Addressing Difficult Customer Situations (2017)

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73 Mountain Line Code of ConduCt For the comfort and safety of all passengers, the following conduct is expected of all passengers using Mountain Line services: • Pay or show your pass promptly upon boarding the bus. • Cooperate with requests from Mountain Line personnel. • Be considerate. • Respect the privacy of others. Refrain from behavior that intrudes on the welfare of others including, but not limited to: • Interfering with the safe operation of any Mountain Line vehicle. • Endangering or threatening the welfare of others. • Roughhousing. • Profanity or offensive language. • Screaming, shouting or playing loud music. • Placing your feet on seats or seat backs, or lying down on the seats. • Threatening, harassing or intimidating others. • Refusing to relinquish posted seating to the elderly or disabled. • Smoking or eating in unauthorized areas. • Littering. • Spitting. • Urinating or defecating except in restroom facilities. • Drinking alcoholic beverages. • Possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage. • Drunk and/or disorderly conduct. • Loitering without intent to utilize Mountain Line services. • Indecent exposure. • Throwing any object at transit property or at any person on transit property. • Discharging a laser-emitting device on a transit vehicle, directing such a device from a transit vehicle toward any other moving vehicle or directing such a device toward any transit operator or passenger. • Bringing onto transit property, odors and substances which unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system, whether such odors or substances are from one’s person, clothes, articles, accompanying animal or any other source. anyone Who faiLs to CoMpLy May Be asked to Leave the Bus and/or faCiLity as WeLL as Be proseCuted to the fuLL extent of the LaW. The code of conduct applies to all activities that occur in or on: Any Mountain Line vehicle. Transfer Centers. Park and Ride lots. Bus stops, shelters or other passenger facilities. You may appeal any of these rules by requesting appeal information at 543-8386. appendix C examples of Codes of Conduct

74 Code of ConduCt & passenger responsiBiLity training Manual poLiCy stateMent The mission of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority is to be the most innovative and responsive public transportation system. The reason the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority exists is to enable people to access the activities of our community through public transportation. We will provide that in a manner that is: Reliable Timely and Safe Accessible Affordable Friendly To achieve our mission statement we at TARTA have a great responsibility to do our jobs to the best of our ability. With that in mind, we also must implement passenger criteria to achieve the environment desired by our passengers. We will accomplish this through using good customer relation skills, including educating the passenger as well as treating them with the utmost respect. The following are passenger guidelines to ensure that your TARTA experience is a good one. seCtion a Code of Conduct regulations 1. Elderly Disabled Seating – The aisle facing bench seats at the front of the buses are reserved for the use of disabled and elderly passengers. Non-qualifying passengers must vacate such seating upon request of any TARTA Operator or employee. 2. Smoking Prohibited – No person shall smoke tobacco or any other substance, or carry any burning or smouldering substance, in any form, aboard a TARTA vehicle or within the boundaries of any TARTA station. 3. Alcohol and Drugs Prohibited – No person shall use or possess alcohol or illegal drugs on/in a TARTA vehicle or Station, except for lawfully possessed and unopened alcoholic beverages. 4. Criminal Activity – No person shall engage in any activity prohibited by Federal, State or Municipal law while on a TARTA vehicle, or within a TARTA Station, or any part of the TARTA system. 5. Threatening or Offensive Language – No person shall intentionally or recklessly disturb, harass, or intimidate another person by means of threatening or offensive language, or obscenities on a TARTA vehicle or in a TARTA station or bus stop. 6. Food and Beverage – For the protection of public safety, no person shall bring aboard a TARTA vehicle any food or beverage in any open containers. No person shall consume food or alcohol on any TARTA vehicle. Passengers may consume non-alcoholic beverages only from containers made of plastic or metals with snap-on or screw-on lids. 7. Littering or Spitting – No person shall discard or deposit, other than into a trash receptacle provided for that purpose, any rubbish, trash, debris, cigarette butts or offensive substance in or upon a TARTA vehicles, stations or bus stops. No person shall spit, expectorate, defecate, or urinate in or upon any TARTA vehicles, stations or bus stops. 8. Safety a. All passengers (except infants who are held) must wear shoes, pants/shorts and shirt, a dress/skirt or comparable clothing on TARTA vehicles and in TARTA stations. In addition, all passengers must cover any exposed skin that may transmit communicable disease. b. No person shall in any manner hang onto, or attach himself or herself onto any exterior part of a TARTA vehicle at any time. In addition, no person shall extend any portion of his or her body through any door or window of a TARTA vehicle. c. No person shall ride a skateboard or bicycle, or roller skate or in-line skate in a TARTA vehicle or in and around TARTA stations.

