KTR 20.2 April 2007...KTR April 2007 3Features Go to next page shorter term items (tomorrow through...

The board room is anenvironment whereincredible things can

be accomplished—and onein which repetition andboredom can sap productivi-ty. By looking at the biggest causesfor board “dysfunction,” we can findwhat creates a good board atmos-phere. And if there is one factor thatsparks board productivity, it is aboard atmosphere with a clear focuson the long term. So how can you

tell if your board environment is alightning storm, or just a dull rain?

Creating a functioning boardThe most obvious cause of dysfunc-tion is sheer boredom—when most

April 2007

The Newsletter for Kansas Rural and Specialized Transportation Providers � The University of Kansas Transportation Center

..............................................................Inside:

Board room, continuedPage 2

Planning fortransporta-tion coord-ination,continuedPage 3

Vehicle sharingPage 5

Focus groupsPage 7

Drug testingrules changePage 8

Aware of yoursurround-ings?Page 9

Google transit1

CalendarPage 14

ResourcesPage 15

Go to page 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Jacob Bustad. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Go to page 2

The board room: How to createa productive atmosphere

Coordinated plans—Some assemblyrequired. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Christy Lane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you have bought a bookshelf,or even worse an entertainmentcenter, from a department store,

you have read the dreaded words . . .some assembly required. The best fur-niture manufacturers have learnedthe benefits of providing clearinstructions for their customers.Detailed, yet easy-to-follow assemblyinstructions result in higher cus-tomer satisfaction. Such instructionstypically include the following: A list

..............................................................

Kansas Trans Reporter

Board’s relationship with staffWhen the board is clear about theirrole in looking ahead, they will notbe slowed down by what is behind,in other words, about staff decisionsthat have already been made. Whilethe board does have an important

oversight role, if the boardbecomes focused on supervi-sion, it can undermine themeeting’s as well as theagency’s effectiveness. Boardmembers should understandthat their primary job is lead-ership, and not management;

confusion of these roles can lead tothe dreaded “micromanagement.”

Ness also recommends havingany staff concerns or requests gothrough the executive director (ED).“I wouldn’t encourage board membersto go to staff other than the ED. Thishas a tendency to get board involvedin staff functions and daily opera-tions, which is not their role,” Nesssaid. “The ED should be the liaisonbetween the staff and board.”

However, Nesssuggested having keystaff members attendboard meetings andlead agenda items with-in their areas of exper-tise. This can helpthose staff membersappreciate the issues theboard grapples with. This also allowsthe board to appreciate and recognizethe good work of the staff.

The manager’s roleAside from what the board should do at meetings, it’s also crucial formanagers to appreciate their own role in the board room. ThomasMcLaughlin of The NonProfit Timessays that managers might feel liketheir daily job is akin to the game“Whack-a-Mole,” where they spendevery day watching different prob-lems pop up and trying to knock

Features

of the board meeting time is spentwith staff talking (and talking) aboutdecisions that have already beenmade. In such situations board mem-

bers become passive, and the meetingbecomes largely a waste of time. Thisis the opposite of a productive long-term approach—an approach that isessential to an effective board.

Long-term viewBoards sometime resist focusing onthe long term because agenda itemsare less tangible and immediate.However, considering the “horizon”of the future can help the boardidentify challenges before they arrive.Trends can be identified overmonths and years, and former reac-tions to surprise problems give wayto strategic problem-solving.

“Long range planning is one ofthe very most important functions ofthe board and EVERY membershould be expected to participate inthe development of it,” said MargiNess of Ness and Associates. “A halfor one day annual retreat is notunreasonable. The time and responsi-bilities of being a board membershould be explained before they jointhe board, and long range planning isa major one.”

Linda Yeager, Executive Directorat OATS, Inc. (in Columbia, MO)advises “When developing a long-range plan, assure board members arevery familiar with what is beingdeveloped and have an opportunity tocomment, question and, finally, act.”

Board room,continued from page 1

2 KTR � April 2007

them back down—and some man-agers “feel like they’re already los-ing...by 9:45 a.m. every day.” But, hesays, that is what managers are paidto do. By handling problems, theyhelp keep the agency productive. Butwhere does that place managers in the larger strategy?

McLaughlin says that the boardroom should be an “oasis” for man-agers—a place where time is slower,where ideas can be expressed anddeadlines are not a worry. This canallow day-to-day problems to be seenas temporary distractions, with longterm considerations always the focus:“performance is measured in months,not years.”

Meeting prepTo get off to a good start at meetings,give your board adequate preparation.Yeager offers this advice: “Get materi-als to the board, including a proposedagenda, at least one full week prior tothe actual meeting so they each havefull information and an opportunity

to review all materials, ask relevantquestions, etc.”

A board agenda that focuses onimmediate decisions undermines ulti-mate productivity. Because a board isa group, any decision is a group task,and this means decisions will natural-ly take time. There are exceptions foremergencies, but too much focus onitems that have firm deadlines willaffect the stability of a long termapproach to board work. Limit thenumber of agenda items that requirequick decisions from the board.Managers should generally handle

“Get materials to the board,including a proposed agenda, atleast one full week prior to theactual meeting...”—Linda Yeager

“Camaraderie builds as [the boardworks] on the issues. An orientation

for board members, with all boardmembers present, can help build this

from the start.—Margi Ness

KTR � April 2007 3

Features

Go to next page

shorter term items (tomorrowthrough six months) and leadersshould handle items with muchlonger time frames, in years. Again,

any board focusing on the short termautomatically gives up the long term.

Board developmentThere are several strategies to keepinterest and energy levels high on theboard. Yeager suggests team buildingactivities to provide board membersthe opportunity to work cohesively asa group and to encourage them tospeak up with their thoughts. Sherecommends holding recreationalgatherings of the board members tobuild cohesiveness. Ness, however, hasfound that recreational gatherings inand of themselves may not be thebest way to accomplish this.

“In my experience, busy boardmembers would rather spend timedoing meaningful things together forthe good of the organization—whilehaving fun in the process—than feel-ing obliged to participate in recre-ational gatherings,” Ness said.“Camaraderie builds as they areworking on the issues. An orientationfor new board members—with allboard members present—can helpbuild this from the start.”

