Smart Transportation Choices Get Rewarded

Smart Commuter of the Quarter, Erin from AT&T

Community Transit’s Choice Connection program promotes smart transportation options throughout our community. Two innovative incentive programs are offered to help reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and encourage healthy travel options:

• Smart Commuter Rewards is an incentive program that helps large businesses motivate employees to reduce their drive-alone trips to work.
• Curb the Congestion promotes smart transportation options to residents and employees on six of Snohomish County’s most congested corridors. 

From January-September these programs combined have already removed over 376,522 drive-alone trips for our roads and 3.5 million pounds of CO2 from the air we breathe. Each quarter Community Transit recognizes standout participants and employers who are dedicated to smart transportation choices and healthy transportation options. Congratulations to the Choice Connections award winners for 3rd Quarter of 2015:

Curb the Congestion Champion of the Quarter

Valauri Stotler of Lynnwood uses bus, carpool, light rail and walking for 99% of all the trips she makes. These trips include commuting to work to the City of Seattle, walking to the store and getting to the airport. Over the past year her smart transportation choices saved over 7,900 drive alone miles, 3,870 pounds of CO2 from the air we breathe and over $1,500 in personal transportation expenses.

Smart Commuter of the Quarter

Erin, a Senior Field Asset Administrator, tracks and reports out AT&T’s network assets. She walks the talk by choosing to walk, vanpool, bike or telecommute to work for over 15 years. Erin is dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and environment, and makes smart transportation choices a priority not only for her commute from Seattle to Bothell, but also for most of her personal trips.

Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) of the Quarter

Dena Searcy of Comcast Lynnwood is committed to making her worksite transportation program a success. Her diligent efforts to train and educate her employees about their transportation options have made a huge impact. Dena registered 111 employees in their transportation program, far surpassing their original goal of 65. Her efforts helped to save over 7,600 pounds of CO2 pollution during in the third quarter alone.

Employer of the Quarter

Vertafore in Bothell makes smart transportation choices a priority at their workplace. By the end of the third quarter they registered over a third of their employees in RideshareOnline.com; connecting their employees to transportation resources and incentives. Their consistent efforts are making a huge impact, and during the third quarter alone they saved over 32,500 drive alone miles from our roadways.

To learn more about the Choice Connections program and to sign up to start receiving rewards for your smart transportation choices, please visit www.communitytransit/ChoiceConnections.

October Brings Winners Across Snohomish County

Wheel Options is a statewide promotion that encourages commuters to choose alternatives to driving alone to work. Eligible modes include carpool, vanpool, bus, train, light rail, streetcar, biking, walking, and working from home or a compressed work schedule (e.g. four, 10-hour shifts in a week). Across the state of Washington more than 18,000 commuters participated by logging six or more days of eligible commutes during the month of October. This year the Wheel Options grand prize was a $2,500 “Choose Your Own Adventure” travel package.

A huge congratulations to each of the winners from Snohomish County and the City of Bothell:

Weekly winners

$25 Starbucks – Scott Farrand from Edmonds Community College (Lynnwood)

$25 Target – Evan Gustafson from Leviton Networks (Bothell)

$25 Nike – Dan Britten from Genzyme (Lynnwood)

$25 Gap – Ryan Bentz from Panasonic Avionics (Bothell)

Monthly winners courtesy of Community Transit

$100 MasterCard - Noor Panjwani from T-Mobile (Bothell)

$100 MasterCard - Randal Stocking from Sonosite (Bothell)

$100 MasterCard - Daniel Dootson from Edmonds Community College (Lynnwood)

$100 MasterCard - Kevin Lai from Boeing Harbour Point (Mukilteo)

$100 MasterCard - Bridgett Hogue from Boeing Canyon Park East (Bothell)

 

For more information on Wheel Options and for a complete list of winners please visit http://www.wheeloptions.org.

 

A Note of Thanks to our Veterans

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” - Maya Angelou

Every year, on November 11, Americans have the opportunity to honor the bravery and service of all U.S. veterans.

