By Philip Newman
Private bus companies that serve Queens meet most standards required by the city for incentive payments except for cleanliness, Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi reported Monday. They also fail when it comes to on-time performance, which is not a requirement for such payments.
Hevesi urged that any new private bus contracts providing incentive payments for good service require on-time performance and wheelchair accessibility and called for an end to non-competitive contract awards to the private bus lines.
The DOT contracts seven privately owned bus companies to provide bus service in areas of the city not adequately served by the Transit Authority. The Queens' routes are covered by Green Bus Lines, Jamaica Bus Company, Triboro Bus Company and Queens Surface Company.
In Hevesi's latest audit, Green Bus lines was on time in 67 percent of the time in 1999, Jamaica 71 percent, Queens Surface 85 percent and Triboro 78 percent.
As to cleanliness, 58 percent of Green Bus Lines met the standard, Jamaica 45 percent, Queens Surface 69 percent and Triboro 58 percent.
“The Department of Transportation is doing a much better job of monitoring bus companies, which is essential for an incentive program to work,” Hevesi said. “We found the incentives are effective. The companies meet most of the standards so they can earn extra money. Now, we should consider applying incentives to on-time performances, which is very important to most riders.”
Hevesi's follow-up audit found major improvements in the city Department of Transportation monitoring of the private companies, compared to an earlier 1994 comptroller's audit. The earlier audit concluded that due to budget cuts, DOT had only one person monitoring the companies' performance. During fiscal year 1999, DOT had six inspectors, including a field supervisor, who conducted field monitoring and reviewed data supplied by the bus companies, Hevesi said.
The private bus companies earned some $2.2 million in 1999 in incentive pay for meeting or exceeding performance standards, the report said..
Buses are checked on mean distance between breakdowns, cleanliness, the number of buses that pull out of a depot, whether heat and air conditioning work, signs, public information and the number of trips operated.
“Bus companies servicing the borough of Queens had a poor rating” when it comes to cleanliness, the report said.
“The overall average attained by the companies for wheelchair accessibility was below Department of Transportation standards with both Queens Surface and Jamaica Bus companies performing very poorly in this area,” the report said.
“Indicators used by the Department of Transportation to monitor the private bus companies' performance are related to customer satisfaction,” the report said, “but the primary indicator of customer satisfaction is on-time performance. The Department of Transportation is unable to enforce this standard since the current operating contracts with the bus companies do not contain provisions for linking incentive payments or liquidated damages to on-time performance.”
The comptroller's office found that private buses, including those serving the Bronx and Brooklyn, were on time only 62 percent of the time while the Department of Transportation's own field observation for the first two quarters of 1999 found the on-time performance per bus company averaged 70 percent, both far below DOT's standard of 90 percent. Express buses fared much better at 84 percent and local buses at 55 percent.
Even though the City Charter requires that such bus contracts be awarded through competitive bidding, the contracts have been renewed over and over without competition. Hevesi has called for an end to non-competitive contracts for such bus lines and has, through his representative on the city Franchise and Concession Review Committee, has voted repeatedly against extending such contracts.
Hevesi 's office recommended:
+ Preparation of an authorizing resolution to the City Council so that the 91 bus routes now serviced by seven private bus companies can be competitively bid out.
+ Ensure that any new contracts including monetary incentives require on-time performance and wheelchair lift accessibility as well as liquidated damages imposed on companies that fail to meet such standards.
The seven privately owned bus lines hold exclusive rights to 91 routes in parts of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx and serve 360,000 passengers daily. In fiscal 1998, the seven companies received $132 million in subsidies from the city.