Ness also suggests having a one-on-one mentoring program betweenseasoned board members and newmembers. Also, having board mem-bers serve on small committees andwork on fund-raising together canhelp them get to know one another.

Finally, assure that all boardmembers understand their role inyour agency: long-term rather thanshort-term decision-making.

of the names of the components inthe box, the tools needed, an approx-imate timeframe for assembly, step-by-step instructions, and probablymost helpful, a picture of what thefurniture it is supposed to look likewhen assembled. Lesson learned:The better the assembly instructions,the less stress on the customer. So itgoes with transit coordination.

In January, we reported that theKU Transportation Center (KUTC)created a Web tool kit with detailedinstructions to help alleviate stress oncoordinated transit districts (CTDs)as they assemble their coordinatedplans. Also, as part of the United WeRide initiative, the KUTC assistedtwo coordinated transit districts(CTDs) with demonstrations of cre-

As for finding new board mem-bers when you need them, Yaegersuggests recruiting people with a sin-cere interest in your service, including

actual users, to represent differ-ent points of view.

The future of any organiza-tion can look much clearerwhen thinking is geared specifi-cally towards just that. Everydayproblems will be easier for the

manager to manage because they will be better anticipated. If boardmembers and managers both under-stand their roles in the process,and they come to each meeting pre-pared to fulfill those roles, a boardmeeting can be an “oasis” and stormof productivity at the same time.

Source:McLaughlin, Thomas A.

“Whack-a-Manager: the board roomshould be an oasis of calm.” TheNonProfit Times. Dec. 1, 2006. �

ating coordinated plans, using thesetools. This article provides a fewlessons learned in the process.

Coordinated Transit District 3was selected as the first pilot, repre-senting a rural district. CoordinatedTransit District 12, in the Wichitaarea, was the second pilot, represent-ing an urban district. Piloting withthese CTDs allowed the KUTC toidentify whether the summit processshould be different in an urban versusrural area. We learned that the processworked well for both CTDs overall;however, a rural CTD, because it gen-erally has fewer staff resources, will bemore stretched in handling the vari-ous details of the meeting planning.

In her book Successful PublicMeetings, Elaine Cogan states thatplanning for a meeting is essential tothe success of a meeting, and thiswas true of these demonstrations.Preparing for the summits was themost labor intensive part of theplanning process, but it paid off.

Each CTD created a list of stake-holders invited, with contact informa-tion. The list was important for tworeasons: it allowed the CTD membersto track who accepted the invitationto the summit, and the list also docu-mented a “good faith effort” for reach-ing out to a variety of stakeholders inthe district.

An individual from each CTDhad to find a meeting room thatwould accommodate 70 to 100 peo-ple, set-up with tables and chairs toaccommodate small group discus-sion. The CTD members also had toarrange for lunch and beverages tobe catered into the summit. Thesedetails sound mundane, but if some-one had not taken the time to com-plete them, the participants wouldnot have been comfortable andwould not have participated at thelevel they did during the summits.

Another relatively time-consum-

Planning for coordination,continued from page 1

“The executive director shouldbe the liaison between the staffand the board.—Margi Ness

Features


Go to page 6


ing task faced by each CTD was col-lecting data and preparing packetsprior to the meeting. The data con-sisted of inventories of transportationand human service providers in theirarea, plus results of an online surveycreated by the KUTC. This datahelped the summit participants assesstheir area’s level coordination andidentify areas needing improvements.

All this careful preparation ledto productive discussion about coor-dination—which is, of course, themain purpose for having a summit.In small groups, summit attendeeswhere asked “What could we do bet-ter?,” and their answers were cap-tured on a flip-chart. This brain-storming activity lead to the creation

of goals and objectives to be includ-ed in the action plans for the CTDs.

Lessons learnedThe lessons learned during the pilotprocess were:—The CTDs found the forms andtimeline provided in the Web toolkithelpful in guiding the process ofhosting a summit. A few tweakswere made to the Web resources fol-

lowing the summit, including creat-ing a tailored package of summit-related materials for each CTD inKansas. To find your own package,go to www.ksunitedweride.org, andclick on “CTD TransportationSummit Materials” in the right-handcolumn. Then click on your CTD.

Another lesson learned was justhow important it was to provide a

When preparing a public meeting, the little things count!“If you treat the meeting as an add-on to an already overburdenedschedule, gather up slides at the last minute, slide them into a slide tray,ask any staff person who happens to be free to make a presentation, takewhatever location is available without checking it out, get to the roomwith no idea whether you will face an audience of 20 or 200... in otherwords, if you have a cavalier attitude toward the public meeting, youcourt disaster.” —Elaine Cogan, Successful Public Meetings

Suggested timeline to prepare for your coordination summit

Days before Tasksummit (minimum)

35 days out . . . . . . . . Select date and location of summit (facility and city).30 days out . . . . . . . . Identify stakeholders in each county in the CTD. Send out summit invitation letters

and inventories, and maintain a log of who is invited for later attachment to the completed plan. Determine who will: 1) receive and compile the RSVPs and produce a summit roster, 2) Set up a spreadsheet for entry of inventory data from transit providers and human service agencies.

30 days out . . . . . . . . Assign a facilitator for the summit.30 days . . . . . . . . . . . Contact the KUTC with date of your summit. KUTC will provide link to an online

“Framework for Action” survey for your CTD, demographic information for your counties and population maps for inclusion in summit participant packets.

28 days . . . . . . . . . . . Identify site for summit, make reservations, arrange refreshments and lunch (optional).14 days . . . . . . . . . . . Completed inventories due back from transit providers & human service agencies.7 days . . . . . . . . . . . . Compile transportation and human service provider inventories into two tables.7 days . . . . . . . . . . . . RSVPs due.7 days . . . . . . . . . . . . Online “Framework for Action” survey completed by all stakeholders. KUTC will provide

a summary of results.4 days . . . . . . . . . . . . Prepare packets for hand-out at the meeting. Packets to include agenda, roster,

Powerpoint hand-out (optional), population tables and map, transportation provider inventory summary, human service inventory summary, Framework for Action results summary, action plan worksheet, and glossary of terms.

