tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28284225922018755542024-03-13T05:35:29.055-06:00Utah Transit Authority 9001 ComplianceHelping resolve ISO 9001 issues pertaining to the rider experience and customer service at UTa. This blog advocates for the customer in showing issues of concern that adversely affect the rider generally. When UTA does something that enhances the experience positively, that will be noted as well. All of this is needed to honestly say UTA complies with ISO 9001.2000James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-51204429870659142442012-04-17T16:15:00.000-06:002012-04-17T16:15:02.510-06:00ISO 9001/14001 RFP, a year late but good information.Been away from this for a while, but when I got back in I discovered this tidbit. It's an RFP looking for companies who certify ISO 9001 and 14001 compliance for other companies. Had no real idea you could pick and choose a company to certify you for those, make the matter of impartiality come into question, doesn't it?<br />
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http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CG4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rideuta.com%2Fuploads%2FISO_Public_Notice.doc&ei=rOmNT9HgL8qaiQKpnO20CA&usg=AFQjCNFvu2IBPUWZhvJ45onpVfhK0qvxPQ<br />
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URL opens a PDF document. <br />
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Just in case it disappears, here's the text of the document.<br />
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS<br />
RFP UT-11-035JL<br />
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ISO 9001 and ISO 14001<br />
AUDIT SERVICES<br />
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The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is requesting proposals any time prior to the hour of 2:00 p.m. MDT on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 from accredited certification bodies/registrars with expertise in Municipal Government Services/Transportation to provide services for UTA's ISO 9001 and 14001 re-certification and surveillance audits. <br />
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Requests for proposal documents or any related questions should be directed to Utah Transit Authority, Attention: Janalee Hansen, Grants and Contracts Administrator, by email at jhansen@rideuta.com or by U.S Mail at 3600 South 700 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84119.<br />
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The certification body/registrar selected will be required to comply with all applicable Federal and State laws, regulations and certifications, and equal employment opportunity laws and regulations. The Utah Transit Authority, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and 49 CFR Part 26 will afford Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) full opportunity to respond and will not discriminate against any interested firm or person on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, or national origin in the review of qualifications or contract award.<br />
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Issuance of this RFP does not commit UTA to award any contract, to pay any costs incurred in preparation of a proposal, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. UTA reserves the right to waive any irregularities and informalities or to reject any or all proposals submitted, to re-advertise and to make contract awards in the best interest of UTA.<br />
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Utah Transit Authority<br />
3600 South 700 West<br />
Salt Lake City, Utah 84119James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-38271656549227563772010-07-27T12:26:00.002-06:002010-07-27T12:35:16.987-06:00Required Hearings Not Held Prior to Fuel Surcharge Fare Increase (August 2010)The Utah Transit Authority, by law, and being a Government agency funded by State and Federal dollars, as well as sales taxes, and other governmental assistance, is required to hold public hearings prior to enacting any fare increase, or series of increases, even if a previous increase was rescinded.<br /><br />In 2008, hearings were held prior to the last fuel surcharge increase, and the increase has since been rescinded. That means it is now required for UTA to hold hearings prior to any future fuel surcharge increase series.<br /><br />A series is defined as any sequence of fare increases that is proposed at once, and enacted over a period of months or years, and this is done primarily for strategic planning purposes, however, if an increase is later rescinded after being enacted, that resets everything.<br /><br />In very late June of this year, 2010, it was announced there would have to be another fuel surcharge due to diesel rising above $3 a gallon, and UTA claims it lost $1 million on fuel costs (so what became of that $2 million travel slush fund? They should have used that for this.<br /><br />Therefore, it is required that before UTA collects one fare next Sunday, they must either hold a well-publicized series of hearings, or hold back on the increase until they do. While I personally understand the needs for a fare increase, the agency's honesty and integrity are at stake here.<br /><br />And furthermore, documentation rules and public access laws require hearings. The documentation rules are set by ISO 9001, and that has not been followed yet due to the lack of public hearings in all divisions, not just the board meeting in the Meadowbrook offices.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-9178225424163000962009-09-19T11:09:00.003-06:002009-09-19T11:18:38.764-06:00TVM problems, particularly TRAX and MAX.This one is about a problem that is germane to the transit industry and practically par for the course for all agencies that use TVMs for fare collection.<br /><br />TRAX: There has been an apparently persistent problem at the Sandy Expo Station of the TVMs at both ends of the platform not taking fares inserted by riders, in particular we know for sure that at times the machines will not take any dollar bills. August 28th and 29th were two instances, and in talking about the next item we found that there was an additional report of trouble at the same platform since.<br /><br />MAX: At 56th West on 35th South, just east of the intersection is a MAX station with a TVM. Got on one on 11 September and observed that he had to have everyone pay their fare upon boarding. What may have happened, is that the TVM had already been confirmed to malfunction, and so the driver needed to take fares. 15 people including myself got on. This problem obviously resulted in lost time for everyone taking the trip further down on the 35M Eastbound.<br /><br />Again, these appear to be general but not too frequent problems, any agency will have these, due to the moving parts within the TVM to take the change or bills inserted and to print your ticket, so these things are bound to happen. Just be ready to pay fare on MAX, and to go to the other end of the platform on TRAX, although in the case of 94th South (Sandy Expo) the rider I saw who had the problem ended up not being able to pay fare until he caught the 811 at Sandy Civic Center.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-16246474197171952882009-02-26T15:07:00.002-07:002009-02-26T15:21:48.972-07:00Is the ATWU becoming a problem?Is the ATWU becoming a problem while they are engaging more co-operatively with management?<br /><br />That is the question after UTA cut a stop that has been used by a route in Utah County for 24 years, although it has been renumbered since 2000.