From General Manager Lesley Kandaras
Fares are an important source of revenue for Metro Transit, so we offer a variety of products and programs that make fare payments more convenient and affordable.
Still, we need to continually remind people to pay their fares, especially as we expand our light rail and Bus Rapid Transit network and require more of our riders to pay before boarding.
To help ensure people are paying every time they ride, we are embarking on a new approach to encouraging fare compliance.
Beginning Monday morning, Community Service Officers -- students on their way to becoming police officers -- will ask riders for their proof of fare payment and issue administrative citations to those who haven't paid.
First-time violations will carry fines of up to $35, which can be reduced in a variety of ways, while repeat offenders will face larger fines and be temporarily prohibited from using transit.
Monday marks an important milestone in publicly launching the Transit Rider Investment Program, or TRIP, that the state legislature passed earlier this year. The legislation requires us to issue administrative citations for fare non-payment and to have a team of unsworn personnel, known as TRIP Agents, take on this task.
We are starting these efforts next week with CSOs while we work to bring TRIP Agents on board early next year.
This is a long-sought shift not just in how we encourage fare compliance, but in how we support riders who expect us to be more visible than ever.
Once fully launched, TRIP Agents will inspect fares, issue administrative citations, share information about fare payment options and programs, help people navigate our system, connect people to services, and remind people of the expectations put forward in our Code of Conduct.
We are optimistic that this new approach will have several benefits. Of note:
• Misdemeanor citations issued by police officers and sent to the courts rarely resulted in paid fines. In contrast, we will now process citations in-house, giving us greater control over how they're tracked and resolved.
• Penalties associated with administrative citations are more commensurate with the failure to pay a $2 fare and can be used as an opportunity to encourage future compliance (fees can be reduced by purchasing fare products).
• Instead of conducting fare checks as one of several essential duties, police officers will be able to focus on illegal behaviors. At the same time, having staff whose only responsibilities are fare compliance and customer support means they too can be more focused on their assigned role.
To be clear, we are not expecting dramatic or immediate changes. With around a dozen part-time CSOs, we will focus our initial efforts on light rail lines and only be able to interact with a small percentage of our ridership.
Still, this is an important step because we will learn from and expand on these efforts over the coming months.
Thank you to everyone who has helped bring us to this point, especially our CSOs, the police officers who are supporting them, and everyone in Bus, Rail, Revenue Operations, and Marketing and Transit Information who has spent the last several months preparing for this shift.
These coordinated efforts provide hope that we are on the right path, and that this path will help lead us to a stronger culture of fare compliance.
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 Representatives from 10 community-based organizations including We Push For Peace (above), are beginning their outreach efforts on light rail vehicles and stations as the Transit Service Intervention Project continues. The groups will work closely with the Metro Transit Police Department's Homeless Action team, which also helps connect riders in need with emergency shelter, housing vouchers and other resources. Watch a story about their efforts on KARE-11.
Safely shepherding a group of preschoolers, each bundled in snow pants, hats, and gloves, is no small task. But Erica Kargerud-Smith, executive director of Saint Paul's KidsPark, has found a way to make it a little easier and a lot more enjoyable: Take transit.
On Tuesday, that meant ushering the group of scooter-riding youngsters leaving Circus Juventas down Montreal Avenue and across West Seventh Street, where they boarded a Route 83 bus and headed north to University Avenue for the next leg of their journey, a ten-minute trip on the METRO Green Line, which brought them a few blocks from their final destination.
The trip is one the students have gotten pretty used to -- they repeat the journey every week, using transit not just because it's more convenient than driving but because of how it opens their young eyes to the city they call home.
Looking for a way to provide experiential learning, Kargerud-Smith began venturing out with the students nearly 10 years ago. She's also used transit to get the kids to and from the State Fair, the Jimmy Lee Rec Center and on trips for ice cream.
Using transit, she said, has helped bring them closer to their community, built relationships with operators, and taught them that transit can bring independence (a student in a one-car household, she said, suggested taking the bus when told they couldn't go out to dinner because the family car wasn't available).