0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hold the transportation coordination summit.


Go to next page

Management

Vehicle sharing—A new policy for public transportation

As the demand for publictransportation increases, theneed for cooperation among

different transportation services willbe the key to making sure everyonethat needs a ride has one. This idea isbehind a recent policy adopted by theCoordinating Council on Access andMobility (CCAM). The policy isaimed at the coordination of trans-portation resources to maximizeaccessibility and availability of ser-vices. CCAM’s policy was a responseto Federal Executive Order 13330,which directed federal agencies tomake efforts at reducing duplication,increasing efficient delivery, andexpanding transportation access forpopulations that do not have readilyaccess to private transportation, suchas seniors, persons with disabilities,children, and low-income persons.

Current problem:Transportation “silos”The largest problem being faced inthese efforts is that federal granteesat the state and local levels oftenrestrict their transportation servicesto clients of that particular federalprogram—the result of funding silos,

where the source of funding is tar-geted to one type of service. Thismeans that services become frag-mented, leading to both unused orunderutilized vehicles and unavail-able transportation services.

Joni Roeseler, FTA Region 7Team Leader for Planning

and Programs Development,said that the goal of the newpolicy is coordination. “It

was done in support of thewhole concept of coordina-tion, and in particular the effi-

ciency that results from coordi-nation,” Roeseler said. “The UnitedWe Ride program and CCAM lookfor opportunities with their resourcesto make sure they are being used inthe most effective way possible.”

Roeseler said that one way toachieve this coordination is to sharevehicles, but there is a common misconception that vehicles cannotor should not be shared. The pur-pose of this new policy statement isto recognize the obstacles to sharing,and make a commitment to workpast them.

“It has been a problem for a longtime,” Roeseler said, “but now it’sbeing addressed in a new way. At thefederal level we want to see the mostmobility for all the resources we haveout there.”

Putting the policy to workThe first step towards coordination iscommunication; the local providersneed to develop a comprehensiveunderstanding of one another’s cur-rent strategies in order to improveupon them. According to the CCAMstatement, the aim is a “seamless” useof transportation resources.

“Local agencies have a responsi-bility to learn about other providers

in their area, to get to know themand seek opportunities to collabo-rate,” Roeseler said. “There are lotsof different ways, and the best waymay not be vehicle sharing. But thebetter you know what’s out there, thebetter you can use their resources.

Agency concerns about sharingRoeseler said obstacles to vehiclesharing mainly stem from two con-cerns. The first is that agenciesworry that sharing vehicles willaffect the quality of service they pro-vide to their clients. The other is anissue of funding—because the pathof the money goes from federal tostate and then to a program, there isa worry that somewhere along thatpath there are legal reasons for notsharing vehicles.

“The purpose of coordinating isto eliminate those worries, and workwith different programs to eliminate

the obstacles,” Roeseler said.Providers need to find efficien-

cies within what Roeseler calls their“comfort zones,” or current day-to-day practices, and if those practicesare successful, trust in vehicle shar-ing will increase and further solu-tions can be made at a local level.

Examples of solutionsHere are some ideas for meetingyour community’s transportationneeds, as well as some specific exam-ples of implementing them, as found

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Jacob Bustad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There is a commonmisconception thatvehicles cannot orshould not be shared.


in the CCAM and United We Ridepolicy statement on vehicle sharing:

� Partnering with other programagencies. A program that served seniorcitizens owned and operated shuttlebuses that provided transit services inseveral rural communities. Theagency partnered with other programsto expand service for persons withdisabilities working in communityrehabilitation programs (CRPs), toprovide transportation to key employ-ment locations, and to provideMedicaid non-emergency medicaltransportation. This was done via a

cost-sharing arrangement.� Maximizing use. A for-profit

organization that received FederalHead Start funds purchased speciallyequipped buses to transport childrento and from their Head Start facility.Generally, the buses were only usedduring specific hours of the day.

During the idle periods (includingevenings and weekends), the organi-zation rented the vehicles to anotherprogram that served seniors and per-sons with disabilities to providetransportation for recreationalevents, and personal needs (e.g.,grocery shopping, hair dresser visits,medical appointments). The rentalcontract included payment for extracosts incurred, such as expandedinsurance coverage and additional fuelexpenses. [While this extra service isnot allowable with Head Start funds,the income generated by the use ofthe buses during idle periods may beviewed as incidental to the primaryuse of the buses, as long as such usedoes not interfere with regular HeadStart transportation services.]

� Pooling resources. A communityaction and economic developmentagency, another non-profit organiza-tion, and a community mental healthcenter that received a variety ofblock grants (Community ServiceBlock Grant funds, CommunityDevelopment Block Grant funds,Social Service Block Grant funds,Community Mental Health BlockGrant funds and/or Substance AbusePrevention and Treatment BlockGrant funds) teamed up with thestate agency that administers theTemporary Assistance for Needy

Families (TANF) program and thestate’s labor department. Each fund-ing source provided an allocableamount of seed money that started ashuttle operation service in the localservice areas with high unemploy-ment and no public transportationservices. Each funding source also

paid its fair share ofallowable ongoing costsin accordance with thebenefit received by eachparty. The operationwas based on fixedroutes that connectedindividuals to job and

training sites, outpatient mentalhealth services, substance abusetreatment, and counseling services inthe area. The operation also provideda feeder service to connect clienteleto public transportation that wentinto the downtown area.

� Partnering with non-profit orother community organizations.Several agencies contracted with alocal organization that operated adoor-to-door van service for theirclientele, transporting them to keyplaces in the area. Such placesincluded hospitals and other medicalfacilities, child care centers, seniorcitizen centers, selected employmentsites, and prisons for family visits.

