|
We at Metro Transit deliver environmentally sustainable transportation choices that link people, jobs and community conveniently, consistently and safely.
From General Manager Wes Kooistra
August and September are usually our busiest and most festive months, with large crowds filing into the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and several stadiums situated along our light rail lines. In years past, overlapping events have led to single-day ridership records.
This year, the world around us looks very different.
Here and across the country, there is growing tension over police conduct, racism, inadequate housing and a troubled economy. Our community is seeing far too many homicides, including one that occurred on Wednesday near a Minneapolis transit center. On several recent occasions, our services have been detoured by police activity and road closures.
Against this unnerving backdrop, the COVID-19 pandemic is as present and as powerful as ever, claiming 1,800 Minnesotans and infecting nearly 71,000 others, including more than 70 of our co-workers.
Especially for those who are working in our garages and in the community, the risks have been and continue to be ever-present. For parents, the fall brings another weighty challenge: the need to balance the demands of work and home as students attend classes online.
These are incredibly difficult and stressful conditions to operate under, and I know they can be particularly hard for the front-line staff who cannot work from home and whose work brings them closest to these issues. Many of us have also dedicated our lives to bringing our community together and are left wondering where we go from here.
I want to acknowledge these turbulent times and offer my sincere appreciation for the efforts that are being made to continue serving our community despite all the obstacles in our way. I have been and continue to be inspired by your work.
I also want to remind you that none of us are in this alone.
As an organization, we are committed to providing access to mental health resources, including free counseling, and to putting the safety of our staff at the center of every decision we make.
I encourage you to learn more about available supports by speaking with a manager or supervisor, Fit For Life Champion, or Peer Support member. Our Equity & Inclusion team members are also tremendous resources.
Things are not what they used to be and, frankly, they may never be again. But one thing has remained constant: Our capacity to look forward, and to look out for each other. Thank you for providing that steady presence at a time when it is most in need.
|
Beginning this week, employees can find more information about COVID-19 cases at the workplace.
Each Friday, Insights will include a link to a one-page document with the number of new cases reported during a one-week period ending the Tuesday of that week at each work location. The cumulative number of cases and the number of employees who have recovered and returned to work will also be shared. This information will also be posted at work sites.
Remember, Metro Transit employees can access free COVID-19 tests at HealthPartners and Park Nicollet drive-up sites, and at the HealthPartners Well@Work Clinic at the Heywood Office. To make a drive-up appointment, visit healthpartners.com and use the five-digit employer code 10397. To make an appointment at the Well@Work Clinic, call 952-967-7468.
Common COVID-19 symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, a fever, muscle or body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or new los or new loss of taste or smell.
View the latest data on COVID-19 cases, by worksite
|
By testing vehicle cleanliness using a special device, Bus Maintenance aims to not only measure vehicle cleanliness, but also improve it.
"We hope we will be able to create a baseline for cleanliness," Project Manager Anthony Zessman said. "Collecting this data can help us identify technologies and processes that work."
The device Bus Maintenance is using detects the presence of adenosine triphosphate, which is an energy molecule that exists in all living cells and is left after a surface has been touched. It’s used in the dental, food and other industries for health and safety precautions.
"We're approaching this very scientifically by conducting a blind test and measuring only one cleaning method at a time," Zessman said. “This helps us not only better understand current methods, but also provide comparisons when assessing future sanitizing methods and strategies.”
At each garage, staff take random samples from high-touch areas before and after they have either wiped or misted with disinfectant. The samples are inserted into the handheld device, which detects organic matter in minutes. These findings are then logged for analysis.
The surface tester doesn't tell staff if there's a specific organism present, but it does identify how much organic matter there could be. Currently, the goal is to ensure that surfaces consistently have a reading below 100 Relative Light Units (RLU), the measurement that identifies the presence of organic matter.
Metro Transit’s annual Bus Roadeo will go on in September with precautions in place.
The annual competition tests operators’ driving skills through a series of exercises set up in the Como Avenue parking lot at the State Fairgrounds (1622 Como Ave.). The competition also includes a customer service test and uniform inspection.
This year, the competition will be held on the following dates:
-
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
-
Thursday, Sept. 17, 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
-
Friday, Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m. to noon
-
Saturday, Sept. 19, 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Operators will complete the course in the order that they arrive. There are no practice dates this year.
All operators and judges will be required to wear a face covering and maintain separation between themselves and others while on the course.
Top finishers from each garage will be recognized, along with a Rookie of the Year. Participants will receive a baseball cap.
For more information, see a garage coordinator. To learn more about serving as a judge, contact Safety Specialist Bobby Redd.
|
Arthur Shelton didn't picture himself becoming a bus operator. But after four decades behind the wheel, he can't imagine doing anything else.
"I've never had a bad day driving a bus," said Shelton, who recently celebrated his 40-year anniversary. "When I started, I didn't know I'd have this much fun. I love what I do, and I have fun every day."
He credits a family friend and transit employee, Chuck Lincoln Felter, for getting him to Metro Transit. Shelton trained at the old Snelling Garage, but quickly moved to South where he's been ever since.
