PAGE THREE What They Earn . . . and What They Do to Earn It
Facilitating Commuter Connections
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Your tax dollars are hard at work in all sorts of ways, both mundane and unexpected. In this occasional Page Three feature, public servants talk about what they do to make your life better.
For most people, navigating the obstacles that life throws their way in a typical day is stressful enough. Chris Kingery handles the inconveniences of scores of others, for about $40,000 a year.
As a commuter services technician for Loudoun County's Office of Transportation Services, Kingery is the first customer service stop for the 1,400 to 1,700 daily riders who use Loudoun's public buses to commute throughout the metro region.
For every bus that breaks down or is delayed by weather, for every hat or scarf or even wedding ring that gets left behind after the morning grind, Kingery's is the voice commuters hear when they call in a panic or to complain or simply to get an updated schedule.
On a bad snow day, she can expect 150 to 200 calls.
"People will start calling the minute they get off the bus in the morning, wanting to know if the schedule is going to be changed in the afternoon," said Kingery, 47, a married mother of two from Charles Town, W.Va. She has been in the job for about six years, commuting 26 miles each way.
"Generally, you just speak calmly, and you have to kind of explain the process to them," she said. "For the most part, they don't realize all that goes into making a decision like that. It's not just us. It's us, bus supervisors, it's the state police, the weather. . . . All those things are factors."
But Kingery's day is not all gripes and grumbles. She also helps organize carpools, entering information from those with requests into a database of about 700 commuters and sending them a list of neighbors to pair with.
She said the most gratifying part of her job is helping senior citizens understand and use the transit system.
"This may be their only mode of transportation," she said. "It's very rewarding knowing they can now be mobile and can get around and not have to depend on maybe an expensive taxicab or friends and family."
So, how does Kingery relax after a long day of assisting travelers?
A long drive home. "I can take that 40 minutes to kind of wind down," she said.
-- Jonathan Mummolo, staff writer
