Service Reductions: Student fees are not adequate to pay for our current service levels and our ridership is down this year. We will be making some significant cuts in service next year, probably eliminating about 3,000 hours of service. We will be posting a long list of possible cuts. All the services listed will not be cut, but the GSB and various student groups will be making decisions on which services to eliminate next year. After the Transit Board reviews the possible cuts, they will be posted in the break room. We will also be distributing notices to passengers that may be affected by the changes. (Bob)

New Buses: Four new Orion V buses are scheduled for delivery in June. They will be very similar to the 70 series buses, but will have electronic destination signs. We expect to receive a grant for two more 40 foot buses in December. It will be about two years before they arrive. We are planning on buying low floor buses for the next eight to ten large buses that we order. (Bob)

Note from Ben Davis: Ben Davis sent an e-mail. He is training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma with the Second Marine Expeditionary Force. He shot expert on the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and he expects to deploy to western Iraq in January for fourteen months. His e-mail is benjamin. john. davis@us.army.mil (Bob)

Garage Grant: CyRide received another $1,000,000 through the efforts of Congressman Latham, and Senators Grassley and Harkin. This will allow us some contingency funds when we re-bid the garage. It will also go for design work for the office expansion and reconstruction. Another $2,000,000 is needed before we can start that project. (Bob)

Winter Driving Tips: We have 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.

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

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

Parking Buses Outside during Cold Weather: When parking buses outside the garage in cold weather, the following procedures should be followed:

Leave the transmission in neutral.
Set the parking brake (do not use the rear door interlock as a parking brake).
Close all windows and roof vents.
Turn off all interior lights and fans.
Turn off the 4-way flashers.
Close the front door by reaching through the driver’s window.
Close the driver’s window.

When the outside temperature is 20 degrees or below, do not turn off the bus engine. The high idle and front heat or defrost should be left on. This procedure will prevent the front windows from frosting over and diesel fuel from gelling and clogging both fuel lines and filters. (Barb and George)

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 Seth Pace 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 Seth.

Salt Free Areas: As the road construction season comes to a close, pay particular attention to those areas of new concrete. In order not to damage this new pavement, the Public Works Department will not apply any road salt on it this winter. Only sand and cinders will be applied to maintain traction. Pay attention to the possibility of slick spots, especially at intersections, along routes that have new concrete. Those areas to watch:

-Union Drive from the top of the hill at the Memorial Union to the East Campus Parking Deck on Wallace Road. (Orange and Cardinal routes)
-Mortensen Parkway between Gateway Hills Park Drive and Elwood Drive (Brown route)
-Ontario Street between North Dakota and Georgia. (Green route)

If you notice other areas that are hazardous, please contact the dispatcher. (George)

Lights Out, Please: We often get comments about running empty buses around town and wasting taxpayer’s money. Sometimes people see buses going to and from their endpoints with no one on them. Please have your interior lights off when going to and from endpoints. (Bob)

Make Your Voice Heard on the PA: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandates that drivers announce transfer points and major bus stops. This is Federal law. CyRide drivers are required to announce the following bus stops:

-North Grand Mall
-City Hall
-Kildee Hall/Bessey Hall
-Beyer Hall/State Gym
-11^th/Duff and 12^th/Duff (the hospital and clinic area)

Please use your PA to announce these stops as it greatly helps our passengers who are unfamiliar with our system or are impaired. We will be periodically reviewing on-board bus camera systems to check drivers on compliance with this requirement. (George)

Reminder: Drivers, if you should run over an object that could or has caused harm or damage to your bus, please stop your bus immediately and inspect it for damage. Stopping your bus immediately will prevent further damage from occurring. As always, keep the dispatcher informed of your condition and status. (George)

Tis’ the Season: CyRide’s annual Holiday Open House will be December 10 from 9:30am to 6:00pm. CyRide will provide lunch. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Family and friends are welcome.

Stuff a Bus: The "stuff a bus" promotion was also a huge success. The fundraiser filled two buses full of food for MICA (Mid Iowa Community Action). We estimated we collected over 300 boxes of food, and each of the boxes is worth about $50. Thanks to everyone for making this a success. (Barb)

Spring Run Pick: Just a reminder, if you are going through spring run pick, make sure to check your pick time. Run pick will be held Monday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 7.

HISTORY: Safe Driver Awards, Nov. 1982. Drivers pictured (left to right) are:

Ray Coffey, Jimmie Landon, Stan Olsson, Gary Frazier, Rhonda Jensen, John Botten, Tom Davenport, Al Deaton, Dayle Downer