From Bruce Howard, Director-Transit Information & Marketing
Transit Information Center representatives took nearly 600,000 calls last year, helping around 1,600 people a day.
These calls are incredibly important because, in many cases, they directly influence a caller's ability to ride with us and get where they need to go. Speaking to our customers also provides a better understanding of who we serve and what they need from us.
But the needs and expectations of our customers aren't what they used to be. Today, texting and other online tools are the predominant way people want to communicate and find the information they need.
As an agency, we are responding to these changes by making information available in new ways and improving on our existing transit information tools. As part of that shift, the TIC will close an hour earlier on weekdays and all day on Sundays so staff can spend more time supporting the variety of services we offer.
This transition is one small part of a much broader effort to communicate more efficiently and effectively with our customers.
Last year, we updated the system we use to provide real-time departure information, a change that has noticeably improved predictions. We've dedicated staff to maintaining our network of more than 200 real-time signs. And we are more seamlessly getting customers real-time information about detours, stop closures and other unexpected service impacts.
These recent advances follow improvements to our bus stop signs, shelter displays, pocket schedules and website, which customers used to plan more than 1.5 million trips last year.
To build on these efforts, we plan this year to test new signage directing customers to stops and stations and technology that audibly guides blind and low-vision customers to boarding areas. We are also making sure information is available in places customers look for information, like Google Maps.
These collective efforts will be an important part of our eventual campaign to invite back those customers who haven't been riding during the pandemic and will need to refamiliarize themselves with our service.
But providing accurate, timely information is always important, to all our customers. A missed trip or misunderstood direction can mean the difference between arriving at work on schedule, reaching a store before it closes or getting home in time for dinner.
As we often say, transit connects people to opportunity. We must then also appreciate that those opportunities can be missed because of bad or absent information.
So, thank you to all those who are getting our customers the information they need, when they need it. No matter what form it takes, this work is and will always be critically important.
Transit Information Center schedule changing
The Transit Information Center (TIC) will begin operating on a new schedule starting Saturday, Feb. 6. TIC representatives will be available to help customers plan trips by phone on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The TIC will be closed on Sundays and holidays.
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Anyone using transit must wear a properly fitted face mask while waiting for and riding transit under a new federal requirement that took effect this week. The requirement is expected to remain in effect until at least May 11, 2021.
Face coverings have been required on Metro Transit vehicles since last spring – the national requirement was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide uniformity across all modes of transportation.
As noted in a bulletin this week, operators are asked to remind customers not wearing a mask about the federal requirement, to offer them a mask from the supply available in the garage and to inform them they will be denied a ride if they do not properly wear a mask at all times during their trip. If a customer refuses, operators should contact the Transit Control Center. Customers may be exempt from the requirement if they cannot safely wear a mask because of a disability as defined by the ADA.
Questions about the federal requirement should be directed to a manager for follow-up.
Review the bulletin about the new federal mask requirement
Vaccine availability for Met Council employees
Earlier this week, state officials noted that they are not yet ready to officially begin vaccinating groups identified in phase 1B. Met Council leadership have advocated for our frontline employees, particularly those in transit, wastewater treatment, and housing operations, to be in the 1B group. As soon as we receive confirmation about who will be in phase 1B, we will communicate next steps out to staff, including specific access to the vaccine for Met Council employees.
Read more in the Council's February 4 COVID-19 update for employees
Review COVID-19 case data by worksite
Every Friday, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to the Employee Resource Center in the previous week will be reported in Insights. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to post this information at work sites.
See the latest data on COVID-19 cases by worksite
Learn more about Metro Transit's COVID-19 response on MetNet
Three Metro Transit staffers are being recognized by a group that seeks to expand access for women working in transportation. At a virtual awards program in April, WTS Minnesota will honor:
◦ Ruter Garage Manager Amina Wolf, who will receive the chapter’s Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award. In her nomination, co-workers wrote: “Amina understands the power of developing people who have not historically held leadership positions – and the depth of lost opportunity when racism and bias persist.” Wolf began as a bus operator in 2006 and has served as a train operator, rail supervisor and assistant transportation manager. She became Metro Transit’s first-ever Black woman garage manager last year and currently chairs Advancing Women in Transit (AWT), an employee resource group dedicated to promoting female-identifying employees.
