CHECKLIST OF ISSUES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION TO BE DISCUSSED WITH NEW MEXICO RURAL TRANSIT SUBGRANTEES DURING LAZARO & NOEL SITE VISITS

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1 CHECKLIST OF ISSUES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION TO BE DISCUSSED WITH NEW MEXICO RURAL TRANSIT SUBGRANTEES DURING LAZARO & NOEL SITE VISITS SAFETY and SECURITY Required safety equipment Each vehicle must be equipped with a fire extinguisher, a blood borne pathogen kit, a first aid kit, triangles and a web (seat belt) cutter. Accident record All accident records should be kept in a single accident file including the New Mexico accident report form, all law enforcement reports (if any) and all other accompanying documentation. Safety meetings Transit systems should have safety meetings covering critical safety issues at least once per quarter. Agendas for the meetings and an attendee sign in rosters should be kept on record in a separate meeting file. Child safety seats Children 3 and under should only be transported when they are secured in child safety seats. Seat belts All vehicles originally equipped with seat belts must have all seat belts operational and the driver should not move the vehicle until all passengers have buckled up. Bus stops Transit systems must ensure that all bus stop locations can be safely pulled into and out of by a transit vehicle without the possibility of causing an accident. Bus turnarounds Transit systems must ensure that all bus turnaround locations do not present hazards due to oncoming traffic. Radio/communication equipment Every effort should be made to ensure some method of driver communication with base at all times, be that via radio, cell phone or in extreme situations, land lines. Security Awareness All transit staff should be oriented on the observation of suspicious people, suspicious activities, suspicious vehicles and suspicious packages. This orientation should include how to report their concerns in these areas. These topics are covered as a standard part of the transit Crisis Management training workshop.

2 Incident Management All transit staff should receive information on how to effectively respond to incidents involving improvised explosive devices and the purposeful or accidental release of chemical, biological and radiological substances. These topics are covered as a standard part of the transit Crisis Management training workshop. Access to Facilities Transit systems should make every effort to secure their facilities from unauthorized access during working hours and to lock down those facilities when they are not in use. Keys to facilities should only be issued to authorized individuals and a log should be kept on who has received those keys, including having the individual sign for them. Vehicle Storage When practical transit vehicles should be stored in a fenced in or walled in well-lit area with locks on the fence or building to restrict access. When this is not practical, transit systems should develop other strategies as appropriate to secure their vehicles. Emergency Community Response Transit system management should ensure that their agency is a part of the overall emergency community response team. This would include law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services and State, County and/or Municipal emergency management staff. This is a critical responsibility as the transit system vehicles and employees could well be required to evacuate people from areas impacted by natural disaster, explosions, fire and accidental or purposeful toxic substance release. MANAGEMENT Mission statement Transit systems should create, in conjunction with its oversight body, a mission statement which defines its reason for existence. Management structure A formal management statement should be in place which defines individual organizational and functional responsibilities. Chain of command All employees should be made aware of the command and control structure that they must follow, including emergency procedures in times of crises. Advisory board Transit systems may choose to have an advisory board with representatives from key stakeholders in the community. This advisory board has no direct decision making responsibility but is designed to provide input to the transit system on issues of safety, quality and effectiveness. Page 2 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

3 DRIVERS Job description A job description should be in place for all positions in a transit system including that of drivers. This job description should define in detail required driver knowledge, skills and responsibilities. Grievance procedures Transit systems should have in place grievance procedures available to all employees for when they feel they are inappropriately treated. These procedures must be made available to employees upon the date of hire. Background checks Driving record background checks must be done on all drivers prior to employment. Criminal background checks are desirable as well, but not presently mandated. Updated roster Transit systems must keep an accurate and updated roster of all employees working for the agency. This roster should, include date of employment, position held, rate of pay and other pertinent personnel information. Turnover Transit systems should make every effort to minimize driver turnover due to the implication of cost, training needs and safety liability. Team building Transit systems should regularly schedule activities that assist in opening up communication and building a sense of team among employees with the ultimate goal of improving organizational effectiveness, safety and security and quality of customer service. CDL s Transit systems must ensure that all drivers operating vehicles which require a CDL license have a valid CDL license. It is encouraged to create an environment where obtaining a CDL is an attractive goal for all drivers, regardless of the type of vehicle they operate. License checks All employees who operate vehicles should have a license check done on them at least once per year. For liability reasons, it is suggested that such checks take place every 6 months. VEHICLES Number of vehicles Transit systems should have on file a roster of all their vehicles, including type, age, mileage, vehicle liens and status of vehicle. Page 3 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

