Sacramento Regional Transit District

Comments from Henry Li:

Good afternoon. Today is my first day on the job as General Manager/CEO. Thank you for joining me for my first online chat.

I joined RT in March as the Assistant General Manager of Administration, overseeing Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, and Information Technology. These past months have given me a jump start on the issues that RT must address.

The Fiscal Year 2016 budget ending June 30 was balanced, but it was not without nearly depleting reserves of $4 million. The Fiscal Year 2017 budget beginning today is balanced, but it was not without the implementation of a fare increase and a reduction in force affecting 20 management and administrative employees.

The upcoming months are a critical time for the agency. RT has an incredible opportunity to transform itself. In partnership with the RT board, riders, business and the community, we must make sweeping cultural and business changes, dramatically improve service quality and customer experience, and rebrand the agency. I am committed to lead this transformation and create a new RT that the Sacramento region deserves.

We are here to serve our customers. I have received many comments and suggestions on how we can be a better transit agency. I value your feedback and I want to hear from you. You can contact me at tellhenry@sacrt.com.

Let's get started.
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Comments from Henry Li:

Good afternoon. Today is my first day on the job as General Manager/CEO. Thank you for joining me for my first online chat.

Let's get started.
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Sacramento, CA: Is RT going to implement live bus location tracking with the Transit app?

Reply: Great question! Yes, our permanent mobile fare app will be integrated with our existing mobile service application that provides real-time bus location and arrival information. If you don't already have our current mobile app, visit https://m.sacrt.com and an icon will be added to your mobile device.
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Folsom, CA: Do you have a concept drawing of how the new 7th & Capitol station will look that you could post on the website?

Reply: Yes, we do. There will be a sign at that location soon with station renderings and we will make sure to post them on sacrt.com.
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Folsom, CA: Are those large trees at the 7th & Capitol station going to be replaced with smaller ones? One is leaning considerably over the tracks and with half the root system cut off I would think there is considerable risk of them coming down in next wind storm.

Reply: RT's contractor has already removed some of the trees in the area around the station and does plan to replace with new trees once the improvements are complete.
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Rancho Cordova, CA: Why are all the ticket checkers working in the morning commute? I've never been asked for a ticket on my evening ride (5:30-6:30 p.m.). My observation is that there are also many more fare evaders in the evenings.

Reply: The new Transit Agents will be assigned to cover the evening and weekend trains beginning August 1. Due to the Transit Agents being new, we are currently having them work day shift hours as we evaluate their progress through training. On August 1, we will have the majority of our trains staffed until the service ends at night. Until then, RT Police Services officers may be spotted on the trains during the evening and weekend hours.
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Sacramento, CA: Since September, changes to both route 72 and Gold Line have have made it hard for the 72 to connect to the Sunrise/Folsom bound train at Mather/Mills Station without missing the train by a minute when there was no issue before the change. This issue becomes more apparent during the weekend when the wait between trains is a half hour. Will there be any improvements to this connection so they do connect as it was before the schedule changes?

Reply: We are somewhat limited in what we can do with Route 72. Right now it's scheduled to get to Mather Field/Mills at :11 and :41 after. That makes it a tight connection to outbound trains that arrive at :13 and :43 after. But if we shift the times 5-6 minutes earlier, for example, then it would be a poor connection with the inbound train. We also have to take into consideration the leave times at the other end from Watt/Manlove, and how that interacts with inbound and outbound trains. And, we also have to make sure our operators have time to get a restroom break at some point. I will ask our schedulers to take another look at this, however.
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Citrus Heights , CA: Good Afternoon Mr. Li, can you give me a date when the elevators at Watt I-80 will be fixed? and when does RT plan to roll out the Connect Card?

