Community Transit's 2013 proposed budget is now online. A public hearing on this budget proposal will take place at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Community Transit Board Room, 7100 Hardeson Rd. in Everett.
The budget proposal calls for a 2 percent increase in spending next year, although overall revenues may decline due to an anticipated reduction in federal funding. Changes to federal rules, as well as the fact that the agency operates fewer service hours could impact how much money comes back from D.C.
On the other hand, Community Transit has always been good at attracting competitive funding. Such is the case with two federal grants that will allow the agency to operate 30 additional commuter trips to Seattle each weekday, and about 9,000 new vanpool service hours. The vanpool grant paid for 20 new vanpool vans plus the cost of a new vanpool coordinator for two years.
Partly to operate those additional commuter trips, and partly to help maintain performance on current service, the agency will hire at least five coach operators. Three full-time drivers will be hired, and 2 to 4 part-time drivers will be hired.
The Board of Directors is expected to take action on the proposed budget at its Dec. 6 meeting.
Showing posts with label drivers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drivers. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Interest in the Double Talls
British reporter Tim Deakin visited Community Transit this week to learn more about our Double Tall double decker buses.Deakin is writing an article about bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited's efforts to crack the U.S. market with its double deckers. Currently, The RTC of Southern Nevada has 150 double deckers that serve the Las Vegas area, and Community Transit has its fleet of 23 Double Talls. Several other U.S. transit agencies have either single buses, smaller fleets or demonstration double deckers in operation.
Deakin wanted to know how our drivers, mechanics and customers liked the buses, and was particularly interested in the build process for our buses. Community Transit's bus purchase, which was funded largely through the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (stimulus bill), was the first Buy America-compliant double decker order for ADL. That meant the buses, which have historically been built in Great Britain, had to be substantially built in the U.S. with American-made parts.
"We found there were some language barriers, even though we spoke the same language," said Strategic Planning and Grants Manager June DeVoll, who oversaw the bus purchase. "We could be using the same words, but they meant completely different things to us and them."
Despite the complexities and slight time delays involved in adapting a very British product and process to the American way, and the use of a new set of subcontractors from a different continent, the buses went into operation last year and have been a hit with our drivers, mechanics and, especially, our customers.
I explained to Deakin that when we had the one leased double decker from 2007-09, we created a web page to list the routes and times that bus was in operation because we got so many inqueries from people who wanted to ride that bus. We were resolved not to do that with the new fleet but, again, we were inundated with requests. Now, communications and dispatch staff collaborate to maintain a list of routes and times you can catch any of the 23 Double Tall buses.
Deakin is a freelance journalist based in London and says the article will appear in the trade magazine Buses sometime later this year.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Post-Service Change Adjustments
The February 2012 service change was massive in scope not just because it reduced our bus service by 20 percent, but also because the local service network was redesigned. With such a huge change in the system, it was inevitable that some adjustments would be needed.
A couple weeks ago, the agency made adjustments to the Route 113 schedule to improve connections between buses and ferries in Mukilteo. It took several weeks to design a change that didn’t carry too many impacts down the line, then get the change out to drivers and customers.
On April 9, several other adjustments will take place.
Route 196 afternoon and evening buses between Edmonds and Alderwood will start five minutes later to help get trips on schedule. Behind-the-scenes, some driver work will change as part of this adjustment. Our hope is that these changes will help this new route stay on schedule on trips that have been notoriously behind schedule since the new route started in February.
In Bothell, Route 435 will hold at Canyon Park for up to five minutes in the morning to allow for incoming Route 105/106 and 120 buses to make that connection to downtown Seattle. This means customers already on board will have to wait a bit longer, but this is a connection that was supposed to happen and has been hit-and-miss in reality.
On Route 120, an early afternoon adjustment in how drivers switch off will help to keep more trips on schedule. This is an example of making changes in off-service work that positively affects the in-service experience.
When these changes go into effect next week, 82 weekday trips and 31 Saturday trips will have been adjusted since the Feb. 20 service change.
Our Planning and Transportation staff continue to monitor other trips and routes to see where improvements can be made to the massive February service change. It’s likely there may be more adjustments coming in June and September.
The challenge is to allow enough time for drivers and customers to adjust to the initial changes, then track schedules over a period of time long enough to tell us that late trips or missed connections are truly a systemic problem, not something that changes from day to day.