At Community Transit, we are honored to work alongside 92 veterans every day. They represent the five armed service branches (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy) and are found throughout the agency in our Transportation, Maintenance, Sales & Distribution and Capitol Planning areas.

For the past three years, we've posted the names of our veterans throughout the agency and given them pins to wear for the day to recognize their service. (Pictured to the left is the pin veterans will be wearing for Veterans Day 2015.)

Community Transit thanks all the veterans in our lives, including those who drive, maintain and support our transit service! Please join us in thanking our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

Want to send an eCard to the veterans in your life? Click here to send a thank you eCard to your favorite veteran (courtesy of GovLoop).

How will you be honoring your favorite veteran on Veterans Day?

A Day in the Life at the Lost and Found: Phones, Umbrellas, and a Bag O’Pot

Many people run to catch their bus, but some also dash off the bus to get where they need to go. In that bustle, they sometimes leave stuff behind. At Community Transit, we average about 650 lost and found items per month. That’s up to 8,000 items a year.

Most items left behind on our buses are what you’d expect to find: cell phones, travel umbrellas, prescription glasses, IDs. But, we also get stuff you’ve got to wonder how someone could forget: bicycles, laptops, dentures, even a playpen! 

When you operate public transit in a state where marijuana is legalized, it’s not surprising when a bag of pot appears in the daily drop off. 

In fact, our staff estimates that small amounts of marijuana make an appearance at the Lost and Found about four times per month.

So, what do we do with the pot?

According to Matt, Sales and Distribution Supervisor at the Lynnwood Transit Center RideStore, home to our Lost and Found, standard procedure is to call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies to come and retrieve it. We don’t want to be in possession of lost drugs or weapons.

“In most instances, what we receive is a small amount,” said Matt. “If it happens that the person who left their item on the bus shows up to claim it before the sheriffs arrive, we release the item to the person (after they properly identify it).”

If the sheriff arrives before the owner and takes possession of the marijuana, a tag marked with the case number and sheriff’s office contact info is attached to the container the marijuana was in so the owner can take steps to retrieve the item. When a claimant is told they need to go to the sheriff’s office to get their weed, “we usually get a very calm response,” said Matt.

Reunited And It Feel So Good

For just about every lost item is an owner eager for its return. About 35 percent of items in the Lost and Found are reunited with their owners. If you’ve left an item on one of our buses, here’s what you should know to get your item back:

• If you left your item on a Community Transit or Snohomish County Sound Transit bus, contact the RideStore to see if your item has been found. Call (425) 348-2350 or email ridestore@commtrans.org
• Lost and found items can be picked up at the RideStore the next business day after 12:00 p.m.
• When you call, be prepared to identify your item (color, stickers, brand name, etc.).
• If you lost an item at Everett Station, check with the station’s Customer Service Center.
• If you lost an item on the Sounder Train, call (888) 889-6398. Select the “Sounder” option and then select “Lost & Found.”

Clockwise left: 30 crates organize found items; bulkier found items take up

the other side of lost and found; a gas-powered pruner was left behind; 

staff examine and log items in all bags that come in; an average dropoff

of found items from a weekend.

Time’s a Tickin’ When Things Go Missin’

If an item has a phone number, we do our best to contact the owner. Otherwise, we wait for a call. Wallets, purses and medications are always given special consideration for quick return to the owner. Other items fall under these hold criteria:

• Lost items are held in Lost in Found for 14 days, then they are destroyed or donated.
• Bikes are held offsite for a total of 10 days before being turned over to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Property Room. When claiming a bike, you’ll need to set-up a time for pick-up. Appointments are available weekdays between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. by calling (425) 348-2350.

“At the end of the day, we prefer to reunite people with their property,” said Matt.

To that end, our RideStore staff has two pieces of advice for our riders:

1. Check your seat before getting off the bus and make sure you have all your belongings.
2. If you think you’ve lost something on one of our buses, give us a call!

I-405 Bus Shoulder Driving May Start Thursday, October 8

On the heels of the new express toll lanes opening on a 17-mile stretch of I-405, commuters can expect to see Community Transit and Sound Transit buses driving on the southbound I-405 right hand shoulder starting tomorrow, October 8.

