Mass Transit - 20

STANDING HEAD
engaged. Recently, the department developed a "Be Aware,
Move with Care" back-toschool campaign and created
buttons, posters and banners
with the message.
Along with the monthly safety topics, the Safety and Security team publishes a monthly
Safety and Security Newsletter and creates bulletin board
postings. There is also recurring
training provided for CPR, first
aid and AED.
To reward employees for adhering to its standards, the agency celebrates safety milestones.
For instance, drivers who log
25,000 hours with no preventable
accidents achieve the Million
Mile status. They're rewarded
with a presentation ceremony
at a board of directors meeting.
And they also receive recognition in the newsletters and on
the website.
"Each inductee receives a
special plaque, jacket, hat, belt
buckle, certificate, a silver name
plate, a day off with pay and $500
in recognition of their great feat,"
Brophy explained. "The Two Million Mile drivers also receive a
five-day cruise to Mexico, including paid time off."

Safety and security
improvements to come

Omnitrans continues to build
upon its safety and security
programs and initiatives. The
agency, like others, is working to
develop its Public Transportation
Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) as
required by the Federal Transit
Administration.
Since Safety Management
Systems (SMS) are the foundation of a PTASP, the agency is
providing SMS training to all its
frontline and key staff employees
to help them have a better understanding of the concepts and
procedures, Brophy says.
Additionally, Omnitrans is
testing out new onboard software
systems.

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"[The] onboard collision avoidance software systems [are] designed to help avoid accidents via
early warning devices," Brophy
said. "These systems are specifically designed to keep employees,
pedestrians and other motorists
safe, as coaches drive designated
routes in our service area."

Creating and
maintaining a
safety culture

Agencies wanting to instill a safety culture should first focus on
internal efforts to get everyone
engaged and invested in setting
and achieving higher safety
standards. And they should also
make time to recognize those
achievements.
"A key to our success is delivering consistent and constant
messaging without being monotonous," Brophy said. "Finding
time to celebrate and recognize
positive behavior and agency
achievements in safety and security is essential."
When it's time to implement
new technology or upgrade
equipment, Brophy recommends
looking for grants related to safety and to start by rolling out the
improvements with new vehicle
purchases if it's not possible to
implement them on the entire
fleet at once.
And while it's necessary to focus on the day-to-day operations
of the system, it's important to
prepare for natural disasters and
emergencies.
"Emergency communication
and emergency preparedness are
significant hurdles to a transit
agency and their surrounding
communities during and after
disasters," Brophy said. "Therefore, the Inland Valley Emergency Communication Services
Program, Stop the Bleed and Active Shooter Training can easily
be duplicated by fellow transit
agencies partnering with existing contacts and local non-profit
resources."

Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2019

OMNITRANS HAS installed more than 100 polemounted solar lights at various bus stops to
increase passenger safety.

Sustainable energy providing
sustainable safety
Safety enhancements were also made at various
bus stops using solar lighting.
Omnitrans installed more than 100 pole-mounted
solar lights throughout its 450-square-mile service
area to increase safety for passengers, according to
Director of Strategic Development Jeremiah Bryant.
The stops that received lights were chosen based
on the scores they received from a customer
survey question that asked passengers if they felt
safe while waiting for the bus.
"Additionally, we got input from coach operators
to identify locations where it was difficult to see
waiting passengers in the dark," Bryant added. "We
also have solar-powered lighting in bus shelters."
Omnitrans is also focused on implementing
sustainable energy throughout the system in more
ways as transit agencies in California must reach
100 percent zero emission fleets by 2040.
"We are at approximately 90 percent design on
solar and battery energy storage systems for
agency facilities," Raya said. "The solar arrays would
lower our electrical consumption and would be
placed on roof tops, over the bus yards and over
employee parking lots."
The project, which could help decrease the
agency's peak electrical demand and provide a
bit of a resiliency, is on hold until a county wide
study for zero emission buses and future funding is
completed, according to Raya.

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