From Interim General Manager Lesley Kandaras
Over the last week or so, I've had several opportunities to connect with staff and customers. This included:
- Visiting several light rail stations during our first-ever Great Day in Transit, a coordinated effort to get more staff out on the system;
- Observing two nights of exemplary late-night service at U.S. Bank Stadium;
- Visiting Ruter Garage for the final day of the Bus Roadeo,
- Marching alongside staff in last Sunday's Pride March, and;
- Listening to staff experiences and ideas during Coffee with Cops at South Garage.
Across all these experiences, I saw how much our employees care for each other, our customers, our community, and our mission.
Thank you to everyone who helped make each of these events a success. The enthusiasm that came through was truly uplifting!
The excitement wasn't contained to our organization, either. Many riders and partners have recognized and applauded our recent efforts. (In fact, we heard literal applause Saturday night after the Taylor Swift concert as trains pulled into U.S. Bank Stadium Station.)
We have numerous opportunities to build on this momentum.
Upcoming large events like the Taste of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Fair offer more opportunities to continue connecting our riders to where they want to go and to introduce or re-introduce ourselves to people who've never used transit or haven't ridden in a while.
Last week's Great Day in Transit was such a success, we will do it again on Wednesday, July 19. Sign up for your shift here.
And activities organized through the Great Workplace Project, Coffee with Cops, and the Transit Kids' Day Advancing Women in Transit is hosting on August 12 give us chances to grow closer as an organization.
Continued outreach related to the Code of Conduct, transitway planning and construction, and operator hiring are bringing us closer to our riders and communities.
Starting the week of July 10, we will also be visiting bus garages and support facilities to share information and answer employees' questions about the direction Metro Transit is heading. Below is more information on sessions scheduled thus far. We will be adding more dates and locations in the coming weeks.
Thank you to everyone who is filling our collective calendar.
The time we spend together with our riders and our community is so important as we strive to grow ridership, improve the customer experience, retain and attract workers, deepen our commitment to transit equity, and advance the vision set in our Strategic Plan.
So please, get involved and take advantage of these opportunities to create and build stronger connections inside and outside our organization. As we've seen this last week, we can accomplish a lot when we come together – and we can have a lot of fun doing it.
Upcoming Employee Town Halls
All employees are invited to attend upcoming town halls to learn more about the direction Metro Transit is heading. For more information, contact Lindsey Geyer at lindsey.geyer@metrotransit.org.
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Monday, July 10, 2 to 3 p.m., Heywood
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Thursday, July 13, 2 to 3 p.m., South
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Monday, July 31, 8 to 9 a.m., Nicollet
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Monday, July 31, 2 to 3 p.m., East Metro
More dates and locations will be added in the coming weeks.
Watch a recording of a June 14 Employee Town Hall on Stream
Looking for more ways to get involved?
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Taylor Swift fans flooded social media and Customer Relations lines to thank staff for getting them to and from sold-out concerts last weekend. A few commendations:
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"Kudos for the amazing late-night trains post Taylor Swift. We boarded so fast and we were back to our hotel and out of the rain in no time at all. So impressed! I wish our city had rail! Many thanks also to the amazing customer service over the phones. Thank you Minneapolis!" - Anne S. (above right)
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"Take the light rail to Taylor Swift! I actually had a free parking offered to me, but light rail was 100 times easier." - Ross R.
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"My daughter and I took the Blue Line to/from the Mall of America for the concert, and it was marvelous! Several employees in bright yellow were on hand to direct us and were very helpful. Our train was packed to the gills. A great use of public transportation, especially for out-of-town people like myself. We very much appreciate the legwork you undertook to make this happen." -Sue W.
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"Excellent work to Metro Transit! I was expecting chaos following the concert, but it went really smoothly. Thank you!" - Lainie L.
The weekend concerts paired with the Twin Cities Pride festival and other local events caused light rail ridership to nearly double on Friday and Saturday, compared to recent dates.