4 Types of vehicles Transit systems should have on file a description of each vehicle by type, major components and accessory equipment, including lifts and all other information that would have operational significance. Vehicle condition Transit systems should make every effort to keep each vehicle for which they have responsibility in proper operating condition at all times. Vehicle cleanliness Transit systems should ensure that all vehicles are kept clean, both inside and outside, and assign responsibility for that cleaning to individual staff members as may be appropriate. Vehicle equipment All equipment on transit vehicles must be kept in proper operating order. Vehicle lifts Vehicle lifts must be ensured to be working correctly by cycling such lifts on a regular basis even if they are not regularly used by customers. Vehicle tires All transit system staff should pay extra attention to the condition of tires on all vehicles. This includes pressure levels, tread depth and the existence of sidewall cuts. This is of particular concern when operating large vans with high potential for rollover. MAINTENANCE Maintenance provider Regardless of whether maintenance is performed in-house, through the municipality or oversight agency, or by an outside vendor, the transit system must ensure that the highest quality of maintenance and accompanying record keeping is in place. Vehicle inspection forms Pre and post trip inspections must be done on each vehicle on a daily basis using an appropriate vehicle inspection form. The transit system must allow enough time within the driver s schedule to adequately perform such inspections and, when at all possible, the vehicle inspection forms should be turned in on a daily basis. Vehicle inspection forms, once turned in, must be monitored by agency management for necessary corrective action and maintained in an individual vehicle-by-vehicle Vehicle Inspection File. Preventive maintenance schedule Each vehicle must have an identified preventive maintenance schedule at least as aggressive as the schedule provided by the vendor. This schedule should be attached to each vehicle s individual Vehicle Maintenance File and followed regularly. Page 4 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

5 Individual vehicle maintenance files Maintenance records on each vehicle should be filed in chronological order in a file specifically designated for that vehicle and that vehicle only. This file would include defect maintenance forms with invoices and/or work orders attached and scheduled/preventive maintenance forms with invoices and/or work orders attached. Vehicle defect forms Vehicle defect forms should be kept on the vehicle and when a problem is noted by the driver he or she must fill it out including a description of what the problem is. When maintenance is done to correct the problem the mechanic involved should fill out the bottom half of the defect form and that form should be placed in the maintenance file designated for that particular vehicle along with any invoices and/or work orders. Preventive maintenance forms Preventive maintenance forms should be filled out by the mechanic when they are doing any scheduled/preventive maintenance. Invoices and/or work orders should be attached to these forms and they should be placed in the maintenance file for that particular vehicle. Lift maintenance Systems should ensure that preventive maintenance of the wheel chair lift is done on a regularly scheduled basis and includes appropriate preventive maintenance activities. Additionally, the driver should periodically deploy the wheel chair lift during pre-trip inspections to ensure that it is working. This scheduled maintenance documentation should be placed in the maintenance file for that particular vehicle along with any invoices and/or work orders. Vehicle breakdown procedure Transit systems should have a written procedure in place as to how to handle on the road vehicle breakdowns requiring towing, vehicle replacement and possibly notification of friends and/or relatives of customers who will be delayed. This policy needs to be communicated to drivers and drivers should be required to fill out an incident form explaining how the breakdown occurred. SCHEDULING AND DISPATCH Overall effectiveness Transit systems should use formal performance measures to periodically evaluate the overall effectiveness of their scheduling and dispatching operations. These performance measures could include passenger trips per vehicle hour, average passenger ride time per trip, cost per trip and number of trip denials, if any. Advance ride reservations Transit systems should not require more than a 24 hour advance ride scheduling request and must ensure that subscription or standing list rides do not force the denial of trips to individuals otherwise qualified for rides but calling in and meeting the 24 hour reservation requirement. Page 5 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