� Engaging the business com-munity. Various programs within the state’s transportation and labordepartments, the TANF agency, andagencies that provided communityhealth care and assistance for theaged worked with employers in thearea and contributed to the expan-sion of the local transportation sys-tem. The private system providedshuttle service to selected employ-ment sites and curb-to-curb servicesto CRPs, senior citizen centers, retailcenters, community health centers orsubstance abuse treatment and coun-seling centers, hospitals and other

Go to page 8

Vehicle sharing,continued from page 5

Each funding source also pays itsfair share of allowable ongoingcosts in accordance with thebenefit received by each party.

comfortable meeting space with theinformation and materials on hand(flipchart, markers, etc.) for a pro-ductive discussion. It is also impor-tant to have a facilitator to encour-gage open dialogue and sharing ofideas and concerns.

Like assembling furniture, it ishelpful to know what is expectedbefore beginning the planningprocess. Having the proper tools,forms, and help along the way canmake the process go smoother.

Please review the Web tool kitat http://www.ksunitedweride.org.For a suggested timeline for creatingyour CTD’s coordinated plan, seepage 4 in this newsletter. For furtherassistance, contact Pat Weaver [email protected] or (785) 864-2595,or the KDOT Program Consultantthat represents your CTD.

Source: Cogan, Elaine. SuccessfulPublic Meetings: A Practical Guide forManagers in Government. Jossey-Bass. 1992. �


Management


Go to page 10

Marketing

Focusing... on your agency

Interested in learning more aboutwhat riders want? It’ssimple as sitting

down and lettingthem tell you—in afocus group. Focusgroups are a staplein the business world.Without them, impor-tant information fordeveloping a company oran organization mightnever be known. Theinsight an agency gainsa from focus group can’tbe read in a book orpassed down from supervisorsbecause it gathers the thoughts andopinions from the people you serve.This article will cover the bases of afocus group—what it is, how to doit, and why you need it.

The focus groupA good focus group generally has 4-6 people, John Lowe in MidwestInjury Control’s January 2007 newslet-ter explains. Fewer participantswouldn’t provide enough discussion;more people might make it hard tohear everyone. Conduct the session in a comfortable atmosphere so par-ticipants are more apt to speak freely.A moderator facilitates discussionwithout expressing an opinion eitherway. This neutral moderator could besomeone from your agency or a pro-fessional with a background in soci-ology, psychology, or marketing.Have a tape recorder or assign anote-taker to record responses toadequately reflect on the session

afterwards. And make sure to havethe questions prepared ahead of time with appropriate research onyour agency and the community,considering topics such as past prob-

lems or anticipateddevelopments.

The mostimportant thingto remember isto ask open-

ended ques-tions. For

example, “Do youlike the currentbus routes?” is

not open-ended. It willelicit a one-word answer

and probably won’t sparkmuch discussion. Instead

ask, “What do you thinkabout the current bus routes?” Theparticipants will feel prompted togive more opinions with this type of question.

Online connectionsIf your focus group participants arescattered over a large geographicarea, making it difficult to gather inperson, one solution is to conductthe focus group via the Internet in a“virtual room.” Without travel andaccommodation expenses, this canthe costs substantially and keeps theparticipants comfortable in their ownliving or work environments.

E-FocusGroups.com, whose slo-gan reads “Insight...at the speed ofnow,” says an online focus group hasthree “virtual rooms”: 1) a respondentwaiting room, 2) a client room, and3) the focus group discussion room.The moderator invites individualrespondents into the discussion roomwhen he or she chooses. The client(s)

can view all rooms and interact pri-vately with the moderator.

A benefit to online focus groups,besides the cost, is the immediatetranscript of the session. An obviousdrawback to the online focus groupis the lack of body language andfacial expressions from participants.

E-FocusGroups.com says theonline focus group works best whenconsidering high-tech systemenhancements. For a transit agency,this could be testing online access tobus routes or an online ticket system.

Concept testingOne method to test a new service orproduct is concept testing. The serviceor product idea is pitched to thefocus group participants, and theirreactions may influence your deci-sion to use the new service or not.

Navigation Inc. explains thatconcept testing should be part of a larger development process, not apass/fail test, and that it is risky.People are often skeptical of newideas, and you would be asking ahandful of people about a hypotheti-cal situation for an entire market.But if you’re curious about what areaction might be, concept testing ina focus group is one way to find out.

After the group meetsAfter your focus group session ends,Managementhelp.org suggests takingsome time to write your notes whilethe session is still fresh in your mind.Record any observations you had,and finish with a summary of the bigideas that surfaced, including themoderator’s recommendations. Sharethe notes and summary with youragency to start improving..What it can do for your agencyA focus group allows your agency toknow itself and its riders better. With

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Kelly Heavey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


Adecline in the rate ofemployees testing positivefor drugs and alcohol in the

past few years has allowed the FTAto evaluate its current testing stan-dards. In 2005, the transit industry’srandom drug testing positive rate(nationally) was 0.792 — the thirdyear in a row that the rate haddropped. It was also the third year ina row that the positive rate had beenbelow one percent. This allowed theFTA to lower the testing rate to 25percent for 2007, from the previousstandard of 50 percent.

This new 25 percent rate shouldbe considered a minimum, and it isthe option of the transit employer to

locations. The service was sustainedthrough a fare-based system, witheach agency benefiting from theexpanded service subsidizing an allo-cable portion of the fares for theirclientele. This service helped partici-pating employers and their familymembers, as well as job seekers, dis-located workers, current employeesand their family members to haveaccess to a range of services andopportunities.

� Facilitating car-pooling. A localworkforce investment board identi-fied clientele with reliable cars livingin various locales and paid them topick up other people in their areagoing to the same employment ortraining site. Riders paid a fare toride. The State’s TANF agency andthe State’s Office for the Aging par-ticipated in the car-pooling activityby defraying a portion of the fare fortheir riders. These other agenciesalso helped to expand the availablecars in different locales by paying fornecessary car repairs and insurancecosts for their share of participants.

� Arranging ride sharing. Anagency that received program fundsto assist elderly individuals purchaseda van to transport their clientele tomedical services and other destina-

tions. Other program agenciesworked out a financial agreementwith this agency to pick up theirclients living in the same neighbor-hoods and take them to and from

FTA random drug testing ratelowered to 25 percent

lower their agency’s testing rate.Each agency should assess their specific situation, and consider theagency’s past positive test rate, aswell as pool size. FTA encouragesemployers with 12 or fewer employ-ees to test at a rate higher than theminimum; this is to ensure that atleast one test is done per quarter.

