From General Manager Wes Kooistra
Last summer, we set out the challenge to emerge from the pandemic as a stronger and better transit system.
Rather than set our sights on simply returning to pre-pandemic “normal,” we committed to making improvements based on what matters most to our riders -- providing fast, reliable, clean, and safe service. We also know there are more steps to take to make our service more equitable and sustainable. These efforts must be continuous.
In the coming months, many of the region’s workers and students who have traveled less since the start of the pandemic are expected to return to offices and classrooms.
As they prepare to come back, they’ll have to consider how to get where they need to go.
During this critical period, when lasting travel habits will be set, we must do everything we can to make a clear and compelling case that transit is welcoming, safe, reliable, and easy to use. We cannot control all the factors that influence ridership, but we can control improvements to our services that focus on what customers want. This is our best strategy for increasing ridership.
We are planning to significantly increase our official presence on our services. This effort was announced last week and focuses on using community service officers as a new civilian presence that is welcoming and helpful to our transit customers while deterring crime and code of conduct violations. This program is based on much of what has been learned from similar programs at other large transit providers.
We are continuing to improve local services through the robust expansion of our Bus Rapid Transit network, service and stop improvements on core routes, and the expansion of transit advantages through partnerships with our cities. Our express service strategy focuses on developing improved services in select express corridors across our region and considers changes we are seeing in travel behavior and patterns.
Our riders will benefit from improved facilities by significantly expanding the Better Bus Stops program and growing our facilities maintenance team to achieve better upkeep of high-traffic and high-need facilities and stops.
Customer communication is improving through the recent introduction of a new fare payment app and other technology strategies, including our continued focus on real-time signs.
There will be fare promotions this fall to thank customers who continue to ride transit and welcome back customers who are returning to their schools and worksites. We hope to increase enrollment in reduced fare programs such as Transit Assistance Program and will look at how we can simplify our unnecessarily complex fare structure.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be going out of our way to communicate these improvements and the long-term vision we have for our region.
We accomplish this work through efforts across Metro Transit staff, and as a team with a shared focus on a great regional transit service. Thank you for bringing your talents, your ideas, and your commitment to this important effort.
|
A vaccine bus operated by Gregory Marshall stopped at the Hiawatha Collegiate School in south Minneapolis this week, where a youth soccer event was being held.
The number of new COVID-19 cases is increasing in Minnesota and six Metro Transit employees have tested positive over the past week, a reminder to all staff of the need to continue safe workplace practices. Remember:
- If you have not been vaccinated, please wear a mask while on site.
- Continue monitoring your health, and stay home if you are sick.
- If you are experiencing symptoms or think you've been exposed seek testing, regardless of vaccination status.
Th Council continues to work toward a phased return to office that would allow more staff who are currently working from home to come back after Labor Day. As part of this transition, the Council's Telework Procedure has been updated and expanded.
Progress continues on the Minneapolis Bus Garage, where crews are busy installing concrete floors, sealing the rooftop and finishing interior and exterior walls.
The new garage is expected to open in 2023 and will have 24 maintenance bays, room to store more than 200 buses, electric bus charging equipment, a new driver’s lounge and other amenities. To date, nearly 20,000 yards of concrete (about the size of 3 Goodyear blimps) have been used, along with 1,500 tons of rebar.
Future activities include hoist installation, interior finishing work and construction of an access road buses will use to enter the garage on the north end of the building.
Multiple minority- and women-owned businesses that have registered as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) are working on the project.
Green Line Extension work continues near Heywood Garage
Green Line Extension construction continues across from the Heywood Garage. Bridge piers are being constructed along the south side of 6th Avenue North to connect new light rail tracks to Target Field Station. This work involves sheeting installation and pile driving that may cause noticeable noise and vibration. These activities are expected to continue through the 2021 construction season. For more information, contact Outreach Coordinator David Davies.
