Community Transit Employee Spotlight

Bus Driver Ray Harnisch: Going the Extra 3,000,000 Miles

Service to Community

Ray Harnisch has been driving buses for Community Transit for 21 years, and one of his favorite parts of the job is working with children.

He’s not a school bus driver, but he’s met thousands of kids through the agency’s School Transit Education Program (STEP). His blue eyes sparkle like an excited grandpa when he talks with the kids about buses, sitting comfortably and asking them as many questions as they’re asking him.

When Ray is on the road, some of his favorite moments are when young children wave at him.

Ray Harnisch On What Makes Driving a Bus Fun from Community Transit on Vimeo.

“I wave back at them,” he said. “I want them to know, when they get older and can ride our buses, that bus drivers are friendly. We’re there to help.”

Many of those kids eventually become riders on his bus, and he remembers them.

“I’ve watched them grow up, until they’re busing to college and their jobs,” he said. “I’m part of their world, their community.”

Service to Safety

In addition to driving a regular route, driving for STEP and mentoring other drivers, Ray has served on accident review committees, the service planning input team and on Community Transit’s Safety Committee, which he often chaired.

Ray’s attention to safety recently earned him a Three Million Mile Award for safe driving – that’s 3,000,000 miles of safe driving in stop-and-go traffic, day in and day out.

For perspective, that’s the equivalent of 120 trips around the world or more than six trips to the moon and back, without a preventable accident. The average American driver would need 225 years to drive that far!

Ray credits his amazing safety record to support from his co-workers.

“I didn’t do this by myself,” he said. “There’s a big team that makes it possible.” He attributes his accomplishment to excellent bus maintenance, supportive supervisors and dispatchers, and constantly updated training.

An award ceremony for Ray was attended by dozens of his co-workers. Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath thanked him for his service to the citizens of Snohomish County and to the agency, then presented him with a jacket, plaque, certificate and pin, all personalized with a special black and gold "Three Million Mile" logo.

Three Million Mile Driver Highlights from Community Transit on Vimeo.

Ray's photo will be featured on the sides of 10 Community Transit buses for the rest of 2018 to celebrate his accomplishment.

Thank you, Ray, for going the extra 3,000,000 miles!

Prepare for Winter Weather

by Tom Pearce, Public Information Specialist

Perhaps you’ve heard that “a butterfly flaps its wings in China, and it rains in Brazil.” That’s how it is for Community Transit when it comes to snow.

We cover 1,300 square miles of Snohomish County. That can mean some long trips, like Route 201 between Smokey Point and Lynnwood. Snow throws a wrench in the works. We’ve seen days with six inches of snow north of Marysville and none in south county. So the bus starting at Smokey Point needs chains and is delayed. As it moves out of the snow zone, the chains need to come off. More delays. And in the end, people in Lynnwood are wondering, “Why is our bus late?”

That’s why we post Rider Alerts on our website when snow is expected. The first alert may be a general warning. Once the flakes fly, we’re on it, day and night. If snow falls overnight, we post our first alert by 5 a.m. and continue throughout the day into the evening. Every time something changes in local service, we post an alert. For commuters, there’s the 5 a.m. alert followed by a report by 2 p.m. outlining the evening commute. By 8 p.m. we have a forecast for the following morning’s commute, when we’re back at it with a more detailed 5 a.m. report.

We also offer an electronic alert system that sends notices by email or text. We'll send the same general alert out to all subscribers as we post on the website, but if your route's routing or schedule changes during the day we'll let you know.

The addition of 23 double decker buses to our commuter fleet should improve service in the snow. These Double Talls replaced our oldest 60-foot articulated buses. The 42-foot Double Talls can operate like any standard bus in slippery conditions. Artics can jack-knife easily when it’s icy, so the few times a year we get snow, we often pull them from service. That’s also why on snowy days you may see regular 30-or 40-foot buses running on Swift.

If it does snow, check our website for major delays before you head out. Dress warmly, because buses likely will be delayed if snow is sticking to the roads. And remember, just because it’s not sticking in your neighborhood, it may be elsewhere. Check to see if we’re on a reroute, or try to get to main roads, where service can operate more easily. If your stop is on a hill, wait at the top or bottom of the hill and flag down the driver; buses can be hard to stop or start mid-hill when it’s icy.

We’re ready for winter weather at Community Transit. If it snows, we want you to feel comfortable that you can rely on the bus to get you where you need to go.

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.

Bus Supervisors Know Routes, Roads and Hills

Dana Osborn knows every road, every hill, every bus stop in Snohomish County.

You think I am exaggerating.

Dana has worked for Community Transit for 19 years. In his current job as transportation supervisor in charge of construction, he devises the reroutes and rider alerts needed when buses must avoid road work or special events.

When snow falls, a whole team of people come up with the reroutes needed to keep the buses moving. But it is Dana who recently wrote down the entire list of all the regular reroutes used during snow to avoid the known hills and hazards of Snohomish County. Hopefully we won't be needing that list for awhile.

