Signals December 2002


	December 4, 2002

OPERATIONS:

Winter Driving Tips: We’ve all heard the saying "there are two seasons in Iowa – road construction and winter." Most years it seems that way. Iowa’s snow season typically runs from November through early March (we have been fortunate this year).

The following tips will help in reducing the chances of becoming involved in a weather-related accident.

Ż Report for work rested and alert.

Ż Do a thorough pre-trip inspection. Make sure you have melt-it, an ice scraper, Windex, and plenty of grit.

Ż Slow down. The posted speed limit may not be a safe speed to travel at during inclement weather. Remember safety before schedule.

Ż Give yourself more stopping distance, about 15-20 feet before where you would usually stop. Bridges and shady spots can be icy when other areas are not. Avoid sudden stops and quick direction changes.

Ż Turn off the transmission retarder if the bus is equipped with one.

Snow and ice create hazards for our passengers as well. The following tips can help reduce the chances of our passengers having an accident.

Ż Turn your four ways on early so the passenger knows you see them at the stop.

Ż Approach the stop cautiously and allow extra clearance on the right side, if necessary.

Ż Choose the boarding and deboarding area carefully. If there is snow at the bus stop, select another area such as a sidewalk or driveway. If the sidewalk is icy or snow covered, give the passengers warning of the condition before they exit. If there is not a clear location keep a clearance of three to five feet from the snow bank so that passengers can use the street for boarding and deboarding. Do not move the bus until all people are safely away from the bus. Check your mirrors carefully to make sure the area is clear.

Ż If the steps or aisle is wet or snow covered, put down grit and scrape any snow off the steps.

Ż Monitor the interior temperature of the bus for the comfort of the passengers. (Barb)

Holiday Time Off: With the approaching holidays we will be working with many requests for time off. Please be sure to check carefully if your requests have been covered before you leave. Talk to Jen Strohm or Joni Etheredge if you have any questions about a shift being covered. Simply submitting a request does not mean it is automatically covered.

Sign up sheets will be posted for the Holiday break schedule. If you are interested in working extra hours you can sign up on those sheets and you will be assigned some extra hours according to your seniority.

Also be sure that you know your schedule for the Holidays. A memo will be posted explaining the Holiday schedule. If you have any questions about when you work talk to Jen or Joni. (Karen)

HIRING AND TRAINING:

Instructors: We will be training in some more instructors to start preparing for next summer’s hiring outlook. All drivers who meet the qualifications (1040 hours driven and 3.25 or hire performance score) will be or have been contacted. (Brent)

Slide Training: It is the time of year again for all those who have been hired since last winter to get some slide training in the parking lot. We will be holding the first slide practice when we get our first slick-road day. (Brent)

MARKETING:

Tis the Season: CyRide’s annual Holiday Open House will be December 13 from 9:30am to 6:00pm. CyRide will provide lunch. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Family and friends are welcome. (Barb)

It’s a Record! Last month CyRide set an all-time record in ridership. We carried 600,189 passengers in October. Up from last Octobers all time record breaking number of 442,590 passengers. Look for new monthly records to be set, as the weather gets colder. (Barb)

SHOP:

West Door: The west door has been installed and is working well. The Northwest end of the building will be closed as soon as the temporary road is complete (the week of December 2). The temporary fuel tanks are in place and ready to be used. Because of the small volume of fuel we can hold we will be having fuel delivered 3 times a week.

Off Site Parking: We have rented a building just off Lincoln Way some of you may remember. This is not the first time CyRide has used this building at 635 Lincoln Way. The best way to describe the location of this building is to say it is located North of Bruegger’s Bagel and Northeast of Carlos O’Kelly’s. We will share the building with SKIE Coal and Salt. We will have 5 buses parked at this building to be used for morning extras only. This will allow us to park all of the large buses inside over the winter.

Bus 965: Unit 965 has been finished and is ready for service. The destination sign has been removed from 963 and put in 965, making 963 the last bus to be pulled out for service. 963 is the weakest bus in our fleet at this time and will be the first to be parked when the new Orion’s arrive next spring.