After a tip from Green Line Train Operator Hollie Thompson, who said the students' presence on the platform brightens her day, Tuesday's trip was made extra-special with a guest appearance from Metro Transit's mascot, Skip Traffic.
The journey was captured by Fox 9 and on social media.
 New Metro Transit police officers, from left, Sean Dulac, Joshua Vang, and Tommy Fickett.
Metro Transit Police Department welcomes three new officers
The Metro Transit Police Department has welcomed three new full-time police officers, two of whom previously served as Community Service Officers.
The officers – Sean Dulac, Tommy Ficket, and Joshua Vang – thanked their fellow officers and family members for supporting them as they began this new chapter in their careers.
Chief Ernest Morales III, who welcomed them at a swearing-in ceremony earlier this month, said each of the new officers will bring a unique skill set and experience to the department.
Fickett and Vang began their careers as CSOs, supporting the department in part-time roles while earning their degrees. Dulac was recruited from a security role by a current Metro Transit police officer and friend.
The department now has 109 full-time police officers and around a dozen CSOs. Recruitment efforts are ongoing, and the next class of police officers is expected to begin early next year.
To help build the department’s ranks, a new CSO Pathway Program has been created. The program will give participants an opportunity to earn 12 required college credits through Hennepin Technical College while employed as a CSO, gaining on-the-job experience and becoming full-time police officers in as little as one year.
Enrollment for the CSO Pathway Program is open now through January 7. Learn more here.
 Inked up for transit: Jarred Paquin, a research analyst at the Minnesota Department of Revenue, shows off his love for transit with a tattoo of a light rail vehicle. "I like urban transportation, I like Minneapolis, and I wanted a tattoo that represented both of those things," Paquin said. While this tattoo looks complete, he sees it as just the beginning. He plans on extending it into a full sleeve depicting several urban scenes around Minneapolis related to transportation.
The METRO D Line will reach its one-year anniversary on Sunday, Dec. 3, and continued ridership growth in the corridor it serves is providing another reason to celebrate.
Around 3.96 million rides have been taken on D Line this year and average weekday ridership has doubled compared to Route 5, the local route the D Line largely replaced.
"It really underscores that investing in fast, frequent, and convenient all-day service in our region’s core can have a huge impact in the way our communities get around,” Arterial Bus Rapid Transit Director Katie Roth said.
Five BRT lines are now in operation, and plans call for 12 BRT lines to be in service by 2030. More than a quarter of the region’s residents and nearly half of the region’s BIPOC and low-income residents will be within a half-mile of a BRT line when the network is fully built out.
 Creative Services & Marketing team members Missy Dodge (left) and Alice Johnson show off the new hiring outreach vehicles.
When the team from Operators Engaging & Connecting Communities (OECC) wanted to make their outreach and hiring events more exciting, they reached out to Alice Johnson, associate market development specialist, to make it happen.
A conversation started between Johnson and OECC lead Anna Penland about how to get staff out from behind the table at events and interacting with children and adults alike. After a few ideas were tossed around, they came up with a winner.
"Anna thought how fun would it be to wear a bus," said Johnson. And in true transit fashion, next came the train.
They got to work with Graphics Designer Missy Dodge to pull it all together, and after a few trial and errors, they found the right formula. The vehicles consist of printed vinyl mounted on coroplast and PVC, and have a working (bike) horn and lights.
To see the vehicles in action, visit the Union Depot's European Christmas Market on December 2, 9, and 10 where staff will be representing Metro Transit.
 Stop adopters to be recognized next week: More than 130 community members have adopted over 250 stops and stations since the Adopt-A-Stop program relaunched in 2021. On Saturday, Dec. 9, these adopters will be highlighted at an appreciation event for their work to ensure safe, clean, and well-maintained public spaces. The event will be held at 10 a.m. in Heywood Office rooms 314-315. For more information, contact Jeremiah Cox at jeremiah.cox@metrotransit.org.
