Palm Tran Town Hall Report

September 2022

Striving to be the premier transportation choice in Palm Beach County.

Palm Tran initially began Town Hall meetings in 2016 as a way to get the pulse of where we are as a transit agency, improve our organization and make it the best place to work. Unfortunately, we had to pause these in-person meetings due to COVID-19 until last year when we had the opportunity to bring them back.

Palm Tran hosted multiple Town Hall meetings between September and October 2022. During the Town Hall meetings, I started each meeting with a presentation of the state of Palm Tran as an agency, including ridership numbers and plans for the future. The most important part of this meeting is the segment where we listen to you. These meetings have transformed the way our organization improves as we act on many of your ideas and come up with solutions together. This was also my opportunity to thank all of you for your exceptional work during the pandemic.

As you read through this report, you’ll find that our Town Hall meetings are centered around Palm Tran’s core value of communication. We’ve designed the perfect setting for voices to be heard, ideas exchanged and action to be taken. Speaking to and personally connecting with more than 600 employees is no easy task. However, I believe it’s a worthwhile initiative to transform everyone’s individual slice of genius into a collective work of genius. That’s exactly what we’ve compiled in this report.

Yours in Transit,

Clinton B. Forbes Palm Tran Executive Director

FIXED-ROUTE

1) What can be done about getting employee evaluations from supervisors? Problems are addressed through emails instead of directly to employees.

Palm Tran’s Operations and Organizational Development sections will begin training for supervisors and management to improve supervisor evaluation and training to ensure the proper process for evaluations. Evaluations should occur in person followed up with an e-mail.

2) Bus operators are concerned about the change in the new uniforms. The quality and weight of the material has changed. The uniforms feel cheaper and are too hot, especially the pants.

Palm Tran will have an opportunity to look at quality uniforms with Palm Tran’s upcoming bid after the current contact extension a year from now. Palm Tran will have a selection committee that includes all stakeholders, including bus operators.

3) When operators call in with a problem, the dispatch communicators say, “Stop the bus right there.” If it is not safe, do bus operators need to stop?

Bus operators should use their own judgment on where to stop safely. Bus operators should stop off the road if possible.

4) When passengers are picked up at Glades Health Center (HRS) in Belle Glade going east to West Palm Beach there are no bus stops until Arden. Can bus operators drop the customers off at another location?

In this specific instance of passengers wanting to be dropped off on Southern Blvd. between the Glades Health Center and Arden, operators should advise passengers to formally request State Road 80 would be considered an unsafe drop off area. When a bus operator encounters a customer making a request to be dropped off at a location, other than an authorized Palm Tran bus stop:

A) It is up to the individual bus operator to make an assessment of the location where the individual is asking to be dropped off.

B)If the bus operator feels as though the area is safe for the customer to exit the bus, the operator may drop the individual off.

Items for the bus operator to consider:

A) Lighting or weather conditions

B) The characteristics of the drop off location: Are sidewalks present? Is there a hard smooth surface that someone can walk or navigate a mobility device safely after exiting the bus?

C) In the event they have to cross the street, is the requested drop off location near a traffic signal?

5) Why can’t Palm Tran Connection bus operators drive Palm Tran fixed-route buses to alleviate bus operator shortage?

Palm Tran Connection bus operators work for contractors MV Transit and First Transit. Bus operators for fixed-route buses are required to have a valid CDL and are not familiar with the routes in Palm Tran’s system.

6) Who selects the participation in Operator & Supervisor workshops?

The ATU and SEIU unions select participants for the Operator & Supervisor workshops. Operations managers also can select participants for the workshops.