000) of the total cost is listed with Section 5307 Formula Transit funds. AVL systems have been widely accredited with improving transit vehicle operations at various transit agencies. Some operational benefits include improving vehicle timeliness, efficiency, and route planning and scheduling; increasing ridership; and reducing operations cost as well as the number of vehicles needed.

Laketran’s consultant advised that, in order to ensure interest with the major vendors and obtain a system commensurate with its needs, the budget should be $3.5 million over two years. Laketran has requested $1.1 million of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funding in state fiscal year 2004 and $2.4 million in SFY 2005. Laketran’s emissions reduction analysis results indicate that a full compliment AVL project would reduce its vehicles tailpipe emissions by approximately 8%. The emissions reduction analysis calculations and results incorporate data obtained from other transit agencies.

Proposed Project:
Laketran plans to install an MDT/AVL system on its fleet of transit vehicles to permit a large amount of voice transmissions to be converted to data transmissions. Voice communications will only be possible when enabled by the dispatcher. Data transmission will enable pick-up, drop off, trip cancellation and trip addition information to be efficiently communicated between base and the driver. The system can provide real-time recording of pickup and drop-off times on dial-a-ride and monitor vehicle performance better.

The sponsor contends the proposed system will enable Laketran to convert to real time dispatching and provide immediate response its passengers. Enhanced schedule adherence would result in effective and efficient utilization of vehicles (i.e. reduce number of trips, reduce number of vehicles to serve the same number of passengers, effective connections, reduce idling time, etc.). AVL data (schedule adherence, passenger counts, miles driven, etc.) will be used by the Planning Department to plan new and/or modify existing routes and schedules to better serve customers in a more efficient manner. Enhancing schedule and adherence will enhance customer satisfaction thus increase ridership and reduce their usage of private vehicles.

Staff Comment (Summary):

• The proposed project addresses three NOACA Plan Goals:

    - Goal 3 (Preserve and Improve the Efficiency of the Transportation System).
    - Goal 4 (Establish a More Balanced Transportation System).
    - Goal 5 (Improve the Mobility of the Transit Dependent and Low Income Individual)

• The maximum federal share for CMAQ funded projects is eighty percent (80%). Accordingly, the maximum federal share for each year is $880,000 and $1,920,000, respectively ($2,800,000 total).
• It appears that Laketran is no longer intending to use Section 5307 funds for the project.
Laketran should provide the RTIS with background information on this decision.
• Laketran provides service to some urban core and environmental justice (EJ) areas and populations.
• Recommend advancing project to committee and public review in order to obtain comments while resolving funding issues.