March 9, 2020

Annual Safety Meeting

The annual safety meeting will be Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30 PM. All operators are expected to attend. If you are unable to attend, please see Angela Wynes no later than Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Operators can only be excused from attending the meeting by Ms. Wynes.

Influenza

COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, is a big topic of discussion; however did you know you are more likely to get influenza, more commonly called the flu?

The best way to prevent the flu is to get your flu shot. In addition, good health habits like covering your sneeze and cough, washing your hands often, and keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and moth often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu. Other good health habits include getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, managing your stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food.

If you do get the flu, stay home and avoid close contact with others. There are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat the flu making it milder and shorter if you seek medical care early.

To control the spread of illnesses, vehicles and facilities are cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis.

Routes

We are finalizing stops and time points on the routes.for the new service. Here is your chance to help us BEFORE everything is printed, posted to the web, etc. Each week we will feature 1 or 2 routes for you to review and complete a survey.

This week's routes are S Main St & E Green Dr. There are no changes to the actual routing of the bus. A display board with the routes, stops, and time table is posted in the conference room.

Reviewing and commenting on the route is MANDATORY for all bus drivers. All others may provide comments if they choose. The survey is available here.

You still must click the link at the bottom of this email to let Ms. Wynes know you have checked your email.

Smoking

If you smoke, out of respect for those who do not, please move at least 20 feet away from entrances to the building.
Do not dispose of cigarette butts in trash cans in the building as doing so may cause a fire. Cigarettes should be disposed of in the receptacles outside the building.
Please do not leave partially smoked cigarettes on buses.
Please do not throw cigarette butts on the ground. Butts should be disposed of in the receptacles provided.

People First!

People first language is used to speak appropriately and respectfully about an individual with a disability. People first language emphasizes the person first not the disability. For example, when referring to a person with a disability, refer to the person first by using phrases such as: “a person who …”, “a person with …” or, “person who has…”

Also, do not say that passengers who use wheelchairs are the reason you are running late. There are many factors that can contribute to why you are running late. Passengers who need to take that last puff of a cigarette before boarding, passengers who do not have the fare ready when boarding, passengers with lots of bags, passengers with children, heavy traffic, mechanical issues, and malfunctioning traffic signals are all things that can cause you to run late.

Yellow Passes

The last day we will accept the yellow single tickets is March 31, 2020. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. If you notice passengers that seem to have a lot of these, please let them know or remind them as the end date nears that the last day is March 31st. If you have been using these passes to correct improper fare deductions, see the "Fare v Transfer" section below.

Fare v Transfer

If you think that a farebox has taken the fare off a passenger's smart card instead of a transfer, if the passenger can tell you what the balance was before the transaction, you can check the current balance by pressing the “C” button.

For passengers who pay half fare, if the farebox should be deducting a transfer do NOT press the half fare card or cash button. This will overwrite the transfer and cause the $.60 fare to be deducted. If the passenger is not sure if there is a valid transfer on the card check the card using the "C" button BEFORE anything is done to see if the transfer is still there. Refer to previous handouts for further detail.

Remind passengers that transfers are good for 90 minutes and may be used at any stop in the system. If the passenger rode the bus twice within 90 minutes, the first time they paid cash and the second time the transfer was used so the fare deduction at the terminal is correct.

If you send a passenger to the window to see a customer service specialist to have their balance checked, DO NOT tell them the customer service specialist will put the money back on their card. The customer service specialist will work with the passenger to determine if the fare was improperly deducted as we know that there are times the farebox says a fare was deducted, but it was not. The customer service specialist has the final say in whether the fare is added back to the card.

If you are 100% certain that a fare and not a transfer was deducted, go with the passenger to the window and explain EXACTLY what happened to the customer service specialist. The customer service specialist will work with the passenger to make the correction as necessary.

Fare Collection Reminders

If you need to leave your bus at the terminal, close the doors so passengers are unable to board. If you are not in the driver's seat (i.e. standing outside the bus) do not let passengers board. You are unable to monitor the farebox to ensure that passengers are paying the correct fare or using valid, unexpired fare cards. You must be able to verify that the farebox is deducting the appropriate fare or transfer from POINT Cards and POINT Tickets. Failure to properly enforce the fare policy is subject to disciplinary action.
ALL passengers who are riding through from one route to another MUST come to the farebox and tap their 30-Day Pass or tap out the transfer from their POINT Card or POINT Ticket. Cash paying passengers need to pay again.
Please give all non-cash paying passengers who will be riding Guaranteed Ride Home a paper transfer. The van drivers are unable to determine if POINT Cards, POINT Passes, and POINT Tickets are valid. Cash paying passengers do not get transfers.
Please make sure that children who are taller than the yellow door handle are charged a fare. You may need to gently remind parents that children grow quickly and that just because they didn't pay a few months ago doesn't mean they don't have to pay now.
Letting passengers ride free by giving them unearned yellow tickets or transfers or by knowingly not collecting a fare is considered theft and is subject to termination.

REMINDERS

Please be careful when letting passengers off at locations that are not signed bus stops. This courtesy should only be done for passengers with special needs (disabilities, elderly) or in instances where safety is an issue (darkness, site conditions around stop due to road work, etc.) If you are involved in an accident, the accident could be considered preventable. Operators caught making stops at unauthorized locations outside of the courtesies listed above will be subject to disciplinary action.
Do not let your bus idle for long periods of time. If the bus shuts off, simply restart the bus in very cold or very hot weather when necessary.
SLOW DOWN in the terminal zone.

Wellness

Kristi Wallace, the City's Wellness Analyst, is seeking ideas on a lunch and learn topic to present here at our office. If you have ideas, please let Ms. Dorothy (Administrative Specialist up front) know or email Kristi at kristi.wallace@highpointnc.gov.

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY MONTH

Happy Birthday to the following individuals, who will celebrate birthdays this month.

Mary Davis
Marvin Hester
Donald Sanford

SAFETY HOTLINE

Do you see safety issues? Do you wish you had a way to report these without getting on the radio or having to run down a supervisor? Here is your safety hotline. You can use this link to report safety issues. This link will always be in this email.

HAVE A SAFE WEEK!

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