Without money for new service hours, the next step is to find ways to adjust driver work or make minor tweaks to the schedule that can improve the customer experience. And, of course, the laws of transit dictate that every action has an unintended consequence; when you start tweaking schedules you start impacting the travel of those who have found a way to make the system work for them. We want to keep those downstream impacts to a minimum.
As more adjustments are made, we’ll discuss them here, and send out announcements through rider alerts. Sign up for our electronic alerts if you haven’t already.
A couple weeks ago, the agency made adjustments to the Route 113 schedule to improve connections between buses and ferries in Mukilteo. It took several weeks to design a change that didn’t carry too many impacts down the line, then get the change out to drivers and customers.
On April 9, several other adjustments will take place.
Route 196 afternoon and evening buses between Edmonds and Alderwood will start five minutes later to help get trips on schedule. Behind-the-scenes, some driver work will change as part of this adjustment. Our hope is that these changes will help this new route stay on schedule on trips that have been notoriously behind schedule since the new route started in February.
In Bothell, Route 435 will hold at Canyon Park for up to five minutes in the morning to allow for incoming Route 105/106 and 120 buses to make that connection to downtown Seattle. This means customers already on board will have to wait a bit longer, but this is a connection that was supposed to happen and has been hit-and-miss in reality.
On Route 120, an early afternoon adjustment in how drivers switch off will help to keep more trips on schedule. This is an example of making changes in off-service work that positively affects the in-service experience.
When these changes go into effect next week, 82 weekday trips and 31 Saturday trips will have been adjusted since the Feb. 20 service change.
Our Planning and Transportation staff continue to monitor other trips and routes to see where improvements can be made to the massive February service change. It’s likely there may be more adjustments coming in June and September.
The challenge is to allow enough time for drivers and customers to adjust to the initial changes, then track schedules over a period of time long enough to tell us that late trips or missed connections are truly a systemic problem, not something that changes from day to day.
Without money for new service hours, the next step is to find ways to adjust driver work or make minor tweaks to the schedule that can improve the customer experience. And, of course, the laws of transit dictate that every action has an unintended consequence; when you start tweaking schedules you start impacting the travel of those who have found a way to make the system work for them. We want to keep those downstream impacts to a minimum.
As more adjustments are made, we’ll discuss them here, and send out announcements through rider alerts. Sign up for our electronic alerts if you haven’t already.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Potential Board Action on 2012 System Change
One of the action items on the Aug. 4 Community Transit Board of Directors meeting agenda is the February 2012 System Change - the proposed service cuts for next year.
Although this is a scheduled action item, depending on the board discussion there may or may not be a vote.
Over the past two weeks, since a July 21 board workshop on the service alternatives and public comment, a new hybrid alternative has emerged. Details are available on the website, but in a nutshell the hybrid alternative combines the commuter network of Alternative I with the local route network of Alternative III, with some modifications.
Although this is a scheduled action item, depending on the board discussion there may or may not be a vote.
Over the past two weeks, since a July 21 board workshop on the service alternatives and public comment, a new hybrid alternative has emerged. Details are available on the website, but in a nutshell the hybrid alternative combines the commuter network of Alternative I with the local route network of Alternative III, with some modifications.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Transit Honored for Traffic Safety Contributions
The Snohomish County DUI and Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force recently held its annual awards ceremony, recognizing law enforcement, youth, businesses and individuals who contributed to traffic safety in 2010.
Community Transit’s coach operators were among those honored as “Community Champions.”
Keeping our passengers and the roads of Snohomish County safe is the most important part of the job of being a Community Transit bus driver.
Of the agency’s more than 300 coach operators, 73 have received a Million Mile Safe Driving Award from the National Safety Council, representing 12 years of professional driving without a preventable accident.
In addition to being safe drivers themselves, Community Transit coach operators help keep our roads safe by providing an alternative means of transportation for people who have lost their driving privileges. Public transportation ensures that people who have lost their license do not also lose their ability to get to jobs, treatment and other resources.
Community Transit Coach Operator of the Year Al Mehau accepted the award on behalf of his colleagues, along with Community Transit Coach Operator Instructor Inder Sharma.
Community Transit’s coach operators were among those honored as “Community Champions.”
Keeping our passengers and the roads of Snohomish County safe is the most important part of the job of being a Community Transit bus driver.
Of the agency’s more than 300 coach operators, 73 have received a Million Mile Safe Driving Award from the National Safety Council, representing 12 years of professional driving without a preventable accident.