Transit employers that identifythe minimum drug testing rate of 50percent in their policy statementsneed to edit that if they choose tolower the rate. Employers that do notdefine a specific testing rate but saythey test at the federal minimum ratedo not need to make the change.

For more information, check theFTA Drug and Alcohol RegulationUpdates online, Winter 2007 (Issue33). This information was the sourcefor this article. �

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Jacob Bustad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


destinations along the van’s route.� Earning income: The state’s

department of transportation noticedthat some of the shuttle buses theyowned were underutilized. The DOTused three of those shuttle buses to

launch a fixed-routeservice in areas ofthe state lackingaccess to adequatetransportation toshopping, work,school, training,medical services, andother daily needs.The bus service was

open to the public and fares werecharged. Other state agencies, such asthe department of human servicesentered into a memorandum ofagreement to provide program funds

to the DOT for applicable fare costsfor their respective clientele benefit-ing from the service. The incomegenerated was used to defray operat-ing costs or for other program pur-poses, in accordance with the applica-ble program and administrative rules.

Importance of coordination invehicle sharing“The current federal strategy is to tryto free things up so local entities canbe creative and make the most of theresources in order to accomplish theirgoals,” Roeseler said. “There is a per-ception that a large number of peoplestill need public transit, and I thinkthat is true, but the resources aren’trising significantly, so we need coor-dination to pool resources.”

Go to page 14

“The current federal strategy is totry to free things up so local entitiescan be creative and make the mostof the resources in order to accom-plish their goals,” Roeseler said.

Management


Aware of your surroundings?

“Hmmm....that’s a strangething for someone todo. Well, it’s probably

nothing.” Has this thought evercrossed your mind while riding pub-lic transportation? If so, pat yourselfon the back for being aware of yoursurroundings. However, questionwhether ignoring the unusual behav-ior was the correct response.

Public transportation systems arevulnerable to attack. How can we bet-ter protect them? One way is foremployees and riders to become moreresponsive to their surroundings. Thatmeans identifying, reporting, andresponding to suspicious behavior.

What is suspicious?The easiest way to define suspiciousbehavior is “out of the ordinary.”This assessment relies heavily onpersonal judgment and gut instinct.However, guidelines exist. Accordingto the Federal Transit Administra-tion (FTA), suspicious people can beidentified by where they are, whenthey are there, and what they aredoing. For example, a suspicious per-son may:� Be in a restricted area withoutgood reason� Be in an area at a strange time� Appear lost� Lack proper identification� Sweat excessively, or� Dress inappropriately for theweather.

However, sometimes the personmight not appear suspicious, buttheir activities do—such as:� Briskly walking away after aban-doning a package� Taking photographs of facilities� Watching the routines of employ-ees and customers� Propping-open a door that shouldbe closed� Parking a vehicle (especially arental vehicle) in a strange location� Unlocking a door that should belocked� Taking a uniform (especially oneworn by utility crews or delivery per-sonnel)� Taking an identification card, or� Asking an unusual amount ofquestions about a transportationagency’s operations.

Notice that the FTA focuses onbehavior in attributing suspicion,rather than race or any other person-al characteristic that may not have

any significance in making a personsuspicious.

Finally, 58 percent of attacks onpublic transportation since 1920have been from improvised explosivedevices. Thus, knowing how to spota suspicious package is important.A suspicious package is likely to beplaced in an “out of the way” loca-tion or may have a message attachedto it like, “To Mommy...”

Vehicle tamperingAs a security precaution, busesshould be frequently searched for

foreign objects, both inside and out-side. Exterior searches should payspecial attention to:� Wheel wells� External lifts� Exhaust system components and� The underbody

Interior searches should paycareful attention to:� Areas below seats� Storage compartments� Steps, and� Internal lifts

Be on the lookout for scratcheswhich appear to be made by pryingtools. Keep your bus and work areaclean and organized. This makes it easier to identify out-of-the-ordinary objects.

I see something, now what?You see a suspicious person...nowwhat do you do? First, you decide ifthe suspicious person is approach-able. Avoid approaching individuals

that have been confrontational orthreatening. If you decide the personis approachable, approach in a calmmanner and ask:� Can I help you?� Who are you here to see?� Could I see your ID?

If the individual cannot producean ID or explain what he/she is doingthere, offer to escort the individual offthe premises. Meanwhile, paint aphysical picture of the individual inyour mind, remembering characteris-tics like eye color, hair color, height,

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

by Justin Dorsey. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Safety

According to the Federal Transit Administration,suspicious people can be identified by where theyare, when they are there, and what they are doing.

Go to next page

Safety


etc. After your conversation, inform asupervisor of the situation.

If you decideagainst approachingthe person, attempt tokeep the person insight and contact asupervisor.

If you see a suspi-cious package, do not touch it. If thepackage is harmful, touching it maytrigger its on-switch or destroy evi-dence like fingerprints. Next, the areamust be evacuated. As a transitemployee, passengers will look to youfor evacuation guidance. Therefore,calmly give the passengers evacuationinstructions, reminding them to exitquickly, but calmly. Finally, contactthe local police or sheriff, remember-ing not to use a cell phone or radiowithin 50 feet of the package.

Transit WatchIf your community wants to increaseawareness of transit safety issues, theFTA’s Transit Watch Program canhelp. Transit Watch is designed to

educate transit passengers, employ-ees, and the general public abouttransit safety.

Getting the program under wayis easy. Implementation begins by

downloading the Transit Watch toolkit. The tool kit includes: a brochure,fact sheet, logos, posters, and pressreleases. It can be downloaded from:http://transit-safety. volpe.dot.gov/Security/ TransitWatch/tool kit.asp.

Our safetyIndividuals who wish to harm ourpublic transportation system do not advertise their intentions.Therefore, we must remain awake at the awareness wheel. That meansidentifying, reporting, and respond-ing to suspicious behavior. After all,you may be the only person who seesa suspicious act. �

this information, advertisements andpublicity can be better tailored, aswell as programs or events for out-reach. It also provides a chance tolearn what areas you need to improveto keep the riders you already have.