The Transit Only right-hand shoulder lane is part of the I-405 Express Toll Lanes project and the result of a partnership between Community Transit, King County Metro Transit, Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The 13-foot wide Transit Only shoulder lane is located on two specific stretches of southbound I-405:

• Between Highway 527 (Canyon Park exit) and NE 195th Street; and
• Between Highway 522 and NE 160th Street

Here is a preview of what the bus shoulder driving will look like-- this is actual footage of our drivers in training yesterday afternoon:

Bus shoulder operations are common in other states such as Minnesota and Ohio. Community Transit has entered into an agreement with WSDOT for I-405 shoulder operations in  2010. Community Transit operates Sound Transit express buses in Snohomish County.

Rules of the Road

Just as there are rules for using the express lanes, so too are there rules for buses driving on the shoulder:

• Buses will use the shoulder lane only during the weekday morning commute (6-9 a.m.)
• Buses will use the shoulder lane only when regular traffic is running substantially slower than posted speeds.
• Buses will flash their hazard lights when operating on the shoulder to alert other vehicles.
• When traffic is running at or close to posted speeds, buses will use the right-hand general purpose traffic lane.
• If there is a stalled vehicle or another obstruction blocking the shoulder lane, buses will use the right-hand general purpose lane.

For more information about I-405 shoulder lane operations, visit  www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/405/BusShoulderLanes.htm.

Session in Review: How Community Transit Fared with the 2015 Legislature

The historically long (176 days) 2015 Washington State Legislative Session is now best remembered in transit circles for the transportation revenue package passed in early July. That legislation gave Community Transit authority to seek local sales tax funding for increased transit service, which will be decided by voters on November 3.

Here is a recap of legislation affecting Community Transit.

Funding for Community Transit 

16-year New Transportation Revenue Package 
• Local option authority – As discussed above, this granted Community Transit authority to seek up to 0.3 percent sales tax increase for transit. The Community Transit Board approved a ballot measure for the full 0.3 percent to fund more bus trips on all routes, a second Swift line and a list of other improvements. Measure will be on November 3 general election ballot.
• $10 million in flexible spending for second line of Swift. This funding, which is designated to be received in future biennia, can be used for Swift capital infrastructure (buses and stations) or operations.

2015-17 Transportation Budget Regional Mobility Grants 
• Seaway Transit Center, $3 million in 2015-17 and $3.8 million in 2017-19
This transit center, located across the street from Boeing-Everett’s main gate, will serve as the northern terminal for the second Swift line, as well as a hub for all Paine Field area buses, including Community Everett and Metro Transit. Design is underway and project can be completed in 2017.
• Mukilteo Park & Ride, $3.48 million in 2015-17
This commuter park & ride will be located on Bernie Webber Drive on the west side of Paine Field, about a block off the Mukilteo Speedway. It will be primarily used for local residents catching routes to Seattle and UW. This project is awaiting final local matching funds.

Statewide Transit Funding from New Transportation Revenue Package 

Gas tax revenue, the primary revenue source for this legislation, cannot be used for any transit projects. These projects are funded through other sources defined in the legislation. Community Transit may compete for some of these grants, but funding is not guaranteed.

• Special Needs Transportation Grants increased from $25 million per biennium to $60 million
• Rural Mobility Grants increased from $17 million per biennium to $30 million
• Regional Mobility Grants increased from $40 million per biennium to $75.25 million
• Vanpool Grants increased from $6 million per biennium to $9.9 million
• Transit Agency Coordination (HB 1842), $5 million over 16 years
• Transit project earmarks, $111 million over 16 years (includes above $10 million for Swift)

Four Things You Should Know About Our New Double Tall Buses

By Laurel McJannet

Back in May, The Herald had a post on their Street Smarts blog about Community Transit's order of 22 double decker buses to be delivered this summer. These buses will increase our fleet of Double Talls (as we affectionately call them) to a whopping 45 total this summer.