<br /><br />The route in question is currently known as 833, and was originally route 5 when UTA first started serving Utah County. The stop in question is on University Parkway, just below the Carterville Road overpass going east/southbound. (this road was originally called the 'BYU Diagonal' due to its NW/SE orientation to this point). This affects 833's headed for the YMount Terrace/NE BYU/MTC/Provo Temple area.<br /><br />The stop has been in continuous service for that route since it was first designated as such in 1985. Now the ATWU local members claim that it is 'a problem' for them, and somehow persuaded UTA management to discontinue it for Route 833. If nothing else, traffic has actually grown in the area in terms of riders, due to many more businesses there now than in 1985, and the riders most seriously impacted will be the disabled and anyone with a load of groceries, etc., from the albertsons that is just out of view because of the business pad just behind the stop.<br /><br />UTA claims that there are still two newer routes that service the area, 832 and 830. True, there's more frequent service, but the people that are left out are those needing to go quickly to Edgemont and the areas northeast of BYU that I mentioned earlier. Why should they have to lug groceries clear around through BYU then get off and cross another busy street to get on a second bus that comes less frequently (the same 833) to do their shopping? Doesn't this run counter to best practices for designing bus transit systems and bus stop locations? It may actually result in less riders in the end, instead of more.<br /><br />They are going to monitor this, calls politely requesting the reinstatement of the 833 stopping there are needed, explaining the situation. I didn't mention the intersection either, but a look at the intersection of University Parkway/550 West/2230 North in Provo (also search for 'Albertsons') on Google Maps satellite abd street view will confirm the serious safety issues at hand for shoppers desiring to use 833 from this area.<br /><br />Normally the ATWU serves a useful purpose for its members, but its actions of late involving holidays and now badly needed bus stops too, and maybe even in cases other larger things, have become a serious threat to UTA's ever getting to the point in its development that it wants to b e, it will only take much longer if at all to reach stated company goals in regards to ridership even with gas price spikes, economic difficulties, etc., they need to all learn the customer comes first.<br /><br />And even if this is not ISO 9001-related after all, it still knocks the wind out of ISO 9001's image.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-14155783427725040812009-02-04T12:13:00.002-07:002009-02-04T12:21:25.619-07:00The union 'Let's work less, get paid more, the heck with the rider'This comes as a result of what Michael Bloomberg told the unions that are in New York this morning, and it's going to end up quite damning to UTA's chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Workers' Union.<br /><br />'Your job is to come in here and get paid more and work less' (paraphrase of Michael Bloomberg's comment). <br /><br />Basically, they are now asking for certain days that are not true holidays although one is designated as such but is not generally taken except for certain government workers, such as the post office, etc. That one is Presidents Day. Most UTA riders will be dead in the water that day as a result of the arrogance of both the ATWU and UTA when they drew up the contract.<br /><br />The other big one that is flagrantly worse is the July 3rd day off. Not only are they taking that off, but the 4th as well. Now the 4th of July is definitely legitimate, but for some riders the combination of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th means no bus service for three whole days!<br /><br />This is a serious ISO 9001 noncompliance issue, and a breach of the public trust by both UTA and the ATWU. It may violate antidiscrimination laws as they pertain to certain minorities that require the use of public transit more than other groups, and the disabled who largely relyon UTA to get around.<br /><br />The 3rd is not a legal holiday, so not even holiday pay can be paid to them for that day, in fact, they cannot be paid for that day at all. The 4th is OK however.<br /><br />UTA must now respond, and retract both the February 16th holiday day off and the July 3rd, 2009 holiday day off. That to ensure they remain ISO 9001-compliant in the eyes of major segments of the ridership and others in the community that are associated with UTA in one way or another.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-36909603327910492222008-10-23T17:16:00.002-06:002008-10-23T17:20:27.985-06:00BREAKING: Fare incident may result in Utah State legislative, regulatory oversight.Due to an incident involving the 802 that leaves Downtown Salt Lake at 310pm yesterday, I've begun talks with State leaders to get more regulatory and other governmental oversight of the Utah Transit Authority.<br /><br />The incident involved finding out that the disabled are now being asked to pay double what they did only a few months ago what they would otherwise be paying today had UTA not sneaked in a fare increase over and above the fuel surcharges and other regularly scheduled base fare increases.<br /><br />I'll detail the issue in a later post, with more information on the incident that started it all as sescribed above, but for now the fact that a standard practice that UTA had followed for over 23 years at least, and that many relied on for a better quality of life, has been discarded without publci input and without more fully involving those affected in the decision.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-75270939685368366972008-10-08T18:08:00.003-06:002008-10-08T18:26:37.485-06:00When TRAX engineers try too hard to keep a schedule...Crap happens.<br /><br />Today I witnessed a huge whopper, one that involved a speeding train, even through the construction, and the first time in nine years of operation for TRAX that I've seen a TRAX engineer overshoot the disabled boarding platform. And not just once, but twice.<br /><br />I've heard of it happening before but considered some stories to be embellished, but never witnessed anything like this personally, here are the details on what I personally witnessed.<br /><br />I boarded a train that would leave Sandy Civic Center Station at 1123am. All seemed well, and there were no other connection protection issues, so the train left right on time. He got to 9400 South, let a disabled rider using a wheelchair off, then went on to the next station.<br /><br />I thought he was approaching 90th South, Historic Sandy, a little fast, given the braking he had to do, and he overshot the disabled platform there. Fortunabely this was not a serious issue, no one needed to board or get off on that platform.<br /><br />He went on from there, and hit the construction zone where the northbound train has to use the southbound track due to bridge work, which by the way is nearing completion as rail has been laid on the reconstructed northbound track bridge. He ran that somewhat faster than I normally experience trains taking that segment during this time, it was almost normal speed for any other train, and he had been running a little fast out of Historic Sandy before that.<br /><br />No other incidents until later, two disabled riders using wheelchairs got on at the Murray Central Station (IHC Hospital), and all went well.<br /><br />The next station was where this all hit the fan.<br /><br />He overshot the platform at Murray North (45th South). But this time was where it all came back to haunt him. The two disabled riders had to get off and at first he didn't realize they needed to get off. One of them said out loud 'Oh s---, we're going to be late!', and the driver seemed a bit perturbed, once he realized he had to get the train backed up all of about five or six feet.