75 d. No person shall throw or cause to be thrown or projected, any object at or within a TARTA vehicle, TARTA station or TARTA shelter. e. No person shall interfere, in any manner, with the safe operation or movement of any TARTA vehicle. f. No person shall impede or block the free movement of passengers, or otherwise disrupt the functions of TARTA stations, vehicles or shelters. 9. Harassment – No person shall intentionally or recklessly harass or annoy another person by: a. Subjecting such other person to offensive physical contact; b. Publicly insulting such other person by abusive words, racial slurs or gestures in a manner intended and likely to provoke a violent response; or c. Making sexually harassing comments or gestures. 10. Disorderly Conduct – No person shall intentionally or recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm to another by: a. Fighting, or violent, tumultuous or threatening action (physical or verbal), within any TARTA vehicle, station, bus stop or shelter; b. Fake fighting, slap boxing or engaging in any other horse-play that may escalate and/or interfere with the comfort and safety of any other passenger; c. Making unreasonable noise within any TARTA vehicle or station; d. Obstructing the free movement of passengers within any TARTA vehicle or station; e. Creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition within TARTA vehicle or station; 11. Animals – No person shall bring or carry aboard a TARTA vehicle, or take into a TARTA station, any animal not housed in an enclosed carrying container, except for a person who requires a service animal. 12. Packages/Strollers – Any packages or parcels brought aboard a TARTA vehicle must be able to be stored on and/or below one seat (if available), and must be secured so as to prevent displacement should the vehicle have to make a sudden stop or sharp turn. In no event shall any package or parcel be allowed to block access to any aisle or stairway. No person shall bring or carry aboard any TARTA vehicle a carriage or stroller unless such item is folded and unoccupied. Carriages and strollers must remain folded while aboard the TARTA vehicle. 13. Electronic Devices – No person shall play radios, tape players, personal communication devices or any other audio device or musical instruments on a TARTA vehicle or in a TARTA station, unless the sound produced thereby is only audible through earphones to the person carrying the device. 14. Repulsive Odors – No person shall board or remain on a TARTA vehicle or enter or remain in a TARTA station if the person emits/applies excessive fragrances, lotions, perfumes, colognes or odors that disturbs other TARTA passengers or employees on the vehicle or in the station and which causes a nuisance or extreme discomfort to TARTA passengers or employees. 15. Emergency Exit – No person shall activate the “Emergency Exit” or alarm device of a TARTA vehicle or in a TARTA station in the absence of an emergency. 16. TARTA Seats – No person shall place his or her feet on any seat of any TARTA vehicle or TARTA station seating. 17. Flammable Substance – No flammable substance in excess of a quart (e.g., gasoline, starting fluid) or any other materials meeting this description will be permitted on TARTA vehicles or in TARTA stations. 18. Weapons – No person, except a Law Enforcement Officer, shall bring into or carry aboard a TARTA vehicle, or bring into a TARTA station, any knife, gun, bow/arrow, explosive device or material, blackjack, club, and/or any illegal or unlawfully possessed weapon of any kind. 19. Pornography – No person shall read, view, expose or utilize any form of pornographic material from any media source on TARTA buses or in TARTA stations that may be viewed or heard by any passenger or TARTA employee. 20. Solicitation/Panhandling – No person shall solicit or distribute any materials or products on TARTA buses or in TARTA stations unless written authorization is obtained from the General Manager or designee. No person shall panhandle, beg or make request for donation on TARTA buses or in TARTA stations. 21. Non-Payment of Fare; Misuse of Bus Pass a. No person shall occupy, ride in or use, any Transit vehicle unless the person has paid the appli- cable fare or has a valid and lawfully acquired token, transfer or bus pass. b. No person shall use or attempt to use a TARTA bus pass to board or ride in a TARTA vehicle unless the bus pass was lawfully acquired at an authorized TARTA bus pass outlet by or on behalf of the person using the pass. c. No person shall use or attempt to use a TARTA Group pass to board or ride a TARTA vehicle unless: (i) The group pass was lawfully acquired at an authorized outlet by or on behalf of the person; and (ii) The group pass is used according to the terms of the applicable group pass agreement; and (iii) The person is a current member of the group to whom the group pass was issued pursuant to the applicable group pass agreement. d. Any TARTA employee or any Law Enforcement Officer may confiscate a bus pass or group pass used or presented for use in violation of subsections (b) or (c) of this section. e. Misuse of any bus pass, group pass, transfer or token is theft. Any person who violates sub- section (a), (b) or (c) above, in addition to any penalties described herein, may be subject to criminal prosecution for theft of services.