Many people who work at Metro Transit take on new responsibilities and roles throughout their careers. Career Tracks will highlight the paths employees have taken to their latest assignment, encouraging others to consider their own professional development.
How did you begin your career with Metro Transit?
My mother-in-law worked for the Council’s Environmental Services division for 35 years and told me, “You have to get in.” I applied for several positions before I was offered a position as a light rail helper in May 2014. I was a helper for almost eight years when I applied and got into the Leadership Academy (OJE) program acting as a rail transit supervisor.
What were your career goals and what steps did you take to achieve them?
My goals have always been to learn as much as possible and to take advantage of every opportunity. When I came to light rail, I was brought up to the Rail Control Center. I thought this was the place for me. I spent several years figuring out how to get in there. I went to Century College and received associate degrees in business administration, communications and liberal arts and science and certificates in communications and entrepreneurship. I chose those degrees because I knew I wanted to move up and work in the RCC, and I want to own a company one day. The people in the RCC were willing to answer my questions and help me whenever needed.
What advice do you have for others who want to take on more or different responsibilities?
Be open and willing to learn new things, even if they’re hard. Find great supporters to help you through everything you do.
Do the Leadership Academy! It’s a perfect opportunity the Council offers so you can learn and figure out where you belong. It takes a very strong person to do what I did, to work 40-plus hours on the night shift with two kids and going to college. I had a 4.0 grade point average the whole time and was on the Dean’s List every year. I was hired in October 2020 as a rail transit supervisor and work 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. My daughters (8 and 4) and my husband are so understanding. My husband was the person who pushed me to go to finally live my dream and put myself through college.
A new team is being assembled to help support and guide technology investments at Metro Transit.
Hiring for the Business Technology Group will begin later this year. The team will include a business technology leader and two business analysts who will work with different departments.
Together, the team will guide staff toward technology solutions that meet their business needs, identify opportunities for improvement and help manage technology spending. On average, Metro Transit spends $25 million to $35 million a year on everything from laptops to digital real-time information displays and on-board radio equipment.
“There are a lot of different activities happening across the organization, and this is an effort to bring all those different pieces together in a coordinated way,” said Jamison Swift, Technology Coordination Manager.
Swift spent the last year speaking with staff across Metro Transit about their use of – and frustrations with – technology.
The new team is an outgrowth of that work, and ongoing technology governance efforts led by Information Services. It also supports goals to bring more awareness of and accountability for technology spending.
While the new team will provide technology leadership, departments will continue to make purchases and get technical support through Information Services. The Business Technology Group will work with Information Services on projects that involve the entire agency.
In addition to this work, staff who regularly work with technology have begun meeting monthly to share ideas. In the future, the hope is to develop to plan and fund new initiatives.
Job postings for the Business Technology Group are expected to be posted in the next month. For more information, contact Jamison Swift.
Transit Information Center Representative Ms,Shatia Hamilton recently received a commendation for helping a customer find their destination.
I just wanted to say that Ms,Shatia is an asset to Metro Transit. I was totally lost, and she walked me through everything I needed to know to get me to Northtown. She was very empathetic and answered all my questions. I'm in the service sector myself and I really appreciate good customer service.
|
|
 |
 As part of his training, Mechanic Todd Thompson used a lighter to heat up and remove heat-shrink from a CAN Connector with a pushed pin.
A new course aims to help technicians resolve difficult-to-diagnose communication issues onboard buses.
Like a car, buses send an error code to help diagnose a problem. But when it’s a J1939/CAN issue, which account for nearly all communication problems, the codes can be too vague to easily troubleshoot.
Technical Trainer Jake Maalis collaborated with his co-workers on the Bus Maintenance Training Team last year to create a program that would help technicians respond more efficiently.
“If you don’t know what you’re looking for or where to start, you’ll rarely find what's causing it,” Maalis said.
