From the General Manager
Message from General Manager
April, 2018 Report to the Commissioners and our Customers
SERVICE
Station Amenity Enhancement - As part of our on-going effort to respond to our customers' changing needs, we have installed two Mobile Device Charging Stations in the westbound head houses at Woodcrest. Initial customer feedback has been very positive. These units are being tested as a pilot program to determine their performance and their importance to our customers.
This project is another example of the Authority's shared value of Collaboration. Its success can be attributed to the efforts of Project Manager Mark Green and Way & Power employees who supported the project. The workmanship of the installation is very neat and clean.
On-Time Performance - For two months in a tow, we have achieved a high level of reliable service (97.77% in February and 97.78% in March). Our performance in March, 2018 exceeded that in March of 2017 and 2016.
We are very pleased to have weathered three significant nor-easters in March of this year. The rapidly falling snow, twice in the middle of the workday, presented special challenges. Among several other compliments, we received the following from grateful customer "Andrea" regarding Way & Power M&S Technician F. MacCrea:
At Westmont my car was snowed into a spot and my tires covered by 7 inches of snow. I am 6 months pregnant and was having a difficult time getting my car out of the snow. A PATCO employee plowed around my car, then got out and helped me dig my car out. The snow was extremely wet and heavy and difficult to maneuver. This very nice employee stopped what he was doing to help me. He went above and beyond his job duty to help someone in need. I don't know how long this task would have taken me if he hadn't helped.
In March, 2018, we had scheduled 5,802 trips. We had no annulments caused by lack of equipment. We achieved 100% on-time performance for 12 weekday mornings and 9 weekday evenings.
Passenger Services Staff in the Spotlight - Station Supervisor Fran Egolf and Transit Ambassador Lavelle Coleman are always efficient and helpful, going the extra mile to make sure passengers receive their lost items. They do an outstanding job. The nice compliment below is just one of many. Fran and Lavelle take pride in their work and treat all customers and peers equally and respectfully. They maintain a positive attitude even when faced with a challenging situation. They are valued members of the Passenger Service Department and PATCO.
I would like to express my gratitude to the PATCO staff for helping out with my lost vehicle key and remote. When I realized that I had lost my keys during my commute on March 27, I barely had any hope of getting them back - considering the fact that they could've been lost anywhere in my long commute. I contacted PATCO Lost and Found anyway and left a voice message that night. Sure enough, I got a call on the morning of March 29 from Fran and she asked me the description of the lost keys. Then she located a key set fitting the description I gave her; she even sent me a picture. She left the keys with an ambassador at Lindenwold Station from whom I picked up the keys. I'm so thankful to whoever found the keys and gave them to PATCO Lost and Found, Fran who was the most customer-friendly person and the ambassador was very helpful and courteous. Once again, my whole-hearted thanks to the PATCO staff for making my day. You guys are the best!
Ridership - Ridership in March was 875,889, a decrease of 62,066 (-6.62%) when compared to March of 2017. Snow storms on March 7 and 21 discouraged thousands of our regular commuters from venturing to work, with ridership just 12,703 on one day and 7,759 on the other. In addition, the number of weekdays was one fewer (with one more Saturday) in 2018 compared to 2017, contributing to the variance. Ridership year to date as of March 31, 2018 was 2,589,468, a decrease of 80,365 (3.01%) compared to the same period of 2017.
COMMUNITY
Food Bank of South Jersey and White Horse Rotary - Thanks to our Legal Department, the Right of Entry Agreement with the Food Bank of South Jersey and White Horse Rotary was executed just in time for a food distribution in March to at least 110 families in need. They expect even more households to benefit next month.
STEWARDSHIP
Escalators / Elevators
- Availability - Availability of all escalators was 94.80% for the month and 96.03% for the year to date. Availability of elevators was 99.40% for the month and 99.43% for the year to date.
- Performance of Preventive Maintenance - Monthly preventive maintenance was performed on every escalator and elevator in March.
Fare Maintenance - Big changes are on the Way for our Fare Maintenance Department. The staff who work hard to keep the fare system (vending machines, station and parking gates) in good working condition are on the move. In the next few months Fare Maintenance will be relocating from their shop in City Hall Station to Lindenwold Station. This move includes moving all equipment such as spare devices and parts along with test bed equipment. This move is in preparation for construction of an elevator at City Hall.
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