WORK PROGRAM

2025 Ferry Service EQuity Analysis

December 19, 2024

 

Proposed Motion

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve this work program.

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Classification

Not listed in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 UPWP

Project Number 11433

Client

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Client Supervisor: David Perry

Project Supervisors

Principal: Rosemary McCarron
Manager: Sophie Fox

Funding Source

MBTA Contract

Schedule and Budget

Schedule: Four months from notice to proceed

Budget: $62,000

Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.

Relationship to MPO Work

This studyis supported in full with non-MPO funding. Committing MPO staff to this project will not impinge on the quality or timeliness of MPO-funded work.

 

Background

As an agency that receives federal funds, the MBTA is subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin. The MBTA’s Service and Fare Change Equity Policy1 documents how the agency evaluates the impacts of proposed fare and major service changes on minority and low-income populations relative to other groups in compliance with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Title VI Circular 4702.1B.2

According to the Service and Fare Change Equity Policy, the MBTA must evaluate the impact of major service changes. The MBTA has introduced three new ferry routes that will operate seasonally:

The MBTA requested that Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) complete a service equity analysis for this service change.

Objectives

The objective of this work is to support the MBTA in conducting the required Title VI service equity analyses for major service changes. There are two main objectives of this analysis:

  1. CTPS will quantify the impact of these newly introduced ferry routes on revenue vehicle hours (RVH) to evaluate whether the service changes may result in disparate impacts on populations protected on the basis of race or ethnicity and/or disproportionate burdens on low-income populations.
  2. CTPS will evaluate the impact that the new ferry routes have on coverage in the region for populations protected on the basis of race or ethnicity and low-income populations.

Work Description

Task 1  Meetings and Administrative Tasks

Task 1 will be reserved for any internal meetings and meetings with representatives from the MBTA, as well as any additional administrative tasks that arise throughout the course of this analysis.

Task 2 Gather Data and Develop Scenarios

CTPS will use General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data to develop two scenarios. The Baseline scenario will reflect service before the new ferry routes were introduced into the system and the Service Change scenario will include the new ferry services. CTPS will also compile relevant demographic data to evaluate disparate impacts or disproportionate burdens.

Task 3  Perform Service Equity Analyses for the Two Scenarios

Based on the guidance in the MBTA Service and Fare Change Equity Policy, CTPS will evaluate revenue vehicle hours and system coverage as measured by the percentage of the population that lives within 0.5 miles of an MBTA stop or station. CTPS will use demographic data to evaluate how the introduction of the new ferry services impacts Title VI protected populations relative to non-protected populations based on the RVH and coverage metrics.

Products of Task 3

Draft service equity analyses

Task 4  Create Technical Memorandum and Documentation

CTPS will document the analysis steps and provide technical support for publishing and presenting the results. CTPS will compile the methodology and results into a technical memorandum to document the final equity analysis results.

Products of Task 4

Technical memorandum

 

Exhibit 1
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE
2025 Ferry Service Equity Analysis


Task 		Week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
1.
Meetings and Administrative Tasks
From Week 1, Day 1 to Week 17, Day 5.
2.
Gather Data and Develop Scenarios
From Week 2, Day 2 to Week 5, Day 5.
3.
Perform Service Equity Analyses for the Two Scenarios
From Week 5, Day 1 to Week 12, Day 5.
4.
Create Technical Memorandum and Documentation
From Week 12, Day 1 to Week 17, Day 5.
Deliverable
A
Delivered by Week 17, Day 5.
Products/Milestones
A: Technical memorandum and documentation

 

Exhibit 2
ESTIMATED COST
2025 Ferry Service Equity Analysis

Direct Salary and Overhead

$62,000

Task 		Person-Weeks by Pay Grade Direct
Salary 		Overhead
(120.3%) 		Total
Cost
G-9 G-8 G-7 G-6 Total
1.
Meetings and Administrative Tasks
0.2 0.2 0.6 1.4 2.4 $4,104 $4,937 $9,041
2.
Gather Data and Develop Scenarios
0.0 0.0 1.7 3.4 5.1 $8,098 $9,742 $17,840
3.
Perform Service Equity Analyses for the Two Scenarios
0.0 0.0 1.6 4.6 6.2 $9,701 $11,670 $21,370
4.
Create Technical Memorandum and Documentation
0.2 0.4 1.2 1.8 3.6 $6,241 $7,508 $13,749
Total
0.4 0.6 5.1 11.2 17.3 $28,144 $33,857 $62,000

Other Direct Costs

$0

TOTAL COST

$62,000
Funding
MBTA Contract

 

 

1 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), “MBTA Service and Fare Change Equity Policy,” October 24, 2023, https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2023-10/2023-10-Service-Fare-Change-Equity-Policy-English-Accessible.pdf.

2 Federal Transit Administration (FTA), “Title VI Requirements and Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients,” Circular 4702.1B, October 1, 2012, https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/fta-circulars/title-vi-requirements-and-guidelines-federal-transit.

 

 

CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎

 

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

 

For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.

 

To request this information in a different language or format, please contact:

 

Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 857.702.3700

Email: civilrights@ctps.org

 

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.