 Back row, from left: Dan Stoffer, Glen Wiemelt, Jeffrey Thompson, Keith Severson, CJ Camp, and Richard Miller. Front row, from left: Jonathan Thomas, Dorothy Maki, Jean Hammonds, Jovitah Oghumah, and Stephen Nichols. Not pictured: Soultar Allerai-Beaumont and Lahcen Oujani.
Staff from the Instruction Center were recognized this week for persevering first through one of their busiest years ever.
Nearly 400 bus operators have been hired this year, each beginning their journey at Metro Transit with nearly a month's worth of training at the Instruction Center. Instructors teach classes on safe driving, resiliency, and customer service, among other topics.
Instructors also offer Commercial Drivers License instruction to bus, rail and facilities technicians and train operators.
Dan Stoffer, who managed the Instruction Center until recently becoming the Interim Deputy Director, Garage Operations, introduced the Instruction Center team at Monday's Transportation Committee, where staff were celebrated as part of the Awarding Accomplishment program.
"These folks are currently on a treadmill of training," he said. "There is literally a waiting list to get into the Instruction Center."
Amid all the activity, Stoffer said the team has "displayed a sense of teamwork, dedication and positive energy to help each and every student succeed."
The instructors who were recognized this week are: Soultar Allerai-Beaumont, CJ Camp, Jean Hammonds, Dorothy Maki, Richard Miller, Stephen Nichols, Lahcen Oujani, Keith Severson, Jonathan Thomas, Jeffrey Thompson, and Glen Wiemelt. Jovita Oghumah, the Instruction Center's acting manager, was also recognized.
North Loop Operator Joseph Huber recently received a commendation for their customer service.
Awesome driver. I really wanted to give a shoutout because they were attentive to customers in a very nice way. Great driver. Looking after people who had questions. Knowledgeable operator and takes pride in their work. Top notch and wonderful attitude. The rider who needed assistance was talking with the driver and they provided great info and was gracious and kind.
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Welcome to these new operators who recently completed training at the Instruction Center. Back row, from left: Shaka Taylor, Maisen Saxton, Adam Brixius, and David Clark. Front row, from left: Omar A. Omar, Hussein Elmi, and Javarus Thomas - Foster.
We're hiring!
Browse open positions, including Rail Maintenance Supervisor, Electronic Tech - Commuter Rail, and more here. Information on open positions can be found on the right navigation bar in each issue of HR Connect.
Service changes begin Saturday: Quarterly service changes will take effect on Saturday, Dec. 2. With these changes, we'll be offering 10% more service hours compared to last year and be providing close to 90% of the local and Bus Rapid Transit service we did before 2020.
Attend the upcoming Deaf Culture training: The Minnesota Department of Human Services is hosting a Deaf Culture training on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the North Loop Garage, room 104. The training exposes attendees to challenges that impact people who are deaf, and shares communication strategies. For more information, contact Rachel Cagle at rachel.cagle@metrotransit.org.
Join E&I for a film screening: In honor of Native American Heritage Month, E&I and the Met Council's Cultural Embracement Committee invites you to a screening of the film, Stories I Didn’t Know. The screening will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 4-6 p.m. at North Loop Garage, Room 104. For more information, contact Rachel Cagle at rachel.cagle@metrotransit.org.
Attend the final town hall of 2023: Hear from leadership at the final Employee Town Hall of the year. The event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the Green Line O&M. Arrive early to chat with Metro Transit Police Officers at Coffee with Cops, beginning at 8 a.m.
Join the all ERG potluck: Join staff from across all Employee Resource
Groups (ERGs) at the all-ERG end-of-the-year potluck on Wednesday,
Dec. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. The event will take place in the North Loop
Garage, room 104. For more information, contact Emily Bollensen at
emily.bollensen@metrotransit.org.
Applications for 2024 internships open: The job postings for 2024 internship positions are live on the Council jobs site. If you know a student that's passionate about public transit, encourage them to apply. Applications are due Sunday, Dec. 17.
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