Guess what? Three of them have arrived and I was able to take some pictures and find out what new features these new buses will offer.

I know what you're thinking-- when will they be on the road? Will they be put on my route?

Before the buses can be put on the road, they will be inspected and cleaned, as well as outfitted with transit technology (GPS, ORCA and a farebox.) This process takes 3-4 weeks or longer depending on if we find something that needs to be fixed before they go into service. Once they are assigned to a route, we'll update this post.

In the meantime, we know inquiring minds want to know what's new with these buses, so here are some highlights.

Good Things Come in Small Packages. Here is a picture of a current and a new Double Tall -- an updated Enviro 500 from Alexander Dennis. The new one is on the bottom (you can see it hasn't been branded yet with "The Double Tall" decal on the front). At first glimpse, they appear the same, but the new Double Tall is six inches shorter in height, which is good because this means the buses can fit at places they previously could not.

The new Double Talls, with high-back reclining seats, will hold 80 passengers (49 upstairs and 31 downstairs OR 25 + two wheelchairs).



New Bike Rack. The new Double Tall has a bike rack that holds 3 bikes! All new buses will have this bike rack and, eventually, all buses will follow suit and upgrade from their current 2-bike rack.

(Left) New Double Tall. (Right) Current Double Tall

The upper deck (pictured above) is largely unchanged. As you can see, there's slightly less room in the front row of the upper deck, but the unobstructed view remains the same. You're actually closer to the action!

Last but not least... a lower deck monitor! There is a monitor at the bottom of the staircase leading to the upper deck. Ever have those days where you race up the stairs to the upper deck, find it's full and have to make the climb back downstairs? Now, you'll be able to see if there are seats available on the upper deck before schlepping yourself and your bags up those stairs. Genius, I say!

So, there you have it. A sneak peek at our newest Double Talls. Is there anything else you'd like to see/know about them? Let us know in the comments.

Community Transit Recognizes Leaders in Smart Transportation Options

Community Transit’s Choice Connections program recognizes worksites in Snohomish County and the City of Bothell who support Washington State Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) goals. They go above and beyond to encourage their employees to use smart transportation options to driving alone.

 

Smart Commuter of the Quarter, Josefina Behymer

Congratulations to the Choice Connections award winners for 1st Quarter 2015:

Smart Commuter of the Quarter
Josefina Behymer is a liaison between internal buyers and engineers at Boeing Canyon Park Commons in Bothell. She is a vital connection to ensure that orders are accurate and streamlined. Josefina displays her commitment to smart transportation choices by taking the ferry and vanpooling for her commute of 88 miles each day. We’d like to recognize Josefina for her devotion to smart transportation choices that help keep the environment healthy for everyone!

Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) of the Quarter
Woody Whitaker has been the ETC for Allstate for eight years. He provides employees with support and information about their transportation options, and helps them find an attractive commute to fit their lifestyle. Woody takes the time to meet with Allstate’s new employees to explain the company’s subsidy program, as well as commute options to their Bothell worksite. Woody’s continued support of the program has resulted in 25% of the worksite’s employees logging trips in RideshareOnline.com, saving over 78,000 miles and more than $22,800 in fuel during the first quarter of 2015. 

Employer of the Quarter
Electric Mirror made a big commitment to smart transportation when it implemented a subsidy program for their carpools and vanpools. Parking was at a premium at their South Everett worksite, so they took a proactive approach to fix their overcrowded parking lots. Electric Mirror announced the rollout of a subsidy program to their employees in the month of February and began sign ups in March. As a result, 20% of their workforce is now carpooling. During the first quarter of 2015 their efforts removed 1,146 trips and more than 12,000 drive alone miles. 

Choice Connections rewards commuters for choosing smart transportation options and offers the tools and resources needed to get started. When you choose a smart commute, your efforts reduce traffic, save money and time, and help the environment. To learn more about the Choice Connections program, please visit www.community transit/ChoiceConnections.

