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We at Metro Transit deliver environmentally sustainable transportation choices that link people, jobs and community conveniently, consistently and safely.
From General Manager Wes Kooistra
Starting today, our buses will no longer display a message that has become familiar in the past few months – Essential Trips Only.
We are taking this message down as the state carefully turns the dial in its COVID-19 response, while continuing to emphasize the need to take recommended precautions seriously.
Our shift also represents a recognition that more of our customers are returning to work or have other reasons to ride with us. People rely on us to get where they need to go, and we are committed to providing that critical service.
We are beginning to see more riders gradually return to transit. And while we can expect additional riders to return in the coming weeks and months, we will not let up in our efforts to safeguard our employees and customers.
In practice, that means continuing to do all we can to keep our buses, trains and facilities as clean as possible, regularly reminding customers that face coverings are required and upholding passenger limits to give people sufficient room on our buses.
We are trusting that customers will determine when they need to ride, and will do their part to limit their trips so those who must take transit can do so safely.
Since late-March, we have also asked customers who can do so to board through the rear door and suspended on-board fare collection. This measure was taken out of an abundance of caution, but was never intended to be a long-term solution.
In August, we expect to ask our riders to resume boarding through the front door and to purchase or validate their fares. Many of our peer agencies have already taken this step, or are planning to in the near future.
To create a safer boarding environment, we are putting in temporary operator shields and are installing more of the permanent barriers that will eventually be on all our buses.
We will also give customers time to prepare and take every opportunity to promote the use of Go-To Cards and our mobile ticketing app, which allow people to board in just a few seconds. Customers who can do so will be strongly encouraged to exit using the rear doors.
While we are confident in our next steps, we will continue to respond to the guidance of public health experts, as well as feedback from customers and staff.
As we prepare for the next chapter, I want to again thank all those who are helping our region, our customers and our workforce stay safe. While we are not yet ready to put out the welcome mat, these efforts are critical to those who need to ride with us now, and those who want to do so again in the future.
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 Customers board at the Uptown Transit Station on Thursday, June 9. Operators are encouraged to display STAY SAFE MN on the overhead display by entering PR Code 15
 Ridership has always been used to inform service planning decisions. But when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Senior Data Scientist Joey Reid knew there would be a need more for more immediate information than is typically used.
To quickly see how ridership was changing, he set up a new database that allowed changes in ridership to be monitored daily. That information was further broken down to determine where larger, 60-foot buses could help provide customers more space while riding. The longer buses were quickly assigned to routes 5, 10, 18, 21, 22, 64 and 68, which were seeing the most overcrowding.
Read more on the Riders' Almanac blog
East Metro Operator Abdulahi Jibrell received the following commendation after waiting for a Route 63 customer who nearly missed the bus.
I work at CVS Pharmacy, and when I work nights, I get off at exactly 10 p.m. and have to catch the bus just a few minutes later. Sometimes a customer comes in and I miss the bus, or nearly miss it. Tonight was one of those moments. I saw the bus coming and waved at the driver, thinking full well they wouldn’t see me. When they drove past, I gave up in frustration and was nearly in tears. Then the driver stopped in the middle of the road and I was able to get on, get to my connecting route, and get home on time.
This moment, even though it was so small, meant more to me than you could know. I felt acknowledged, valued and cared about. As a fellow customer service worker, I know how exhausting it is to be constantly available for people. I have always seen drivers exhibit genuine respect and care for me and other riders. The care this driver showed me was invaluable. Please thank them and tell them they have done an amazing service tonight!
Abby, St. Paul
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Employees are invited to call into a virtual town hall about what Metro Transit can do to advance equity later this month. The town hall will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, and is being hosted by Metro Transit’s Equity & Inclusion team and General Manager Wes Kooistra.
Ideas that were submitted by staff before July 6 will be included in a summary that will be presented during the town hall. The town hall will also be an opportunity for additional feedback and discussion about ways Metro Transit can advance equity in the workplace and through its service delivery.
Staff should have received an e-mail invite with information about calling into the town hall or accessing it using WebEx. To learn more about the event or offer feedback
send an e-mail to EquityMT@metrotransit.org.
Comments can also be submitted anonymously using an online form.
Continue reading
From the Council's executive team: An update on plans for taking bolder action on equity
From the GM: A cautionary message to me and other "white progressive" employees
Across the organization, Metro Transit employees’ work has been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These "In These Together" Q&As illustrate how employees are adapting both on and off the clock. Read more interviews here.
How has the pandemic affected your day-to-day work?
When the pandemic began, I stayed on the job but there were fewer operators around the driver's room. Some of the new protocols, like wiping down a bus before beginning your shift, were easy to get used to. This was something I've been doing since I became a bus operator, so it was habit. Adding a face mask was initially difficult for me, but after a while I've gotten used to it.
What’s it like working through a pandemic?
During the pandemic, it got a little lonely at times because there were fewer co-workers to talk to during downtime. When we moved into the new Heywood driver's room, I contacted my co-workers and helped move their belongings from their old lockers to their new ones, which helped me keep in contact with people I wasn't seeing on a daily basis.