ResourcesThe internet has plenty of resourcesfor conducting focus groups. Hereare a few sites we found helpful forplanning a focus group.

The Focus Group Center.On this site you will find articles bya man who has run focus groups forover 30 years. He provides advice ona variety of topics including pitfallsto avoid and whether to perform aface-to-face session or a telephone oronline focus group. www.mnav.com/qualitative_research.htm

Management Help. This sitewalks the reader through focus grouppreparation, question development,planning and facilitating the sessionand what to do immediately afterthe session. http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/focusgrp.htm.

Groups Plus. This site lists 10tips for running successful focusgroups. http://www.groupsplus.com/pages/mn091498.htm.

Sources:“Face to Face: The Value of

Focus Groups,” by John Lowe,Midwest Injury Control, Fall 2006.

Market Navigation Inc.http://www.mnav.com/contest.htm

“Basics of Conducting FocusGroups.” http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/focusgrp.htm

Focus Group Center<http://www.mnav.com/qualitative_research.htm>

www.e-FocusGroups.com �

Aware of surroundings,continued from page 9

Focus on your agency,continued from page 7

Sources :Pennsylvania Homeland Security information on spotting and reporting

suspicious behavior. http://www.homelandsecurity.state.pa.us/homelandsecurity/cwp/view.asp?A=519&Q=166134

Transportation Security Administration information on protecting largevehicles. Access to this PDF requires you to be a registered user of the site.http://www.trala.org/government/EmployeeGuidetoRentalTruckSecurity.pdf

Federal Transit Administration information on the Transit WatchProgram. http://transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/security/TransitWatch/Default.asp

How the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevadaimplemented the Transit Watch Program. http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/tw/

DVD discussing how to identify, report, and respond to suspicious behav-ior and objects. System Security Awareness for Transit Employees, National TransitInstitute, 2002.

DVD describing what transit employees can do to protect transit systems.System Security Awareness for Transit Employees: Warning Signs, National TransitInstitute, 2003.

For more information, visithttp://transit-safety. volpe.dot.gov/Security/TransitWatch/tool kit.asp


Go to next page

Technology

“Google Transit” new service in trip planning

Imagine going online and plan-ning a trip from one corner ofKansas to the other, all on public

transportation. For years, people havebeen using Google to find drivingdirections. Now the company wantsto extend that idea to “trip planning.”

This is different from simpledirections, because now several formsof transportation, from walking toAmtrak, can be linked together tomake it easier than ever to getaround. Right now, most of thatinformation is already online, butat several different Web sites. By

combining this information into onesource, trip planning can be taken tothe next level. See for yourself atwww.google.com/transit.

Google transitGoogle Transit was created by sever-al engineers working in Googleoffices in San Francisco, New York,

and Zurich. Tom Sly, a busi-ness development managerat Google, explained thatthe idea is a “20 percent

time project,” referring to thecompany’s practice that 20percent of work is spent onideas separate from regularassignments. A couple ofother projects have comefrom that practice, likeGoogle News,” Sly said.

When several engineersfrom the various cities allbegan to realize that planningtrips could be made much easier, they devoted their 20percent time to the project,and more and more “20 per-centers” became involved. Thisresulted in Google Transit’sTrip Planner, a resource thatwill allow travelers to easilyaccess public transit schedulesto plan trips using local trans-portation options.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .by Jacob Bustad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Below is a detailed list of the requiredand optional data required from transitagencies by Google:

� agency.txt - required. This file con-tains information about the transitagency.� stops.txt - required. Contains informa-tion about individual locations wherevehicles pick up or drop off passengers.� routes.txt - required. Contains infor-mation about a transit organization’sroutes. A route is a sequence of two ormore stops.� trips.txt - required. Contains informa-tion about scheduled service along aparticular route. Trips consist of two ormore stops that are made at regularlyscheduled intervals.� stop_times.txt - required. Lists thetimes that a vehicle arrives at anddeparts from individual stops for eachtrip along a route.

� calendar.txt - required. Defines servicecategories. Each category indicates thedays that service starts and ends as wellas the days that service is available.� calendar_dates.txt - optional. Listsexceptions for the service categoriesdefined in the calendar.txt file.� fare_attributes.txt - optional. Definesfare information for a transit organiza-tion’s routes.� fare_rules.txt - optional. Defines therules for applying fare information for atransit organization’s routes.� shapes.txt - optional. Defines the rulesfor drawing lines on a map to representa transit organization’s routes.� frequencies.txt - optional. Defines theheadway (time between trips) for routeswith variable frequency of service

Source: http://code.google.com/transit/spec/transit_feed_specification.htm

Google Transit feed specification

Current Google trip planner locations:

� Burbank, California� Tampa, Florida� Honolulu, Hawaii� Duluth, Minnesota� Eugene, Oregon� Portland, Oregon� Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania� Seattle, Washington� Orange County, California


It’s all about the dataThe Google Transit design is built ondata that local transportation agen-cies develop and save in a designatedset of data files, structured andnamed according to specificationsprovided by Google (see page 11).Google then assembles the data intoan easy-to-use schedule design.

“We go out and grab the infor-mation after it’s provided, ingest it into our system, review it for accuracy, and then it ‘goes live’ onGoogle.com,” Sly said.

The data includes 11 key com-ponents with details about the transitagencies themselves, as well as routes,stops, schedules and fares. Six ofthese components are required, andfive are optional. All of this informa-tion must be processed into the cor-rect form (ready for “export”) forGoogle to work with it—and some-times this can be quite the project.

“Some agencies do face the ques-tion of having the resources to spendbuilding the export method,” Sly said.“Generally it is a one-time effort thatcan take from a couple of days to aweek. Then, as the agency exportsdata we can collect it on a weekly orquarterly basis to record changes inschedules, routes or the like.”

City transitGoogle’s first Trip Planner releasewas for the Portland, Oregon metroarea. “We actually found thePortland TriMet (transit authority)to be an ideal partner because theyhad great data they could share,”Sly said. “Since then, different agen-

cies have contacted us in differentways. Sometimes we run into anagency at a conference, and some-times agencies get their data readyand there is actually very littlehuman interaction at all.”

