1. Scheduling Services Scheduling Services will be an ongoing task. It is expected that extensive scheduling effort will be required while preparing for the start of the new service in the second quarter of 2021. Additional scheduling tasks will be required after the start of the new service, as schedules will need to be altered and adjusted. METRO performs three (3) picks/bids per year (for drivers to pick their routes and runs). The Consultant will be required to produce all required pick-related material. 2. Scheduling Software a. The Consultant shall provide their own license for scheduling software to be used during the contract term. The software will be used by the Consultant as METRO does not currently employ a dedicated scheduler on its staff. b. The Consultant may use the scheduling software of their choice. METRO has no preference c. Consultant shall provide a General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) file for all METRO service changes. 3. Bus Stops a. Stop Definition. The Consultant shall update all bus stops and nodes (in one direction) along with their attributes such as stop name, long/lat, and address. Number of stops will be finalized with the COA. b. The Consultant shall ensure that the scheduling software recognizes all bus stops belonging to a route as well as all routes that serve a single stop. c. Supplemental Stop Data. The Consultant shall ensure that the scheduling software chosen is capable of allowing the user to associate the presence of stop amenities (e.g. bench, shelter, authorized restroom locations for drivers) and other supplemental data with each stop. 4. Trip Pattern and Route Definition a. Defining Route Alignments. METRO will provide the Consultant with both the current as well as COA-proposed route alignments in the service area. The Consultant shall make any required changes to the alignments in the scheduling software including defining distinct bus stop sequences, designation of selected stops in each trip pattern as scheduled time points, and whether a trip pattern is inbound or outbound. b. Map Display. The system shall be capable of displaying all trip pattern (or fixed portions of flexible trip patterns) on a map for visual display. c. Trip Pattern Distance. The Consultant shall ensure that the system will be capable of calculating distances for deadhead route segments, entire trip patterns, and selected trip pattern segments defined by METRO. d. Run-cutting Speeds. The Consultant shall ensure that the analysis takes into consideration average run speeds, for various days and time periods, for deadhead segments and between designated pairs of stops along each trip pattern. e. Turning Movements. The Consultant shall ensure that the analysis will generate a list of turning movements for an entire trip pattern. The system shall allow exporting this list into a Microsoft Office Product compatible format. 5. Creating Schedules/Timetables a. Compute Running Times. The analysis shall calculate the running time between any pair of time-points/stops on any trip pattern, taking into account running speeds. b. Compute Running Speeds. The analysis shall calculate the running speed between any pair of time-points/stops on any trip pattern, taking into account running times by time-period. c. Vehicle Type. The analysis shall take into consideration the different types of vehicles to be used in the service. d. Compute Deadhead Time. The analysis shall compute deadhead time, including the effect of varying running speed in various time-periods. e. Summary Data. The analysis shall provide summary date on trips and running times, including total trip length, total deadhead time, number of stops and service start/end times. f. Recovery Time. The analysis shall compute recovery time at the end of routes. 6. Blocking and Vehicle Assignments a. Block Creation. The Consultant shall create vehicle blocks based on the user-defined variables, with checks to ensure that all trips have been assigned. b. Single Garage. Develop vehicle blocking for a fleet that operating out of a single garage. 7. Run-cutting a. Single-Piece or Multi-Piece Runs. The Consultant shall create single-piece or multipiece work assignment runs, with each piece being a sequence of route trips from a particular block. b. Management Rules. The analysis shall generate runs that incorporate management and union contract rules. c. Optimization. The Consultant shall develop alternative run-cut scenarios, allowing METRO management to compare resulting costs for each scenario. The analysis shall provide pay-to-platform ratio for each scenario.
