This is the first in a series of posts about customer service at UTA, and generally accepted guidelines under ISO 9001 that will facilitate better relations between the customer and UTA, its employees, and others working for and with UTA, making the entire experience for all more pleasant, and this will even make mass transit more desireable.
Today I will cover TRAX engineers (the drivers) and the entire process of approaching the station, loading passengers, and leaving the station.
1. Approaching the station. As the train approaches the station, two things must happen. One is the internal announcement of the station must be made. This allows for the passengers who desire to leave the train at the station to know that this is their station, especially if they are new or infrequent riders of TRAX. Of late I've heard announcements made of either previous stations or the wrong station, so this has become an issue.
The other thing that needs to be done is as the train approaches the station, the engineer needs to blow the whistle to alert people that he is arriving. This is necessary as the prerecorded announcements system has of late been malfunctioning regularly at some station platforms, either because the train is late it occurs a couple minutes before the train actually arrives, or simply has malfunctioned. One can usually tell if this system has malfunctioned because the LED time/date display that also displays other messages is out. Just to be safe anyway, the engineer should give a couple short taps on the whistle at every station regardless of whether the LED display and recorded message system is working or not, to alert people regardless, that way everything is ready as far as all parties are concerned to board or leave trains.
2. Once at the station. The driver first needs to be aware of any disabled riders that may be approaching the platform and actually WAIT for them. Sure this might mean that the train might be a minute late at the very worst if a disabled rider has difficulty reaching either the platform or the raised area in the case of wheelchairs, but it will ensure the disabled rider can make his connections, this does impact and make a huge difference as to whether those riders make the connecting buses or even appointments down the line later. The driver should be aware of any buses that are just pulling up to the dropoff point beside the station too, and afford those passengers enough time to reach the platform. UTA has had a slogan in the past that applies just as much today as it did when it ran. 'We do not want anybody to be late, but we won't leave anyone behind'.
3. Be sure all have had a chance to sit down or grab a railing once the doors are closed and locked for travel. This will prevent liability for accidents caused by the overaggressiveness of some drivers. Should take about ten seconds. Then tap the whistle to be sure the pedestrian crossings are clear, then leave the station as normal.
This will ensure the ridership of UTA is more satisfied, and ensure that UTA remains a quality endorsed system in the eyes of the riders. And it will make ISO 9001 look better as well to everyone. And it will ensure compliance with the quality standard that UTA seeks to be known for by following these mandates as written above when it comes to TRAX.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Needed routes, part 1.
I promised there would be a listing of needed routes in Salt Lake County and elsewhere following the redesign. Some are entirely new based on known needs, and others follow to a degree former routes on major service. Included are service change needs to facilitate connections. This will be posted in several parts.
So here goes with the routes.
1. Government Access Shuttle. Start near the Fairpark where the State Offices are south of there, take North Temple into Downtown, service State Capitol complex, return down State Street to the Matheson Courthouse/Washington Square, then continue to the County complex, looping around that at 21st South, then the EOL would be near the SW corner of that complex. Frequency of service TBD based on how much of a need there might be. Given the special nature of this route, it would not operate on the weekends or at night except to provide relief service for major events, in that case it would connect with TRAX stations for those events. Starts no earlier than 7am, last trip no later than 6pm unless other temporary needs dictate and are announced ahead of time. This is basic route design, may be modified to ensure other Government services are easily accessed from it as well, such as Social Security, the IRS, etc.
7. Seventh West/Jordan Parkway. Run from 39th South TRAX to the roughly 7th West/Jordan Parkway corridor, then end at Sandy Civic Center TRAX after servicing South Towne Mall via 106th South. Projected frequency is minimum one hour, 6am-7pm can be updated as ridership develops.
13. From Fashion Place West use 64th South to 9th East, then through the commercial area then going into 13th East. Follow 13th East to 106th South then down to State and then to Sandy Civic Center TRAX. Once TRAX is extended further south, it can be expanded to cover 13th East to 123rd South. 30 minute service 5am/8pm, 60 minute service to midnight.
20. Seventh East/Highland Drive. From Downtown, go to 700 East via 4th South, then down 7th East to Van Winkle to Highland Drive, then down to TRAX via 13th East and Sego Lily
27. 27th South. Provides needed service to 27th South as it lies halfway between 21st and 33rd South. Should tie in at east end to route 21 or 33. Hourly service 6am/7pm.
