RANTINGS BOOKS 1+2: Jun 11, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I intend to take him up on this!

I have some suggestions and will compile a video presentation that I will send directly to him and post here.

Last month the TriMet board approved the proposed service cuts for September. This approval followed an exhaustive process of getting feedback from riders and employees to refine the proposal that was ultimately put forward.

Some employees provided their feedback in writing, while others spoke in person with managers or service planning staff in report areas. I am certain that we would not have been able to make the strategic decisions that we did without the input of the employees who contributed ideas.

In the end, almost three quarters of the suggestions made by employees made it into the final proposal, a fact that underscores the importance of asking those who provide the service what their thoughts are about the service.

I previously mentioned that we had expected to have a better sense of our ongoing financial situation when payroll tax receipts begin to arrive last month. As you may have read in the Oregonian this morning, additional cuts for the November 29 service change will be necessary. This next round of service cuts will be less severe than those we just implemented for September, as there will not be any additional eliminations of bus lines. Rather, we are looking at making relatively minor adjustments to headways on high-frequency lines during off-peak times.

As with the last round of cuts, we will be looking for employee feedback on the proposal when it is ready. Your input is always valued, and is a critical part of making the right decisions.