<br /><br />There were other drivers talking over the fence, so they all witnessed this as well.<br /><br />They got the train backed up, and the two disabled riders got off.<br /><br />And we left the station. The engineer left with the train. as a much more subdued driver as well. No more speeding by him the rest of the trip.<br /><br />Got to 13th South (Ballpark), got off. Looked at the clock as he left. 1150am, the schedule said he was due at 1147am under normal circumstances. So the drive to be absolutely perfect got him nowhere, and made a mess out of UTA's public image as an ISO 9001.2000 compliant company.<br /><br />Goes to show that ISO 9001.2000 is not all its cracked up to be, especially when people try to be absolutely perfect about keeping a posted bus or train schedule. Drives home my point about some of the other recent incidents as well that I've mentioned involving TRAX.<br /><br />Later on, a University line driver almost left some people ON his train, as there were so many needing to get off at Gallivan Station that the doors closed before they could all get off. This was on an older 'San Jose' car, one that had come from that city's light rail system whne they upgraded a couple years back.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-21184174903821826892008-09-17T18:16:00.002-06:002008-09-17T18:25:16.432-06:00Passengers making TRAX connection from 811 left behind, again.Four days after the last incident, a TRAX engineer left behind some passengers who were trying to reach a train from an 811. This time it happened at 1008am.<br /><br />And this time it was worse for UTA, as several who were left behind were totally blind riders, they had gotten on at American Fork Smiths, having been brought to that stop there by a community services agency van.<br /><br />So it got called in again, not so much for additional complaint purposes, but because I have been working on a different high-tech project, and how they resolve problems there is they take the bug reports, and categorize them, and the more reports of the same problem they get, the more likely the problem is to be moved up the priority list for resolution.<br /><br />And I've even got the resolution: The schedule can be adjusted for the 811 arriving at TRAX, I would not adjust the TRAX schedule, as that needs to be where it is right now as far as times go. The best start time from 100 South University in Provo that I've found is :57 after the hour, and on other runs the start time needs to be early enough so that the arrival time at TRAX is more than five minutes before the train going northbound is scheduled to leave.<br /><br />Southbound there is little need for adjustment. Although it will need to at times be held for a train, because some rush-hour trains tend to run slightly late, like no more than five minutes. Any adjustments to the southbound 811 schedule should be made only where this is a regular occurrence.<br /><br />That, and the institution of Connection Protection procedures for the 811 Northbound only, would solve alot of the problems and eliminate the ill-will that is going around now among 811 riders due to the multiple incidents like the one described today and last Saturday morning, and all, including even UTA, will be all the happier because of it.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-62599462661730729232008-09-16T18:20:00.002-06:002008-09-16T18:31:09.637-06:00Chatsworth (Los Angeles) train accident should never happen with UTA.UTA is doing something that should mean there should never be an accident like the one in Los Angeles involving a public transit passenger train and a freight train last week. That wreck killed more than a dozen people, and many think that the driver was distracted by a text message on his cellphone, whether the text was from him to someone or from someone to him I don't know.<br /><br />As is widely known, UTA has purchased right-of-way easements for the Frontrunner and in some cases TRAX lines, and occasionally shares segments of these lines with the freight carriers since the Sandy (Blue) line is along an old local freight delivery line, cars are regularly seen at a couple of places, and spurs off the main tracks are seen in a number of places along that line and the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line.<br /><br />There is also track-sharing between Ogden and Pleasant View, that segment of Frontrunner shouled be up and running by the end of the month according to news reports. In fact, to ensure that Frontrunner and Union Pacific freight trains interact smoothly with each other along the Pleasant View segment of the route, as UTA does not have its own track constructed in this area yet, Union Pacific employees will ride along for the first few days or week or two of operation of the Pleasant View portion of the Frontrunner line.<br /><br />What UTA is doing about the matter is this. No driver of any train is allowed to use a cellular phone or pager (texting) device while in the cab of the train. If it is found that they are or have used a cellphone or pager while in the cab, they can be fired for doing so.<br /><br />There have been very few incidents involving trains and other objects, a couple incidents were caused by drivers, one by faulty switching on 7th South, and one instance where a train did hit a car and the train driver was at fault, that one was outed by City Weekly, the local Salt lake area alternative paper. But in nine years of operation, TRAX has proven to be extremely safe, and as time goes, improvements will yet be made to the already excellent safety program employed by UTA in regards to its rail services.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-49809086105247157252008-09-16T13:26:00.003-06:002008-09-16T13:39:52.433-06:00UTA abandons 'Connection Protection' ISO program.The Utah Transit Authority has abandoned one of the key programs that were adopted to help it attain the ISO 9001 certification that was received.<br /><br />I was told Saturday morning after an incident involving a TRAX driver who effectively only got half the riders off the 811 that arrived at 708am onto his train, and snapped at the rest of us for 'holding him up'. This was an example of 'clockwatching' as noted in an earlier post.<br /><br />Riders were still approaching the platform when he drove away, but some of us from that 811 were able to board. This likely is responsible for some ill will that may be going around town now about UTA.<br /><br />Upon calling and talking with Customer Concerns, the agent there said 'Did you know we are no longer using 'Connection Protection'? I didn't get the chance to tell her that it was part of a project to attain ISO 9001 certification, as many there at that department are usually left in the dark about issues like this.<br /><br />I reported the incident involving the TRAX driver, and began looking after I got back home that night for information. I have now found one, and maybe more data sets that indicate the important role that this has played in the development of a quality mass transit system in a growing Salt Lake Valley, and will yet play on a more significant basis as the bus and TRAX system grows in the next few years.<br /><br />Here's one study published by the University of South Florida, it seems to indicate that riders were more satisfied if they had a 'protected' connection:<br /><br />http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-3%20Cluett.pdf<br /><br />{Cut and paste the above URL into your browser address bar, it's a pdf so it might take a short time to load).<br /><br />One of the figures in the study shows how riders and drivers knew if they were going to make it on time to their connections or meet the connections. One method was showing ETAs for trains on TRAX platforms. That has also been abandoned, also the verbal notification that the train is arriving as well.