WSTA OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING
October 18-20, 2006
Hosted by Spokane Transit
First on the agenda was greetings from Steve Blaska, Operations Manager at
Spokane Transit. The meeting was held in the Main transit office. Spokane Transit’s
CEO E. Susan Meyer also welcomed the group and spoke about her stepping into the transit
industry. She had been a critic of agency and was asked to help build community trust in
the transit and is now an avid supporter. Jeff Wamsley, (Committee Chair) opened the
meeting and recognized the important and difficult job that Michelle Parvin from WSTA has
in setting up the meeting.
Attendees each gave short introductions. There were 37 registrants
A very interesting presentation on “Labor Negotiation and Arbitration Preparation was
giving by Jim Richey part of Spokane’s HR team.
Property Updates
1. C-TRAN -- Bob Medcraft, Field Operations Manager, (360) 906-7536, bobm@c-tran.org
• Our new Operations Modular building is in the final stages of
completion. Scheduled move in date is October 23rd for some staff members, others will be
moving in through out the next few weeks. The move out of the existing Annex facility
reduces annual expenses for leased office space by approximately $120,000. This move will
also bring together our Paratransit staff with our Fixed route staff. Cost of the modular
building is just over 1M as apposed to 4M for a typical fixed structure.
• The final four CEO candidates were at our facility last weekend
(October 13th, 14th and 15th). The weekend consisted of a tour of the agency and local
surrounding area along with multiple interview panels. The interviewees ranged from
current and former employees, local stakeholders, members of the public, and our appointed
board members.
• The new service redesign is in the public meeting process. Our
board members have been updated with the details of the suggested changes. Most of the
changes have been met with positive comments. The new service design will include longer
hours of operation for core routes. An extension of our existing #4 route into Portland.
Some other less obvious changes but all very well thought out and beneficial to our
riders.
2. GRAYS HARBOR TRANSIT-- Mark Carlin
• 2005-2007 Union agreement was opened in October of 2006 to
negotiate wages only for 2006-2007 due to a wage freeze agreement for 2005. Union started
negotiations with a demand for $1.36 per hour for all classifications for 2006 and an
additional .90 per hour for all classifications for 2007.
• Managements first offer was 2% for 2006 and 2% for 2007.
• After 12 months of negotiations, which included 2-failed votes,
two mediation meetings the members voted on 10/22/06 to approve a final offer from June
2006 of 3.8% for 2006 and 3.2% 2007 with no additional out of pocket cost for medical for
2006.
• GHT took delivery of three 2006 35’ Gillig Low Floor Busses
in September
• GHT is currently replacing a 30 year old drive through bus washer
with a FTA grant. N/S Corporation was low bidder. Installation is scheduled for week of
October 30th 2006.
• Aberdeen Station Project; buildings have been purchased and
demolished. Currently waiting on final design, construction should begin spring of 2007
which would re-configure how the busses enter and leave Aberdeen Station increasing safety
and adding a 40 space park and ride.
• Grays Harbor Transits first three Van Pools started operation in
2006 with a fourth Van expected to be added soon.
3. KITSAP - Scott Nelson, Acting Ops Director for Roy Harrington (at Pentagon, Army
Reserves Sept. 25-Oct. 23).
• Routed Transit Operators contract ratified Oct. 5, 2006 (avoided
arbitration).
• Agency is seeking to shrink the boundaries of the PTBA in Kitsap
County, to have a better chance to pass sales tax increase to support passenger only
ferries.
• Smart Card preparations. We are training 80 Transit Operators for
beta testing.
• We also had an overwhelmingly positive response on recent ACCESS
surveys.
• Personnel changes in Operations and HR: Per Johnsen retired as HR
Director, as of Oct. 15. Jeff Cartwright from Central Base Ops Manager to HR Director.
Scott Nelson from North Base Ops Man. to Central Ops Man., Oct. 1. Jack Freer from
Operations Supervisor to North Base Man., Oct. 1.
4. KING COUNTY METRO, Transit Property Update -- Michael Lemeshko, Yvonne Greenwood, Jeff
Wamsley
• Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will re-open in September of 2007
for busses only.
• KC Metro has an RFP out for 20 Hybrid 60 foot Articulated coaches
with an option for 280 more. The option will likely be exercised if voters in the November
election approve the Transit Now initiative.
• The first light rail vehicle is scheduled to be delivered to KC
Metro the first week of November. The second one is due the first week of December.
Testing and burn in will start after the first of the year. Light rail service is slated
to begin in 2009.
• Any incident involving a KC Metro vehicle in which there is
damage, claim of damage, injury or claim of injury is investigated as an accident.
• KC Metro follows the National Safety Council’s guidelines on
accident classifications, which includes judging accidents either as preventable or
non-preventable. Accidents can also be downgraded to an incident or given an
unsubstantiated judgment if it cannot be ascertained if damage or injury occurred.
• Ridership is up 3.4% from January to May 2006 over the same
period last year.
• The Transit Now initiative proposed by King County Executive Ron
Sims will be on the November 7 ballot. It was placed there by an overwhelming 8-1 vote of
the King County Council. To date, there seems to be little organized opposition to the
measure. If approved, King County Metro will levy its final 0.1% sales tax for additional
transit service to be implemented over the next ten years beginning in February 2007.
Proposed additions include five Rapid Ride (BRT) routes, increased frequencies on current
routes especially in the Central Eastside, new peak hour service and improved span of
service especially in rapidly developing areas of the far Eastside and Southeast King
County and new monies for vanpool, access service and employer partnering programs.
