From General Manager Wes Kooistra
This week, staff at the Ruter Garage were informed that the facility will be taken out of active use as a bus garage when the new Minneapolis bus garage opens a year from now.
I know that for many this was not easy news to receive – employees at Ruter chose to work there for many reasons, including feeling part of its community of employees.
The decision to close Ruter was not taken lightly. But this is the right business choice for our organization.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have reduced service by about 20%. This means we have fewer buses on the street every day, and fewer operators reporting to our garages.
We hope service will be restored as our ridership and our workforce recover over time. But based on our five-year projected ridership and service levels, the opening of the new Minneapolis bus garage will provide the capacity we need without utilizing Ruter.
Designed with direct input from staff, the new Minneapolis garage will be a modern, state-of-the-art facility. Its welcoming features include natural lighting, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a fitness room, and a mothers’ room.
The new garage is also key to our planned transition to electric buses and is in an ideal location to support the local and Bus Rapid Transit services that are seeing our strongest ridership.
Ruter will be retained and repurposed for other needs.
Potential reuses will be better defined this year as we look at all our long-range facility needs. For now, it’s safe to say this extra space could give us needed flexibility to store equipment and buses that are either stored outdoors or can crowd other sites.
Making the best use of our available space is part of a broader, continuous effort to make sure all our support facilities are operating effectively, and that all our employees have safe and welcoming spaces where they can do their best work.
New hoists, bus washes and fueling stations have or will soon be installed at many locations. At Nicollet Garage, we are renovating the maintenance offices and break areas. Mothers’ rooms are being created at many of our support facilities.
There is excitement behind these plans. Still, we know that changes of this magnitude can be disruptive.
We want to support you through this transition and sharing your questions and concerns is an important part of this process. We are committed to sharing additional details as we know more. Thank you for your patience as the details of transition plans are worked out and shared.
Review a fact sheet about the Ruter Garage decision
Submit your questions or feedback
What will the new Minneapolis bus garage be named?
During design and construction, the garage being built just north of Heywood Garage has largely been referred to as the “new Minneapolis Bus Garage.” The garage has not yet been officially named, and a couple of options remain under consideration.
In general, Metro Transit uses geography to name public and support facilities (i.e. the I-35W & Lake Street Station, South Garage and Chicago-Lake Transit Center), The new garage will also use a geographic term in its name. More information will be shared soon.
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Multiple operators have been celebrated recently with safe driving awards.
Above, operators Rodney Smith, center left, and Hussein Mohamed, center right, were joined last week by safety staff and garage management at South Garage. Rodney received a 42-year safe driving award, becoming just the second known operator to reach that milestone. Hussein received a 20-year safe driving award.
Other operators who have been recognized in recent weeks include, from left to right:
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Ron Williams, Nicollet 26 years
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Brendan Weiss, Nicollet, 26 years, and Joseph Flascher, Nicollet, 20 years
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Tony Taylor, Nicollet 22 years
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David Peterson, South 20 years
A safe driving record means an operator has had no collisions in which they were found to be at fault.
In 2021, there were 2.64 accidents for every 100,000 miles driven by bus operators, beating the annual goal of 3.8 accidents for every 100,000 miles.
Save the Dates: Bus Roadeo
The Metro Transit Bus Roadeo returns this summer, at a new location. The annual skills competition will be held June 20-25 near the Mall of America. Operators who are interested in competing should speak with a safety specialist or garage coordinator.
Top finishers will go on to compete in the Minnesota State Bus Roadeo, which will be held in Austin, Minn. July 15-16.
Transit Driver Appreciation Day is March 18
Transit Driver Appreciation Day is Friday, March 18. To celebrate:
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Say "thank you" as you board or exit
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Wave or giving a thumbs up as operators drive by or pull into a light rail station
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Share your appreciation on social media using the hashtag #tdadmn
If you would like to participate in organized TDAD activities, contact Drew Kerr.
March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the contributions women have made and the work yet to be done to achieve gender equity. To help commemorate, women who have broken ground at Metro Transit will be featured in Insights each week.
What has your career path been like and what is your current role at Metro Transit?
I started as a transit planner, which was very accidental really. I was always interested in government and studied political science in college. After getting my degree, I was looking at graduate programs and decided to get a master’s in urban planning. I worked as a planner in Des Moines, at MnDOT and at Ramsey County before joining the Central Corridor Project Office, where I managed the station design and supported construction of future Green Line stations.
After several years working on the Blue Line Extension, I joined Engineering & Facilities in 2020. Today, I manage public and support facility projects, like recent improvements to the Brooklyn Center Transit Center and Orange Line stations. One of my upcoming projects is a remodeling of the Rosedale Transit Center. It’s exciting to work on a project from beginning to end and then see customers using it.
How has the role of women changed over the course of your career?
Many of the designers, engineers, and architects I’ve worked with over the years have been male. But things have changed a lot – all the leads on a recent project to create a Light Rail Training Center were women, which was a first in my career, and we’re much more focused on inclusivity now than when I started working.
Having more women in the industry can be helpful because we’re not just process-driven but are more likely to think about how something might feel to an end user. For example, when we’ve talked about having light rail stations that sit below grade, women can speak to how that could make them feel less safe.