<br /><br />This study is well worth reading as it is. I'll add more to this post as I find more.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-48614805833370888062008-08-01T19:43:00.004-06:002008-08-01T20:03:17.220-06:00'Clockwatching' by employees, and how it can adversely affect passengers.There have been problems with some drivers on UTA routes being so intent on 'making it on time', that they have neglected good customer service in how they handle things on their routes regarding people and their needs to catch buses.<br /><br />An incident about 2pm Monday on 45th South and 9th East in Salt Lake Valley is illustrative.<br /><br />I had purchased a bottle of water because of the heat and had drank it and was disposing of the bottle when it missed the can (had an apron around the opening), and fell behind the can. I went to pick it up, it was right in front of the stop marker. That is when the driver flew right by, and didn't even slow down to see if I wanted his bus.<br /><br />There was nothing to indicate there were traffic problems, in fact when I got on a later bus, I found no problems save for some construction-related traffic for the condos next to the TRAX station at Murray North Station on Fireclay Avenue.<br /><br />This points to a practice known as 'clockwatching' by employees. Some do it to work no more than is required, some do it to as noted try to 'stay on schedule' to the extreme, others do it out of spite for their employers. That last one is almost never an issue with UTA employees, by and large they are usually very good about their employer, being UTA, they keep the issues they have largely to themselves.<br /><br />An example of clockwatching: I heard about some orchestra members for a recording session leaving because the session lasted too long, it affected how the record came out soundwise when it came out.<br /><br />It's that example of the orchestra members that is the most similar to the 45th South matter, the driver was worried enough about meeting his schedule that he was possibly just simply inattentive to what his real duty was, and that was to help the rider, his customer, get to where he/she was going in a timely fashion. Sure this route had buses running every 15 minutes, but in some cases 15 minutes does count for something, that is why the upset here about the possibility of clockwatching.<br /><br />Those that engage in clockwatching do it to the detriment of their employee, and also in this case with UTA, make the company look bad and also affect the image of being certified by ISO. While none of this is in the standard, the standard implies that the best of customer service will be maintained as far as it is possible.<br /><br />Sure things will go wrong, and complaints have to sometimes be made, but that is why they have to be made, to help everyone, myself included as a rider, do a better job, and make all public statements made about quality seem more honest and believable, including the ISO accreditation that UTA has.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-37572230149941661322008-08-01T19:26:00.002-06:002008-08-01T19:41:58.251-06:00Stop change notification issue, industry best practices ignoredI have had a couple of incidents, including tonight, where UTA has made a needed stop change, but did not leave anything at the old stop after the sign was moved to the new location, to inform all riders that the stop has been moved, sometimes as much as nearly a block over.<br /><br />The first incident happened in April, prior to a change day when they had built the MAX shelter at 56th West and 35th South eastbound. There was a stop just west of the 7-Eleven to the west of 56th West, and to add to the confusion the privately-owned bench company had little notice (in fact the bench is still there but no stop).<br /><br />No one was told that the stop would move, at least some notice before and after notification would have helped.<br /><br />The second incident happened tonight, August 1, at 630pm. At Sandhill Road and the middle entrance to Wal-Mart (not the one by the light) there had been a stop southbound as recently as four days ago. Due to some issues involving the shoulder, and by request of alot of people including the disabled, me included, they had moved it to just south of the Wal-Mart light.<br /><br />But again, nothing left behind to tell passengers to go and wait. There was little time to move to the new stop, the previous stop in the order north of there was across University Parkway at the UVU stop. <br /><br />That failure to notice a discontinued stop location does not follow transit industry best practices. Almost all agencies of which I am aware put something at the stop to say where to go to catch the bus. UTA used to, but now fail to follow this national standard, and it is part of ISO to keep the customer informed, and ensure passengers who may not know of the change as sudden as it may have to be at some times (often due to construction), then I do not see them really caring about the customer.<br /><br />The best practices for this are to.<br /><br />1. If able to, about two weeks before a stop is to be moved, place a notice (paper or plastic) on the UTA-owned sign pole indicating when the stop will be moved and to where.<br /><br />2. If unable to due to sudden matters like construction, remove the actual flag sign, and then place a notice to direct passengers to where the new stop will be, or if temporary, where that will be and for how long if known (even that is not always possible but understood if not).<br /><br />3. After a permanent stop move has been made effective, remove the stop marker flags, but leave the pole with the notice up for two weeks after the change, that is considered satisfactory to virtually all riders. Then after the two weeks, remove all equipment related to the stop that UTA owns.<br /><br />This will ensure a better relationship between the rider and company, reduce incident calls where customers have complaints, and save time and costs for UTA to handle complants, supervisors to talk to drivers, etc. It will also make ISO 9001 look more attractive, and preserve the image of being accredited by ISO as a quality endorsed system.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-78909428103377010412008-07-30T20:48:00.002-06:002008-07-30T21:03:39.166-06:00Max delivers!I've been out on the Route 35M Max a time or two already, and it delivers!<br /><br />First off, the travel time is great, even though not optimal right now due to the construction on 35th South. This construction will be ongoing, first to put in a water line, then something else, said to be related to electrical or other utility infrastructure, then the 35M center-running lane that will open next fall. That will run from 27th West to 56th West.<br /><br />Given how it works like TRAX, issues that normally slow down a bus, such as feeding the farebox, transfer issues, etc, are all out of the way, all the driver has to do is occasionally assist a disabled rider using mobility equipment in getting on or off, and you are on your way in about 20 seconds unless there are alot of people getting on or off at a stop.<br /><br />Disabled boarding is better, and is now recognized by this blog as a 'best practice' that should be implemented on all future UTA buses. On non-Max buses, this should be installed at the front door, but on Max, it is on the middle door.<br /><br />All the driver has to do is flip the ramp over onto the sidewalk, and the person gets on or off. Then the driver flips the ramp back inside the bus and goes back to the front to continue the route.