It’s Good to Have Backup

Winter rains often bring mudslides down on Washington’s waterfront railroad tracks. Sound Transit’s Northline Sounder train service has been canceled several days in the past month due to slides between Everett and Seattle. For safety reasons, passenger service is not allowed through an area of mudslides for 48 hours, even if the tracks can be cleared before then.

When Northline Sounder service is canceled, Community Transit buses to Seattle help take up the slack. Last week we put 60-foot buses on trips from Edmonds and Mukilteo that usually have 40-footers – and some trips carried 75% more passengers than usual. I heard from a fellow passenger that local buses to Everett Station have also been more crowded when Sounder is canceled - Sound Transit buses from Everett are an obvious backup for train refugees.

Conversely, Sound Transit train service can be a good backup to bus service on I-5. When trains run, they usually don’t get stuck in traffic (not always – sometimes those pesky freight trains get priority). Trains also don’t get stuck in snow.

That’s why I got down to Everett Station the snowy Tuesday before Thanksgiving for my trip home for the holidays. I took Sounder to get to Link Light Rail and SeaTac Airport rather than my usual bus. I guessed correctly that I-5 would be a mess. The train was delayed about 20 minutes to “de-ice,” but it was far more reliable than road transportation that day.

The moral of the story is, our region benefits greatly from a robust transportation network. If one mode fails, we have backup.

Tough Year Had Some Bright Spots

By Tom Pearce

Community Transit Public Information Specialist

Last year was a busy one for Community Transit, with a major service change and a fare change, the rapid growth of Swift bus rapid transit service and the start of the “Buy Local for Transit” campaign.

The service change that took place in June dominated the first half of the year, as Community Transit hosted public meetings around the service district. These meetings drew standing-room only crowds as riders came to learn about the proposed changes and voice their concerns. The Board of Directors hosted a lengthy public hearing in February, then in March reluctantly approved the suspension of Sunday service and other cuts. Final adjustments to the proposal were made in April, then it was time to implement the plan.

Community Transit conducted a massive public outreach in May and June to explain the changes to the public. Dozens of our employees were out riding buses or meeting passengers at park & ride lots in the six weeks prior to the changes. The education efforts appeared to be successful, as by the time the change was implemented on June 13, almost all passengers were aware of the changes.

The June fare change, which increased all fares by 25 cents, also was implemented smoothly and has helped balance the budget.

Swift had a big year, as ridership increased steadily as the months passed. By the end of November – which marked the completion of one year of Swift service – ridership had increased from about 1,500 boardings on the first day to 3,500 per day. The average daily boardings after one year were 40 percent higher than estimates.

Swift was recognized as one of the region’s best projects with a Vision 2040 Award, designed to recognize outstanding work that helps our region grow wisely and improves the quality of life in all of the region’s communities. Swift won numerous national transit and advertising industry awards as well.

Community Transit’s staff also collected awards and honors throughout the year. The team of Howard Evans, Steve Hanks and Joe Hulett paid their own way to Cleveland to participate in the 2010 International Bus Maintenance Roadeo, and finished third out of 25 teams. In 2009, the trio won the championship.

Another the highlight of the year was the number of long-time safe drivers Community Transit recognized.  Three coach operators became Two Million Mile Drivers: Betty Burns, Carl Huth Jr. and Merlin Yost. To earn that recognition, each had to meet the National Safety Council’s standard of 25 years without a preventable accident. Community Transit also honored 11 coach operators as Million Mile Drivers, for 12½ years without a preventable accident: Tim Caldwell, Mary Davis, Michael Felt, Reza Ghandari, Cris Healy, Solomon Habte, Amjad Khalil, Mike Majors, David Rix, Dorothy Saarinen and Diane Sassé.

Community Transit capped the year by rolling out its “Buy Local for Transit” campaign. This long-term effort is designed to encourage people to shop in our communities, strengthening local businesses and increasing local tax revenues, which supports public  transportation. Community Transit is funded primarily through a portion of retail sales taxes generated in its service district, which includes most of Snohomish County.

With 2010 in the books, Community Transit now turns its attention to the future. This year our agency will be busy planning for a sustainable level of service based on the new economic realities. Your involvement will be critical to that process. Keep reading this blog for more information.

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:"

"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.

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

R. Bruce Soule is quoted in a North County Outlook story about the snow:

"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.

Bikes and Buses, Part 1: Bike Racks

If you travel by bike and bus, you know what it means to “get bumped.” That’s what happens when you’re waiting at the bus stop with everybody else, the bus arrives with a full bike rack, and everybody gets on board but you. You are left standing there with your bike waiting for the next bus or wishing you’d just ridden home to begin with.

This doesn’t happen to me as much as it used to, thanks to Community Transit’s policy to allow bikes inside the bus if it is not too crowded. In the past week I have had my bike both inside and outside of buses. It is not as care-free to hold your bike inside a bus as to have it in a rack, but it is far better than wondering if you’re going to get to work in the morning.

If you’d like to see how easy it is to use a bike rack, the fun way, see this bike rack rap.  Most of Community Transit’s racks work just like this (without the dancing).