 

Art Is Not What You Make - It's What You Make Of It

Over the past several months, we’ve had the pleasure of partnering with art students from Mariner High School. They designed and created 42 panels for our Mariner Park and Ride bus shelters that are now on display. Their hard work is a shining example of the artistic youth in our community, and leaves a lasting artist impression for everyone to enjoy.

We were lucky to capture the first hand experiences from Racheal Yi, a student involved in the art project. Wise beyond her years, she shares with us her experiences and pride for the project:

As a student in the Mariner High School Art department, I feel honored to say that in the past several weeks I participated in one of the most important projects that this classroom has completed during its history. For nearly two months, our classroom worked on a mural to express what is so underrepresented in this community: some of Everett’s finest artistic minds and creative youth. We worked as a team on a total of 42 panels that will be installed at the Mariner Park & Ride bus stop. There was never a moment when we were not working as a team, but this did not limit our room for individual creativity; the production of each panel required thoughtful, original input from multiple artists who brought their ideas forward to produce something with consummate prestige.

Community Transit approached our advanced art class this year with an opportunity that most of us had never come close to having before: to work freely on a lasting piece of artwork that would represent our creative roles in this community for years to come. The unique thing about this project was that as much as we felt free to create something almost completely from scratch, we also felt the pressure of knowing that our art would serve as a demonstration of the creative dynamics of not only our school, but of our entire community.

In the planning stages of this project, our class started out with multiple different ideas that were eventually narrowed down to four major themes: Surrealism, Evolution of Art & Transit, One Way or Another and Transit Through the Ages. All of these themes synthesized different modes of transportation with different styles of art, allowing us to meet the needs of Community Transit while demonstrating our creativity as artists. Surrealism features extraordinary subjects in surreal settings. Evolution of Art & Transit and Transit Through the Ages depict the evolution of transportation over time, as well as various different styles of art. One Way or Another expresses transportation since the beginning of time through modern silhouettes in vibrant settings.

From this experience, our class learned a lot about being mature, individual artists. It will surely be rewarding to see our work age with us as we continue to strive for nothing but the best as creative thinkers. We hope that through the completion of this project, we can encourage more recognition for the artistic youth of this community. The production and installment of this mural will surely last as a major impact on our lives as we grow from students to leaders. Additionally, the production of this mural gave us some real-world experience as contemporary artists - we worked with a client’s needs in mind as we exercised our artistic vision as well. This experience served as a professional example of what many of us may decide to work with in the future, while also giving us the freedom that we need as young adults.

The most important lesson that many of us have learned from our experiences in the Fine Arts department is that art is not to be defined by a sentence or by an image; art can be defined only through one’s interpretation of something new. Art is not the ability to paint well. It is not a measure of intellectual capacity. It is the freedom to let something promote thought and consciousness.

We hope that by leaving this legacy behind, we can advocate more creativity and an increased representation of a student’s artistic capacity. We hope that even after we exit the halls of our school for the very last time, art can be a universal medium through which this community’s students can interact with the world. Perhaps someday, art can become a more recognized mode of expression.

After all, art is not what you make - it’s what you make of it.

5 Tips (and more!) From A Self-Professed Bike Geek

You 

By Laurel McJannet

Does the guy pictured above look familiar? He should-- he's Roland, our resident, year-round bike commuter often featured on our Bike to Work efforts (above left is a screenshot from our #MovesLikeTransit video). You can also see him on our video showing how to use our bike racks on buses.

Besides being our resident cyclist, Roland is also a strategic unit planning manager in our Planning and Development Department, pulling together data about our buses and surrounding communities to help the agency create and update our plans for adding service-- like this Transit Development Plan, for instance.

Ah, but this is about Roland and his biking prowess. Here's what he had to say:

How often do you ride to work?

Usually 3 or 4 days a week, year-round.

How long is your commute? 7 miles each way, 25-30 minutes. 

Do you combine bus and bike? 

Frequently. Usually bike and Swift in the morning and then just bike in the afternoon.

How often to you bike outside of Bike Month?  All the time.

Why do you bike?

It's always been part of who I am.  Fitness, mental well-being, I like to see the sights up-close.

I'm a bike geek. 