<br /><br />Doing this would be in keeping with the letter and spirit of ISO 9001, and would be a huge plus for all concerned, drivers, UTA managers, and the disabled, along with other passengers on any bus. This is recommended as mandatory for all future UTA bus purchases where the buses are new equipment.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-30440053593169744112008-06-07T10:41:00.002-06:002008-06-07T10:53:18.877-06:00UTA to the MAX: Needed MAX lines.With the opening of the 35th South MAX route in the near future, it's planned right now for July 14th, UTA has also indicated they want to build more MAX routes as well as they get the equipment (buses and stop amenities) to do so.<br /><br />Here's what is needed in a MAX system. I've included Provo/Orem as there is a second line that could be done that is a no-brainer to anyone there.<br /><br />33rd South MAX. Run from Millcreek TRAX to the current EOL for Route 33. Would have to operate in mixed traffic (Type 1 BRT).<br />54th South MAX. Runs 53rd/54th South out to 56th West (further once development west of that is done). East of Murray Central TRAX it would take a route over to 62nd South and end near Knudsen's Corner.<br />7th/13th East MAX. From Downtown take 7th East to 9th East to/through Union Park, that becomes 13th East. Go all the way down to 123rd South, take that west to Draper TRAX. Meets up with Redwood MAX there.<br />Redwood MAX. From Downtown go to Redwood Road and take that completely to 125th South, then east to the Draper TRAX station. Crosses 35th, 54th, Mid-Jordan TRAX, and 90th South MAX.<br />90th South MAX. From 96th South near the Canyon mouth all the way out to either Bangerter or past it, then down to Daybreak, provide local service to Daybreak, if there is no local route in Daybreak yet.<br />Highland MAX. From 21st South TRAX, take 21st South to Highland Drive, then down Highland Drive the entire length, ending at 90th South presently with the possibility of expanding it further, this would replace the 'east side' MAX proposal on the UTA website.<br /><br />There are others planned for other counties, that will be in a later post.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-75007400832627292782008-06-07T10:26:00.002-06:002008-06-07T10:39:38.723-06:00First came TRAX, then FrontRunner, now meet MAX!I always said I would talk about the good that UTA is doing. Here's the latest development, and it is sure a good one too.<br /><br />First we had TRAX built, and more lines are now in the planning stages or under construction, now we have FrontRunner opening this year with the Provo extension in the planning stages, and now as of July 14th, MAX will be on the prowl.<br /><br />MAX, if you haven't heard, is the new system of Bus Rapid Transit' or 'BRT' routes that UTA is starting up. Only one is to be run so far, the rest are in planning and depend on various funding and other needs before they can start them up. That first one is to be on 3500 South starting at Millcreek (3300 South) TRAX and go all the way out to Magna, with stops roughly every half mile.<br /><br />I've just learned that this will not completely supplant the Route 35, but that route is so heavily used that this is the perfect relief system for that route. It's also immediately expandable, all they have to do if that is needed, and it will be, is add more buses and adjust the schedule. TRAX is more complicated, but setting up a MAX route and timetables and making needed adjustments will be much easier.<br /><br />MAX will operate the same hours that TRAX does, and have a 15 minute headway (meaning it runs that often, every 15 minutes). The new buses for the line have three doors, you board anywhere, and buy a ticket at a TVM at each MAX station, which also have the unique variation on the 'striper' pattern that the MAX buses have, except it's a glass etching that is seen on the MAX buses, 'MAX' is in blue letters on the side panel of the station framework, and there are other informational things that will be installed, and special stop signage will be set up as well.<br /><br />This is only one of about eight MAX routes being planned. The second one, the Provo Orem Colleges MAX line, had a hearing this week, it could likely be the next one opened.<br /><br />More on the other plans in another post.<br /><br />This is one of the great innovations that is what makes UTA work well. The real problem after all though is the misuse of ISO 9001.2000 and the abuse of that standard to second-guess the needs and wishes of the ridership that relies on UTA.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-72129478239891306712008-05-06T21:32:00.002-06:002008-05-06T21:38:52.100-06:00Salt Lake City Council Approves 400 West Routing for Airport TRAX.The Airport TRAX line has a final route in the Downtown area now. And what's more, the decision by the Salt Lake City Council on the routing brings the route more into compliance with ISO 9001 than it otherwise would have.<br /><br />The routing will use existing TRAX infrastructure from the Intermodal Hub to the Planetarium Station, north of that it will part ways with the other existing TRAX lines that will carry trains for the University, Mid-Jordan, Sandy/Draper, and Valley Fair lines further away.<br /><br />This line will go one more block north on 400 West, then use West Temple out to near the Airport then onto the Airport property itself to a point I've not seen, rideuta.com has the actual planned line map.<br /><br />This is also good efficient planning on Salt Lake City's part, as then the Davis line will have this first block out of the way as well, and it can continue north on 400 West and turn over to 300 West at a point to be determined later, and go into Davis County following Beck Street.<br /><br />So it looks like at least one government, without realizing it, helped UTA in its desire to be ISO 9001 compliant on planning its route system.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-87521419881433443092008-05-02T14:34:00.002-06:002008-05-02T14:48:22.773-06:00Efficiency improvements related to Intermodal Hub area needed.Various things have emerged in the week since the Frontrunner service began, and it brings up some interesting and valuable service improvements that will enhance UTA's ISO 9001 program when it comes to overall efficiency of the system.<br /><br />1. All Utah County routes that come into Downtown Salt Lake, the 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, and 807, plus the Saturday 816, and the one trip that 817 does in the Afternoon when that trip runs, should come directly Downtown and straight to the hub. From there, users would simply hop TRAX or Frontrunner from there to get to destinations that the same above routes serve right now. After all, once there, you can catch any one of a number of buses to get to the final destination of your trip.<br /><br />2. Similarly terminate a number of trips for other buses that do not presently visit the Intermodal Hub, namely Avenues, U of U (besides TRAX), some eastside trips like the 209, and other Intercounty express trips like the 451 and most FastBus service there as well. Again this will improve connection to and from Frontrunner for additional key routes in Salt Lake, Tooele, and Davis Counties.<br /><br />One side issue is where to park the buses between trips? I'm not sure, I'm not that familiar with the area, but there should be a solution out there for that.<br /><br />3. Additional TRAX bays. Two exist now, but what about when Mid-Jordan, West Valley, and the Airport line, and the barely being discussed plan for a Davis County line? I'm thinking two more are needed, thus making four bays, that way you could have eight total lines running out of the hub, and that along with the above mentioned bus routes coming in would truly make this the major transportation center it could be, and not look half-dead like it does now between trains.