The pandemic also brought new types of mutual aid work. I was one of a few bus operators who picked up and drove quarantined people who arrived at the airport home back in March. These people were stuck at the airport for a month just waiting to see if they'd develop COVID-19. I have to admit I was a little nervous, but when I saw the smiles and the relief on their faces, it was worth it.
How has your life changed outside of work?
I've been able to put more money toward my goal of home ownership. Right now, my oldest daughter and I live in the same apartment building and are just down the hall from each other. We take turns hosting dinners, which also include my son. I'd love to invite my dad, but can't due to his underlying conditions. I recently visited him to give him more masks and hand sanitizer, but will continue to limit my contact until it's safe.
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 Growing up, Lt. Mario Ruberto dreamed of becoming a paramedic like those he saw on “Emergency,” a 1970s semi-documentary TV series about Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.
Ruberto began living the dream when he became a Mayo Clinic cardiac care nurse in 1980. Over the next 40 years, he would become a paramedic, a police officer and a college instructor.
Those experiences served him well as MTPD’s emergency management coordinator, a role that recently included the responsibility of creating the department’s plan to protect officers and people they encounter during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This melded my careers from medicine, emergency management, as a paramedic and a police officer,” Ruberto said.
To create the plan, Ruberto distilled reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and translated them into new ways of doing business for the department. And it paid off. With enhanced cleaning efforts and isolation, the department has seen just three COVID-19 cases to date. The department has around 140 full-time officers and more than 50 part-time officers.
“His being a subject matter expert really put the MTPD in a great position to manage the impact of the pandemic and keep our staff as healthy as possible,” said Leah Palmer, a department project manager who worked with Ruberto on the COVID plan.
Read more about the Metro Transit Police Department's COVID-19 response
MTPD officer, bus operator take military leaves to help fight coronavirus
Two Metro Transit staffers have helped combat COVID-19 in military roles.
Police Officer Meng Yang is a chaplain’s assistant who was activated twice this spring with the U.S. Army Reserve. Heywood Operator Kou Yang is a Minnesota Army National Guardsman was called on to help with COVID-19 testing.
Meng Yang works with doctors, nurses and other health care providers who provide medical and psychological operations support. This spring, he was sent to Milwaukee, Wisc., to help assemble supplies for field hospitals. His second deployment was to New York.
“My job was to help with logistics getting face masks, ventilators and helping the chaplain with moral support and counseling soldiers and nurses who have never had this kind of challenge,’’ said Yang, who is among 12 Metro Transit Police Department officers in the Army Reserve and National Guard.
Kou Yang’s Guard unit was activated over Memorial Day weekend to help pre-screen 1,400 people who sought COVID-19 testing at an armory in Faribault. This was the first time Kou Yang had assisted with medical efforts during his five years with the Guard. “We were able to flatten out the curve,’’ he said proudly.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law 30 years ago this month, and employees are being encouraged to help mark the occasion.
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities across numerous areas of life, including transportation.
The ADA National Network is asking people to share why they are thankful for the ADA on social media using #ThanksToTheADA. The Council would also like to collect and share these reflections. Please share your contributions with Crystal Mulry, web and social media editor.
For more information about the Council's ADA work visit metrocouncil.org or contact Guthrie Byard.
30 years after the ADA, transit agencies report successes and shortfalls (Washington Post)
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Congratulations to employees who retired in June
Ramona “Mona” Shafer, #3193, Janitor, 40 years
Mary Beth Christenson, #3458, Fare Collections Supervisor, 28 years
Jay Jensen, #9157, Public Facilities Worker, 28 years
Michael Dalbec, #5867, Operator, East Metro, 22 years
James Jackson, #2663, Operator, South, 19 years
Fue Vang, #2307, Train Operator, 19 years
Mark Turan, #5601, Mechanic Technician, 19 years
Charles Ruud, Manager, SCADA Signals/Communications, 16 years
Richard Jensen, Sergeant, 10 years
John Cota, #71162, Stockkeeper, 9 years
Andrew Carlson, Police Officer, 6 years
Congratulations to employees who celebrated work anniversaries in June
Kevin Buschkowsky, #5210, Mechanic Technician, Heywood
Frederick Schwartz, #5264, Mechanic Technician, South
Bill Beck, Bus Maintenance Manager, Heywood (above right)
Jack Shaw, Rail Maintenance Supervisor
Ernest Meyer, #6031, Operator, Ruter
Eduardo Chavez, #2072, Operator, East Metro
Scott Dorman, #2074, Operator, East Metro
Shoeb Behlim, #2080, Assist. Manager-Rail Transportation (above left)
To share a staffing announcement or to recognize
View the print version (PDF) of this week's Insights or continue reading on MetNet.
Metro Transit’s employee newsletter, Insights, is published weekly. Employees are invited to submit comments, letters to the editor and story ideas. Contact the editor at insights@metrotransit.org.
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