From the Desk of the General Manager
2005…it was a very good year
Happy holidays, everyone! By now, you are probably well into activities with family and friends. I wish you all the best as you celebrate the season.
Metro Transit had a terrific 2005 and I am truly proud of what we achieved together this past year. We were on the move in many arenas, and every one of you contributed to our success. Thank you!
Metro employees as a whole performed their ongoing duties in an exemplary and professional manner, leading the community and our customers alike to view us as an outstanding public transportation service. But 2005 also saw some extraordinary achievements by Metro staff that I would like to recognize.
First and foremost, closing the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel without severe impact to customers or the downtown community was an exceptional feat. Even our usual critics were impressed. Your advance preparations and followup, with help from our external partners, made that happen.
Even as the tunnel closure consumed much of our time and energy, we managed to make significant gains on other fronts that position us for continued success. We made great strides in areas that truly define what we are all about—carrying more riders and better serving our customers and the community. Use of regular transit, paratransit, park-and-ride lots, carpools, vanpools, and other rideshare and customer contact services all showed year-over-year gains. We owe some of these gains to the high cost of gasoline and a strong economy, but new or improved existing programs positioned us to encourage and accommodate more riders and customer contacts in the future. Completed capital projects, such as the new 700-stall Redondo Park-and-Ride lot, new solar-lighted bus shelters, and the new Power Distribution Headquarters building will also help us to better serve our customers.
In addition to gratifying gains in customers served and carried, we continued to focus on improved productivity. Access Transportation program changes are leading to higher numbers of passengers carried per vehicle hour, which frees up money to support program growth. Vehicle Maintenance’s fleet-servicing efforts increased miles between trouble calls dramatically, and workplace safety efforts led to a reduction in industrial injuries through September. Sustaining these gains and achieving new ones in 2006 will be important goals as we are called upon to do more, sometimes with less.
Meanwhile, the Regional Fare Coordination System (Smart Card) project reached a major milestone when its 7-agency Joint Board (Washington State Ferries and the Metro, Pierce, Kitsap, Everett, Community, and Sound Transit systems) approved the system’s final design. Given the project’s long and sometimes difficult history, this really was a giant step forward. Now we can focus on implementation. A beta test will start in summer 2006 to give us real-life experience with this new fare medium and its related services and operating features. Smart Card has tremendous potential to benefit our customers and all participating service providers (watch for more information on Smart Card in the next issue of In Transit).
Finally, sometimes it just feels good to be recognized as the best among your peers. In September 2005, we did just that at the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) annual meeting. Not only did our Metro representatives bring home the Grand Champion award from the APTA International Bus Roadeo held at the meeting (see related article), but we also won AdWheel awards in three different communications categories, representing our first win in several years. This coveted award confirms that our marketing team is among the best in our industry. Congratulations to all involved in producing the following communication products:
- The Elliot Bay Water Taxi schedule (category: Schedule/Timetable)
- Free Ride (category: Passes and Tickets)
- Get Around U-District & North Capitol Hill (category: Map)
The important message here is that Metro’s excellence is showing through in more and more areas. Your achievements reflect on us all. I’m proud to be associated with Metro and you can be, too.
While space permits me to touch on only a few of our many accomplishments this past year, know that all of your efforts are appreciated by me and by those who benefit the most from your dedication and professionalism—our customers and the general public. Thank you for a great year.
As for 2006…let’s enjoy the ride!
Last update: February 10, 2006
Current issue: November/December 2005
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