<br /><br />These three items will bring UTA more into compliance with all known reasonable customer and public expectations that are part and parcel with the knowledge that UTA subscribes to ISO 9001, and will, along with all other items I have or will mention in this blog, give the public at large a better opinion of the ISO standard as put into practice by UTA.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-43704995776804820652008-04-30T07:46:00.002-06:002008-04-30T07:55:15.204-06:00Frontrunner shows it can handle the traffic.Frontrunner has shown itself to be very good at handling the traffic that it might carry in the future.<br /><br />On the first day, it was reported by the media, that 5,000 riders had used the train by noon that day. That means that it may have possibly had 12,000 total riders, although I have no way of confirming that, it sounds reasonable given the early number.<br /><br />It takes anywhere from 58 minutes to an hour and five minutes for the trains to make the trip between Ogden and Salt Lake, according to KSL Radio 1160/102.7. The time disparity apparently is due to how and where trains meet when one has to use a siding to wait for another train, due to the fact that this line is not 'double tracked' like TRAX is. See my earlier post on the problems that causes.<br /><br />If UTA can resolve the double-tracking issue and get the second set of rails in, then they can run more trains, and that means they could have a potential for from 20,000 to 25,000 riders each day. And if they are able to run more trains, that will make the trip faster, double tracking will allow them to run at the top speed advertised and that would make my estimates more conservative, which means maybe 30,000 to 35,000 riders? They can't expand I-15 much further than is planned, in fact the train runs rather close to the freeway at one point, and the Legacy Freeway's capacity is constricted due to overzealous environmentalists.<br /><br />So UTA deserves the praise it is getting for the success of Frontrunner.<br /><br />In the next few days, once they start taking fares, we'll know what the actual daily ridership on average is going to be.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-83015977372279627402008-04-28T20:04:00.002-06:002008-04-28T20:16:36.820-06:00Frontrunner opens, is on the right track, but is it still an 'also-ran'?Frontrunner, UTA's new commuter rail line, is now open for regular passenger service between Salt Lake City and Ogden, with several intermediate stops. <br /><br />It opened Saturday, April 26th, to huge celebrations as the first train with dignitaries and UTA officials, made the first trip down from Ogden, taking stops at each of the stations.<br /><br />Trains leave every thirty minutes, and the trip takes an hour at present. Fares are actually a little high considering the train goes only around 40 miles at the most. However, given the rush hour problems and planned construction on I-15, including some work at present, this is still a good thing. When you see them you will see a slight variation on the 'striper' pattern painted on all newer UTA buses, you can think of them as the 'Sabertooth tigers' of the UTA fleet.<br /><br />Now with all that said, and yes it is defiitely off to a great start. These trains will do much good, <br />is Frontrunner already an 'also-ran' in the commuter race? Could be, depending on when you need to use it.<br /><br />The claim of speeds up to 80 mph were never met on the midday runs I took today. Part of that is because they did not 'double track' this line, and that means that much of the way, except for predetermined sidings and at the stations for it, they are running southbound and northbound trains on the exact same track. In fact, Wal-Mart trucks and other vehicles on I-15 even in construction zones on that freeway, were passing up the trains almost everywhere I could see the freeway from the trains. <br /><br />Right now, the trains run every thirty minutes, and I think the single-tracking has alot to do with it. If they will just double track the entire Frontrunner line, and not make the same mistake when they build it south to Provo in a few years, they will be able to run trains much more frequently. If gas goes higher than it's expected to this summer, then they will be in high demand, and right now with the single track situation, they cannot add runs to the system to handle the expected major demands, they don't have enough buses or drivers as it is.<br /><br />I think they could run trains every ten minutes with a double tracked line, and they could thus handle all those that wanted to use the trains. Until then, Frontrunner may be nothing more than an also-ran, no matter how good it is now.<br /><br />tised speeds ofJames W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-60788428827893797422008-03-03T14:51:00.002-07:002008-03-03T15:02:23.796-07:00The MC 400 D buses were ordered originally by Greyhound, then rejected.I have uncovered some information about the MC 400 D buses, or the larger 'Stripers' as some refer to them as, that UTA has been putting into service.<br /><br />It turns out that this model was ordered by Greayhound Lines, Inc., but at some point Greyhound cancelled the order but these were already built or otherwise in production. So the manufacturer had to get rid of them, and UTA was able to get them 'on the cheap', at a substantial discount.<br /><br />These buses therefore, were not designed for short-haul use, even within a Metro area. Also there are some serious issues about ADA compliance, as some have recently found that not all generally-used mobility assist equipment will fit properly in them. This includes power scooters and wheelchairs. It takes some 10 minutes to prepare, load/unload a wheelchair/scooter, and finish up afterwards. Most other buses on the fleet you are done with this proceess in usually two minutes.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-85088809611962307072008-01-26T19:54:00.000-07:002008-01-26T20:09:38.986-07:00Another sham hearing on the way, involves Route 35.UTA again is setting up a sham hearing to say, 'oh yes, we took public input', but the facts of the case indicate that they are going to do what they propose, forget what anyone says contrary to it.<br /><br />The plan is to make Route 35, which runs from Millcreek TRAX on 3300 South to 35th South and then all the way out to Magna, about 9200 West or so, a 'Bus Rapid Transit' route, which would mean there would only be stops about every 2/3 mile or so, about that distance apart.<br /><br />You can't do much about the I-215 interchange over 3500 South, that's just messy anyway. but it's eveyrthing else I have already noticed.<br /><br />They have set up these battleship-gray shelters at about every light from 9th West out, these will be the only stops you can pick up a 35 anywhere after April Change Day 2008. That despite any honest input from the riders. That means that the disabled, and many others, will find the route unusable for everyday use, despite the fact that the BRT route will still run every 15 minutes. Also, the 33 is not included in this plan, so the sense of discrimination and inequality will be there as well, a very large number of residents and shoppers and business owners depend on traffic from this route.<br /><br />Often the buses are so heavily used, that they can often run just late enough that they run early. Observed this yesterday at 56th West. Got off there after observing activity on a run, and went across to see what I could get at the 7-Eleven, and about five minutes later, as I walked out of the 7-Eleven, I saw another westbound bus.