Shelton has seen many changes, from buses without power steering to electric buses, but also what never changes: the interactions with customers and co-workers at the garage. "At transit, I found not only a good career, but a family that's always there to help each other," Shelton said. "We all are in need sometimes."
This is a lesson his single father of four taught him years ago while growing up in the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul.
"Occasionally, people would knock on our door and need a little help," Shelton said. "My father was always willing to lend a hand."
In the community, Shelton always keeps those in need in mind. Since the mid ‘80s, he's run a donation drive to collect clothing and food for the less fortunate. Metro Transit has supported the effort effort by providing a bus to fill and transport donations.
Across the organization, Metro Transit employees’ work has been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These "In This 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?
Beyond the switch to working from home, priorities in the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) office have shifted and several efforts are on hold. I've been working online from home, including hosting a webinar in July about innovative project financing strategies, rather than the community forum we originally envisioned.
Our annual “Development Trends Along Transit” report has been put three months behind schedule due to pandemic response. I have plenty of other work, however, because regional development doesn’t stop, not even for COVID-19.
What’s it like working through a pandemic?
Working remotely is more challenging than I anticipated. I’m an introvert, but I find myself missing everyone at the office. Our work is very collaborative and video calls or online chats don’t replace the energy of being in a room together.
Luckily for me, I do have one new co-worker keeping things interesting, a cat named Sherman who I adopted in December. A rather mischievous young man, Sherman enjoys attacking anything string-like, singing loudly, sitting on keyboards, and mandatory lap time.
How has your life changed outside of work?
To be honest, the pandemic has me terrified. I have asthma and have aging parents in another state. I self-isolate except for brief trips to the store and socially distanced bike rides. Since February, the largest group of people I’ve seen in person was my girlfriend and her family for a birthday cookout. We wore masks and socially distanced.
I miss being with people and spending time supporting local art and restaurants. Instead, I donate to local artists and support efforts for Queer, Black, and Indigenous folks. From little things like wild raspberries to our community coming together to oppose police violence, I’ve been working to focus on the good. So many people have come together to support the most vulnerable among us. I find strength in that fight.
Read previous In This Together Q&As on the Riders' Almanac blog
|
South Operator Kent Knutson recently received the following commendation from a customer who appreciates his dedication to pandemic safety.
He is a wonderful driver. I enjoyed riding with Route 6 and really appreciated how he followed COVID-19 policy for passenger capacity.
|
The Equity & Inclusion team is seeking additional feedback as it develops recommended actions that Metro Transit can take to advance equity.
More than 200 comments were received through earlier efforts to collect staff feedback. The renewed effort is intended to increase representation of frontline staff before the recommendations are finalized and presented later this year.
To gather more input, a series of online forums for operators, maintenance staff and BIPOC employees have been organized. In addition, printed copies of the recommended actions will be sent to staff, along with an invitation to provide written, anonymous feedback.
All employees are invited to continue providing feedback through an online survey.
During the last two weeks of September, flu shot clinics will be available at many Met Council sites. On-site employees do not need to schedule an appointment; simply stop by during a scheduled time.
Employees who are working from home should not drive to these clinics. Instead, please schedule an appointment at either of the Well@Work clinics or your regular clinic. Convenience clinics around the metro area are also an option for free flu shots for anyone enrolled in a medical plan.
Review the flu shot schedule
Last chance to earn a $40 gift card by completing Health Assessment
Employees who have HealthPartners medical or dental coverage through the Met Council can earn a $40 gift card by completing the HealthPartners Health Assessment by Aug. 31. To complete the assessment, visit healthpartners.com/wellbeing-login/ and log in with your HealthPartners account. For assistance, call 800-311-1052.
Revenue Operations is expanding the Access Pass program to help service agencies, counties, and medical providers lower the cost of providing fares to their Medicaid and various waiver program clients.
By the end of the year, most clients of Hennepin County Department of Health and Human Services are expected to transition from stored value Go-To Cards and unlimited ride monthly passes to Access Pass. Access Pass allows providers to be billed after their clients take the rides, instead of paying upfront.
“They don’t have to decide what is best for their clients. There are so many options for them, such as stored value, how much stored value to give or if they are going to ride enough to warrant an unlimited monthly pass,” said Program Specialist Events and Fare Programs Nick Gorell, who is the project manager for Access Pass.
The program also saves providers and Metro Transit money on administrative costs.
Later this year, there are plans to convert a couple of Medicaid insurers, Medica and HealthPartners, to Access Pass. They now offer stored value Go-To Cards and unlimited monthly ride passes to their clients.
The Access Pass program began in 2016 with one client, Blue Cross Blue Shield, as a pilot project. A successful six-month pilot with Hennepin County last year helped lead to the recent expansion.
|
Beginning Saturday, Sept. 12, service will return to nearly pre-pandemic levels on many local bus routes and light rail lines. Commute-oriented express bus routes and the Northstar Commuter Rail Line will continue to operate on limited schedules. More than 50 express routes will remain suspended.
The next scheduled service changes will take effect on Saturday, Dec. 5. This week, Service Development released the dates for the 2021 service changes. They are: March 13, June 12, August 21 and December 4.
Review the September 12 service changes
View the 2021 service calendar
View the print version 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.
© 2020 Metro Transit
|