◦ Ayantu Gemeda, Assistant Manager-Street Operations Bus Rapid Transit, will be named the chapter’s 2021 Woman to Watch. The award recognizes mid-career women who are making notable impacts to the industry. Gemeda began in Transit Information in 2014, became a transit supervisor in 2018 and became the first member of Street Operations management to be dedicated to BRT services in 2019. In her nomination, staff praised her listen-first approach and ability to work across multiple departments.
◦ Deputy Chief of Operations-Bus Brian Funk will receive the chapter’s Ray LaHood award, which recognizes men who are strong advocates for the advancement of women in the transportation industry. Funk is the executive sponsor for AWT.
WTS is an international organization that seeks to expand access for women in transportation. Each local chapter organizes its own annual awards program. To learn more about WTS Minnesota, contact Carrie Desmond, who is the Minnesota chapter's membership director.
Reminder: AWT seeking speakers for Women’s Month events
Advancing Women in Transit is looking for female-identifying employees who would like to share their stories during a series of Women’s Month events in March. Speakers are encouraged to talk about leadership styles that are more common among women, including empathy, humility and resilience. The goal is to help attendees rethink their leadership strategies and apply new techniques based on the experience of others. All female-identifying employees are invited to serve as speakers. The online events will be guided by AWT leaders and are expected to be held every Monday in March. For more information, contact Carri Sampson.
Reflect on the legacy of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born on Feb. 4, 1913, and was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, when she refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger. Parks’ refusal led to a bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., an important moment in the civil rights movement.
Watch: 65 years after Rosa Parks’ arrest, operator reads and reflects
New York Times: The real Rosa Parks story is better than the fairy tale
Ruter Janitor Jody Theisen retired this week after more than 40 years of service.
Theisen began his career as a vault puller at the old Northside Garage and became a janitor about three years later. As a janitor, he worked at every garage except for East Metro, and spent more than 30 years at the Shingle Creek/Ruter Garage.
Throughout his career, Theisen took pride in his work and enjoyed the company of those he met along the way. His attention to detail was seen early on, when he carefully swept up fare card punches left on the garage floor, and later when he spent a week using a power drill to restore a grime-covered bathroom sink.
In addition to his strong work ethic, Theisen was a welcoming presence at the garage. While working nights, he would often serve as a sounding board for operators as they pulled in. “I’d be the first one they’d see, and they’d tell me everything that was going on,” Theisen said. “I know I helped a lot of people out that way.”
In retirement, Theisen plans to spend more time with his family, including four grandchildren and outstate relatives, and to bring his fishing pole with him wherever he goes.
Read more at metrotransit.org/greatpeople.
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Because an in-person celebration cannot be held this year, the Black History Month Committee is inviting staff to watch featured speakers from past year's events over the coming weeks.
Recordings from previous events will be shown starting at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, Friday, Feb. 19, and Friday, Feb. 26, via Microsoft Teams. Committee members will introduce each viewing.
The February 12 event will be a replay of the presentation by storytellers Vusi and Nothando Zulu (right).
Watch your email for an invitation and a link to tune-in or contact Traci Williamson for more information.
Other opportunities to reflect on Black History Month
◦ The Council's Pride Employee Resource Group will explore the intersection of Black history and the LGBTQ movement at its next weekly meeting, on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. For more information about that meeting contact Nia Colebrook.
◦ Environmental Services and Community Development will host a virtual Black History Month presentation at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The featured guest is T. Mychael Rambo, a vocalist, arts educator and community organizer. For more information, contact Suidi Hashi.
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Some alert Metro Transit staffers are being praised for their help reuniting a man with his stolen bike.
In January, the man's bike was taken when he briefly left it unlocked while inside a Richfield store. A photo of the missing bike on the front rack of a Route 4 bus later appeared on a Facebook page dedicated to reuniting cyclists with their stolen bikes.
The post caught the eye of a Customer Relations staffer who suggested the rightful owner contact Metro Transit. The bike had been returned to the Lost & Found after being left on the bus by the suspected thieves, who later tried to claim it as their own.