<br /><br />It may well be that the first one was late due to having to pick up a disabled rider, but that only drives home the point that those people rely on this route heavily. If the wheelchair or scooter that some use is battery-powered, they do not have enough juice sometimes to even get to or from the bus stop if it's far enough away, rendering the bus unusable, thus making the BRT line already noncompliant with ADA accessibility rules.<br /><br />So unless there is a corresponding route that parallels on 35th South the BRT line, it may not be implementable under the ADA and the ISO 9001.2000 standard, because it will be a nonconforming route.<br /><br />The solution, if they are so intent on putting the BRT limited service route in?<br /><br />1. Rename the route 'R35'. The 'R' would signify it is a bus rapid transit route. That would separate it from the '35' required as shown below in 2.<br /><br />2. Create an exactly parallel route, although it might only run every 30 minutes or so apart, and just number that one '35' as it is now.<br /><br />That is required in order to avoid many problems, some possibly legal, and the dissatisfaction of users will definitely necessitate the above unless both 1 and 2 are implemented together.<br /><br />The hearing is set for February 7th, I'm not sure where, although that is mentioned on a large announcement posted on some, but not all Route 35 buses.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-62959786318169119812007-12-22T20:04:00.000-07:002007-12-22T20:38:05.795-07:00Holding more effective public hearings and getting better comment.ISO 9001 assumes a lot of things not written into the standard, and the matter of public hearings is no exception to the rule. After discovering a problem which I am trying to get more information on the cause of, in relating to a time change that affected all runs on a route, I came up with this solution on the public hearings problem, including the lack of holding public hearings in some cases, that will make everyone happier, including UTA itself.<br /><br />1. Preparing for the hearing.<br /><br />Diseminate as much information about proposals as possible, via fliers on buses, mailings to homes along the affected route (within 1/2 mile is the standard, since that is how far most people will walk to get to a route). This process must begin the month after a change day. For example, a change day occurs in August, so the process must begin about the first of September for the December change day.<br /><br />Get media outlets to air commercials advertising the change day proposal hearings, this should all take place in the first month following a change day in preparation for the hearings about changes for the next change day. Disseminate press releases about the changes to media outlets as well and contact reporters to run stories about the proposed changes.<br /><br />This must be done for all changes that substantially affect a route, even if the proposal is to shift the start times from one time to another especially if the new start times for a route are significantly earlier than before, like more than five minutes earlier. Also this must be done for any routing changes besides temporary detouring that is going to last for an extended period like the recent 811 detour was.<br /><br />2. Scheduling the hearings.<br /><br />For the commercials, a date and time must be in the commercial, flyer, or newspaper ad notice (putting anything in the public notices area alone is inadequate, advertising space must be purchased). That date must occur in the first week of the second month after a change day, for example, October is the second month following the August change day. This must be held in a location convenient to all residents in the division the route is in that is to be changed. Fliers are to be mailed and distributed in the manner described above. <br /><br />The flier must include the proposal, and must include a very brief but understandable reason for the change. <br /><br />Information on changes in divisions other than the division where the change is proposed must also be made available to all divisions to all riders, that way if a change might adversely affect riders that might use a route affected by a proposed change can give comments about the change, either for or against.<br /><br />The hearing must follow this format:<br /><br />6pm. Begin hearing, meet with public, show maps and give more detailed info in response to inquiries and questions. This will set the stage for later parts of the hearing. This should be in the back of the venue, so that latecomers can see and then comment in the hearing process later in the evening as they arrive.<br /><br />7pm. At the front of the room, the lead planner for the division discusses the proposal and reasons that UTA feels the route needs to be changed in the fashion they propose it to the entire audience present, including sharing some of the feedback from discussions with in the first hour. This must includes both comments for and against the issue, and this to inform those present so comments later at the microphone can be more direct in relation to the issues involved. This ensures a dialogue between the public who uses UTA and the managers who have to juggle everything on the system to make it work for all.<br /><br />By 730pm, that phase should be completed and the public should then be invited to ask more questions, and managers should be prepared to give responses to the public. If a manager feels slighted and discovers the plan they had envisioned for the next change day was wrong, he should not feel guilty for saying 'We were wrong, we'll see what we can do to fix the planned change so it works for you'. Everyone makes mistakes, and we should all learn from them, and they can even offer possible alternatives be it on the fly if necessary, which will help perfect the process and ensure that any eventual changes implemented serve the public interest once they are.<br /><br />The public input portion of the hearing should go until 830pm, after which a summation and discussion of the ideas should be presented to the entire audience present. <br /><br />In addition to this, a web comment portal needs to be established, like how the FCC does it, where a person can E-File comments, and read the comments of everyone else, regarding a change day. If mutliple routes are to be affected by changes, the comment website should be structured to allow one to comment on a specific proposal for a specific route. This comment portal URL on the Internet should be opened at the time the fliers are mailed out and placed on buses, and the webpage should be noted on the fliers and mailings, as well as the advertising and news stories. Mailed comments should be scanned, and phone comment transcriptions/summaries should be posted to the site also.<br /><br />3. Internal planning.<br /><br />After the hearings are done, planners should take written comments until end of the third week in the second month following a change day, after which they should issue another flyer indicating what they wish to do. They can then on the fourth week in the second month following a change day submit it to the UTA Board of Directors, who can then approve the plan. That will allow everyone to be in the know throughout the process, and once the board approves the modified plans, will allow drivers to bid on work for the upcoming period beginning at the next change day.<br /><br />By the third week in the third month following the change day, or rather the third week in the month preceeding the next change day, notices should be mailed out to affected areas, news media needs to be contacted, and fliers need to be handed out on buses and TRAX indicating the changes that were made and the effective date. <br /><br />4. Implementation. On the week before a change is to go into effect, fliers must be posted on buses and placed in schedule holders yet again, so that people can see the changes that passed, and how they will affect them. Concise reasons for the change again should be included in the description of the change, and the use of 'in house' jargon should be avoided. Terms such as 'runtime', 'headways', etc., are confusing to those unfamiliar with transit system jargon, and explaining everything in plainer terms will help. This rule of thumb should also be followed in all eariler phases of this process.