City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 6/13/11 Item Number: A-1
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: Approval of Proposed Summer Schedule
Modifications and Continuation of Existing Schedule for the Non-Summer Period
on Culver CityBus Lines 3 and 4 Related to Direct Service into West Los Angeles
College
Contact Person/Dept.:
Art A. Ida/Transportation Director
Phone Number:
(310) 253-6545
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [x]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [x] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: _______________
Public Notification: (Email) Agenda and Meetings – City Council (06/08/11);(Email) West
Los Angeles College Stakeholder Email List (06/01/2011 and 6/7/2011); and (Meeting)
West Los Angeles College Staff (05/10/2011, 05/26/2011, and 06/01/2011).
Department Approval:
Art A. Ida (06/02/11)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (06/08/11)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by M. Noller) (06/08/11)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (06/08/11)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve the proposed summer schedule
modifications and the continuation of the existing schedule for the non-summer
period to Culver CityBus Lines 3 and 4 related to direct service into West Los
Angeles College (WLAC).
BACKGROUND:
Culver CityBus operates seven bus lines which provide approximately 5 million
passenger trips annually on the Westside of Los Angeles County. Culver CityBus
Lines 3 and 4 currently provide direct transit service to WLAC. Except for the
temporarily-discontinued service to WLAC in summer, 2010, the service has been in
operation since the mid-1980s.
After receiving complaints from the Lakeside Villas neighborhood related to noise
impacts from Line 3 and Line 4 buses servicing WLAC, the City Council directed
staff to reduce the direct bus service into WLAC. On March 7, 2011, the City
Council approved the proposed schedule modifications to Lines 3 and 4, and the
schedule modifications were subsequently implemented starting March 28, 2011. At
the time of approval, the City Council directed staff to come back to the City Council
with a recommendation on the summer service as well as an end-of-semester
review on the implemented schedule modifications.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
DISCUSSION:
Staff has met on several occasions with staff from WLAC to obtain WLAC’s input on
this subject. On May 10, 2011, WLAC proposed that Culver CityBus run service
Mondays through Thursdays from 7am to 7pm. For Fridays, WLAC proposed to
eliminate scheduled service but requested that bus operators ask passengers
whether they need to go up into campus. Service on Saturdays would be eliminated
for the summer, and currently there is no service into WLAC on Sundays.
On May 26, 2011, staff met again with WLAC and proposed further reduction to
WLAC’s proposal. WLAC was agreeable to staff’s recommendations as described
below.
In accordance with the City Council’s direction to make recommendations regarding
the summer service and provide an end-of-semester review on the implemented
schedule modifications, staff is providing the following review/recommendations:
Direct Service to WLAC during the Summer
Due to budget cuts, WLAC will not offer for-credit classes during Summer 2011.
However, according to WLAC, it anticipates at least 5,000 students will seek
services from the Administrative Office, Counseling, Financial Aid, and other
departments throughout the summer. It further anticipates approximately 4,000
students will attend the Westside Extension classes. Given the lower number of
potential bus riders, staff is recommending that the service be reduced to the
following:
Line 3
Monday to Thursday: Direct service to WLAC will be available during the
period of approximately 9am to 3pm and will continue to run every 40
minutes.
Friday: Direct service to WLAC will be eliminated.
Saturday: Direct service to WLAC will be eliminated.
Sunday: Line 3 currently does not offer Sunday service into WLAC
Line 4
Monday to Thursday: Direct service to WLAC will be available from
approximately 9am to 3pm and will continue to run hourly.
Friday: Direct service to WLAC will be eliminated.
Saturday and Sunday: There is no modification proposed to Line 4
weekend service as it is a weekday-only service.
The proposed schedule modifications will reduce the average total daily trips
(both Line 3 and Line 4 in the aggregate) to the following:
: reduced from 65 trips to 34 trips (48% reduction in trips); City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Friday: reduced from 31 trips to 0 trip (100% reduction in trips); and,
Saturday: reduced from 14 trips to 0 trips (100% reduction in trips).
Sunday: There is no service into WLAC on Sundays.
The total number of Weekly Trips is reduced from 305 trips to 136 trips (55%
reduction in trips).
Staff feels that this reduced service will adequately meet the needs of bus
patrons who need direct service to WLAC while further reducing the potential
noise impacts to the Lakeside Villas residents. If approved, the proposed
summer schedule modifications will be effective on June 20, 2011 to allow for
proper noticing and change in printed schedules. The last day of the
proposed summer service will be August 4, 2011.
Review of the Schedule Modifications Implemented on March 28, 2011
Since the implementation of the schedule modifications on March 28, 2011, staff
has not observed (nor have there been any reports of) any overcrowding
situations on Lines 3 and 4 buses. Staff monitored and analyzed the
boardings/alightings at the WLAC campus stop as well as stops surrounding
WLAC. The analysis shows that there is approximate 28% (Mondays through
Thursdays) and 38% (Fridays) increase in average daily boardings/alightings at
the surrounding stops and approximately 46% (Mondays through Thursdays) and
84% (Fridays) decrease in average daily boardings/alightings at the WLAC
campus stop. Most notably, the daily average boarding/alighting associated with
trips to/from WLAC for Monday to Thursday has decreased from approximately
1084 to approximately 694. The daily average boardings/alightings associated
with trips to/from WLAC for Fridays has decreased from approximately 132 to
approximately 84. These numbers show, in general, a 36% loss in ridership
associated with trips to/from WLAC. Assuming that the demand to access the
campus remained constant, this suggests that some bus patrons have chosen
other means of transportation to access the campus.
At this point, due to the short duration of the monitoring, staff is recommending
that the existing schedule be maintained after the summer. Staff will continue to
monitor the ridership and, if need be, will return to the City Council for
consideration of further schedule modifications.
It is worthwhile to note that demand for direct transit service to WLAC is likely to
increase in future years. The increasing cost of college education at four-year
universities, (which may lead to higher demand at community colleges), increasing
gas prices, and the opening of the Exposition Light Rail Line that connects Culver
City westward to Santa Monica and eastward to downtown Los Angeles may all
bring additional students to WLAC, a portion of whom will become Culver CityBus City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
riders, and public transit will play an even more important role in improving the
region’s mobility.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The proposed summer schedule modifications will not create a significant fiscal
impact to the City. The reduction in direct bus service to WLAC during the summer
will not add to the cost of operations or result in operational cost reductions.
Ridership on Lines 3 and 4 during the summer may be negatively impacted due to
the reduction in direct service to WLAC, which would impact the amount of transit
funding the City receives annually. However, the reduction in ridership is anticipated
to be negligible.
Ridership on Lines 3 and 4 since the implementation of schedule modifications on
March 28, 2011 has been negatively impacted by the reduction in direct service to
WLAC, which would impact the amount of transit funding the City receives annually.
However, the initial reduction in ridership is negligible. As noted earlier, the longer-
term impacts will need to be monitored.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
Approve the proposed summer schedule modifications to Culver CityBus Line 3
and 4 Service into WLAC effective on June 20, 2011; and,
Approve resumption of the current Culver CityBus Lines 3 and 4 service into
WLAC in August 8, 2011.