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Review Finds Metrobus in Decay
A Metrobus continues past a stop on Arlington Boulevard at South Glebe Road in Arlington. A panel reviewing Metrobus has suggested cutting stops.
(By Frank Johnston -- The Washington Post)
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But Metrobus has no real street supervision, particularly at night, Scanlon said. "You've got, like, one guy, running around," he told the board. "It's great to trust the employees, but if you're going to control the quality, particularly on the off hours, you need good street supervisors."
Metro employs 73 street supervisors and has 10 vacancies for the job, said Jack Requa, Metro's chief operating officer for buses.
The supervisors are supposed to monitor 350 routes and are stretched too thin, said Jim Hughes, Metro's acting deputy general manager for operations.
Metro should make a better effort to view bus service from a passenger's perspective, Scanlon said. The agency should start evaluating performance by regularly tracking the number of buses that start routes on time and adhere to schedules and that experience breakdowns that prevent them from completing routes.
Metro has failed to examine bus routes regularly to make sure they meet demand, Scanlon said. Bus managers haven't ridden some routes in three years when they ought to be monitoring them three times a year, he said. "What's happening on the street? You need to check that demand is being met. That's where the action is -- on the street. Not in our offices and not even in the bus garages."
Service is hampered by the bus system's high vacancy rate, which causes excessive overtime and absenteeism, Scanlon said. The department is supposed to employ 2,400 bus operators but has 122 openings. It is budgeted for 800 mechanics but is short by 59, Requa said.
One factor that might be feeding the labor problem is Metro's policy that all bus operators start as part-time employees, Scanlon said. Metro created the requirement several years ago, saying it would reduce costs. But it is hurting Metro's ability to attract good workers, Scanlon said. "There are a lot of good candidates who would not be able to put themselves in a part-time situation because of the economic realities," he said.
The panel also found that bus garages are cramped and poorly lighted and ventilated, making it difficult for mechanics who repair and maintain Metrobuses to work efficiently.
Scanlon had good words for the men and women who drive the buses and those who maintain them. "You're very, very fortunate," he told Metro directors. "People work very, very hard each and every day. . . . But I think you have to give them more tools with which to work."
