From General Manager Wes Kooistra
This summer, we announced plans to significantly increase the official presence on transit by hiring additional Community Service Officers and police officers, and by hiring more staff to monitor our expanding network of real-time cameras.
Those plans remain a key component of our commitment to emerge from the pandemic as a stronger, better transit system. Past customer surveys show that feeling safe strongly relates to a rider’s overall satisfaction with transit. As we work to increase ridership during and after the pandemic, improving perceptions of safety must be a cornerstone of our efforts.
The safety concerns we hear from our riders and frontline staff were echoed in the Citizens League engagement report provided to the Metropolitan Council earlier this month. As part of the police review initiated in June 2020, the Council contracted with this local nonprofit group to engage people about transit safety.
I appreciate the Citizens League’s work to bring additional community voices into the conversation about improving transit safety. And I want to call attention to an important observation of the report: While we must continue to address fundamental security needs such as reducing assault, theft, and other criminal misconduct, we must also address perceptions of safety influenced by the conditions of our system. This includes cleaning and maintaining our vehicles and facilities. This also includes improving the reliability of our service.
What our riders observe and experience is important. Our riders share space with people they don’t know, so they expect that our transit system shows evidence of being reasonably regulated.
Importantly, the Citizens League’s engagement report calls out that opinions about safety – about what make people feel safe or comfortable – differ from one person to another often based on life experiences. This means we need to provide a system that feels safe, welcoming, and comfortable to all riders. This requires us to navigate thoughtfully and mindfully through the sensitivities of these diverse viewpoints.
This week, Police Chief Eddie Frizell and I provided Council Members an outline of the work we’re doing and the additional steps we’re taking to address fundamental security needs and the perception that transit can be unsafe.
Drawing on the themes of the Citizens League’s report, we discussed how our actions toward providing reliable service, clean vehicles and well-maintained facilities, accurate transit information, and increased official presence are all part of creating a system that is widely seen as safe, welcoming, and comfortable.
We presented this information in part to help ground the next phase of the Council’s police review work. Several Council Members are now meeting on a regular basis to discuss the themes that emerged from the Citizens League's work and to develop recommendations that will be brought to the full Council next year. I look forward to supporting their work and receiving their direction as we move forward.
I also want to thank all of you, the employees who are most familiar with the safety challenges we face. I want you to know that I recognize how difficult your jobs have become, and that I am personally committed to finding effective, sustainable solutions that lead to meaningful improvements.
So, I encourage you to continue following this conversation, to review the strategies to improve the customer experience and perceptions of safety detailed in our Strategic Plan and to share your input through groups like the Equity & Inclusion Team and Transit Safety & Security Committee.
A lot of good work is happening. But clearly we are being called to do more for our riders and employees. Thank you for your support as we respond to those calls.
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Learn more about the Transit Police Working Group
The Metro Transit Police Work Group, a subset of Council Members, held its first meeting in August, and will meet every other week through February 2022, when recommendations to the Council will be made. Metro Transit staff is supporting this work by sharing research and information about current policies and procedures. Learn more at metrocouncil.org.
Review the Strategic Plan
One of the Strategic Plan’s five goals is to “provide service that is safe, welcoming, and comfortable.” Strategies that will be used include expanding the official presence on transit, supporting the Council’s review of the Metro Transit Police Department and centering the employee experience in safety conversations. Learn more by reviewing the Strategic Plan. For more information about safety-related initiatives identified in the plan, contact Brian Funk.
Employees who upload their proof of COVID-19 vaccination through Employee Self Service (ESS) by Friday, Nov. 26, will receive a $150 payment. The one-time payment will appear on the December 10 paycheck.
To submit your proof of vaccination:
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Visit pspess.metc.state.mn.us and login to ESS using your employee ID and password.
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Once logged in, click Self Service, Personal Information and METC Vaccination Card.
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You will be prompted to upload an image or .pdf of your vaccination card or immunization record.
The process can be completed on a mobile device in a few minutes.