Reply: The elevators at Watt/I-80 is an issue that we are working to resolve as quickly as possible. We have hired a contractor to make repairs and estimate that the work will be done by the end of July. The Connect Card vendor is resovling technical issues with the system. SACOG, RT and all of the Connect Card consortium members are hopeful the vendor will have the last few remaining bugs resolved within the next 30 days. Look for an official announcement within the next 30 days or so.
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Rancho Cordova, CA: On my Gold Line commute in this morning, both a police officer and a man with a "homeless outreach" shirt walked through my train car. The man asked certain ones if they were homeless, and passed out a few cards. The police office stood at the back of the car but did not ask anyone for tickets. What gives? What is this program? When will ticket enforcement be stricter? My observation was that there were at least two bums on the car, besides possible homeless individuals.

Reply: Due to chronic homeless using the system, we have dedicated an outreach person from Sacramento Steps Forward along with sworn staff. The goal is to find some long term solutions for these individuals rather than just cite if they don't have fare only to have them return back to the system with no fare again the next day. We have other staff dedicated to fare inspection and you should see more robust inspections within the next few weeks.
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Sacramento, CA: Recently most Gold Line trains - even during prime commute hours - only have 3 cars instead of 4 cars. Why? On top of missing a car, this morning the car I rode in had 4 bench seats removed at each end of the car (222A and 222B), instead of the usual 2 missing near the ends of the car. Combined, that resulted in many fewer seats available.

Reply: Thank you for contacting RT to share your concerns and recent experience onboard our light rail system. Currently we are operating with a limited number of light rail vehicles due to various projects utilizing our resources, such as scheduled maintenance. RT’s goal is to operate a 3 and 4 car train during peak commute times. Light rail vehicles can hold up to 99 passengers. While that does not guarantee everyone a seat, there is space for passengers to stand. We have RT road supervisors and operators observing load capacity who can make a call to dispatchers should passenger counts reach that of over 99 passengers per train car. RT is also continuing the process of converting light rail vehicles purchased from another agency to run on our system. We have run into a few issues integrating these cars, but are making forward progress and hope to complete the project soon. We expect several additional cars available within the next few months. With respect to seats being removed from the light rail cars, we removed seats to allow for an increase in capacity for persons using wheelchairs and mobility aids.
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Sac , CA: I ride RT daily to downtown for work. What is the new plan for security on the train?

Reply: We are finalizing all our training of the new transit agents. By August 1, all of the transit agents will be deployed. We will have half the trains covered for the morning commute and almost all of our trains covered for the evenings. We continue to use our guards and sworn officers to respond and address calls for service by our riders. We are also working hard to put out a new reporting phone app for riders to notify us of any issues. Our sworn officers have also been working more plain clothes operations on the trains so even though you do not see security staff they may be on board.
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Sacramento, CA: Has RT done any projections on the number of subsidized riders it is going to lose over the fare increase?

Reply: We are actually assuming that we will lose over 1 million riders from the fare increase. Even with this ridership loss, we are still expecting to net over $2 million over the coming year, which is crucial to keep RT's budget balanced this year and get RT back onto stable financial footing going forward.
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Sacramento , CA: With the service reductions planned for January now canceled. Are there any changes planned for September?

Reply: We do have some minor changes in September to Routes 28, 30, and 51. On Route 28 we will be cancelling two morning trips with lower ridership. On Route 30, we will be adjusting the schedules slightly, but the hours and 15-minute frequency will remain the same. On Route 51, we will be going from 12-minute to 15-minute frequency during the midday off-peak hours, from about 8:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. We are also most likely going to be making some minor adjustments to various trip times throughout the system due to a number of changes to school bell times at Sacramento City Unified schools.
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South Sacramento , CA: Since there was enough of savings to avoid service cuts for next year, are you still planning a realignment of some bus routes? If so, when will we receive this announcement?

Reply: We are putting service changes on hold for the time being.
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Folsom, CA: There seems to be quite a bit of trash, shopping carts, old clothes and a few homeless camps popping up all along the gold line a RR tracks in Rancho Cordova. Especially between Starfire and Mather Field stations. How often is that area cleaned and who's jurisdiction is it?

