Community Transit Statement on I-976

We have been asked what the effects of I-976 might be to Community Transit. While Community Transit does not directly receive car tab funding, we do receive some state funding that could be impacted. Here is an analysis:

Analysis of Potential Initiative 976 Impacts on Community Transit

October 1, 2019

According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management*, it is estimated that passage of Initiative 976 would remove more than $1.9 billion in Washington State transportation funding over the next six years, including a nearly $1.5 billion impact to the Multimodal Transportation Account. Transit grant funding from that account will be at risk.

Funding that has been awarded to Community Transit from this Multimodal Transportation Account includes:

·         $416,000 in grant funding to support our Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program in the 2019-2021 biennium. Through the Commute Trip Reduction program, Community Transit works with major employers in Snohomish County to reduce traffic congestion by providing alternative commuter options for employees.

·         $1.7M in special needs transit grants in the 2019-2021 biennium. Community Transit’s special needs programs allow us to provide transportation services for people who may not have access to transportation due to age, income and disability.

·         $5 million in Regional Mobility Grant funds for Swift Green Line operations.

·         $10M to support future Swift bus rapid transit projects through the Connecting Washington funding package.

Future funding from Special Needs Transportation, Commute Trip Reduction, Vanpool Investment and Regional Mobility Grant program are also at risk for reductions in funding if Initiative 976 passes. Community Transit has assumed $26.2 million dollars from state grant funding through 2025 for projects that maintain our system and expand service for our customers.

It is worth noting that it is challenging to predict the full and final effects of the initiative because implementation of the initiative will rely on future decisions made by the legislature and the resolution of any potential legal challenges. 

*https://www.ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/budget/ballot/2019/FiscalImpactStatementInitiative976-093019.pdf

 

Appreciating our Customer Service Employees

Oct. 7-11 is Customer Service Appreciation Week! Community Transit has several teams of employees who directly serve our customers every day.

Drivers and Road Supervisors

Drivers and supervisors are the true "face" of Community Transit, in the field every day to help people -- whether they are customers or not -- get from where they are to where they want to be. 

Whether behind the wheel or wearing their red jacket and cap, drivers and supervisors are literally where the rubber meets the road to make travel easy for all.

Vanpool Coordinators

A first-rate team of five manages all 430 vans in our fleet. They match new riders with new or existing vanpools, help vanpool customers with emergencies as they arise, and coordinate the scheduling of needed maintenance.

Vanpool coordinators make commuting to work easier for everyone in Snohomish County, because the vanpools they serve keep about 13.4 miles of cars off the road every day -- a line of cars that would stretch from the 128th St. exit to the Northgate Mall exit on I-5!

RideStore Staff 

The RideStore, located at Lynnwood Transit Center, is where customers go to plan trips, retrieve lost and found items, and purchase or reload ORCA cards. 

RideStore staff also answer some of the phone calls to the ORCA customer service line, manage distribution of materials (such as Bus Plus books and ORCA cards) to offsite locations, and are responsible for the physical Rider Alerts that are posted at bus stops and transit centers.

Stop by the RideStore this week to say hello to the staff!

Service Ambassadors 

Our Service Ambassadors are a mighty team of eight who pair up to ride our buses and assist customers with their immediate needs, right in the moment. They perform fare payment checks on Swift, assist customers with ticket vending machines, and answer all kinds of questions.

When you spot a Service Ambassador in their distinctive blue jacket, you know that you'll be able to get whatever information you need about our service.

Customer Care Staff

The Customer Care team are the folks who answer the phone when you dial (425) 353-RIDE (7433). They take more than 600 calls in an average week, logging customer comments on everything from bus drivers to route suggestions to the agency's plans for future expansion. 

Customer Care staff often assist customers with planning a specific trip, helping them find the most efficient way to get where they want to be across whatever transportation mode is best suited to that person.

If you call (425) 353-RIDE (7433) any weekday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. you can be sure that the Customer Care staff will be able to help you plan a trip, answer your questions, or ensure that your comments are routed to the appropriate Community Transit employee.

Customer service happens all year long
We hope that you take a moment to show appreciation for a Customer Service professional this week, but customer service touches us every day. Sometimes we give it and sometimes we receive it, but great customer service is a skill and an art that makes life a lot easier in very important ways.

Happy Customer Service Appreciation Week!

Rider Alerts Get Real-Time: New system gets timely info in riders' hands

By Martin Munguia, Corporate Communications Manager

Community Transit riders noticed a new look to their rider alerts today. The agency has launched a new partially automated alert system that provides riders with information on delays and other service impacts in real time, during all hours of service.

Riders can view/receive alerts about bus service impacts
in real time, during all hours of service. 

The result will be more alerts providing more information about what is going on with your bus while it is in service. This can help you make better choices about your daily commute.

The new real-time alerts report trip delays of 10 minutes or more, as well as canceled trips, reroutes that miss certain bus stops, and other issues that are impacting buses on the road, or scheduled to be on the road.

Once created, alerts are simultaneously posted on the agency’s website, Twitter page, and sent to subscribers via email or SMS text, as well as provided to third-party apps such as Google Maps or OneBusAway. While alerts are sent to those apps, it is up to developers whether to display them or not.

What’s the difference?

The new alert system is a huge improvement over the old system due to the process. Rather than using administrative staff to create alerts based on information sent out from the agency’s two dispatch bases, the new bus alerts are created directly by dispatchers. As soon as they get information from the field, dispatchers use a new tool to select from several drop-down menus to generate an alert.

This literally cuts out the middle person. It also means real-time alerts look a bit different than the old alerts.

They start with the route number and time the bus leaves the first stop so riders can easily tell if it is their trip. The alerts then identify the direction of the trip by destination, and the reason for the delay or cancelation. These alerts are produced any time a bus is impacted, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Alerts about future impacts due to planned construction, parades or holidays will continue to be produced by staff, as they may require more complex explanations or images. On Community Transit’s Rider Alerts webpage, www.communitytransit.org/Alerts, the two alert types are called Real-Time Alerts and Rider Information.

How to get alerts

If you already get Community Transit’s electronic rider alerts, you don’t have to do anything to get the real-time alerts. If you don’t, here are three ways to get them:

• Email/text – Sign up for alerts to be sent by email or SMS text. Visit www.communitytransit.org/Subscribe to select the routes you ride most frequently. Whenever an alert affecting that route is sent, you will get a notification. Because more alerts are being sent out in this new system, choose your route preferences carefully. If you already subscribe, you may want to adjust your preferences to avoid getting too many alerts.
• Twitter – Follow Community Transit’s new service alert Twitter handle,

  

  Follow @MyCommTransBus on Twitter for rider alerts posted
  real-time alerts throughout our operating hours.

  @MyCommTransBus. All alerts for all routes are sent to this Twitter feed. If you see an alert announcing service delays on your route, scroll up the feed to see if that delay has ended.
• Website – Visit www.communitytransit.org/Alerts to view all active alerts. If a bus trip is delayed more than 10 minutes or canceled, an alert will be generated. That alert will be removed once that trip has ended. A button for rider information alerts lists all constructed- or holiday-related impacts to service that are planned in advance. These alerts include reroutes or closed stops, whether short-term or long-term.

Questions about bus service may still be answered by calling (425) 353-7433 or emailing riders@commtrans.org.

Real-time alerts are reported for all Community Transit bus routes and the six Sound Transit bus routes operated by Community Transit – ST Routes 510, 511, 512, 513, 532 and 535.