Google has expanded the TripPlanner to eight metro areas and onecounty. Orange County, California isthe only county-wide Trip Plannerin use right now, but Sly said thatagencies at all levels are welcome towork with Google.Check out the sidebars in thisarticle to see a com-plete list of the citiesinvolved, as well as an example ofusing the Trip Planner in OrangeCounty, California.

“We really want to make it aseasy as possible for agencies to pro-vide data, and the key point is inworking with all agencies,” Sly said.“We are not selective at all—whenagencies get their data ready, it’s notnecessarily available only to us, but to

anyone. In fact, some agencies caneven develop their own trip planneron their own Web site. It is for theagencies’ benefit, and we want tohelp them.”

The next level: State-wide tripplanningRight now, the Trip Planner can beused to get around any of the partici-pating cities. But what about largerareas? The state of Washington is onthe cutting edge of taking the idea toa state-wide level. Since early 2006,the Washington DOT (WSDOT)has been working with Google tobuild “city-to-city” (intercity) itiner-aries. These connections will mean

that public transit users will be able toplan travel throughout the state, usinga variety of public transportationresources, including Amtrak, Grey-hound, Washington State Ferries, air-ports, and other local agencies.

Robin Phillips, Administrator ofCoordinated Transportation atACCT/WSDOT, explained how theprocess has worked so far.

“We had someone work for fourto six months on developing the

interface with Google, creating aschema to organize the information,testing the data, and contacting bothGoogle and the various providers,”Phillips said. “The project waslengthy simply because no one haddone it before, but now that theschema is in place the biggest task iscomplete. The ability of Google tocollaborate made the process thatmuch easier.”

With the system in place,changes in the different informationcan be made on Google as well.Phillips said that while the intercityproviders only change informationlike routes or fares once a year, otherproviders—like the state’s ferry ser-vice—might change quarterly. Butbecause of Google’s flexibility, thesechanges can be made at any time,and the system will make sure thatthey are reflected online.

According to Phillips, there wereobstacles in their developmentprocess, both for the local providersand those gathering the data. Forthose at WSDOT, the interactionwith local providers was initally cum-bersome but eventually was stream-lined, down to small details like“making sure we ask for contactinformation once a year, instead offive times.” Local providers, mean-

Technology

Google transit,continued from page 11

We want to make it as easy as possiblefor agencies to provide data.

Some agencies can even develop their own trip planneron their own Web site. It’s for the agency’s benefit, andwe want to help them. —Tom Sly, Google


Technology

Go to next page

while, were not alwaysexcited about sharingtheir data. Some wereconcerned about howfunding and other deci-sions might be affected.Phillips said that at somepoint the providers wouldlook at the “cost-benefitof the situation” and real-ize they needed to “let go”of the information simplybecause the benefit wastoo great; taking thistechnological step couldmean that many morecustomers.

“[WSDOT] hadbeen working on compil-ing and making availablestatewide travel informa-tion for seven years, sothis was a great opportu-nity,” Phillips said. “Bystreamlining the way weget data from providers,we can help them updateother information andimprove the ways they dotheir annual reporting.This helps to eliminate allthose little things—datacollecting, fact-checking,etc.—that add up and area pain, and we wanted asystem that is morerespectful of time andenergy agencies have. Wefigure if they are spendingtime and money, weshould make sure theresult is valuable.”

“Right now, we don’thave a firm deadline [forgoing online], but we arehoping for late spring or early sum-mer 2007. The first round will be theintercity providers, and then we willmove to local providers,” Phillips said.

“We usually approach local agen-cies with the stance that “This is a

great opportunity, so how can wework together to get your data?”Phillips said. “They may think thatthey are serving all of their customers,but this system will open up morecustomers on a statewide level.”

Phillips said that with the helpof research at both Washington Stateand the University of Washington,many rural providers are beinggrouped into regions, and as soon as

Orange County—Using Google Transit

So let’s say I’m attending a conference at California State University, Long Beach,in Orange County. After a long day of meetings, I decide that the best possible

place to spend the southern California evening would be at a baseball game. TheAnaheim Angels play at Angel Stadium, which is on the other side of town, but howcould I ever get there without a rental car, or overpaying for a taxi?

Enter Google Transit. Once I go to www.google.com/transit, I enter the OrangeCounty portal. In the space, I type: “cal state long beach to angel stadium.” The sys-tem gives me both directions (on the left side of the screen) and an interactive map(on the right side).

First, the system gives me options of when I want to leave, so it can match me upto the local transit schedule. If I wanted to change the time of my departure, I coulddo that and the system would change the directions if necessary. Here I’m told towalk from the university to Seventh and West Campus, where I’ll wait for the OCTABus #50. The bus ride will last approximately one hour and two minutes, and then I’llwalk the short remainder of the trip to the Stadium.

There are also links to the OCTA, where I can check full schedules, routes, andfares for my trip, as well as a link for reverse directions so I can plan out how I willget back to the campus. Check out the screenshots, and check out Google Transit!

May 7-9, 2007Bus and Paratransit ConferenceAmerican Public TransportationAssociation Nashville, TN (202) 496-4845www.apta.com

May 19-25, 2007CTAA EXPOCommunity TransportationAssociation of AmericaReno, Nevada(202) [email protected]

May 15-17, 2007Passenger Assistance:Certification for TrainersMilwaukee, WisconsinFor more information: MaribethSacho, 414-227-3337. Email:[email protected].

May 21-25, 2007Fundamentals of Bus CollisionInvestigationKansas City, Missouriwww.transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov

June 4-5, 2007Efficiencies in ParatransitScheduling and DispatchingMilwaukee, WisconsinFor more information: MaribethSacho, 414-227-3337. Email:[email protected].