In addition to being safe drivers themselves, Community Transit coach operators help keep our roads safe by providing an alternative means of transportation for people who have lost their driving privileges. Public transportation ensures that people who have lost their license do not also lose their ability to get to jobs, treatment and other resources.
Community Transit Coach Operator of the Year Al Mehau accepted the award on behalf of his colleagues, along with Community Transit Coach Operator Instructor Inder Sharma.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
High Fuel Prices Cost Transit, Too
By Dave Richards, Community Transit Director of Maintenance
High gas prices are causing individuals to cut back on their driving to save money.
How do fuel costs affect transit budgets?
For every one cent rise in diesel prices, we have an increase in operating costs of more than $31,000 per year. That is just for our fixed route buses. Fuel costs for our automobiles, DART paratransit service and vanpools increase as well.
Fuel, whether it is diesel or gasoline, is an expensive and necessary commodity in the public transportation business. We can’t just suddenly stop serving the customers who rely on us to do the driving for them. That doesn’t mean we can’t take actions to reduce the effects that fuel costs and fuel usage have on our ability to operate efficiently.
High gas prices are causing individuals to cut back on their driving to save money.
How do fuel costs affect transit budgets?
For every one cent rise in diesel prices, we have an increase in operating costs of more than $31,000 per year. That is just for our fixed route buses. Fuel costs for our automobiles, DART paratransit service and vanpools increase as well.
Fuel, whether it is diesel or gasoline, is an expensive and necessary commodity in the public transportation business. We can’t just suddenly stop serving the customers who rely on us to do the driving for them. That doesn’t mean we can’t take actions to reduce the effects that fuel costs and fuel usage have on our ability to operate efficiently.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Boeing Riders Love the Bus
Who rides Community Transit buses and why do they do so? The results of our 2010 On Board Survey begin to answer those questions. We have received a preliminary report on the 8,000 surveys returned last October. This will be the first of several blogs to discuss some of the results. I’ll break the posts into rider types based on routes.
- Boeing Riders
- Commuter Riders
- University Riders
- Local Riders
- Swift Riders
First, some background. Community Transit operates four bus routes that serve Boeing: Route 227 from Arlington/Marysville, Route 247 from Stanwood, Route 277 from Monroe and Route 280 from Lake Stevens. Our Boeing-route passengers are a dedicated lot, based on the survey.
- 55% of Boeing riders have ridden Community Transit for six years or more.
- 31% have ridden for two to five years
Unfortunately, the corollary is also true: Boeing service is not attracting new riders. Only 6% started riding in the past year, compared to 20% new riders in our system overall.
Despite their long-term commitment to public transportation, Boeing bus riders are not a captive audience. Ninety-four percent say they own a car but choose to use transit. At the same time, Boeing riders are the least likely to drive to the bus of all our commuter riders (Boeing, Seattle or U-District service): 48% walk to their stops, while 38% drive.
Most Boeing riders pay for the bus with an ORCA card. As a company, Boeing subsidizes bus passes and vanpools and has other programs in place to encourage alternative transportation. If you’ve ever tried to get onto Highway 526 at 5:30 a.m. (or if you work at Boeing and try to park there), you’ll know that encouraging transit use is in Boeing’s self-interest. There’s also the state Commute Trip Reduction Law which requires large employers (and who is larger than Boeing?) to do their part in reducing congestion.
Because of the varying start times and shift work at Boeing, the increased flexibility of vanpools makes them more popular than buses. There are 88Community Transit vanpools to Everett Boeing, and many more from other counties around the region.
But something about Community Transit’s Boeing bus service obviously works for our long-term bus riders – or maybe it’s something about driving to Boeing that doesn’t work . Either way, we have something to learn from them about how to encourage more people to choose public transportation even when they have other options.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Snow Fun
Like so many adults, I used to love snow. As a kid, it’s great when school is canceled and you have nowhere to go but outside to make a snowman.
Now my perspective has changed. When it snows, someone from the Community Transit Agency Communications Team gets up at 4 a.m. (hours after Transportation and Maintenance staff have already been at work assessing road conditions and chaining buses). Communications staff post to our website and email Rider Alerts about any reroutes or major schedule changes. Then, we figure out how we’re going to get to the office.
Some people who aren’t regular bus riders turn to transit in snowy conditions. That explains why we had a run on Bus Plus books Thanksgiving week. Of course, as our planning supervisor pointed out, in such conditions the schedule pretty much goes out the window, so to speak.