Reply: If it is along the right of way, it is RT's responsibility. We will send out an officer and homeless outreach navigator today and see if there are any active camps. We will also report any clean up that needs to be done.
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Sacramento, CA: I buy a monthly bus pass every month. The pass is in a plastic holder with my work I.D. badge on a lanyard around my neck. I used to show the bus driver the pass while it was in my badge holder. Then you guys made it so we have to swipe our passes. So I have to take my pass out of my badgeholder everytime. Is there a way we monthly pass holders can just show our passes without taking it out of our badge holders?

Reply: We started requiring patrons to swipe media on our buses to help prevent fraud with all of our media types. There are people who try to use counterfeit or altered media and conceal it in plastic holders or behind a plastic wallet insert. I know making people take their ticket or pass out of a badge holder is inconvenient, but if it helps to make sure that all riders are paying their fair share, it will help improve the system.
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Fair Oaks, CA: I take the bus 109 (Hazel Express). There is a lot of construction on Hazel right now and the some of the stops are not safe and as the construction continues more stops will be become hazardous. Is there anything planned to help us when we get picked up/dropped off at those "under construction" stops?

Reply: We have been working with the contractor on temporary bus stop relocation during the construction. Our bus drivers should report unsafe stops if they are placed in a manner that the driver would view as unsafe, or if construction has progressed in a way that makes the stop unsafe. If you have a concern about a particular stop, please mention it to the operator who will report it to us. You can also report the stop to Customer Advocacy at 916-557-4545 or customeradvocacy@sacrt.com.
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Rancho Cordova, CA: I asked Mr. WIDELY this question. It cost me and family $15.00 for my whole family to go to Old Town and back. If I drive, it cost me the gas and $6.00 dollar parking. Why should I use the light rail? The fare just went up. Now it cost us more. Why should I ride the train?

Reply: We are extremely focused on being as competitive as possible in markets where we can compete, but that doesn't necessarily mean transit will work for every person or for travel pattern. For workers going into downtown, where parking is a lot more expensive during the day, we feel we have always offered a great value, and we're getting a tremendous amount of postive feedback about the additional fare inspectors we've added on the trains. Likewise, for future Kings games downtown, we believe we are going to be the fastest, most convenient, most enjoyable way to get to and from the game. For persons without cars and also for high school and college students, we are also the best and sometimes the only way to get around.
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Sac Midtwon , CA: Hello when are you guys going to get new light rail cars

Reply: There are no plans to purchase new light rail cars at this time. However, RT is currently refurbishing existing cars by changing out seats and improving the exterior of the vehicles.
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Carmichael, CA: First,welcome and congratulations.Second,with draconian January route changes off the table,will this buy RT time to thoroughly analyze its route network before future service changes as was the case with Transit Renewal?Third,what happened to the shelters along middle Howe(82-87 shared routing)?

Reply: Thank you for the welcome. To your second question, we will be taking a comprehensive look at our route network over the coming year to guide future service changes. Finally, we will take a look at the bus shelters along Howe Avenue for Routes 82 and 87.
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Sacramento, CA: I'm not sure if my question was received earlier? Why are most Gold Line trains during peak commute hours now 3-car trains instead of 4-car trains? Thanks.

Reply: Yes, please see my previous response.
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West Sacramento, CA: As a regular rider of RT light rail and busses, I’ve been concerned about the seemingly lack of preparedness for emergencies on light rail, such as an accident or power interruption. RT seems really slow to respond and to make announcements to riders. Are there any planned reviews of RT’s emergency preparedness?

Reply: Thank you for your comment and we agree, it has always been difficult for us to communicate with light rail passengers during any significant disruption in service. For many service disruptions, we have many more passengers waiting then we have buses and bus drivers to respond. In these situations, the long wait makes communication with our riders even more important. We have made improving communications during service disruptions a priority. Recent changes to bring our Marketing, Police and Operations staff together during a disruption seems to have helped and allowed us to provide more detailed and accurate information to our staff in the field and to riders through social media. We are also working on improved electronic communication to provide detailed information to passegers through their mobile devices. In the near future, you will be able to subscribe to alerts when service disruptions occur and these alerts will be updated in a timely way as changes occur.
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West Sacramento, CA: I regularly ride RT light rail and buses, Yolo transit buses, and occasionally Elk Grove buses. The regional part of RT seems to have gotten lost. Are there ways to better plan and coordinate mass transit across the multiple counties and cities in the Sacramento region?

