Ferry Scheduling 101 APTA Multimodal Workshop - Seattle August 17, Ray Deardorf Washington State Ferries

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1 Ferry Scheduling 101 APTA Multimodal Workshop - Seattle August 17, 2011 Ray Deardorf Washington State Ferries

2 Background: What is WSF? Transit Agency Marine Highway Division of WSDOT Mover of Freight and Goods Safety and Security Provider Environmental Steward Promoter of Tourism and Economic Development

3 WSF is a Transit Agency 22.5 million riders in rd largest transit system in State Serves a large commuter base Multimodal connections

4 Jumbo Mark II Class Ferry: M/V Wenatchee Passenger Capacity 2,500 (Auto Capacity 202) Equivalent to 350 Vans 17 Commuter Rail Cars 60 Buses and Five 747 s

5 WSF is a Marine Highway Connecting the Puget Sound Region Essential part of western Washington highway network 10 million vehicles transported over 9 routes on 22 vessels

6 Customer Needs WSF has a traveling commuter base that lives west of the mainland They generally travel to work from West to East in the morning They generally travel homeward from East to West in the evening WSF must schedule service and crew hours to meet these commuter needs Off peak direction traffic includes commercial and recreation Recreational peaks occur around weekends and holidays

7 Customer Needs (continued) There are specific customer needs expressed through the schedule development process that shape the outcome: Timing of late night sailings, especially after the route drops down to one vessel service and the trips are less frequent not only important for late evening event participants but for night shift workers firefighters, police, nurses; Specific arrival times for morning work starts on the Mukilteo, Kingston and Fauntleroy routes Boeing is an important employer to schedule for, in downtown Seattle the 8:00 a.m. work start is the most popular; Early morning sailings for customers going to airport; Specific departure times in the afternoon from downtown Seattle around 5:30; Transit connections 7

8 Service Hours Legisla)ve opera)ng budget based on: Number of service hours on each route Type and cost characteris)cs of each vessel Detailed service plan by route and vessel for each day of the year based on: Vessel maintenance schedule Hours budgeted by class and route (thousands) Annual Service Hours Fiscal Year 8

9 Traffic Demand Traffic demand varies depending on the month, week, day of week and time of day: July/August is the peak of the peak for traffic often difficult to develop a schedule that will work for that time period without having excess time in it the rest of the year; Weekend demand results in traffic later in the day than weekdays some flexibility is allowed by work rules to shift blocks of labor to accommodate; Traffic patterns vary by day. In the San Juan Islands, for example, WSF has experimented with diverting the interisland vessel to carry heavy weekend traffic on Sundays. 9

10 Crew Work Rule Agreements Above Deck Crew: Need to be able to relieve vessels at starting port in 8, 9 or 10 hours intervals. May not work more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period. These crews stay with the route, regardless of the vessel assigned. Engine Room Crew: Need to be able to relieve vessels at starting point on a 12 hour interval (can flex up to 30 minutes). All vessels are crewed 24 hours per day in the engine room. These crews stay with the boats, regardless of the route the vessel is assigned. Relief Ports: Most vessels deck crews (MM&P and IBU) have relief ports on the west side of Puget Sound, while most engine room crews (MEBA) have relief ports on the east side of Puget Sound. 10

11 Regulations USCG and DOE United States Coast Guard (USCG): Deck crew cannot work more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period. Department of Ecology: Fueling restrictions - after 36 hours on duty in a 72 hour period, engine room crew cannot be used to take fuel on board the vessel. This may restrict fueling to the first three days of the work week. Fuel Consumption Emphasis on fuel consumption and minimizing diesel emissions impacts crossing times: Can result in fewer trips on a daily basis if crossing times are longer; Operating day remains constant 11

12 Vessel Availability Long Term The time required to perform maintenance and preservation results in an average out of service time of 7 weeks/vessel. In a given year, most vessel will be out of service for two or three weeks - a few vessels will be out of service much longer Differing needs for individual vessels in any given year can result in variations in service: Whether we need to reduce or increase capacity on a particular route from their normal vessel assignment in order to accomplish fleet maintenance objectives; Speed differences between vessel classes can complicate substitutions for planned vessel maintenance. Short Term Need for ongoing tie up time at night to perform preventative work 12

13 Terminal Constraints Terminal components impact what kind of schedule can be developed: The number of operating slips impact the frequency of sailings terminals with single slips need a minimum of 20 minutes between departures. The location of tie up slips govern where a vessel must start and stop its operating day, and crew relief. If a terminal stages less than a full vessel load of vehicles, then additional dock time is needed in the schedule to process vehicles through the toll booth after loading has begun. Overhead passenger loading can shorten the amount of time a vessel needs in the dock to load and offload. Traffic congestion, including lack of control over local stop lights, can impact the amount of time needed to load and offload. 13

14 Conclusion There are a number of components that go into developing a service schedule: Customer desires for service coverage and specific arrival/ departure times Traffic patterns Number of service hours, by route and vessel class Crew work rule agreements deck and engine room crew Regulatory requirements Coast Guard and Department of Ecology Vessel availability how many of what size in maintenance, preservation Terminal constraints Fuel consumption Time for logistical functions i.e. water, sewage, stores 14

15 Questions? For more information please contact: Ray Deardorf, WSF Planning Director, at (206) or 15