Community Transit has had bike racks on all of our buses since 1996, and people have grown to rely upon them. Passengers with bikes make up about 1.3 percent of our boardings overall, but some routes have much higher usage.

• We had six bikes on a Swift bus recently out of 34 passengers.
• Routes 201/202 and Route 275 had 4.5 percent of customers board with bikes in April.
• My former Route 207 had 9 percent of boardings with bikes that month.

Starting in 2005, Community Transit put 3-bike racks (the Trilogy model) on 24 new articulated commuter buses. Prepared to outfit our entire fleet, we purchased our first 12 VeloPorter 3 racks in 2008.

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.

Transit is Part of Healthy Community Design

“Complete Streets” are designed and operated for all users - pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders, serving people of all ages and abilities. This week I joined the City of Marysville contingent at a national Complete Streets workshop in Mount Vernon.

Marysville city staff and leaders have been committed to improving walking, biking and nutrition as part of the Marysville Healthy Communities Project for several years. Moving forward with more formal policies and standards in support of better and safer roads is a logical next step, workshop attendees agreed.

Community Transit has been part of Healthy Communities efforts in Marysville, Everett and Lynnwood. About half of Community Transit’s riders don’t own a car, and more than 57 percent walk to or from their bus stop each day. Bicycling extends the “reach” of transit beyond a healthy 1 mile, 20 minute walk to up to 3 miles - the distance of 50 percent of all trips made by Americans, and a distance that can be biked in 30 minutes at a “no sweat” pace.

Street designs, speeds and intersections are safe for biking and walking are very important for transit. Riders who board the bus on one side of the street usually have to cross to the other side to return home. Standing at a bus stop next to a busy road can be unpleasant - but much better if there’s a bike lane or landscaped buffer, a slower speed limit for the cars and a bus shelter and bench for the waiting passengers. That’s what “complete streets” offer to transit users. Community Transit, Island Transit and Skagit Transit were all at this week’s workshop along with our respective communities

A bonus of carpooling to the workshop with the City of Marysville traffic engineer was his realization that the city regularly makes sure it has extra room near roads for mailboxes and fire hydrants. But Community Transit can’t put a bus stop or shelter in some places (like State Avenue & Grove Street in Marysville) because there’s not enough public right of way there. He plans to add five feet for transit to his new ask list.

I am proud to be a citizen of Marsyville because city staff and leaders are open to such ideas. According to a Snohomish Health Dsitrict study, we need to do everything we can to make our city more active because Marysville has the highest obesity rate of any zip code in Snohomish County. It's that kind of data that makes it clear why complete streets are so critical.

Ride the Bus During Black History Month

By Ken Harvey, Community Transit
The things we enjoy should never be taken for granted. Some price was paid; some work was done to make it available. It’s always good to remember that.

Last week marked a quiet anniversary of an important milestone in public transportation. It was a memorial for those of us who try not to take our bus rides for granted.

Every weekday thousands of people in Snohomish County and around the Puget Sound get on or off a bus. Until recently, I was one of them and loved it. Now I have to drive because of where I live.

I recall what it was like to be a bus, train and ferry commuter. I got to enjoy the luxury of letting someone else deal with the traffic until I got off. Most of the time there was a seat for me.

But I also remember growing up in the Mississippi of the 1960s. It was a different America then. And being able to step onboard and sit wherever I chose on a bus (or any other mode of public transportation) was something I couldn’t always count on or feel safe doing. So, the simple act of confidently stepping onboard a Community Transit bus in 2010 is something to appreciate.

February is Black History Month. It is a gentle reminder that our great transit system is an example where the promise of America is real today for so many of us. It’s a place where we can all ride and smile, with dignity, without apprehension, without fear.

You may recall it was 55 years ago that a diminutive 42-year-old black seamstress, named Rosa Parks, boarded a bus, sat down on the first row of the “Colored Section” (five rows back from the front door) and then refused to give up her bus seat to a white rider who wanted her seat. The refusal landed Mrs. Parks in jail.

She insisted later that she did not plan her fateful act: "I did not get on the bus to get arrested," she said. "All I was trying to do was get home after a hard day’s work."
The bus driver who called the police was the same one who had put her off a bus 12 years earlier for refusing to get off and reboard through the back door reserved for “colored” riders.
Her simple act of defiance led to a successful civil rights boycott of the transit system in Montgomery, Alabama, and became the launching point for a young Montgomery pastor named Martin Luther King, Jr. Those ripples spread and touched every corner of our nation, society and thinking.

Today, I know I can step onboard a Community Transit bus and find my seat in peace and dignity. I am welcomed onboard and not barred entry because of race or color, age or nationality, ability to walk or need for wheelchair or other mobility device. I know that I will be greeted by a friendly coach operator and may choose any seat and be surrounded by all kinds of people. And that if I give up my seat, it will be because I believe gentlemen should do so and senior riders should be shown additional respect.

Caring, friendly, “smile and ride” service should never to be taken for granted. Nor those invisible transit staff and managers who work behind the scenes to put that caring service into place and keep it going.

Please join me in riding the bus this month and being grateful.