Reply: RT works closely with the other operators in the region and meet monthly at the Sacramento Area Council of Government's Transit Coordination Committee meetings to discuss service and projects. As an example of coordination, soon we will be implementing the Connect Card system -- it's main objective being to make fare payments across systems seamless.
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Sacramento, CA: Mr. Li, can you tell me why RT increased the discounted senior semi-monthly rate by $5 and only increased the discounted student semi-monthly rate by $2.50?

Reply: For the senior/disabled passes, our policy has been that the full monthly pass should be half the price of the Basic monthly pass, so the senior/disabled monthly sticker is going to $55, which is half of the $110 for the Basic monthly pass. We had priced the semi-monthly at half the monthly price, so that would have been $27.50 for the senior/disabled semi-monthly sticker; however, we wanted to offer a slight incentive for riders to purchase the full monthly pass over the semi-monthly so it was priced at $30 instead of $27.50. These same factors did not really apply to the student passes and there was also a lot of interest in keeping student fares as affordable as possible, so $27.50 is what the student semi-monthly sticker is priced, up from $25.
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Sacramento, CA: I'm wondering why the fence is not being repaired at North 12th and North C Street, I was told by a RT representative it is due to lack of funds, is this true?

Reply: Facillities Maintenance is responsible for a wide variety of infrastructure needs, including light rail stations, bus stops, and other items including fencing along the light rail right of way. We try to prioriitize issues related to safety and cleanliness. This fence has experienced breaches on multiple occasions and has been difficult to keep repaired. It is true that the budget available to respond has been a challenge and especially as we near the end of the fiscal year. The City of Sacramento has funding to build out the sidewalk on the east side of N. 12th Street between Ahern and the tunnel by the end of the year, which will include a new fence along the tracks. We are hopeful this will help as a long-term solution.
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Sacramento, CA: First, let me welcome you as RT's new GM. You have taken on a job that many others would consider particularly thankless, charged with turning around an organization that continues to collapse under its own weight with every fare increase or service cut. I commend you for listening to the riding public and finding an equitable way to resolve the "lesser of two evils" situation RT was faced with, despite the eventual rise in fares. That being said, can you assure us that you will continue to hear our voices during your tenure in this position, and work diligently with our elected officials to obtain greater funding to improve the system as a whole, while at the same time keeping in mind that the terms "customer service" and "passenger convenience" are not oxymoronic? The riding public expects much of you, and we hope that you'll dramatically reverse RT's continuing trend of balancing every budget on the backs of its customers.

Reply: Thank you and I am excited about the opportunities ahead to make Regional Transit an agency that demonstrates that customers are our number one priority. I will not only continue to listen to our customers and stakeholders, but I will be asking for more input as we move forward. I have set up an email address to receive feedback. Please email me at tellhenry@sacrt.com.
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CA: Svs Gold had bus shuttle service Thursday why? How long ? What happen?

Reply: There was a mechanical issue between 13th Street and 14th Street; however, it was resolved quickly and a bus bridge was not required.
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Sacramento, CA: I work for the state and our office purchases tickets at your customer service center each month. We had $250 in expired single fare tickets. I went to exchange them for the new single fare tickets. The old tickets equaled $248.50 in the new single fare tickets. I was told by the CSR rep that it was RT policy not give out change on exchanges, I find this policy unfair, I know it's only a $1.50 but with many customers being shorted, that amount adds up. I cannot find any place on your website that this is RT policy, Can you tell me if this is the correct policy? if so, why does RT have such a policy in place?

Reply: RThas a no refund policy; however, as a courtesy RT provides ticket exchanges prior to a fare increase. During a ticket exchange, the customer has the opton to pay the difference in ticket value or accept the same or less value in current tickets.
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CA: There is $100 million in capitol project s . Why nothing to fix I-80 elevators ?

