[PRCo] Re: METRORAIL DISASTER

[Schneider Fred]

I believe it  ... you move with glacial swiftness.    :<)

On Jun 25, 2009, at 9:35 AM, Herb Brannon wrote:

> Odd that they actually have an "insurance company". The majority of  
> all
> transit authorities are self insured.
> When the "Red Light and Speed Cameras" were installed in Cleveland  
> five
> years ago there were scores of tickets being sent to GCRTA to be  
> paid. RTA
> soon got tired of that and began a policy of researching who was  
> driving any
> buses photographed and presents the ticket to that driver. No, not
> me..........I have never had a moving violation in my life.
>
> Howling superchargers seem to be a nationwide problem. I live four  
> blocks
> from the Harvard Avenue Garage and see scores of buses each day.  
> During the
> Winter I call them "Whistling Buses" and can also hear them a  
> couple blocks
> away.
>
> GCRTA still maintains and cleans their own shelters. They tried to  
> contract
> that job out several years ago and ended up with dirty, graffiti  
> marked
> shelters. Now, since they went back to doing it themselves all the  
> shelters
> and clean.
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 12:01 AM, Ken and Tracie  
> <ktjosephson at embarqmail.com
>> wrote:
>
>> I've mentioned before that the RTA here (Las Vegas, Clark  County)
>> contracts
>> their operations to a private company known as Via-Trans. Drivers  
>> start at
>> $10.00 per hour. The company used to fire drivers for any accident
>> involvement, but after losing too many drivers, they changed the
>> termination
>> policy to dismissal after a driver's first chargeable accident.  
>> They also
>> fire drivers for more than two hard brake applications during  
>> their career
>> with the company. This is harder to avoid than one might believe  
>> because
>> both the county and the city are constantly tinkering with the  
>> traffic
>> light
>> timing and the traffic lights go to sensor loops during weekends and
>> overnight hours.
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>> The company's insurance provider gives them a better rate for all  
>> their
>> drivers having clean records, regardless of their experience level.
>>
>> It should get interesting to see what happens to driver retention  
>> rates if
>> they ever go to camera tickets for red light runners.
>>
>> I do not know who maintains or services the buses, but during colder
>> weather, the superchargers whistle and howl like sirens and can be  
>> heard
>> from blocks away.
>>
>> Separate companies maintain the shelters, etc.
>>
>> K.
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Herb Brannon" <hrbran at cavtel.net>
>> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 8:06 PM
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: METRORAIL DISASTER
>>
>>
>>> General inspections and light repair work is done at the Central  
>>> Rail
>>> Shops
>>> by GCRTA personnel. However, all heavy repair work and (intensive)
>>> inspections are done at the GCRTA Brookpark Shop by contracted  
>>> personnel.
>>> I
>>> don't have the contractors name in mind right now, but they not  
>>> only work
>>> out of the RTA Brookpark Shop, they also lease the building from  
>>> RTA.
>>> Thus,
>>> the contractor has taken the place of RTA.
>>> In the bus operations the tires are contracted to Goodyear Tire &  
>>> Rubber.
>>> Their personnel work in the bus garages and the Central Bus Repair
>>> Facility
>>> but they are paid by and supervised by Goodyear. Batteries are  
>>> another
>>> thing, that aspect of maintenance is farmed out to Interstate  
>>> Batteries.
>>> Again they work in the RTA shops but not for RTA. Also,  
>>> destination signs
>>> (bus), transmissions (bus), and even the Marketing Department are  
>>> all
>>> contracted out. Oddly enough RTA still has its own Print Shop and  
>>> Sign
>>> Shop.
>>> In fact the sign shop, apparently having a "slow" week, made up  
>>> several
>>> Cleveland Railway and Cleveland Transit System bus and car stop sign
>>> replicas. I'm trying get one. Yes, today much is contracted out.
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 10:10 PM, Schneider Fred
>>> <fwschneider at comcast.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> But I suspect prior to about 1965, Cleveland Transit probably paid
>>>> all expenses out of the farebox including all maintenance.   Today
>>>> they probably have shifted a lot of maintenance to capital by  
>>>> bidding
>>>> out a lot of overhaul work to private corporations.   Am I correct,
>>>> Herb?   If I'm not, they're different than most companies.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Herb Brannon
>>> On America's North Coast
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Herb Brannon
> On America's North Coast
>
>
>