Buses run late or trips are delayed or canceled during snow or icy conditions for many reasons. Articulated buses do not work well in snow, so when we need to take them off the road to avoid mishaps, that reduces our commuter fleet by 65 percent. That’s one reason we were only able to commit to limited service to Seattle on Thanksgiving week.
Chaining buses for snowy roads – and sometimes needing to take the chains off again a few miles away – can cause delays both due to the chain-up time and the reduced speeds required once chains are on. Reroutes around icy hills can also add time and delay.
Finally, bus drivers have trouble getting to work in bad conditions just like other people, so sometimes manpower is an issue.
That last issue definitely figures in when snow lasts for several days. Consider that the last commuter bus driver from the Monday, Nov. 22 commute returned to base from his Stanwood Route 422 run at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday morning. Safety, as well as contract rules, would not allow that driver to return to work again for at least 8 hours.
We know winter travel can be grueling for our customers as well, whether you’re waiting extra long in cold weather or sitting on a bus that’s moving the speed of traffic (not). Even people who leave the driving to us are wise to stay home in snowy conditions if they can. On Nov. 23, we had only 10 percent of usual ridership to Seattle.
People who do ride appreciate the skill and service of our bus drivers. Of the hundreds of trips we operated and miles we drove, we had only nine minor crashes during the snow, most of which were other people sliding into us. Here’s what one of our Facebook friends had to say on our discussion board about his “Snow Commute:"
Ah, heck. I still love snow. I guess we adults just need to go out and make a snowman sometimes.
Now my perspective has changed. When it snows, someone from the Community Transit Agency Communications Team gets up at 4 a.m. (hours after Transportation and Maintenance staff have already been at work assessing road conditions and chaining buses). Communications staff post to our website and email Rider Alerts about any reroutes or major schedule changes. Then, we figure out how we’re going to get to the office.
Some people who aren’t regular bus riders turn to transit in snowy conditions. That explains why we had a run on Bus Plus books Thanksgiving week. Of course, as our planning supervisor pointed out, in such conditions the schedule pretty much goes out the window, so to speak.
Buses run late or trips are delayed or canceled during snow or icy conditions for many reasons. Articulated buses do not work well in snow, so when we need to take them off the road to avoid mishaps, that reduces our commuter fleet by 65 percent. That’s one reason we were only able to commit to limited service to Seattle on Thanksgiving week.
Chaining buses for snowy roads – and sometimes needing to take the chains off again a few miles away – can cause delays both due to the chain-up time and the reduced speeds required once chains are on. Reroutes around icy hills can also add time and delay.
Finally, bus drivers have trouble getting to work in bad conditions just like other people, so sometimes manpower is an issue.
That last issue definitely figures in when snow lasts for several days. Consider that the last commuter bus driver from the Monday, Nov. 22 commute returned to base from his Stanwood Route 422 run at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday morning. Safety, as well as contract rules, would not allow that driver to return to work again for at least 8 hours.
We know winter travel can be grueling for our customers as well, whether you’re waiting extra long in cold weather or sitting on a bus that’s moving the speed of traffic (not). Even people who leave the driving to us are wise to stay home in snowy conditions if they can. On Nov. 23, we had only 10 percent of usual ridership to Seattle.
People who do ride appreciate the skill and service of our bus drivers. Of the hundreds of trips we operated and miles we drove, we had only nine minor crashes during the snow, most of which were other people sliding into us. Here’s what one of our Facebook friends had to say on our discussion board about his “Snow Commute:"
"I'm not sure who she was, but she was AWESOME! The driver for Route 415 the night of Nov. 22nd did an absolutely amazing job in handling the situation. She deftly maneuvered the articulated bus through the maze of the jack-knived articulateds on I-5, without a scratch. She kept the bus warm enough and was courteous the entire evening.R. Bruce Soule is quoted in a North County Outlook story about the snow:
I boarded the bus at 4th & Union at 7pm. It took over an hour just to get onto Olive Way and over another hour to get onto I-5. We arrived at Ash Way at 12:30am."
Trevor Vance
"Five hours on a bus for a one-hour trip is about as much fun as getting a root canal. My thanks to our Community Transit driver who opened up the 'drivers only' bathroom at the Lynnwood Park and Ride when we got there, four hours into our journey home. I hope he gets one heck of a Christmas present this year."Maybe we could get a non-White Christmas?
Ah, heck. I still love snow. I guess we adults just need to go out and make a snowman sometimes.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Safe Driving is Key
Safe driving is a job requirement at Community Transit. For some it’s also a family legacy.