70. 70th/71st South. Runs from 72nd South TRAX to Jordan Landing. Half hour service given the number of residences significant businesses.
113. 13th West. From Murray Central TRAX take 53rd South to 1385 West, then down 13th West to 104th South. Then back to Sandy Civic Center TRAX via Sandy Parkway and 100th South.
123. East 123rd South. From State Street (here known as Factory Outlet Drive) go east on 123rd South to a point further east using other roads as needed to service new LDS Temple on Rambling road, then take Highland Drive to near I-15. Route not final, may undergo significant modification once the Draper TRAX extension is built.
125. West 125th South. From same points outlined above, cross 123rd South on Factory Outlet Drive and go down to cross over and take Minuteman Drive to Bangerter, cross I-15, then go on 300 West to service the new destination location of IKEA, take Pony Express Drive, then take 123rd/125th South to 36th West, service the commercial developments east of Bangerter Highway, then enter Daybreak and service new LDS Temple once built, along with Daybreak TRAX station once built then turn down 48th West to Herriman and use the route that the 347 uses. Eventually a circulator will be needed within Rosecrest as well. That information will be posted later as route 547 and that will have its north end at the TRAX station also that will be built.
140. Bluffdale Circulator. Route TBD based on eventual development patterns in the area.
So here goes with the routes.
1. Government Access Shuttle. Start near the Fairpark where the State Offices are south of there, take North Temple into Downtown, service State Capitol complex, return down State Street to the Matheson Courthouse/Washington Square, then continue to the County complex, looping around that at 21st South, then the EOL would be near the SW corner of that complex. Frequency of service TBD based on how much of a need there might be. Given the special nature of this route, it would not operate on the weekends or at night except to provide relief service for major events, in that case it would connect with TRAX stations for those events. Starts no earlier than 7am, last trip no later than 6pm unless other temporary needs dictate and are announced ahead of time. This is basic route design, may be modified to ensure other Government services are easily accessed from it as well, such as Social Security, the IRS, etc.
7. Seventh West/Jordan Parkway. Run from 39th South TRAX to the roughly 7th West/Jordan Parkway corridor, then end at Sandy Civic Center TRAX after servicing South Towne Mall via 106th South. Projected frequency is minimum one hour, 6am-7pm can be updated as ridership develops.
13. From Fashion Place West use 64th South to 9th East, then through the commercial area then going into 13th East. Follow 13th East to 106th South then down to State and then to Sandy Civic Center TRAX. Once TRAX is extended further south, it can be expanded to cover 13th East to 123rd South. 30 minute service 5am/8pm, 60 minute service to midnight.
20. Seventh East/Highland Drive. From Downtown, go to 700 East via 4th South, then down 7th East to Van Winkle to Highland Drive, then down to TRAX via 13th East and Sego Lily
27. 27th South. Provides needed service to 27th South as it lies halfway between 21st and 33rd South. Should tie in at east end to route 21 or 33. Hourly service 6am/7pm.
70. 70th/71st South. Runs from 72nd South TRAX to Jordan Landing. Half hour service given the number of residences significant businesses.
113. 13th West. From Murray Central TRAX take 53rd South to 1385 West, then down 13th West to 104th South. Then back to Sandy Civic Center TRAX via Sandy Parkway and 100th South.
123. East 123rd South. From State Street (here known as Factory Outlet Drive) go east on 123rd South to a point further east using other roads as needed to service new LDS Temple on Rambling road, then take Highland Drive to near I-15. Route not final, may undergo significant modification once the Draper TRAX extension is built.
125. West 125th South. From same points outlined above, cross 123rd South on Factory Outlet Drive and go down to cross over and take Minuteman Drive to Bangerter, cross I-15, then go on 300 West to service the new destination location of IKEA, take Pony Express Drive, then take 123rd/125th South to 36th West, service the commercial developments east of Bangerter Highway, then enter Daybreak and service new LDS Temple once built, along with Daybreak TRAX station once built then turn down 48th West to Herriman and use the route that the 347 uses. Eventually a circulator will be needed within Rosecrest as well. That information will be posted later as route 547 and that will have its north end at the TRAX station also that will be built.
140. Bluffdale Circulator. Route TBD based on eventual development patterns in the area.
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