Reply: Various funding sources secured for capital projects has been limited to construction of improvements not already in existence. The Watt/I-80 elevators are considered an existing asset and the replacement is considered a maintenance function.
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Fair Oaks, CA: I appreciate when agents ask me to prove I have paid my fare. This seems to be happening more often lately. Will it continue?

Reply: Yes. RT has hired an additional 25 transit agents to assist with fare enforcement. I am glad you have noticed the increased presence.
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Sacramento, CA: The electronic sign at the 7th & I Street train stop is hard to read because the tree needs trimming.

Reply: Thank you for letting us know. We will notify our maintenance department right away.
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Sacramento, CA: The big puddle from the underground water leak at the Power Inn Light Rail station is actually on Union Pacific property, so will that make it hard to get fixed? RT has landscaping on both sides of the UP tracks, and we're all still supposed to save water.

Reply: If you are the customer that I spoke to earlier today, thank you again for letting me know. I have already notified our facilities team and asked them to address the issue right away.
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Rosemont, CA: Hi Mr. Li, I met the representative from the Navigator Program on my ride in this morning on the Gold Line, as well as the Sheriff with him. I talked to him about the program and it sounds like will be a benefit to the community to have this resource here. I am glad SacRT has made this partnership.

Reply: Thank you for your feedback. RT recognizes the value of being a regional partner and homeless issues do not stop at an imaginary line of a county or city. We have already had success stories with getting homeless veterans off the streets and into programs. We hope this continued effort makes our riders' experience better as well.
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Sacramento, CA: Is it possible to look at the inbound Amtrak Schedule with departing Westbound Gold Line trains. Example. The popular rush hour Amtrak Eastbound Arrives only two minutes after the 5:19 gold line. It would be nice if they were compared to see that efficient connections can be made

Reply: We can certainly take a look at it. The Gold Line schedule has a number of critical connections. The transfer with the Blue Line at 16th Street is very important, as are a number of connections with bus routes at various stations along the line. Holding trains or making adjustments for the Capitol Corridor or Amtrak service is difficult because the intercity train arrivals are often inconsistent and holding or rescheduling trains will disrupt other scheduled connections. We rely on the frequent service provided on the Gold Line to make connections as convenient as possible.
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Sacramento, CA: How can cities like Los Angeles build out multiple lines at once while still having a high frequency of service and keeping one of the lowest costs in the country. Why can't we do that? Do they have access to some special funds that we can get a hold of as well?

Reply: The Los Angeles area has three sales tax initiatives that generate around $1 billion per year in revenue for public transit (bus and rail) in the area. One of these initiatives is directly tied to keeping their single ride fare at $2 per ride. At this time, RT receives approximately one-sixth of a cent of the local transportation sales taxes. If more funding was allocated to RT, system improvements would be a top priority.
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Sacramento, CA: When I was riding the Blue Line light rail to Cosumnes River College on Tuesday, the visual and audio announcements for stops were reciting stops going north to Watt. I’ve noted on other occasions that the visual and/or audio announcements for stops were not working at all—presenting challenges for those of us with disabilities. Is this problem being addressed?

Reply: Thank you for reporting the issue. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Should you notice this in the future, please report your concerns as soon as possible to the Customer Advocacy department by calling 916-557-4545 or email customeradvocacy@sacrt.com. Please be sure to capture the specifics: Date, time, line direction, and car number (so we can identify the issue).
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Sac, CA: Why doesn't RT use some other method such as they are doing with the meter revenue to pay for the arena, for RT costs, instead of raising fares. Do you see a decrease of the fare price in the future?

Reply: RT has explored many opportunities to supplement revenue for the District. We are looking at opportunities for sponsorship that may be used to offset expenditures, have implemented pay for parking at some of the light rail stations, and are exploring additional partnerships that may reduce expenditures or increase revenues. I don't expect to see a decrease in fare prices in the near future.
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Sacramento, CA: While I understand that RT will postpone major service changes, originally set to take effect at the beginning of 2017, it was brought to my attention that RT will implement "minor" service change that will focus on improving deficiencies in the existing service. How far along is RT in coming out with that list, and once it comes out, how will it publicly be made available? Thank you.