Beginning October 11, employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination will need to be tested weekly to report for on-site work. In order to be exempt from weekly testing when it begins, proof of vaccination must be submitted by October 4. After this deadline, you may submit proof of vaccination at any time, but you may still be subject to weekly testing until your vaccination status is reviewed and approved by Human Resources.
For questions about the vaccination/testing requirement program, contact your supervisor or manager. For questions about ESS, email ESS.HRIS@metc.state.mn.us.
On-site flu clinics continue next week
On-site employees can get free flu shots at several upcoming clinics. Clinics will be held next week at the South, Ruter, Heywood and East Metro garages, among other locations. View a full calendar here. If you are insured, please bring your insurance card. Free flu shots are also available at the Council’s Well@Work Clinics and many pharmacies. The CDC says influenza and COVID-19 vaccines can be given at the same visit, without regard to timing.
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National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15. To commemorate, we'll feature employees in Insights every week through the end of the month. Learn more at hispanicheritagemonth.gov.
How do you celebrate your culture today?
My wife and I grew up in Ecuador and we pass on our culture to our three children. We celebrate by remembering where we came from, educating my children about our traditions back home, explaining to them what it’s all about and preparing dishes using my ancestor’s recipes.
How do you and/or your family celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
We celebrate with our community by wearing traditional embroidered Ecuadorian clothes. We wear this when we gather at events to dance to Andean music, which has lots of flute and panpipes. Our church is another place we gather with friends and family to eat traditional food, which has a lot of rice, beans, potato, and roasted pork.
Is there a cultural tradition, history, artist, musician, sport, that is important to you and you can introduce us to?
In Minnesota, there’s an Ecuadorian group called Ecuador Manta. They play traditional Andean music. They have free concerts throughout the state during the summer, including the Minnesota State Fair.
More outdoor seating has been added at the Metro Transit Heywood Campus, right, and Transfer Road, below left, so employees can meet outdoors. At the Metro Transit Campus, plans also call for adding new shade features next year. If the furniture at these locations is well-received, more may be purchased for use at other locations.
Other support facility improvements have been made or are in the works. The driver’s room at the Ruter Garage, above left, was recently repainted, giving the room a cleaner, brighter look and a touch of Metro Transit blue. Improvements to employee break areas at Nicollet Garage (Bus Maintenance), the Transit Control Center, and Brake Shop (Overhaul Base) are in various stages of planning. Plans to renovate the Heywood Office and create shared office space in the old drivers room at the Heywood Garage are also moving forward.
For more information on the Metro Transit Campus projects contact Molly Ellis.
October 2 is Janitor Appreciation Day
Janitor Appreciation Day is Saturday, Oct. 2. On-site employees are encouraged to show their support by offering notes of appreciation or saying thanks to facilities staff who help keep support facilities clean.
East Metro Operator Charlie Vang recently received a commendation from a customer for their customer service.
I was trying to cross the street to catch the bus on Robert Street and the driver waited for me to cross and board the bus, even though the light turned green. On top of that, he told me which stop I needed to get off at and told me he'd park at an area where it was easier to get off. This driver was so patient and kind. I had a wonderful experience with him today. Thank you for going above and beyond!
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Two Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are looking for new leaders that will begin serving in 2022.
Advancing Women in Transit (AWT) is seeking nominations for chair, vice chair, coordinator, and special events manager. The Pride ERG is looking to fill the same positions, except for special events manager.
Both AWT and Pride meet monthly, virtually. The chairs of each group help set the vision and strategic direction; vice chairs bring policy recommendations to agency leadership, and coordinators manage meeting logistics.
To nominate yourself or someone you think would be good for AWT leadership, fill out this online form by November 1. Questions about the group and leadership roles can be sent Chair Amina Wolf, Vice Chair Carri Sampson or Coordinator Jennifer Kochaver.
The Pride ERG will discuss its election process at the group's October 13 meeting. For more information, contact Nia Colebrooke.
ERGs for employees who identify as having a disability or as Black Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC) are being organized. For more information on these groups, contact Sarah Berres or visit with an Equity & Inclusion Team member.