I like keeping our air clean.  I save a lot of money.  We've always been a one-car family and have been able to 

keep it that way, even with two teenage daughters.  Living where I can bike and bus to work is critical.

What do you like most about biking?

It's fun. I always look forward to my commute-- how many people can say that?

What makes biking to work challenging at times?

Carrying cargo.  Dry cleaning, shoes, boxes, plants.  After 25 years of bike commuting, you get very strategic

about what objects to leave in your office and how to carry them on the bike.

What kind of bike do you ride? 

I currently ride a steel-frame Cyclo-cross bike equipped with fenders, rack and lights for commuting.  It's 

comfortable, not flashy and does really well in the rain.

What advice do you have for the beginning bike rider who is contemplating biking to work?

Get out there and try it!  Don't get hung up on having all the right equipment or clothing.  Get a functional bike.  Find a place to park it (rack, stairwell, office).

Look for ways to make it easy-- combining bus and bike can get you over hills, distance or high-traffic areas.

Thanks for the tips, Roland!

This "Scotty" Won't Beam You Up, But He Sure is Great for a Bike Ride

Dana poses with "Scotty," his Scott Peak mountain bike.

Recruited by fellow Team VeloCeeTee member, Rita, Dana has been participating in Bike to Work Month (and the team) for 8 or 9 seasons. 

Here's my interview with Dana, a transportation supervisor at Community Transit. (He's the guy who finds out about city and state construction and road work so we can plan re-routes to keep our service running smoothly.) 

How often do you ride outside of Bike to Work Month?

I ride 2-3 times/week through the year.  (Not quite so much if piles of snow or ice are in the bike lanes or the roadways.)

Why do you ride a bike?

Several reasons for my rides: 

• My health
• Saves wear and tear on my car
• Some quality time without radios
• Community Transit does give me a TIP* benefit, which I appreciate
• Personal satisfaction that I have done what I have done
• Thankfulness that I can do what I have been doing
• Some pleasing views and fragrances in nature that I would miss in the car
• Some quality time with other passengers aboard the bus trips
• I enjoy and appreciate my bus drivers; etc. :)
• Oops!  I answered this question quite a bit!

What makes biking to work challenging at times?

Weather-- and sometimes getting away from the office a bit later than desired some evenings.

What kind of bike do you ride?
My “Scotty” is a Scott Peak mountain bike, which now has road tires.  I believe it is a 1993 vintage.

Dana's advice for the beginning bike rider contemplating biking to work:

I agree with Alex on being aware of bus schedules and comfort. 

Also, a rider needs to allow enough time for emergent situations, like flat tires, an occasional street/road closure; more than enough bikes on the bus by the time it gets to your stop; know how to change/repair a flat; a helmet-mounted mirror is a very good investment; always be aware of the traffic on all sides of you; always be courteous (There are more than enough snarky or arrogant riders and drivers out there already.).

It can be really easy to become discouraged in the early stages.  If a person does not overdo it or give up early on, the little steps of the beginning and early stages will eventually become an accomplishment that will bring a great deal of satisfaction.  (Take that from a 62-year-old!)

Thanks, Dana! So, you've heard from three of our Team VeloCeeTee bike commuters. Have you put your two wheels to the test?

*TIP stands for Travel Incentive Program where employees earn incentives for using alternate ways to commute to work besides driving alone-- like, biking to work! 

Want to feel amazing and energized when you get to work? Bike to Work!

By Laurel McJannet

Alex is one of our newest Community Transit employees, but he's not new to the world of biking to work. So, it was only natural for him to join Team VeloCeeTee during Bike to Work Month.

Ok, Alex. Same questions I asked Rita-- ready...set...go! (Answers below!)

Alex commutes to our Kasch Park Operations Base 4-5 days a week.

How often do you bike outside of Bike Month?

Regular bicycle commuter- 4-5 days per week.

Why do you bike?

Primarily health and stress reasons-- I simply cannot put up with sitting in traffic when I could be pedaling through a beautiful forest on the North Creek trail, or zipping past congestion on the InterUrban.