Reply: We have some minor changes in September to Routes 28 and 51. On Route 28 we will be cancelling two morning trips with lower ridership. On Route 51, we will be going from 12-minute to 15-minute frequency during the midday off-peak hours, from about 8:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. We are also most likely going to be making some minor adjustments to various trip times throughout the system due to a number of changes to school bell times at Sacramento City Unified schools. The changes should be posted on RT's website by mid-July.
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Fair Oaks, CA: What preparations are under way for the opening of the downtown stadium?

Reply: RT staff has praparations actively underway for service to the Golden 1 Center, opening in downtown Sacramento in October 2016. We will provide additional train service and customer support for riders who will use our service to reach the Golden 1 Center. Passsengers can expect light rail trains to operate to Watt/I-80, Cosumnes River College and Sunrise at least every 15 minutes after the end of each of event (up to one hour post event to accommodate the crowds exiting the arena). The service we operate to Folsom is under contract with the City of Folsom, and we are working with them to extend service, at least on event nights, to the Historic Folsom Station. Station upgrades are underway to accommodate the large crowds expected for Kings games, concerts, and other major events. These upgrades include lighting, fare equipment and security systems. We will have staff on-site to assist our passengers going to and coming from the arena, as well as additional security. Through funding provided by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, our partner agency, there will be entertainment at key stations to create an exciting experience for event-goers. We are excited to encourage the use of alternative modes of travel to reach the arena, including transit, biking and walking.
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Sacramento, CA: Good afternoon Mr Li. In regards to Route 62. Is there any consideration to improve that route? Like having that bus route go west on florin rd and go south on greenhaven covering lake crest village shopping center. Just a thought. Thank You for reading.

Reply: Thank you for your suggestion. I will pass it on to our service planners.
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Sacramento, CA: In response to a previous question. You mentioned that the fare increase will result in an "estimated" ridership loss of around one million annual riders. Wouldn't RT expect to actually gain riders this year, not because of a fare increase, but rather due to the grand opening of the Golden 1 Center, 91 days from today? With an estimated increase in riders due to the Golden 1 Center, wouldn't this be cause to celebrate increased ridership and a great increase in revenue? Am I missing something here? Please clarify. Thank you.

Reply: The fare increase is expected to net about $2 million a year, even after factoring in ridership loss of slightly more than one million riders per year. The arena is anticipated to help our ridership and offset some of the loss we'll have from the fare increase.
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Sacramento, CA: On 6/20/16 car 238 was operating with the door open while the train was moving and we tried to contact the train operator and they did not respond to the emergency intercom, I was able to to alert a security guard after I got off the train and showed him the video I took. The train was heading Downtown between and the incident happened between Tiber and Stare fire stations.

Reply: We have spent considerable time on this incident and are very concerned because it represents a significant safety hazard. We have reviewed all of the station and train video of the event, which includes the video that was uploaded to YouTube. We have also reviewed the operator's performance through the in-cab camera and the event recorder onboard the vehicle. As a part of our review, we have performed a full diagnostic on the car involved and a schematic review pinpointing all of the sources of failure that could have caused this problem. We have determined the likely failure point, but out of an abundance of caution, we have replaced all of the components in that door circuit. This door control equipment is common in light rail transit and is provided by a respected equipment supplier. We have reached out to other systems using this same equipment so they are aware of our incident and can provide us with any information that they have found through operations on their systems.
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Sacramento, CA: What is the status of getting real time train arrival and departure times on m.sacrt.com and the new RT Pilot App? I see it for bus on the mobile web app, but not the trains. Hopefully this comes soon. Hopefully this comes soon.

Reply: We are working on it. We hope to have real-time train location by the end of the calendar year.
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Comments from Henry Li:

Thank you for your questions. The next session of Transit Talk with the General Manager will be held on Friday, August 5.
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