76 seCtion B general incident protocol The following is the general procedures and protocol that TARTA will follow in enforcing the rules described within this policy: a. TARTA representatives or its employees will encourage respect and good action from passengers on all TARTA vehicles and facilities. Passengers who undertake or participate in any conduct set out in Section A will be requested to cease the action, and warned that if the action continues [he/she] will be asked to leave the bus, transit station or other TARTA facility. If the action persists, the operator will inform Dispatch of the eminent ejection and obtain approval. Ejection will be done politely, discretely and quickly. b. If the passenger refuses, a Supervisor and/or law enforcement officer may be contacted immediately to evict the passenger from the vehicle, transit center or other TARTA facility. No passenger shall be removed forcibly from TARTA vehicles or facilities without the assistance of law enforcement, except in self-defense. c. When a passenger is removed, [he/she] will be discharged at a bus stop, or a location where the passenger is unlikely to be injured or endangered, unless the operator or other passengers are in imminent danger, in which case immediate discharge is appropriate. Operators are expected to exercise best judgment in these circumstances. d. TARTA personnel will carefully and completely document on Blue Forms, all refusals, ejections or exclusions of service and provide such written reports to [his/her] immediate supervisor and a copy to the Transportation Superintendent. Operators will be required to obtain Courtesy Cards from other passengers that witnessed the violation. e. If the passenger has a cognitive or physical disability, as defined by the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), every effort will be made to evaluate if the incident was caused by [his/her] disability, and if accommodations can be made to allow the customer continued access to TARTA services. Ongoing service may be provided conditionally if an attendant accompanies the passenger and such will prevent further conduct that violates rules of this policy. f. TARTA reserves the right to immediately refuse all TARTA services to a passenger when necessary to protect the health and safety of other passengers or employees, regardless of the progressive steps of exclusion reflected in this policy, when the actions involve violent, illegal or seriously disruptive action. In such cases an Exclusion Notice may be issued immediately by a law enforcement officer or TARTA Supervisor. g. At no time shall a TARTA employee refuse service or eject an elementary school aged passenger. Please submit a student referral to the Superintendent. h. Only a TARTA Supervisor and/or law enforcement officer are empowered to exclude a passenger from TARTA service. seCtion C procedures for service refusal (operators) Minor Infractions – defined as action which is prohibited by Section A of this policy, but minor in nature, and for which there is every reason to believe that it can or will be corrected. A single day service denial should be the general exclusion. a. Operators needing to remove a passenger for unlawful bus conduct as defined in Section A shall attempt to obtain the offending passengers name and notify Dispatch immediately of the minor infraction. No operator will, without prior approval from a Dispatcher/Supervisor, refuse service to a passenger on that route, past the day of the problem for which the passenger was removed from the bus or facility. A decision to limit service on that day to other parts of the system will be made only by a Supervisor. A report must be submitted by the Supervisor with the justifying decision. b. When service has been denied, operators shall report single incidents on a Blue Report. Dispatcher shall submit a C-10 Report as well as order the Hard Drive pulled. As documented, patterns of minor infractions may be evaluated for further action, including warning of exclusion or outright exclusion from TARTA service. c. Passengers who have three (3) documented incidents of refusal of service and/or ejection for failure to comply with the Code of Conduct Policy will be formally issued a Notice of Exclusion. procedures for service exclusion (supervisors) Serious Infractions – defined as violent, illegal or seriously disruptive action, or pattern of minor infractions leading up to or requiring ongoing exclusion of service. a. Upon the occurrence of a serious infraction, or multiple Minor Infractions, whenever possible, Supervisors shall fill out a Notice of Exclusion (attachment A) and give it to the offending passenger

