Performance Review

Pennsylvania’s Act 44 of 2007 requires that all transit providers in the Commonwealth undergo an independent performance review every five years. PennDOT Bureau of Public Transportation personnel working with industry consultants recently completed an Act 44 Performance Review for AMTRAN.

Seven and One

The in-depth review covers a wide range of financial and operational measures comparing AMTRAN to in-state and out-of-state peers. However, the most important are the measures that are specified in Act 44. Of those eight measures, AMTRAN is in compliance with seven and out of compliance with just one - the 2010 Operating Cost per Revenue Hour. There are specific five-year targets for each of the eight measures, and AMTRAN is in the process of developing an Action Plan.

Accountability

Taxpayers are rightfully demanding more transparency and more accountability in how their tax dollars are being spent. The Act 44 Performance Review is an excellent example of putting those concepts into practice. As General Manager, I was very pleased to see AMTRAN get seven out of eight of the Act 44 performance standards in compliance. Frankly, if we got eight out of eight, people might conclude that the standards were not tough enough. This gives us something specific to work toward as we move forward. Our next step is to drill down and identify those expenses we can impact to lower our cost per revenue hour in both the short and long term.

Best Practices

The Performance Review also cited AMTRAN for seven industry “best practices.” One was our use of technology to improve customer service which has been well-documented. The review mentioned technology in the context of “AMTRAN’s larger long-term focus on customer service and its willingness to invest in the tools to improve the overall customer experience.” Another “best practice” included “tying employee performance assessment to agency goals” for all personnel.

Conclusion

We are very pleased with our first Act 44 Performance Review. AMTRAN measured up well, but the report also gave us some areas to work on. Stay tuned for our Action Plan which should be out in mid-January. Click this link to download the entire Act 44 Performance Review.