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TPO adopts transit asset-management and safety-plan targets; agencies report fleet backlog and orders
Summary
The board approved transit asset management (TAM) and Public Transit Agency Safety Plan targets for regional operators. Staff said agencies currently exceed the TAM useful-life benchmark for several vehicle classes, with notable backlogs and vehicles on order.
The Knoxville Regional TPO on March 26 adopted regional targets for the Transit Asset Management (TAM) plan and for Public Transit Agency Safety Plans required by the Federal Transit Administration.
Jonah (TPO staff presenter) explained the TAM approach and regional targets: “We have a goal of keeping no less than 90% of the rolling stock and assets in a state of good repair,” he said. The TAM uses the FTA’s useful life benchmark (ULB) as a proxy; Jonah added that several asset classes exceed that benchmark today. “You can see we're a good bit over that for, pretty much all of our asset classes,” he said, pointing to the agenda packet.
Board members pressed for clarity on the backlog metric. Jonah described backlog as the percentage of vehicles that have exceeded the useful-life benchmark and noted that actual condition can differ from age-based benchmarks; he and other staff pointed to supply-chain delays that left many replacement buses and vans on order. A board member noted an example: “CAC has got, 18 vans on order, Cat has some buses on order, Ethere has some,” and staff said deliveries should improve backlog percentages when vehicles arrive.
On safety targets, staff described required FTA metrics—fatalities, injuries, safety events, and mechanical failures plus rates per 100,000 vehicle revenue miles. Jonah said agencies set a zero target for fatalities and that the board is adopting the agencies’ safety targets as part of the regional reporting approach.
The Technical Committee recommended approval; the board moved, seconded and adopted the resolution by voice vote. Staff said they will follow up by collecting actual reported data from individual agency PTASP filings and integrating those numbers into the regional plan and reporting.