Continue reading
Star Tribune: Extended light-rail service for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was a success
CNN: Taylor Swift is an unlikely public transit icon
A $17 million grant, announced this week by the Federal Transit Administration, will help Metro Transit purchase 12 40-foot electric buses and chargers for the North Loop Garage. Production schedules will determine when the buses go into service.
The grant, which will also support technician training, is among $1.7 billion in FTA funding going toward the transition to low and no emission vehicles.
"The technology behind zero-emission vehicles is rapidly improving with the promise of public benefits like cleaner air and lower greenhouse gas emissions," Metropolitan Council Chair Charlie Zelle said. "That's why this investment is critical to continuing Metro Transit's industry-leading work to transition our fleet. Receiving this funding is a testament to our federal, state, and local partners who support the goal of a zero-emission fleet – and a cleaner more sustainable future."
With a little help from the neighbors, an artist is painting a mural at the METRO Orange Line station at Lake Street and Interstate 35W.
“The purpose is to take that environment under and above the bridge and make it a more pleasant experience for the community and riders," said Mark Granlund, public arts administrator. "It’s also to prevent graffiti on the walls that would otherwise be a big blank canvas for taggers."
Surrounding community organizations helped select St. Paul-based artist Kada Goalen, who brought on two emerging artists to help, and Stacia Goodman Mosaics to add mosaic design elements. Community groups also helped select the final mural design.
“I was inspired by Lake Street and the wonderful murals in the area," Goalen said. "I noticed there were quite a few with hummingbirds, so we are painting hummingbirds on the bridge pillars. The other birds in the mural are less representative of a specific kind and are birds in flight."
During an Open Streets event on June 10, more than 50 people helped paint one of the walls, a first for a Metro Transit mural project. “Getting involved gives people an extra sense of ownership. They get to come back and say they painted that square or feather,” Goalen said.
The final brushstrokes should be applied by mid-July.
Metro Transit plans to have a mural painted next year on the elevator towers at the METRO Blue Line's Franklin Avenue Station to cover and help deter graffiti there.
Transit Art Tour
All employees are invited to the Thursday, July 13, Transit Art Tour organized through the Great Workplace Project. Staff is invited to meet at Heywood Garage at 9:30 a.m. The tour will finish around noon. For more information, email Sarah Berres at sarah.berres@metrotransit.org.
 Left: UMN students learn about bus charging stations with Engineering and Facilities Manager, Carrie Desmond. Right: The "Bus Camp" tours a maintenace area at the North Loop Garage
On Tuesday June 27, the first cohort of Electrification Engineering students at the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering Technology Leadership Institute, visited the Metro Transit Campus to learn more about the transition to electric buses. Thank you to Carrie Desmond, Manager of Electric Bus Infrastructure, and Engineer Claire Warren for providing the tour.
On Friday, June 23, parents and their toddlers visited the North Loop Garage as part of a group called “Bus Camp," which meets regularly to ride transit. Group member and Metro Transit Principal Data Scientist Joey Reid, suggested visiting the North Loop Garage to learn more about where buses come from and how they’re maintained. Thank you to Instructor Michael Wright and Service Garage Supervisor William Fetterly for providing the tour.
When he was 18 years old, Al Daley didn’t want to leave Jamaica and join his mother in Minnesota. “I was sure my mom made a mistake – I was going to leave Minnesota as soon as I could,” Daley said. “Thank God that didn’t happen.”
Soon after arriving, he entered the job market and eventually became an IT field technician. However, this job was shorter lived than he’d hoped – three years after starting, the young father was laid off.
“I was looking for anything that got a paycheck coming in,” Daley said. “I drove taxi, school buses, sold cars, whatever it took.”
That’s when a friend suggested applying at Metro Transit. “I thought it was going to be a stop along the way. I hoped to return to IT,” he said. “That didn’t happen, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
He credits the people and the pay for keeping him here all these years. The interactions with customers onboard reminded him that his role was important, especially on cold winter days. “They appreciate and need you,” Daley said. “They’re good people just trying to get from Point A to Point B.”