June 4-5, 2007Coordinated Mobility: A UnifiedTransportation ManagementSolutionDenver, Coloradowww.ntionline.org/coursedates

September 10, 2007Securing Community Mobility:Train the TrainersWichita, KansasFMI: Pat Weaver, Kansas RTAP,[email protected] or 785-864-2595

September 10-12, 2007 Annual Meeting of the KansasPublic Transit AssociationWichita, KansasFMI: [email protected] http://www.kstransit.com/

Calendar

Rural Transit Conferences and Workshops

Editor’s Note: To include meetings or workshops in our calendar,send information to:Kansas Trans Reporter, KUTC,1530 W. 15th St., Room 2160,Lawrence, KS 66045.Email: [email protected]

Google transit,continued from page 13


one region has its information ready,it can be incorporated.

Google and KansasWhile Kansas may be different fromWashington State or Orange Countyin terms of public transit, the ideabehind Google’s Trip Planner is justas applicable. Using these resources,

people may someday be able to sitdown and plan a transit trip not onlyacross the state, but across the coun-try. Sly said that the idea has beenbuilding momentum, and more agen-cies are excited about the opportunityto get their information out there.Be sure to check out:www.google.com/transit. �


Also, as providers attempt dif-ferent efforts and strategies towardscoordination, the need for communi-cation to state and federal officialsbecomes crucial—both about obsta-cles that remain persistent problemsas well as advances toward a cohesiveplanning of coordination. Roeselersaid this communication is part ofthe larger strategy because the feed-back will enable those strategies thatwork to be shared, and those thatdon’t to be further analyzed.

To learn more about the policyitself, visit www.unitedweride.gov andvisit the “vehicle sharing” link. �

Sources:www.wsdot.wa.gov/accthttp://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/public-transit-via-google.htmlhttp://www.wsdot.wa.gov/acct/statewide_travel_options.htm

Securing CommunityMobilitySeptember 4, WichitaSeptember 5, Garden CitySeptember 6, Great BendSeptember 7, SalinaSeptember 8, EmporiaFor more information, con-tact Pat Weaver, KansasRTAP, [email protected] or785-864-2595


Resources

Download or hard copy

Resources Order Form

Use this order form to order hard copies for the PDFs listed here. Send the order form to: KUTC Lending Library, 1530 W. 15th Street, Room 2160,Lawrence, KS 66044. Or fax the form to 785/ 864-3199.

Clean, Sober and Safe: An Employee DrugAwareness Training Video and Handbook. Developedby the Center for Urban Transportation Research,University of South Florida. Download fromhttp://www.cutr.usf.edu/byrnessamsite/video.html ororder from Kansas RTAP.❏ Send hard copy

The Power of Brand Delivery. McKinsey Practiceshttp://www.mckinsey.com/practices/retail/knowledge/articles/PowerofBrandDelivery.pdf❏ Send hard copy

Volunteer Driver Liability and Immunity, by MattSundeen and Nicholas Farber. National Conference ofState Legislatures, December 2006. Includes anoverview of transportation programs that use volun-teer drivers, a summary of research questions andproject limitations, and information about relevantfederal and state laws. The report supplements adetailed map of state statutes posted on NCSL’sweb site located at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/SVDLLaws.htm. Download at http://www.ncsl.org/print/transportation/vol_driverliabl06.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/print/transportation/vol_ driverliabl06.pdf❏ Send hard copy

Name Title

Agency Phone

Street address Email address

City State Zip + 4 Date materials needed

Paul Temporal’s Branding Tips. http://www.brandingasia.com/columns/temporal10.htm

Marketing for Dummies. http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-2914.html

Focus Group Center. http://www.mnav.com/qualitative_research.htm

“Tire Maintenance.” Car Talk Advice. www.cars.com

“Suspicious Behavior.” Transit Watch Safety andAwareness Program. http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/tw/

Homeland Security. http://www.homelandsecurity.state.pa.us/homelandsecurity/cwp/view.asp?A=519&Q=166134

FTA Transit Watch. http://transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/security/TransitWatch/Default.asp

Online resources

The Kansas Trans Reporter is an educational publication published quarterly by the Kansas University TransportationCenter. The newsletter is distributed free to rural and specialized transit providers and others with an interest in rural andspecialized service.

The Kansas Trans Reporter is co-sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration under its Rural TransportationAssistance Program (RTAP) and the Kansas Department of Transportation. The purposes of the program are to: 1) educatetransit operators about the latest technologies in rural and specialized transit; 2) encourage their translation into practical application; and 3) to share information among operators.

April 2007, Volume 20, Number 2. Copyright Kansas University Transportation Center. All rights reserved.Reproduction of material appearing in the Kansas Trans Reporter requires written permission.

For a free subscription to the Kansas Trans Reporter or to contact one of our faculty or staff,call toll-free 800/248-0350 (in Kansas) or 785/864-2595 (outside Kansas). Send correspon-dence to Kansas Trans Reporter, Kansas University Transportation Center, 1530 W. 15thStreet, Room 2160, Lawrence, KS 66045. Send e-mail messages to Patricia Weaver [email protected] or Lisa Harris at [email protected]. Visit our Web site at www.kutc.ku.edu

Send us the inside form with your corrected address, or fax your changes to 785/864-3199.

In addition to publishing the Kansas Trans Reporter, the Kansas RTAP program offers a variety of other educational services. Following is a partial list of these services:� Publication dissemination � Program planning assistance� Technical assistance � Video lending library� Telephone consultation � Computer database searches � Training development � Referral services � Web site � E-mail discussion group

Assistance can be obtained by contacting a Kansas Trans Reporter staff person at the numbers or address above.

Project Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat WeaverEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa HarrisContributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Heavey, Jacob Bustad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christy Lane, Justin Dorsey

Co-sponsored by the Kansas DOT and the Federal Transit Administration

University of KansasTransportation CenterKansas Trans Reporter1530 W. 15th Street, Room 2160Lawrence, KS 66045-7609

Return Service Requested

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Lawrence, Kansas

Permit No. 65

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to reach us

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Address incorrect?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Other services

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kansas RTAP staff

..............................................................Kansas Trans Reporter

..............................................................

KTR 20.2 April 2007...KTR April 2007 3Features Go to next page shorter term items (tomorrow through...

Documents

Transcript of KTR 20.2 April 2007...KTR April 2007 3Features Go to next page shorter term items (tomorrow through...