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The
Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) Ride On bus system
marked 40 years of service in May and kicked off a week of special events.
At the celebration,
County Executive Isiah Leggett proclaimed May 11, 2015 “Ride On Day” and
praised the system for four decades of high-quality customer service. Special
guests included U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, State Delegates Charles Barkley and
Jim Gilchrist, Montgomery County Council President George Leventhal, and
Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Sidney Katz. A group of “Trailblazers” – people
who joined the Ride On staff in the 1970s and are still with the system today –
were honored at the event. They are Carla Rivera, Bill Oliver, Steve Wilkinson
and Bill Gbolokai. Original rider
Susanne Brunhart-Wiggins and Ed Daniel, the very first Transit Services
Division Chief, were also recognized.
“From its
humble beginnings 40 years ago, Ride On has become an integral part of the
region’s balanced transportation network, providing 26.5 million trips a
year," said MCDOT Acting Director Al Roshdieh. “Further expanding transit
and other travel options is critical to relieving traffic congestion. If Ride
On was not available to our residents, each year there would be 96.5 million
additional vehicle miles of car traffic on our already clogged Montgomery
County roads. Ride On is a green and sustainable alternative to single passenger
vehicles and our use of alternative fuels significantly reduces air pollution.”
During the
middle of the week, Ride On hosted three Customer Appreciation Days at three
different transportation hubs across the county to thank its loyal customers.
Riders were given free t-shirts, water bottles, transit bags, badge holders,
stylus pens and reflector lights.
To cap off
the festive week and celebrate Bike to Work Day, Ride On offered free trips to
all passengers who rode on the bus with their bicycles. Acting Director Roshdieh
and Transit Services Division Chief Carolyn Biggins were at the Bike to Work
Day pit stop in Rockville to demonstrate how to load a bicycle onto a Ride On
bus. One of Ride On’s buses with the new turn warning system was on site for a
demonstration of how the vehicles help alert pedestrians and bicyclists.
Ride On
began operations in 1975 with 20 buses in Gaithersburg and Silver Spring.
Today, Ride On operates 343 buses and provides award-winning transit service
countywide, 365-days-per-year. On a typical weekday, people take 86,000 trips
on 78 weekday Ride On routes. More than 75 percent of Ride On buses are
hybrid-electric diesel, clean diesel, or run on compressed natural gas, all of
which reduce harmful air emissions. This proportion will rise as older buses
are replaced with new, more energy-efficient vehicles in the next few years.
Ride On’s
most recent service upgrade in January added service on 19 routes, increased
hours of operation on 18 routes, and improved the accuracy of schedule times on
14 routes . Ride On provides customer service training for each bus operator.
Ride On buses are 100 percent ADA compliant and a program to upgrade Ride On’s
5,300 bus stops for accessibility and pedestrian safety is regarded as a national
model.
After
working as a Ride On bus operator for more than a decade, Alex Folgar finally
had the chance to showcase his skills on an international stage in May when he
competed at the 2015 International Bus Roadeo in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Folgar
earned 7th place, which is the highest finish that Ride On has ever
had in the history of the competition.
Hosted
annually by the American Public Transportation Association, the International Bus
Roadeo allows bus operators from all over the U.S. and Canada to put their
driving and safety skills to the test as well as train and network with each
other.
Mr. Folgar’s
first task in the competition was to conduct a pre-trip inspection, in which
eight equipment-related defects and one safety hazard were purposefully planted
for him to find and correct.
Once in the
driver’s seat, Mr. Folgar had to complete 11 driving obstacles with a 35-foot
bus in less than 7 minutes. The obstacles included serpentine, offset street,
rear duals clearance, right-hand turn, left-hand turn, first customer stop,
second customer stop, left-hand reverse, right-hand reverse, diminishing clearance
and judgment stop.
Mr. Folgar
was also scored on his safety habits, smoothness of operation and personal
appearance.
“I was
totally excited. I was expecting to do a little better, but it felt good to
bring Ride On one step up,” Mr. Folgar said of his win, noting that last year’s
Ride On competitor finished in 8th place. A total of 19 transit
systems competed in the 35-foot bus class at the event.
Mike Nesselt, chief of Ride On’s Gaithersburg
Depot, said the International Roadeo was an enjoyable event and a learning
experience for all. He had the opportunity to speak with other transit systems
and get their perspectives on a wide variety of issues such as management, fare
enforcement and customer service.
“It was a
good eye-opener for us to see that everyone’s trying to figure out the same
things,” Mr. Nesselt said.
In order to
qualify for the international competition, Mr. Folgar was first required to win
Ride On’s annual Roadeo, which he did last September. Ahead of the big event,
Mr. Folgar completed nearly three days of practice led by Mike Lyles, Ride On’s
safety and training supervisor.
Even though
this year’s International Bus Roadeo just ended, Mr. Folgar has already set his
sights on next year’s competition where he hopes to take home first place.
During its
annual Give and Ride food drive in April, the Ride On bus system collected
8,767 pounds of canned and nonperishable food items. Passengers who donated on
the buses received free rides in return for their generosity.
“Ride On is
more than a bus service – it’s a family of caring bus drivers and riders who
reach out to make a different in the lives of others,” said County Executive
Isiah Leggett. “We appreciate the efforts of our passengers and employees who
donated generously to support elementary school students who need access to
food over the weekend.”