5. SPOKANE TRANSIT -- Steve Blaska
• An advisory vote will be on the November ballot asking citizens
if they want to continue planning and investment in Light Rail
• STA will be the official transportation provider for the 2007 US
Figure Skating Championships to be held here in January 2007.
• We will have new fareboxes fleetwide in the first week of
December. We purchased the GFI validating farebox with Smartcard capability. We will be
implementing a 2 hour and Day Pass concurrent with the implementation of the new
fareboxes.
• We have received 17 new Gillig 40’ Coaches and expect
delivery of 6 new New Flyer 60’ Coaches in December
• We completed Interest Based Bargaining with our AFSCME 3939, our
Paratransit union. We recommend the use of PERC training and facilitators if a union is
interested in this bargaining approach.
• We continue to migrate to more Trapeze products for our software
baseline
o Paratransit is integrating PASS Operations Module
o Customer Service has implemented the PASS Interactive Voice Response
Module
o Customer Service has implemented the Info Agent Module
o We have Trapeze Plan and the runcutting and scheduling modules on line
and are currently running them concurrently with our Fleetnet system. We should cut over
to Trapeze in May.
o Target to go to the Operations Module for Fixed Route is in 2d Quarter
2007
• We have started a Travel Training program effective the end of
July. We are using a contractor Paratransit Inc. for this program.
6. CLALLAM TRANSIT SYSTEM -- Frank Poulsen, Operations Manager
• CTS internally reviewed the option of bringing our paratransit
operations in-house. CTS staff recommended to our Board sub-committee that paratransit
operations not be brought in due to a lower cost and no issues with the current provider.
• CTS Board of Directors approved a goal of obtaining a 35%
Operations reserve that could carry operations for five years if sales tax revenues
followed traditional cycles.
• We will receive 3 new 35' low floor Gilligs in November. Disposed
of 3 old MCI 40' coaches.
• Created two new dispatcher positions that Operations Supervisors
and Relief Dispatchers (selected Transit Operators) now fill. This will result in much
more road coverage. As a part of this, one of four current Operations Supervisors will
move to the Admin. dept. and become an all-department Training Supervisor.
• Contract negotiations begin with ATU in November. Current
contract expires at end of Dec. Main issues will be wages and language for the new
dispatcher positions.
• OPSCAN radio project should go live in Nov. This is a web-based,
multi-agency project based on a Homeland Security grant.
• A new Emergency Preparedness manual has been completed and CTS is
gearing up to do employee training on it.
• Hiring: Currently one operator position down and anticipate two
more positions with the hiring of dispatchers.
• Port Angeles transit center: CTS now owns the property and the
construction is out to bid.
7. BEN FRANKLIN TRANSIT -- Barbara Hays
• Bus Ridership is increasing- up 7.5% September and 12% for the
year.
• Budget but we are still $1.2 million under budget..
• Revenues are below projection and we have been aggressively
getting our budget in line as this effects 2007’s budget projections.
• Have 5- 40’ Low floor Gilligs on the way should be here
first of April.
• Base facility first phase has been completed and the second phase
will not start until next year. The first phase brought all fuel tanks above ground.
• We have received a grant from the Dept of Ecology for a retrofit
of our 1988 Gilligs to lower exhaust emissions
• Working with Franklin County on a new Park and Ride/Transfer
Point in West Pasco.
• Our maintenance manager is pursuing alternative fuels. He noted
that the effect of the retrofit grant on running biofuels will be engines that are even
cleaner.
• The Water Taxi Feasibility study has over 20 firms interested and
I have e-mailed or mailed the RFP to them. The proposals are due on the 20th of October.
• BFT’s Employee Association is working on what to do for
Halloween and for Thanksgiving to let employees know they are #1.
8. ISLAND TRANSIT – Frank VandeWerfhorst
• Routematch – training this month implement Nov. 06.
Dispatchers are excited.
• Buses, two (2) - 40’ Gilligs in 2007. We just received ten
(10) 29’ Internationals
• Employees – we are now over 100. Forty-five (45) full-time,
nine (9) e-board (Whidbey). Thirteen (13) full-time, one (1) e-board (Camano).
• Camano – Everett run is increasing now averaging 110 per
day. We just applied for a grant to keep it going.
• Ridership is remaining at nearly + 15%.
• Purchased over 6 acres on Whidbey
• 2007 should open new facility (Camano)
• Dan Grooves, Maintenance Manager
9. VALLEY TRANSIT – Rick White
• Twenty-five (25) years of service
o Fare Free Summer
o Promotions
o After summer reduced fares by half
• Gillig Trolleys
o Five (5) in service for ten (10) months
o Three (3) more in September 2006
o Last one in December (Total of 9)
• Grants up for renewal in 2007
o 40% of budget
• Looking at Van Pool
• Recently settled 3 year Labor Agreement
Tour of Spokane Transit
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Morning: Property Updates cont…Also included a discussion of Collective Bargaining
Agreements-Comparisons
1:00 PM New Technologies for Public Transportation-Paul LaValle (IBI GROUP)
4:30 Bidding Process
Friday, October 20, 2006
8:00 AM Meet for breakfast
8:30 Updates
9:00 AM Critical Incident Stress Management Teams CISM – Linda Davidson (KC Metro)
Handout
Finished Property updates
Next Meeting Agenda
C-Tran in Vancouver to host Spring meeting
Tentative-Tri-Met tour, Fisher Landing, Bruce Schoder
Fall Meeting: tentative Pullman to Host
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