TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

April/May 2000
1999 Annual Report
SAFE
Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways

What is blue and white and yellow and helps motorists all over the Bay Area? Give up? It is MTC SAFE's two congestion-busting, safety-promoting programs: the roadside call box network and the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) roving tow truck service.

The region's 3,500 bright yellow call boxes -- topped by blue and white signs -- got a facelift and an upgrade during the year, with faded or corroded call boxes replaced, and Y2K hardware improvements installed throughout the network. In good news for drivers with speech or hearing impairments, a year-long pilot program was launched to test a device to make it easier for such motorists to use the call boxes to summon help.

After studying ways to improve the speed with which call box calls are answered, MTC SAFE came to the conclusion that privatization could help. The call answering function is now in the process of transitioning from the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate Communications Center to a private call center as part of a systemwide test that will be evaluated in the summer of 2000.

During 1999, the FSP's white tow trucks with the blue and yellow logo began to be seen in more corners of the region, expanding their coverage by more than 65 miles (for a total of 340 miles regionwide) and increasing their numbers from 52 to 59. Currently, the FSP handles approximately 9,000 incidents a month, from clearing roads of dangerous debris to providing stranded motorists with a free gallon of gas.

MTC SAFE administers the roadside call box network and FSP program in conjunction with Caltrans and the CHP.
-- Réka Goode

SAFE REVENUES 1998-99	SAFE EXPENSES 1998-99
Total Revenues $10,921,898 Call Box Program $6,627,633 1 Registration Fees (a) $6,627,633 Freeway Service Patrol $4,294,265 2 State Contribution (a) $2,651,644 3 Transfer from Reserves $936,713 4 Federal Traffic Mitigation Funds $385,707 5 Federal CMAQ Funds (b) $214,813 6 Local Agencies $105,388	Total Expenses $10,921,898 Call Box Program $6,167,021 1 Ongoing Maintenance $1,855,934 2 Consultants $1,445,621 3 Other Operating Expenses $1,405,124 4 CHP Dispatchers $883,942 5 Cellular Air Time $576,400 Freeway Service Patrol $4,754,877 6 Towing Contracts $3,791,923 7 Other Operating Expenses $765,064 8 Consultants $197,890
(a) Includes interest (b) CMAQ: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program

CALL BOX USAGE	FSP
1998 1999 Total Calls for Nine Counties 177,324 155,726 Calls Answered Within 2 Minutes (a) 92% 94% Average Seconds Before Call Was Answered (b) 30 23	1998 1999 Total Assists 95,691 101,964 Monthly Average 7,974 8,497 Excellent Service Rating 92% 92% Average Minutes Before FSP Arrived 10 10
(a) Goal: 90% (b) Goal: no more than 30 seconds

Contents Bay Area Transportation Blueprint for the 21st Century MTC Sends Plan to Sacramento Phased Implementation Plan Taking the Public's Pulse 1999 Annual Report A Message from the Editor Focus on Funding MTC Allocations Table MTC Highlights and Finances BATA Highlights and Finances SAFE