What is an Employee Resource Group (ERG?)
An ERG is a Council-supported group of employees who share a common characteristic or interest, or allies of that group. Group members are a resource to one another and the organization. AWT and the Pride ERG as the organization's first Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs.
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.
Meet the Equity & Inclusion Team
Members of the Equity & Inclusion Unit and Equity & Inclusion Team will visit work sites and host virtual open houses over the coming months to introduce themselves, invite feedback on a shared definition of transit equity and discuss equity's role in the Strategic Plan. Virtual open houses will be held on:
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Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Thursday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For information about these or other planned events, contact a member of the Equity & Inclusion Team or email Sarah Berres.
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When Patrick Vellia gets on a bus or train, he doesn’t rely on announcements or visual cues to know when it’s time to get off – he waits for his phone to vibrate.
That’s because Vellia, who moved to Minneapolis two years ago, is DeafBlind. One of several apps he uses tp navigate independently, Moovit, begins vibrating as his stop approaches.
Such tactile cues, he says, are essential to his ability to travel independently. During his journeys, Vellia also relies on pedestrian signals that vibrate when it’s safe to cross the street and carries printed cards he can show to others to know whether a Blue Line or Green Line has arrived at the station.
It’s unknown how many DeafBlind people use transit locally, but Vellia thinks his use of regular route buses and light rail is unique. Many of those he knows in the DeafBlind community schedule point-to-point trips using Metro Mobility.
To become address accessibility issues, Metro Transit engages with groups like the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing and the Council's Transit Accessibility Advisory Committee. The Equity & Inclusion Unit is also hoping to raise awareness so staff can act more inclusively.
Among those with a special interest in building bridges is Kimberly Malone, a supervisor in the Office of Equal Opportunity.
As a child, Malone became interested in signing when she saw an interpreter working with a similarly aged student at school. She later studied American Sign Language (ASL) at St. Kates, a school with a strong Deaf culture.
Malone has signed at job fairs and says displaying even a basic knowledge of ASL can go a long way. “The light you see on someone’s face when they realize you can interact is really valuable,” she said.
To self-educate, Malone recommended taking online courses and learning the alphabet, to spell out words.
Nancy Xiong, a Principal Administrative Specialist with the Metro Transit Police Department, also hopes for more understanding.
Her older brother lost his hearing and ability to speak after catching an unknown illness in Thailand, and she has often been frustrated by the lack of awareness or patience shown toward him.
“Regardless of the challenges, my brother perseveres and continues to navigate this journey,” Xiong said. “He understands that it will always be a challenge, but his gift is what makes him unique.”
September is Deaf Awareness Month, and an opportunity to learn more about how to be more inclusive of people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing in the workplace and in the services we provide. To share your stories or ideas, please contact Sarah Berres or Guthrie Byard.
Operator hiring events continue in October, November: Employees are encouraged to help promote future one-day operator hiring events where job seekers and apply and interview in one visit. The next hiring events will be held at the Instruction Center on:
- Saturday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m., to noon
- Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to noon
- Tuesday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Employees who refer successful candidates can earn a $600 referral bonus. Learn more at metrotransit.org.
New Bike & Ride opens in downtown Minneapolis: A new secure bike parking facility that recently opened near Target Field was celebrated this week. Users can access the covered and enclosed parking area, located in Ramp B, for free with a Go-To Card. A similar bike parking facility has been opened in the MoZaic East building on Hennepin Avenue. Learn more at metrotransit.org.
METRO E Line plans advance: Plans to bring Bus Rapid Transit service to a corridor now served by Route 6 are moving forward. The BRT Projects Office has identified 34 station locations for what will become the METRO E Line, which will serve a 13-mile corridor that includes portions of University, Hennepin and France avenues. Feedback on proposed station locations will be accepted through the end of October. Feedback will inform more detailed design work scheduled to begin next year. The E Line is scheduled to be under construction beginning in 2024 and to open in 2025. Review the Draft Corridor Plan and learn more at metrotransit.org.
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