What more can be done to support women in the workplace?
One of the pieces of advice I got early on and that has always stuck with me is to clearly convey that I’m in charge if I’m running a meeting. So, as women I think it’s always important to show confidence and be assertive. And one thing I think men can do is to always be looking for a broad section of perspectives.
Celebrate Women’s History Month
Join Advancing Women in Transit (AWT) for these upcoming virtual events:
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Tuesday, March 22, noon to 1 p.m. Discussion about the history of women in transit. Contact Ruby Daniels.
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Wednesday, March 30, noon to 1 p.m. Panel discussion on gender policy in transit. (add this event to your calendar)
Watch: As part of its International Women's Day event this week, AWT shared a video featuring several women who work at Metro Transit. Watch the video on Stream.
Emily Bollensen becomes first female bus maintenance manager
Emily Bollensen will serve as the next maintenance manager at South Garage, becoming the first female to hold that position at Metro Transit.
“I’m humbled to be the first woman in this position,” Bollensen said. “I hope I can be a good example, and that many more women will follow a career in bus maintenance."
Heywood Operator Mary Adway recently received a commendation for her onboard demeanor.
This driver is AMAZING!!! I honestly cannot sing her praises enough. She always greets us with a smile and cheer. She’s patient and understanding, and always very efficient.
On three separate occasions, I’ve heard her give new riders detailed instructions on where to get off and where to walk to reach their destination. She’s always willing to lend an ear to anyone and is such a pleasant conversationalist. You can tell she genuinely cares about people.
This care is demonstrated in her attention to even the smallest details – like when I got off at 5th street, I’m usually the only one remaining on the bus. The first time I got off, she asked me where it’d be easiest for me to get off. And she’s never forgotten. It’s a little thing and obviously, I could just walk the extra distance, no problem. But she **remembers and cares anyways. ** Honestly, I know of no one who better exemplifies customer service and personal accountability.
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The TSA order requiring operators and passengers to wear masks on transit has been extended through April 18.
Operators can encourage compliance by bringing extra masks onboard and using PR Code 17 to display "Face Coverings Required on the destination sign.
Additional COVID-19 updates were shared in Thursday's COVID-19 update, including:
- Teleworking employees should begin planning for their transition back into the office and should expect to start working their new schedules the week of April 18.
- The last effective day to use COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave will be April 15.
- In-person Council meetings will resume April 25. The meetings will continue to be streamed online and recorded for people to monitor the meetings remotely.
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- Rita Miller, Service Development Administrator, 47 years
- Robin Betland, Mechanic Technician, Overhaul Base, 42 years
- John McConnell, Helper, Overhaul Base, 34 years
- Robert Patkoff, Relief Mark-Up Dispatcher-South, 32 years
- Debbie Serrine, Helper, Overhaul Base, 27 years
- David Steen, Coordinator-Material Management, 16 years
- Ronald Carlson, Operator-Heywood, 15 years
- Jerome Benzo, Train Operator, 14 years
- Paul Wilson, Technician-Heywood, 14 years
- Loren Rydlund, Technician-Overhaul Base, 14 years
- Neal Rambeck, Electro Mechanical Technician, 13 years
- Gary Johnson, Electro Mechanical Technician, 13 years
- Terry Chacos, Signals Technician, 10 years
- Diane White, Principal Administrative Specialist-Transit Police, 5 years
Congratulations to these employees who celebrated work anniversaries in February
25 years
- Kelci Stones, Market Development Supervisor
20 years
- Abdulqadir Ahmed, Revenue Collections Supervisor
- Lorna Sheehan, LRT Helper
- Judith Jackson, Operator-Heywood
- Joseph Kalina, Transit Control Center Supervisor
- Managers’ Meeting: All employees are invited to watch this week's Managers' Meeting, which included presentations about budget planning and initial results from the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey. Watch the meeting on Stream here.
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Great Workplace Project: Focus groups that are being held this month to inform future workplace improvements are now full. Staff who are unable to participate may still provide comments and answer the key focus group question, "What would make Metro Transit a great place to work for you?" may still do so online. For more information, contact Sarah Berres
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Aerosol and de-escalation training: Annual aerosol training classes will be held at the Metro Transit Police and Office Facility later this month. Any bus or train operator who wants to carry aerosol for self-defense purposes must attend an initial certification course and be recertified every two years. Find more information in this week's print edition.
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Template library: Templates for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word, accessibility instructions, logo files and access to the Council's image library can all now be accessed through a new Graphics and Templates Library. Read more about the new library and a training that will be held today, Friday, March 11, in the latest issue of The Wire.
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METRO E Line plans move forward: The METRO E Line's Recommended Corridor Plan has been released for additional public comment. Comments on the plan will be accepted through April 8. After reviewing comments, Council approval on the plan will be sought this spring. The E Line will improve service in the Route 6 corridor; construction is scheduled to begin in 2024, and service is scheduled to begin in 2025.
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Light rail extension town halls: Staff working on the Green Line Extension and Blue Line Extension are hosting virtual town halls this month. The Green Line Extension town halls will address ongoing construction, and the Blue Line Extension town hall on Tuesday, March 15, will focus on a pending route recommendation due this spring.
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