6 No-shows Transit systems should have a written policy for no-shows that explains how the schedule pick-up window works and the need for the customer to be available to be picked up during that window. The policy should also describe the penalty for being a no-show including the possibility of suspension of service. Procedure for service denial A written service denial policy should be in place which explains the circumstances under which the transit system can deny service to a customer or suspend service in the future on a short term or indefinite basis. This written policy should be available to both dispatchers and drivers as a resource in their explanation of denial enforcement. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Operations policies Each transit system must have an operation policy document that describes all elements of their operation including roles and responsibilities of staff in seeing that the operation takes place as described in the policy. This operating policy should be made available to all employees of the agency and be signed off for by those employees. This operation policy is required when submitting an application for funding to the Bureau and also becomes an attachment to the Memorandum of Agreement between the NMDOT and the funded entity. Driver handbook The New Mexico Driver Handbook or some similar document should be made available to and signed off for by all drivers and kept on each vehicle as a resource for both normal operations of that vehicle and unusual/emergency operations as well. ADA Compliance TRAINING Training record keeping Training files should be created for each employee or training records should be kept within each employee s personnel file. These records should reflect all training the employee has taken and include copies of any certifications received. Defensive Driving training Each individual who drives a transit agency vehicle in any capacity must receive a minimum of one full day of Defensive Driving training with some level of certification at point of hire or within six (6) months of hire and re-certification at least every 3 years or sooner depending on the type of training program. Page 6 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

7 CPR/First Aid training Each individual who drives a transit agency vehicle in any capacity must receive at point of hire, or within six (6) months of hire, a minimum of one full day of certified training in CPR and First Aid and continue to be re-certified every 2 years or whenever the certification for the training expires. Customer Sensitivity and Assistance training Each individual who drives in any capacity a lift-equipped transit agency vehicle must receive at the point of hire, or as soon thereafter as possible, a minimum of one full day of Customer Sensitivity and Assistance training or comparable passenger assistance training covering both sensitivity issues and wheel chair management, lift operation and wheel chair securement procedures. Re-certification in this training area is required every 3 years. Crisis Management training Each individual who drives a transit agency vehicle in any capacity must receive at point of hire, or as soon thereafter as possible, a minimum of one full day of training in crisis management including accident handling, blood-borne pathogens, hazardous conditions, vehicle rollover, fire/life safety, vehicle evacuation and security awareness. Re-certification in this training area is required every 3 years. Behind the Wheel Evaluation form At the time of initial new-hire training a behind-the-wheel evaluation of each driver must take place using a structured evaluation document. These behind-the-wheel evaluations should continue for each driver on an annual basis thereafter and these documentation forms be filed in the driver training or personnel file. Other training as appropriate Transit systems should provide drivers other training that the system feels is either helpful or necessary to improve the safety and quality of service to its customers. All such training should be documented and copies of training attendance including certifications or certificates should be kept in employee s training or personnel files. DOCUMENTATION Personnel files Personnel files should contain all appropriate information on each individual employee including employment application, driver license check, background checks, copies of tax, finance and benefit forms, copies of any personnel action taken involving the employee including promotion or discipline, performance evaluation forms, letters of commendation and any other document relative to the employment history of the individual involved. Performance Evaluation It is recommended that transit systems do an annual performance evaluation on all employees focusing as much as possible on performance related to specific transit job functions. This performance evaluation should be completed with the employee at least annually and any area Page 7 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

8 designated as needing improvement requires the development of a plan on part of the manager and employee to initiate such improvement. Other documentation as appropriate Any other documentation that a transit system feels would enhance its ability to monitor its own performance should be kept on file. CUSTOMER SERVICE Customer Service Policy Transit systems should have a Customer Service Policy document that describes the expectations that customers can have about the service and the responsibilities of customers in using the service. This document should be distributed to all para-transit customers and also be kept onboard both para-transit and fixed-route vehicles as a tool for drivers in their interactions with passengers. Complaint/Commendation forms Transit systems should have complaint and commendation forms or cards on all vehicles to allow passenger to give positive or negative feedback to the system on driver behavior and service quality. These cards/forms can be handed to the driver for delivery to management or mailed into the system office. On-time performance Transit systems should keep records of on-time performance in both fixed-route and para-transit modes as applicable. These records can be used to determine the pattern of operational effectiveness over extended periods of time. Customer surveys Periodic customer surveys should be done in order to measure the quality of service and customer expectations and needs. These surveys can be telephone based, questionnaire based or interview based. Survey results can be used to measure patterns of quality over time. Feedback from non-riders In order to increase a transit system s information base, it is desirable to find mechanisms to get feedback from non-riders in the community. This information can be used in marketing efforts and to assist in gaining political support. RIDERSHIP, MARKETING AND ADVERTISING Marketing plan Transit systems should have a long range marketing plan designed to enhance both ridership and community support. Marketing techniques can range from the basic poster and flyer approach to more sophisticated radio or television spots. Marketing is particularly important in fixed-route and hybrid design operations where increased ridership is desirable. Page 8 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