<br /><br />5. Your comments about this idea.<br /><br />Your comments are now invited on this idea. UTA employees and planners are welcome to comment. UTA personnel, if desired, may post anonymously if you feel like you do not want your name or position known.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-60648645739692269722007-11-24T08:16:00.001-07:002007-11-24T08:30:40.613-07:00'Connection Protection' as defined by UTA now works better.In talking to UTA about another matter, I have found that the connection protection part of their compliance with ISO 9001 does work a great majority of the time.<br /><br />However, there are issues remaining to be resolved, such as those that involve connections to TRAX from buses. I have heard that riders transferring to TRAX from route 62 have consistently missed their trains because the trains do not wait even if both are exactly on time which can be normal much of the day for route 62. <br /><br />Last night, November 23rd 2007, was one of those extreme situations where there was no way they could really 'keep the trains running on time' as the expression goes, and that was very literal. Downtown Salt Lake City was jammed with people who came down to see the Christmas lights as the day after Thanksgiving as that is the day they are first turned on. It's a big tradition. This year was more exceptional as the Tabernacle renovation was finished and they were able to light up more of the area than they had been able to do for the last two or three seasons, so that really drew a crowd this time.<br /><br />As early as 430pm, things had already gotten out of whack, one was late by three minutes at Central Point Station and I immediately knew why, it was almost completely full, all three cars, I don't think I saw a train with four cars but could be wrong. <br /><br />Well that threw other connections off, and doubless buses and trains were missed due to this, I'm almost sure that in some cases they ran so late they seemed early, much like what happens in Las Vegas with their Strip express buses.<br /><br />Maybe they need to run every train with four cars throughout the evening for a large event like this, and throughout the Christmas season run as many cars as is found to be needed based on reports from bus drivers and train engineers about passenger loads. One would think and I believe they do take this into account, but the reality is sometimes things don't always get communicated properly, that is what this post is all about, so what can be done to resolve the issues?<br /><br />Another issue is that Customer Concerns does not seem to have access to arrival/departure data to more immediately resolve customer inquiries as to why they missed a bus at a TRAX station. They maintain two separate sets of books here, and the Customer Concerns agents can only access the record for the buses. That does need to be fixed to maintain a better public perception of UTA's use of ISO 9001 in these matters.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-32253371308467692132007-11-24T08:07:00.000-07:002007-11-24T08:13:20.430-07:00Thanks for the comments!Thanks for the great comments and additional information.<br /><br />In regards to Frontrunner, thanks for the information on how the driver might not be able to see the passenger platform, I think now the question is is there going to be a way for them to possibly be able to know that there might be an issue where they might have to wait a short time for it to be resolved?<br /><br />On 13th West, that seems understandable that there is an issue above and beyond the control of UTA and that it might take some time to resolve. Is that due to the fact that 64th South/62nd South is too narrow in the area between 7th and 13th West where it crosses the Jordan River? It looks that way to me, I think once the cities or the county connect the two together in a way that buses could use that, it will allow the 62 to pick up passengers at Fashion Place West station, and go straght over on 64th and 62nd South, and still interline at the 56th West Wal-Mart.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828422592201875554.post-78632038272737170442007-11-22T11:58:00.000-07:002007-11-22T12:12:28.350-07:00Another driver, UTA maintenance gets ISO 9001 right.Yesterday after the incident at the TRAX station, I would eventually catch the 440pm Route 801 back to Utah County, and after what happened, I have to commend the driver and UTA maintenance, and a passing Utah Highway Patrol trooper, for a job well done, not only that, but the UTA employees followed the customer service standard that ISO 9001 implies.<br /><br />The trip was uneventful after leaving downtown, used the HOV/HOT lane from Downtown on I-15 as usual. The freeway was recently rebuilt in Salt Lake, and a 'stopgap' widening was done south of 106th South until they can begin a huge widening project in 2011. It is possible issues with the stopgap nature of UDOT having to add additional lanes until the big one can begin that may have been one factor in the following incident. Equipment fatigue could be another.<br /><br />Just after 114th South, the bike rack on the front of the bus came loose, and the bus had to pull to the inside of the freeway, and came to a stop cross-lanes from the 123rd South (U-71/US-89) interchange. They discovered that they needed someone to be sure the rack would be OK until they could get it to the yard for the night crew to fix. So they called into the radio room at UTA just off 33rd South and I-15, a good ten or more miles north of their location.<br /><br />Obviously this was after 5pm and traffic was thick. So the truck was going to have to deal with that. The driver and the passenger got the bike into the bus. About that time a passing UHP trooper came by and asked what could be done. The driver explained they had radioed it in. He hopped the center divider and did what he could, which despite his good efforts, was not enough.<br /><br />About five minutes after that, the maintenance truck pulled up. They got it to hold the rest of the trip back. I'm sure that maintenance is looking at it now. They usually do a very good job, and their work using ISO 9001 in their documenting problems that come up is probably what keeps the buses running with few issues.<br /><br />Here's the possible theories on the 'why it happened' part.<br /><br />1. Although the bus was a three-year-old model MC 400 D bus, affectionately called 'stripers' by some, there is the possibility of metal fatigue in the rack or in a fastener, usually a bolt or screw, that could have worn through or simply failed. If so, it might point to a minor workmanship issue possibly at the factory. For the record, UTA's vehicle ID number on this was 04010 but it was referred to as '4010' by dispatch.<br /><br />2. The other issue is the road itself could have contributed to something coming loose. Past 106th South, the road in the HOV lane is uneven, particularly at the end of the segment widened in 1997-2001 on south. Also settling near the 114th South bridge and near the work done for the 123rd South interchange may have made things just uneven enough to jar something loose.<br /><br />Again thanks to the UTA driver, dispatch, maintenance, and the passing UHP trooper for a job well done. The rider still has his bike thanks to the quick thinking of the driver.James W. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16470536101795813009noreply@blogger.com0