Wiring issues can range from electrical shorts to damaged components along a wiring harness that runs the entire length of a 40- or 60-foot bus. The course also covers intermittent wiring issues that arise when a bus is in service and can’t easily be replicated in a garage setting.
The training program includes classroom and hands on training with a bugged bus, and is now a pre-requisite for other mechanic courses at Metro Transit. To date, 45 technicians have taken the course.
The American Public Transportation Association is also widely sharing the program with agencies across the country.
Ultimately, Maalis hopes the course leads to more success stories like the one he shared from East Metro, where technicians who completed the course were able to fix long-idle buses in a day. “The longer you spend on difficult wiring problems, the more you learn and reduce the amount of time it takes to troubleshoot those types of issues again,” Maalis said.
To learn more about participating in the course, contact a manager or supervisor.
Assistant Transportation Manager Anna Penland has been active throughout her career at Metro Transit.
So when a new group for female-identifying staff was created in 2019, she quickly became involved, attending monthly meetings with dozens of others from across the organization eager to learn, grow and connect.
The discussions, open to all, have centered on topics like bias, leadership and the unique challenges women face in the workplace.
“Every time I leave a meeting, I think about something in a different way, “Penland said. “The real problem with the group is that we never have enough time.”
Time is something employees who want to participate in the group, Advancing Women in Transit (AWT), will now have a little more of. The Council recently recognized AWT and the Pride ERG as the organization’s first Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs.
ERGs provide opportunities for people of similar backgrounds and supporters to network and share ideas. Employees can spend up to two paid hours a month participating in activities related to recognized ERGs, such as attending monthly meetings, provided it does not negatively impact their work.
Employees who would like to participate in an ERG should speak with their manager or supervisor.
Amina Wolf, acting deputy director of bus transportation, serves as AWT’s chair. Council recognition, she said, is an important step forward and an indication of the group’s valuable contributions.
“Many of us are glad to share our time and want to continue doing so throughout our careers,” Wolf said. “Council recognition affirms the importance of this work, creates more opportunities to participate and sets the group up for continued success.”
Additional ERGs for staff who identify as having disabilities and as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are the planning phases.
To learn more, contact these individuals
Bus operator hiring: Nearly 30 job seekers who attended a one-day operator hiring event on Saturday, July 17, are moving forward to the next phases of the hiring process, and 8 new bus operators have started their training since the start of July. Efforts to recruit operators are ongoing, and another one-day hiring event is tentatively planned for late-August. To reach ideal staffing levels and maintain service reliability, the goal is to hire up to 70 full-time bus operators by the fall. Employees who refer successful bus operator candidates can receive a $600 bonus. For more information about operator hiring efforts, contact Amina Wolf.
Apply by July 28 for next MentoringWorks cohort: Staff interested in participating in the Council's MentoringWorks program are invited to apply by Wednesday, July 28, to be considered for the next group. Mentees will spend six months meeting with their mentor to develop personalized goals and talk about how to achieve them. The next group will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 11, with an introductory session. For more information, visit MentoringWorks on MetNet. Click on Be a Mentor or Be a Mentee to apply.
Former Metro Transit General Manager honored: Former Metro Transit General Manager Art Leahy is among several transit leaders who will join APTA's Hall of Fame. Leahy led Metro Transit from 1997 through 2001, then returned to southern California to lead transit agencies in Orange County and Los Angeles. He began his career in transit as a bus operator in 1971. Read more about the 2021 APTA Awards and other Hall of Fame inductees here.
ADA anniversary: The 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is Monday, July 26. The Council is a planning partner for a statewide celebration that will occur on that date. Register for the anniversary event at celebrateadamn.com.
Submit your photo for Councilwide employee recognition event: All Council employees will be invited to a virtual employee recognition event on Monday, Nov. 15. To help organizers develop the program, employees are invited to send photos of themselves doing an activity they enjoy to Shoeb Behlim. Photos should be provided by Friday, Aug. 6.
|