In retirement, Daley plans to spend more time with his son and his grandchildren, and when he can, return to Jamaica during the winter.
Congratulations to the top finishers in this year's Bus Roadeo, held last week at the Ruter Garage.
Top finishers
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1st Place: Jean O'Neill
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2nd Place: Kenneth Schmoll
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3rd Place: Jonathan Dumenya
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Rookie of the Year: Samson Desu
Garage Champions
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Heywood: Jean O'Neill
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East Metro: Kenneth Schmoll
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Nicollet: Patrick Schulte
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South: Floyd Seres
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North Loop: Bradley Schneider
 From left: Transit Information Center (TIC) staff Ben Rajkowsk, Dan Kelehan, Nathan Bakken, Scott Bergevin, and Ella Brakob
Several Transit Information and Creative Services employees were recognized this week through the Awarding Accomplishment program.
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Tasked with updating customer information in advance of quarterly service changes, the Transit Information employees Nathan Bakken, Scott Bergevin, Ella Brakob, Dan Kelehan, Tariq Muwahid, and Nhatoua Xiongblaxang were recognized for their dedication and accuracy to the information on printed schedules, bus stop signage, stop-level maps, shelter signage, BRT/LRT kiosk posters, and website schedules and tools.
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Creative Services staff members Leah Janz and Christina McHenry were recognized for creating art, layouts, and templates for the customer-facing information, ensuring content is modern and accessible.
Managers and supervisors are encouraged to submit Awarding Accomplishment nominations any time. Staff are recognized by the Transportation Committee during the committee’s second meeting of each month and receive eight hours paid leave.
South Garage Operator Carol Ratliff recently received a commendation for her customer service.
I want to give this driver a big compliment for being conscientious and thoughtful. She responded quickly, professionally, and firmly to a disorderly rider. I am extremely impressed by the driver's graceful handling of a tough situation and how she kept the bus a respectful place. People like her help keep communities safe!
-Pearl H
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David Barnhart joins the Transit Control Center as assistant manager. David started his career with Metro Transit in 2004 as a part-time bus operator. David enjoys traveling, especially to Florida, and hiking.
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David Crabbe joins the Metro Transit Police Department as a business analyst III. For the past 12 years, David has worked in the Bus Maintenance division in a similar role. David will be creating budget trends, annual financial reports, and analyzing statistics and cost management. Off the clock, David enjoys traveling, jogging, and playing chess.
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Chad Ladda joins the Transit Control Center as an assistant manager. Chad started at Metro Transit in 2004 in Sales Operations. In his free time, Chad enjoys being active and is a certified scuba diving instructor.
To welcome a new hire, celebrate a promotion, or recognize other staffing changes please email insights@metotransit.org.
Welcome to these new operators who recently completed training at the Instruction Center. From left: Esther Goodman, Abdulhameed Ba hakim, Kelly Evans, Chris Davis, Debra Johnson, and Ovidio Carrera Garrido.
Remember! Employees who refer successful bus operator applicants are eligible for a $3,000 referral bonus. Information about applying to become a bus operator is available at metrotransit.org/drive.
Due tomorrow: Employee Forum trainings for bus operators: All bus operators are required to complete three online trainings on racial equity by tomorrow, Saturday, July 1. For training details and links to the modules, visit the training landing page at metcouncil.mn/EFmodules.
Fourth of July service reminders: Metropolitan Council offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, in honor of Independence Day. Transit service will operate on a holiday schedule. For more information on holiday schedules, visit our website.
Share with your network: Metro Transit is seeking community-based organizations that may be interested in the Transit Service Intervention Project. Declarations of interest must be submitted online by Friday, July 7. For more information, contact Celina Martina at celina.martina@metrotransit.org.
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