All food
donations were sent to Manna Food Center, a Gaithersburg-based nonprofit
organization that distributes food to the county’s neediest families. In
addition to providing food for 3,600 families each month, Manna also provides
weekly “Smart Sacks” of nutritious food to 2,300 elementary school students in
need.
U.S.
Representatives John Delaney and John Sarbanes, MCDOT Acting Director Al
Roshdieh, Division of Transit Services Chief Carolyn Biggins and other federal
and county officials came together April 9 for a “Stand Up 4 Transportation”
event, one of more than 300 such efforts organized nationwide as part of the
American Public Transportation Association’s campaign to promote passage of a
long-term federal transportation authorization bill.
Federal
transportation dollars are essential to the future success of our regional
transportation network as they help pay for new Ride On buses, Metrorail, the
Purple Line, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and other critical
projects.
The event, held at the County’s Equipment
Maintenance & Transit Operations (EMTOC) center in Rockville, began with a
tour of the new LEED Gold-certified facility.
Finding ways
to get around the county without using your own car is becoming easier with the
recent launch of a transit screen project for public buildings that provides
real-time information about all types of transportation options that are
available near a particular location.
Led by the
Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), the initiative already
includes two newly installed screens; one in the Executive Office Building, 101
Monroe Street, Rockville and one in the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland
Avenue, Rockville. The two screens were provided by a company called
TransitScreen.
In
Rockville, both transit screens display real-time transit information for Ride
On buses, Metrobus, Metrorail, and MARC train, as well as the availability of
Bikeshare and Zipcar.
“MCDOT is
committed to a comprehensive approach to mobility that enhances our community’s
quality of life by providing our residents with more good options to driving
alone – and more information about the options that currently exist,” said
MCDOT Acting Director Al Roshdieh. “That is why I am pursuing large and small
opportunities, like TransitScreen, that can help educate people about the
transit options that are close by. TransitScreen is just one of the innovations
that we will be introducing to help us achieve the goal of a greener, smarter
and more competitive community.”
The
department’s hope is to expand the program to regional service centers,
libraries, recreation centers and other county facilities
With
distracted walking injuries on the rise, the Ride On bus system is testing a
new safety feature: a turn warning alert that notifies pedestrians of a turning
vehicle.
When a bus
operator turns the steering wheel 45 degrees in either direction, the motion
triggers an optical sensor installed inside the steering column that issues an
audible warning heard outside of the bus in the direction of the turn announcing
that the bus is about to make that movement. Four buses are currently equipped
with the system as part of a pilot project.
“Ride On’s
top priority is ensuring the safety of our passengers and the public, and the
turn warning system is another tool we can use to achieve this goal as I expand
the use of technology to enhance and improve performance throughout MCDOT,”
said MCDOT Acting Director Al Roshdieh. “Distracted walking has been implicated
nationwide as one cause of pedestrian collisions and we hope these alerts will
not only make pedestrians more aware of our buses, but will also serve as a
reminder to drivers to double check for pedestrians when they are turning.”
Montgomery
County residents who are 18 years old and younger can travel around the county with
ease by purchasing Ride On’s Youth Monthly Pass, which provides unlimited rides
on Ride On buses.
The passes,
which must be loaded onto the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip Card, can be purchased online at SmarTrip.com or in
person at the following locations:
- Montgomery
County Treasury – 255 Rockville Pike, Suite L-15, Rockville (240-777-8930)
- TRiPS Commuter Stores – 8413 Ramsey Ave.,
Silver Spring & 17 Wisconsin Circle, Friendship Heights (240-773-8747)
- Certain Giant Food, CVS and other retail
stores – See list of locations
Youth
Cruiser SmarTrip Cards can be purchased for $2 at County Libraries, the
Treasury, TRiPS Stores and some schools. Visit RideOnBus.com for more
information.
PACE
assignments offer employees an opportunity to voluntarily assume different or
additional responsibilities outside of their current class specification;
advance career potential and increase job enrichment; and support career
development.
This PACE
opportunity is for three newly appointed Scheduling Assistants. One
representative (a current bus operator) from each of Ride On’s three bus depots
was selected for the position. They will work in the Scheduling Unit of
Operations Planning from June 2015 to May 2016.
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Alonso
Lazo, of the
Gaithersburg Depot, is bilingual (English and Spanish) and has worked as a Ride
On bus operator since 2001. He attended Montgomery College, where he gained
skills in computer sciences, including Microsoft Office Suite. Alonso has
worked in several supervisory positions, and seeks to use his leadership skills
to enhance growth and operational improvement. |
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Biniam
Haile, of the
Nicholson Court Depot, has been in the transit industry since 2001. He speaks
four languages and has served as an interpreter for Ethiopian diplomats. Biniam
has worked as a Ride On bus operator since 2013. He holds an Associate of Arts
degree in General Arts from Montgomery College and an auto mechanic’s diploma.
He is also experienced in Microsoft Office Suite. |
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Sanit
‘Sam’ Mookkung, of
the Silver Spring Depot, has been a Ride On bus operator since 1997 and, has
experience as an AutoCAD design technician, with Spacesaver System, Inc. He holds an Associate of Science degree in
Engineering Technology; and, a certificate in basic computer/machine shop. Sam
is also proficient in Microsoft Office Suite. |
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