I feel amazing and energized when I get to work, I get the best parking in the office, and I’ve met my daily cardio goals-- and then some!

What do you like most about biking?

It’s such an easy way to get around. No need to worry about parking or traffic, just a straight shot to my destination.

What makes biking to work challenging at times?

Weather can be tricky, and dealing with time constraints or hauling in the middle of the day.

Luckily, Community Transit accommodates for all of that--I can shower and change at the office, take transit for part of my trip with my ORCA Card, and use a company vehicle for midday meetings.

Alex’s Bike: I have a Spot Wazee, which is a little company based out of Golden, CO that specializes in belt-drive bikes. I love it.

Alex’s advice for the beginning bike rider contemplating biking to work:

Plan your route in advance and give it a trial run on the weekend. That’ll give you an idea of the time it’ll take-- and you don’t even have to factor in rush hour since that really doesn’t apply to bikes! Also, bring a few changes of clothes and some shower stuff and leave it at your office for those days you get rained on or are a little too sweaty for business as usual.

Thanks, Alex-- and welcome to Community Transit! Has Alex inspired you to bike to work?

Team VeloCeeTee Redefines Commuting with Heart

By Laurel McJannet

The wheels on the bus go round and round, but employees on Team VeloCeeTee get all over town (and to work) with the velocity of two wheels and lots of heart.

The team represents a cross section of employees that make up Community Transit: Transportation, Strategic Planning, Transportation Demand Management/Marketing, and Transportation Service Planning.

Pictured (left to right): Rocky Cazares, Rita Fox, Roland Behee, Alex Mehn, Sara Hayden and Dana Osborn.

Biking goes beyond Bike to Work Day and Month for members of Team VeloCeeTee. Some bike year-round. Many dust off their bikes as soon as the weather warms up. Given all this experience (and because I'm a hesitant wanna-be bike commuter myself), I posed this question to the team:

What advice do you have for the beginning bike rider who is contemplating biking to work?

"Get out there and try it! Don't get hung up on having all the right equipment or clothing. Get a functional bike, Find a place to park it (rack, stairwell, office). Look for ways to make it easy-- combining bus and bike can get you over hills, distance or high traffic areas." - Roland

"Plan your route in advance and give it a trial run on the weekend. That'll give you an idea of the time it'll take-- and you don't even have to factor in rush hour since that really doesn't apply to bikes!" Also, bring a few changes of clothes and some shower stuff and leave it at your office for those days you get rained on or are a little too sweaty for business as usual." - Alex

"Try it, even if you only do it once a week. You don’t have to have all the latest gear or an expensive bike, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the exercise you get, and how you contribute to making your carbon foot print just a wee bit smaller.  It counts." - Rita

"It can be really easy to become discouraged in the early stages.  If a person does not overdo it or give up early on, the little steps of the beginning and early stages will eventually become an accomplishment that will bring a great deal of satisfaction.  (Take that from a 62-year-old!)" - Dana

Do you bike to work? What advice do you have for biking to work? To school? Let us know in the comments.

5 Answers, 1 Piece of Advice On Why to Bike to Work

If you haven't already heard by now, May is Bike to Work Month. This Friday, May 15 is Bike to Work Day where diehard bikers and tentative beginners will hit the road to get to their 9-to-5 gig, biking alone or on a team.

Speaking of teams, we have one at Community Transit. While it's gone through a few name changes over the years, this year's team, Team VeloCeeTee (Get it?) is six members strong. We interviewed some of the team members to find out why they bike and asked what their advice would be for first time bike commuters.

First up: Rita, an administrative assistant in our Transportation Department. She has biked on the team for several years and also enjoys biking in her free time. 

How often do you bike outside of Bike Month?

Once a week or so from Spring to Fall. I'm a weekend cyclist basically, but do enjoy mid-week riders in the summer when there's more light.

Why do you bike?

Because I love outdoor exercise and have always loved riding bikes ever since I was a kid. I love riding trails and just soaking up nature along the way. Stationary bikes are good exercise, but just aren't the same.

What do you like most about biking?