9 Advertising on vehicles Transit systems should consider selling advertising on their transit vehicles. This advertising can be placed on either the inside of the vehicle or the outside left, right or rear panels. The price that purchasers pay to place their advertising on vehicles can be a significant new revenue source. Phone number in phone book/on vehicle General public transit vehicles must have the phone number of the transit system displayed on the outside of the transit vehicle visible from 30 feet so the public can contact the system either for information or to reserve rides. The phone number should also be listed in local telephone directories for the same reasons. Bus schedules All fixed-route service must be accompanied by written bus schedules that diagram the routes and provide pick-up times at individual bus stops and be made available to the general public. SERVICE DESIGN Needs assessment Transit systems should collect any data which assists in looking at possible new service design modes and cutting back on those modes that are not productive. Some of the most important data in its decision making process are provided through customer surveys, information on trip denials, cost per trip, trip generators and passengers per vehicle hour. Demand/response Demand/response is the most expensive form of transit service. Transit systems should consider other modes of service as well when designing the operation, particularly for those individuals who do not require special assistance. Curb-to-curb service offers the lowest level of liability in demand-response operations. Fixed route Fixed-route service requires some level of population density to be effective and the design should be based on linking major trip generators wherever possible. Hybrid models such as point or route deviation can be particularly attractive in small communities. The cost per trip should be considerably less than that for demand response service and therefore this delivery mode alternative should be seriously considered by any larger rural community or smaller urban area. Hours and days of service Transit systems that operate with very limited hours and days of service run the risk of being irrelevant to the economic development of the region, particularly in reference to employment transportation. Transit systems should try very hard to spread service over hours and days that correspond to possible employment trips and peak commercial times. Page 9 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel

10 Trip generators Trip generators provide the basic service design information and simply consist of places and times where people are picked up to begin their trip and places and times where people are dropped off to end their trip. Transit systems should plot their trip generators on a regular basis and pay particular attention to the service design implications of high density pick up or drop off places and times. Bus stops/signs/shelters Bus stops should be placed not only with ridership needs in mind but also keeping in mind the safety with which transit vehicles can approach, stop, board or de-board passengers and reenter traffic. Bus signs must, at a minimum, be placed at all designated bus stops. Bus shelters or benches can make the transit system more accommodating and can be paid for by selling advertising on the shelters or the benches. Charter service Transit systems must ensure that they understand charter regulations and do not provide services within a community that violates such charter regulations by competing with a private transportation operator. STRATEGIC AND BUSINESS PLANNING Strategic planning process Transit systems should attempt to have a mission statement, a vision for the future and a strategic plan with goals and objectives that provide a way to make that vision for the future a reality. The strategic planning process should include not only transit staff and boards but key stakeholders in the community, such as political leaders, businessmen, health and human service leaders, transit advocates, special interest partners, transit users and others. The purpose of the strategic plan is to not only develop goals for the future but to give ownership to those goals on the part of a wide variety of community leaders and citizens. Business planning process Transit systems must use all the techniques of any business in order to ensure the delivery of the highest quality of service in the most cost effective manner. Transit systems should develop a business plan that considers not only their budgetary considerations but short-term operating requirements with measurements of success and long-term strategic goals aligned to existing financial realities. Action plans should be created which hold the agency and individual staff accountable for each business objective. RTD implementation plans All the transit systems in the state should explore the possibility of forming an RTD in their region and begin dialogue with their peers in the region and throughout the state on whether or not an RTD is possible and desirable. If it is both, then the system should go on to explore the best way to move forward. Page 10 of 10 Site Visit Checklist Lazaro & Noel