77 when [he/she] is removed from the TARTA vehicle or facility. The Supervisor will indicate on the notice if the customer is: • Warned of future exclusion, or • Excluded from service and the expiration date of exclusion • The following guidelines shall be used in determining the duration of a particular exclusion for engaging in prohibited conduct under the provisions of this policy. The actual exclusion period imposed may be shorter or longer depending on the circumstances of each case. First Offense: up to 7 days Second Offense up to 30 days Third Offense up to 180 days Each Subsequent Offense up to 365 days b. Depending on the severity of the incident, exclusion will be, at a minimum, for a period of one week and may last up to one year. Severe incidents, such as assaulting an operator or passenger, may warrant an exclusion of service for an indefinite period of time. The length of the exclusion is solely at the discretion of TARTA Supervisors. c. If law enforcement officers have removed a passenger from the system, TARTA Supervisors will make a reasonable effort to formally notify the passenger of the terms of exclusion. d. If the passenger has been issued a written warning of future exclusion and the action reoccurs, Super- visors will officially notify the customer that TARTA will exclude service for a specified period of time. e. Staff will inform operators and dispatch regarding service exclusion. seCtion d administration use Documentation 1. Forms and Tracking a. The Blue Reports will be used to file incidents for violation of the Code of Conduct & Passenger Responsibility. The existing filing procedures shall be maintained. b. A Supervisor Report if a Notice of Exclusion is served. c. A Problem Passenger Profile file will be maintained for each passenger in violation of this policy. Problem Passenger Profile Files will contain: (i) Copies of all incident reports (ii) Passenger Courtesy Cards (iii) Dispatcher/Supervisor notes (iv) Copies of active Notice of Exclusion; and (v) Original inactive Notice of Exclusion Files are to be maintained confidential and will be classified Current, Post Exclusion 1–2 years and Post Exclusion 2+ years. A quick reference “Passenger Profile” list will be maintained by the administrative assistant and given to Dispatch to quickly facilitate the Supervisor on scene decision to issue a Notice of Exclu- sion with the proper exclusion time period. 2. Exclusion Letters (SUPERVISORS and LAW ENFORCEMENT) Criteria A notice of exclusion shall be issued for: a. Any violation resulting in arrest, citation, or ejection by a law enforcement officer; b. Any violation of articles found in Section A; c. An accumulation of three or more denials of service/ejections under the Three Strikes Policy. Documentation In order to support the issuance of a Notice of Exclusion form, one of the following documents must be on file; a. Copy of Police Report or citation or; b. Incident Report(s) documenting violation and; c. Any supporting documents to include; (i) Dispatcher Confirmation of 3 Strike Policy (noted in Dispatch Log) (ii) Supervisor Report (iii) Witness Cards A Notice of Exclusion shall be issued when any of the above-mentioned criteria has been met.

78 EXCLUSION FORM attachment A DATE of VIOLATION: ___________________ EXCLUSION DATE: _____________________ TO: ___________________________________ (If Student) Bus Pass Confiscation _____ _____ (Passenger Name) Yes No This letter serves as notice of exclusion of service for a period of ________days. Privileges will be reinstated on ______________________ unless this exclusion order is violated. This exclusion of service is for the following reason(s): Violation of Conduct, Section A; Paragraph_______ as adopted by the TARTA Board of Directors. Should you choose to appeal this order, it must be submitted in writing to the attention of the Transpor- tation Superintendent within ten (10) calendar days of receipt of this order. You may request a hearing or may request review without a hearing based on a written statement setting forth the reasons why you believe this exclusion order is invalid or improper. This exclusion order will remain in effect during an appeal process. Refusal to immediately comply with written or verbal exclusion notice shall be grounds for criminal prosecution for Trespass. If a student’s bus pass was confiscated, it shall be returned to the Superintendent’s office at which time it shall be returned to the Toledo Public Schools with a copy of this exclusion order. Supervisor Signature___________________________ Method of Notification: U.S. Mail (return receipt)__________ Personal Delivery________________

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Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation

NO N-PRO FIT O RG . U.S. PO STAG E PA ID CO LUM BIA, M D PER M IT NO . 88 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 5 0 0 F ifth S tre e t, N W W a s h in g to n , D C 2 0 0 0 1 A D D R ESS SER VICE R EQ UESTED Addressing Difficult Custom er Situations TCRP Synthesis 127 TRB ISBN 978-0-309-38994-5 9 7 8 0 3 0 9 3 8 9 9 4 5 9 0 0 0 0