While looking into the case, Richfield police saw that Metro Transit police had run a search for the bike's serial number and connected the dots. Richfield police contacted the owner, who sent Metro Transit a photo of himself with the bike and its serial number.
"I just hope you put how terribly, terribly grateful I am to get it back,'' the man said. "Thanks for all these honest people who helped me get it back.''
Customer Relations staff return about 25% of the approximately 1,200 bikes that are brought to Lost & Found every year. Unclaimed bikes are sent to non-profit organizations to distribute them to those in need.
Register your bike in case it goes missing
Registering your bike can help police return it to you if it goes missing. Bikes can be registered through Bike Index or the City of Minneapolis with a serial number.
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Metro Transit is looking for someone to lead the agency’s efforts to achieve equitable outcomes for employees, customers and community members.
Applications for the Transit Equity Senior Manager position, which replaces the Everyday Equity Manager position created several years ago, are being accepted now. An initial review of applications will begin in March and the position will remain open until filled.
The Transit Equity Senior Manager will report to the Chief of Staff and manage a team of two full-time employees whose responsibilities include supporting the Equity & Inclusion team and coordinating diversity, equity and inclusion training, among other duties.
Several other leadership positions are also being filled, including Director of Bus and Rail Safety and Deputy General Manager-Capital Programs, who will oversee a division including Bus Rapid Transit Projects, Engineering and Facilities, Transit Systems Development (Light Rail Projects), Transit Oriented Development and Asset Management.
To review all current openings, visit metrocouncil.org/employment.
Apply to join the Equity & Inclusion Team starting February 12
Employees who are passionate about expanding the network of influence on our equity & inclusion goals can apply to join Metro Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Team beginning Friday, Feb. 12. The team is expanding to support a range of efforts to celebrate diversity and improve internal communications. All employees are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted through Friday, March 5. Team members meet regularly for at least one hour and take on other duties as assigned. Time spent working on behalf of the Equity & Inclusion Team is paid at an employee’s standard wage. New members will join the team this spring and should expect to serve a two-year term. For more information, contact Sarah Berres.
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Cold Weather Protocols going into effect Friday: Metro Transit's Cold Weather Protocol will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, and remain in effect until dangerously cold conditions move out of the region. When the Cold Weather Protocol is in effect, passengers without a safe, warm place to go may ride as long as they need to, provided they are not being disruptive. The National Weather Service is predicting windchills that could be cold enough to cause frostbite. Operators are encouraged to bring extra clothing in case of an emergency and to report suspected cases of frostbite or hypothermia to the Transit Control Center.
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Feedback sought on Route 3 changes: As part of the Better Bus Routes program, Metro Transit seeks to improve the customer experience on Route 3. The improvements may include reducing stops, improving accessibility, and providing more shelters. These changes, both on and off the bus, are designed to make trips better, faster, and more reliable. The Better Bus Route upgrades would be implemented in August 2021. A survey will go live on Feb. 8 and close on March 13. For more information, visit metrotransit.org/route-3.
- Student internship applications being accepted now: Applications for internships in the Bus Rapid Transit Projects office, Engineering & Facilities, Rail Operations and other departments across the Metropolitan Council are being accepted through Friday, Feb. 26. Candidates must have completed at least one year of post-secondary education or have been enrolled in a post-secondary educational program within the past year. Internships begin in late-May and continue through mid-August. The Council is also accepting applications for the Urban Scholars program, which allows participants to intern and to participate in leadership and professional development programs. Learn more about the Council’s internship program at metrocouncil.org.
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Two-year effort leads 400 to permanent housing: Nearly 400 people have found permanent housing in the two years since the Metro Transit Police Department's Homeless Action Team (HAT) and the Metropolitan Council's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) partnered to find permanent housing for people using transit for shelter. Saturday, Feb. 6, marks the second anniversary of the first move-in coordinated through the partnership. Children account for nearly half of those placed into permanent housing. Officers on the HAT team meet people on trains and buses at the end of the night to provide food, clothing and housing assistance. Some federally funded housing vouchers that offset rental costs have also been made available to individuals the HAT team refers to the HRA.
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