Annual Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board Community Transportation Coordinator evaluation

The annual Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board (TDCB) Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) evaluation is in, and the results are looking good. This evaluation measures the performance of the Sunshine Line, and there’s a lot to celebrate this year. 

We’ve all been dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the past couple of years, and it’s affected paratransit trips. The Sunshine Line managed to bounce back in a big way in 2023. They saw an incredible 115% increase in door-to-door and bus pass trips provided, and system-wide trips went up by 100%. Reliability is a big deal when it comes to transportation, and the Sunshine Line delivered. 91% of trips were reported to be on time, and 99% took less than 90 minutes. The number of road calls per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled decreased to show further efficiency. 

Speaking of service efficiency, the Sunshine Line not only met the service effectiveness goal but exceeded it with flying colors. They had an impressive 0.52 trips per 100,000 trips per capita. The average cost per trip in 2023 was only $15.25, blowing away the set standard of $28.22. Making each trip count at a reasonable price is a key goal. 

There is some room for improvement, however. One measurement fell short regarding trips per revenue hour, with 1.46 trips per revenue hour instead of the expected two. But there are plenty of vehicles per capita, averaging 18 per 100,000 residents, and only 0.02% of client requests had to be denied. The average hold time to reach an operator was only 26 seconds. Sunshine Line strives to keep things running smoothly for passengers. 

Safety is paramount, and the CTC evaluation shows a low accident rate. Only 0.21 accidents were recorded during the evaluation period, meeting the standard of no more than 1.2 chargeable accidents per 100,000 vehicle miles.

Last but not least, user input is taken seriously. The number of complaints received was below the set standard. Only 19 Sunshine Line service delivery complaints came in during the evaluation period. That’s an average of 0.21 complaints per 1,000 trips. 

Based on the evaluation results, some recommendations for further improvement came to the forefront. The recommendations include expanding evening and weekend services, maintaining driver capacity at 95% or above, and improving the scheduling and application process through new online scheduling software. 

This year’s annual CTC evaluation provided a lot to smile about in terms of delivering reliable, efficient, and safe transportation services to our community. And with a little bit of tweaking, the services can be made even better. We thank everyone who rides along with the Sunshine Line and look forward to serving all our clients with another year of high-quality transportation!