Earlier this year, Carl Huth, Jr. earned a National Safety Council Two Million Mile Driver award. His late father, Carl Huth, Sr., was honored as one of Community Transit’s original Million Mile Drivers in 2001. Carl, Jr. has worked for Community Transit for 25 years and has never had a preventable accident in that time.
Diane Sassé watched her mom, Elaine Vail, earn both a Million Mile Driver and Two Million Mile Driver awards. Now, after 14 years of driving for Community Transit, Diane has continued the family tradition by reaching her own Million Mile mark.
Elaine attended her daughter’s awards ceremony. “This is big,” she told Diane, who took the award in stride.
It takes drivers approximately 12½ years without a preventable accident to become Million Mile Drivers. Community Transit bus drivers are paid to drive in the traffic that most of us dread. While individual drivers may get to cruise along on freeways with limited stops and few interactions with pedestrians and bicycles, those crash risk factors are the very heart of transit operations.
It takes a good attitude and careful attention to drive safely in those conditions.
Carl credits his accident-free record with consistency: “You do the right thing over and over again.” When he does make a driving mistake, he consciously thinks through what he should have done so he doesn’t make the mistake again. He also forgives other drivers their mistakes. “I never get angry,” he says.
Diane said she never takes for granted that she’s driving a bus and should therefore be visible to other drivers. “I call it the ‘Stealth Bus,’ ” she said of all the times she’s almost been hit. Like Carl, she prefers to laugh rather than get mad when other drivers do crazy things.
“I get from Point A to Point B and that’s what matters,” she said.
Community Transit has 68 active employees who are Million Mile Drivers, including six Two Million Mile Drivers.
TRANSIT TRIVIA
Q: How old do you have to be to be a Community Transit bus driver?
A: Driver must have 5 years of safe driving in the United States. This means drivers are at least 21 when they are hired.
Q: How much training do bus drivers get?
A: Community Transit provides a training program that is nearly nine weeks long to all new coach operators, no matter what other driving experience they may have. Many Community Transit drivers have started their careers driving trucks, school buses or military vehicles.
In addition to safe driving and bus handling, Community Transit training includes customer service and learning the bus routes throughout Snohomish County.
Earlier this year, Carl Huth, Jr. earned a National Safety Council Two Million Mile Driver award. His late father, Carl Huth, Sr., was honored as one of Community Transit’s original Million Mile Drivers in 2001. Carl, Jr. has worked for Community Transit for 25 years and has never had a preventable accident in that time.
Diane Sassé watched her mom, Elaine Vail, earn both a Million Mile Driver and Two Million Mile Driver awards. Now, after 14 years of driving for Community Transit, Diane has continued the family tradition by reaching her own Million Mile mark.
Elaine attended her daughter’s awards ceremony. “This is big,” she told Diane, who took the award in stride.
It takes drivers approximately 12½ years without a preventable accident to become Million Mile Drivers. Community Transit bus drivers are paid to drive in the traffic that most of us dread. While individual drivers may get to cruise along on freeways with limited stops and few interactions with pedestrians and bicycles, those crash risk factors are the very heart of transit operations.
It takes a good attitude and careful attention to drive safely in those conditions.
Carl credits his accident-free record with consistency: “You do the right thing over and over again.” When he does make a driving mistake, he consciously thinks through what he should have done so he doesn’t make the mistake again. He also forgives other drivers their mistakes. “I never get angry,” he says.
Diane said she never takes for granted that she’s driving a bus and should therefore be visible to other drivers. “I call it the ‘Stealth Bus,’ ” she said of all the times she’s almost been hit. Like Carl, she prefers to laugh rather than get mad when other drivers do crazy things.
“I get from Point A to Point B and that’s what matters,” she said.
Community Transit has 68 active employees who are Million Mile Drivers, including six Two Million Mile Drivers.
TRANSIT TRIVIA
Q: How old do you have to be to be a Community Transit bus driver?
A: Driver must have 5 years of safe driving in the United States. This means drivers are at least 21 when they are hired.
Q: How much training do bus drivers get?
A: Community Transit provides a training program that is nearly nine weeks long to all new coach operators, no matter what other driving experience they may have. Many Community Transit drivers have started their careers driving trucks, school buses or military vehicles.
In addition to safe driving and bus handling, Community Transit training includes customer service and learning the bus routes throughout Snohomish County.
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