Going fast! Having a destination and getting exercise along the way-- challenging myself to hills and feeling the breeze (on a hot day) on the way down the other side.

What makes biking to work challenging at times?

Hard it do it with after work commitments and when you're sick or when it's just dumping down rain. Or, pea soup fog. I won't ride in fog.

Rita's Bike: a Specialized Dolce road bike.

Rita's advice for the beginning bike rider contemplating biking to work:

Try it-- even if you do it once a week. What matters is the exercise you get and how you contribute to making your carbon footprint just a week bit smaller. It counts!

Thanks, Rita! 

What do you think? Will you be biking to work anytime soon?

How to Commend Your Bus Driver

Today is the day. You've decided you're finally going to let us know how much you appreciate your bus driver. You grab a cup of coffee, sit down at your computer, open up a new document...

And this happens:

Writer's block! 

Don't worry. We're here to help! Commendations don't have to be formal or lengthy-- just speak (or in this case, write) from the heart and go from there. Here are some examples of actual commendations our coach operators recently received:

“I ride the route 412 that leaves McCollum Park and Ride at 6:47 a.m.  I must compliment our bus driver.  He is kind, cautious and makes sure we arrive on time.  He goes out of his way when bus riders ask him for help.  On January 9, he did an act of kindness that shouldn’t go unnoticed.  Please let him know I say thank you!”

“On February 14 I rode the northbound 116 that arrived at Ash Way Park and Ride at 19:02.  The 116 was a little late arriving and I needed to catch the northbound 201.  Sarah, the operator of the 116 honked at the 201 and got that driver’s attention so he waited and I was able to make my connection.  This really made my Valentine’s Day!”

“I ride the first southbound 880 at 5:40 a.m. from 35^th and 148^th.  The operator of this route is very friendly and a good driver.  He makes the ride fun.  Please let him know I think he’s great!”

“I want to commend the driver of the route 115 on January 30 as he was amazing.  He took the time to explain to me how to ride a different bus, explaining the map and even tried to hold the other bus for me.  I really appreciated his help."

Key things to have in your commendation:

• Driver name (if you know it)
• Time, Route and Day (so we can find out who the driver is so s/he gets their commendation)

Commendations are gathered and shared with drivers via a formal letter (like this one, left) and put in their employee file. Your commendation will help the driver earn recognition and service awards.

So, when you’ve got your commendation ready to go, you can:

• Email it to riders@commtrans.org
• Or cut & paste it into this online form
• Or, mail it to Community Transit, 7100 Hardeson Rd., Everett, WA 98203

Remember, commendations are excepted (and welcomed!) year-round and not just on Bus Driver Appreciation Day (March 18).

Have you written a commendation lately? What writing tips do you have for others?

Do You Appreciate Your Bus Driver? Tell them so on March 18.

Courtesy of quoteessays.com

Don't you feel good when someone makes you feel appreciated for what you do?

Know what else feels good? Making someone else feel appreciated!

Next week, we will focus on making our coach operators (a.k.a. "bus drivers") feel the love on Wednesday, March 18 which is Transit Driver Appreciation Day.

We invite you to join us in saying "Thank You" to the men and women who, day-in-day-out, command the wheel of our local, commuter and DART vehicles to get us to work, school, and to points here, there and everywhere as safely and as timely as possible.

We think our coach operators are amazing. Like many other customer service jobs where you're more likely to hear the bad (and rarely the good), it can really make your day to hear a simple and heartfelt, "Thank you!"

We'll be sharing our 'Appreciation Day' activities as they happen on our Facebook Page next week. We invite you to join us, even if it is virtually.

In the meantime, tell us what you appreciate about your favorite driver by commenting on this post. Better yet, put your good words onto virtual paper and send it to riders@commtrans.org. Be sure to include the driver's route, bus number-- and name, if possible. Our drivers are rewarded for these customer commendations, so please take a moment to let us know when they've made your day. Here's a past post about how you can appreciate and commend your Community Transit bus driver throughout the year.

What do you appreciate about your bus driver? Tell us in the comments!