Suggestions I sent to Mike Tann in July 2014

I sent this list of suggestions to Mike Tann a year and a half ago.
The list is concerning improving communication issues, and it is worth mentioning that I never received a response from Mr. Tann or from anyone at EMTA. ~deb


July 5, 2014
Michael Tann, Executive Director
Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority
127 E. 14th Street
Erie PA 16503

Dear Mr. Tann:
I am an EMTA rider and public transportation advocate, and am sharing some suggestions for improving communications issues. 
I am aware that some of these issues have been inherited from the previous administration, and have tried to keep that in mind while putting this together. I have also made every effort to provide constructive suggestion(s) for each problem.
Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Deborah Spilko
Enc: “Suggestions for Improving Communications with Riders and Potential Riders”


SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS WITH RIDERS AND POTENTIAL RIDERS

Submitted by Deborah Spilko

EMAIL – Set up and maintain an email list of interested passengers and others. Email is still the best overall way to connect with people. Include things like route changes (major and minor), policy changes and clarifications, holiday (no service) reminders, and so on. Only include what is important, and hold the fluff.

TEXT ALERTS and TWEETS – These could be particularly helpful when there are immediate issues like bus breakdowns, detours, and so on. Should not be used often but will be helpful when necessary, and could cut down on jamming the dispatcher’s line when something does happen. It might be possible to get a program that would allow riders to select which routes they would be notified about.

FACEBOOK – This really should be used more, keeping passengers up to date. As of the date I am writing this, the most recent post on the Ride the e page is from February. I know there was some trouble with access to the Ride the ‘e’ page, but I thought that was solved. Now it seems the page being used is [Employee name] –EMTA. This is not a good model for a company page. My suggestion is scrap them both, start a new one actually called EMTA so people can find it, and take measures with the admins so that there won’t be a problem with access again.

CONSIDER OUTSOURCING SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR NOW – If EMTA personnel are in too much flux at this point, if the know-how doesn’t exist in-house, online work can be outsourced to a more stable and knowledgeable entity.

GOOGLE MAPPING – Google has developed a great tool for mass transit… enter the beginning and end of your trip and the map will show you which bus routes to take. I tried it with Port Authority of Allegheny County routes and it worked very well. This would help to clear the dispatch lines as well.

ALL POLICIES IN WRITING – It would save a lot of ugly experiences between drivers and passengers if policies were all in writing and completely spelled out. It would help if drivers were let in on those policies as well. A couple years ago, I remember seeing for the first time that animals would be allowed on the bus, if in a container. The notification was on a small sheet of paper on the wall next to the dispatcher. I asked a couple drivers if they had ever heard of that, and they said no, and expressed hostility to it (“That’s all we need!”). I called the dispatcher and he said it was okay as long as the animal was small. No specifications about what was meant by small.

BOOKLET OF ROUTES – Consider charging a small amount (maybe 25 cents) for a booklet that contains the complete routes and some basic schedule info (I am suggesting charging for it to avoid the practice of many passengers, picking up schedules every time they board the bus). Advertising could further cover costs. This makes for a more dignified and less frustrating way to deal with looking up transfers and multiple routes. I have a bit of experience with publications and layout and am volunteering my services to put together such a publication for the EMTA, or at least to work up a sample layout.

BOOK ON BOARD – Each bus should have a book of schedules kept on board so that if a passenger doesn’t find the schedule they want in the rack (as is often the case) they may look it up. I have too often seen situations—especially if later at night when there is no dispatcher—when someone needed to know how to get to their new job in the morning or how to transfer to get home that night, and the schedule they need is not there. There are other similar justifications for such a book on each bus.

ENCOURAGE GROUPS WORKING WITH IMMIGRANTS TO HAVE THEM BOARD BUS WITH THEIR DESTINATION PRINTED ON PAPER – It would be less frustrating for everyone if immigrants and foreign visitors would know to just write their destination on a sheet of paper and show it to the driver. A public service ad displayed on the bus could show a passenger in non-western dress with a large sheet of paper and address. Groups working with them could advise this. The EMTA website could have non-English pages that suggest this.

MORE “NEW AMERICAN” FOCUS, OUTREACH AND ACCOMMODATION Erie has a huge new immigrant population, many of whom struggle with English. More could be done to make EMTA more welcoming to ESL passengers. Some suggestions: More use of graphics and symbols on signage and schedules, ESL section on EMTA website offering basic info languages of our newest immigrants, contact information for various ethnic/cultural groups that would allow EMTA to communicated changes or concerns to those groups, etc.

MARK STOPS WHERE THERE MAY BE A CONFUSING ISSUE – There are other places where people assume there is a stop (e.g. 7th & French) and there should be a marker that says that it is not a stop. Trolley stops continue to confuse people, for example; there is no rhyme nor reason, and simply placing markers where there are stops or “Not a stop” where they used to wait would make it easier on everyone (or trolley/bus with line through it).

PLAQUE AT 9TH & PEACH AND 8TH & PEACH THAT EXPLAINS THE NEW SYSTEM – People continue to be confused by the turn off State Street. Drivers and passengers may or may not adequately explain what the situation is, and especially how to transfer to a bus. Out-of-towners not familiar with Erie are given even more to be confused about. The plaque could have a downtown map that shows “You Are Here” and how to get to the bus they are transferring to.

PASSENGER ADVISORY GROUP – It is extremely important to seek out and listen to input from people who use the buses. Yes, some people just want to gripe, but there really are passengers who do have more to say and offer than “Ain’t it awful.” Participants in such a group would be expected to come to it with an attitude of being part of the solution.

TAKE SURVEYS AND INTERVIEW PEOPLE WHO USE THE BUS AND WHO COULD BE CONVINCED TO – The only survey I have ever seen on the bus is taken by a woman who makes checkmarks of where people get on and off. There is more to it.

DISPATCHER – Several drivers have told me that there are some drivers who resent being expected to take turns working dispatch. Is this still a current practice? Although dispatchers generally do a great job, if there is resentment present, this can adversely affect a caller’s experience when phoning there, and a solution needs to be worked out between the union, administration and employees, as it is not fair to passengers. Again, Google mapping could alleviate some of this.

DISPATCH OUTGOING MESSAGE – Presently the same message is used if the caller is put on hold and if there is no dispatcher (holidays and after-hours). The caller is put on hold, and told they will be put through to the next available dispatcher. Except that on holidays and after-hours that could be a very long and pointless wait, and for those who pay for minutes it could be unnecessarily expensive. A little consideration of passengers would go a long way here. (this was checked out on 07/04/2014, and the same outgoing message was still being used).

DISPENSE WITH THE IDEA THAT POSTING INFORMATION BEHIND THE DRIVERS SEAT IS A GOOD WAY TO INFORM PASSENGERS – It’s not. On so many levels, it’s just not. It is something that could have been used in 1950 by Erie Coach Company and it is often the way EMTA passengers in the 21st century are expected to learn about route changes and other information. We have better means to communicate now, so let us use them!

COMMUNICATE THAT IT IS OKAY FOR WORKING PEOPLE TO USE THE BUS. It’s not news that many feel stigmatized by taking the bus, and go to great trouble and expense to avoid it, even though bus travel might be the most practical and economical for an individual. It would be really helpful in de-stigmatizing bus usage if EMTA profiled working people explaining why taking the bus is a good choice for them.