Metro Transit’s efforts to improve safety through repeated and enhanced operator training have earned national accolades.
The American Public Transportation Association awarded Metro Transit with a Certificate of Merit at its Bus Safety & Security Awards this week. The awards recognize programs or projects that lead to documented success.
The Certificate of Merit acknowledges a range of training efforts led by the Safety Department, including:
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The use of on-board video footage to provoke conversation about avoidable safety incidents among new operators and operators going from part- to full-time.
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Safety conferences with operators for all responsible and non-responsible collisions.
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Regularly-scheduled Safety Keys courses, coupled with customized training focused on winter driving, pedestrian and bicycle safety and distracted driving.
“The innovation is not that there is training, but rather that the training takes many forms, and is repeated, data driven, measured and season-specific,” Director of Safety Mike Conlon said.
There were 2.88 collisions for every 100,000 bus passenger miles in 2017, a historic low. The rate is especially notable since nearly half of bus operators have been at Metro Transit less than five years.
In 2017, Metro Transit earned a Gold Award in APTA’s Rail Safety & Security Awards for outreach efforts related to light rail safety.
Learn more about other recognition for Metro Transit and its employees.