Addressing Difficult Customer Situations (2017) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 41-59
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42 chapter five Case examples long BeaCh TransiT LBT is a midsize transit system, as defined by APTA, serving more than 28.6 million boarding customers annually in southeast Los Angeles County and portions of northwest Orange County (Figure 11)
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43 collected. Although LBT has policies and procedures in place and operators quote the proper fare(s)
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44 LBT also continues to develop a robust community outreach program that educates existing and potential customers on how to ride LBT. The program includes meetings with targeted demographic groups, such as students, seniors, and customers with disabilities, and it also includes participation in community events that focus on themes such as "environment" and "healthy living." The agency's current advertising campaign demonstrates different aspects of how to ride LBT effectively.
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45 Code of Conduct and passenger Warrants LBT's draft code of conduct is under executive review. Once approved, LBT will use various means to inform its employees and ridership of the code's contents and the potential consequences for violating it.
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46 enforcement agency. LBT specifies the lines of responsibility in its memorandum of understanding with the LBPD.
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47 pinellas sUnCoasT TransiT aUThoriTy The PSTA is a midsize transit agency on the west coast of Florida that oversees the operation of 210 buses, 100 sedans, and 75 vans supporting fixed-route and paratransit services. PSTA employs 600 people, of whom 370 are bus operators and 100 are maintenance personnel in various positions.
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48 FIGURE 16 Screenshot from FleetNet program. Source: PSTA.
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49 • Smoking, including e-cigarettes; • Attempting to get off or on at unofficial stops; • Standing in front of the "white/yellow" passenger line; • Refusing to fold or stow strollers or carts; • Refusing to wear a seatbelt when in a wheelchair; and • Refusing to give up a seat for a senior or disabled passenger. PSTA officials do not state unequivocally that customers are becoming "quicker to anger" compared with yesteryear.
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50 PSTA also works with human service agencies to provide deeply discounted monthly bus passes ($11 vs.
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51 Training and assistance provided to Vehicle operators handling Difficult passenger situations The agency regularly creates and distributes training pamphlets to raise awareness and remind operators how to deal with difficult customers. Other literature and programs used during new-hire and refresher training include: • Transit Security Institute customer service training and dealing with difficult customers: the Institute's materials are issued through train-the-trainer certification.
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52 • Passengers talking too loudly on their phones or eating on transit vehicles: the operator addresses the customer and tries to discourage the behavior; the operator attempts to enforce the code of conduct and calls dispatch for backup, if necessary. • Unhygienic passengers: the operator handles on a case-by-case basis.
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53 records do not reveal an increase or a decrease in the amount of difficult customer incidents that have occurred over the past 5 years. The number of incidents appears to be consistent from year to year.
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54 relationship with the school's principals and their respective police liaison officers, who take the time to address any incidents of disruptive students. Rider surveys, conducted primarily to improve route planning, also provide opportunities for general input, which includes comments about customer safety, general conduct, and so forth.
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55 permitted and prohibited in terms of behavior. Prohibited activities while on MetroLINK property or vehicles include: 1.
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56 Additional training for operators is provided that is focused on how to defuse tense or troublesome situations and help operators recognize passengers who "might be having a bad day" or might have a disability that contributes to their behavior. Continuing education includes ADA sensitivity and how to deal with unruly people.
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57 meeting is held with the passengers involved, if necessary. A determination is then made regarding the issuance of a warning, suspension, or ban from the transit system.
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58 and increased customer frustration, which may present itself through more altercations with frontline employees. The inability to move customers quickly and efficiently leaves additional time for increased platform customer interaction.
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59 Most operators have been supportive, but some have mentioned issues with glare from the shield that affects their ability to drive in the evening. As at LBT, WMATA is testing a program with which a large video monitor is placed near the bus operator showing passengers that they are being recorded as they board the bus.
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60 For nonemergency situations, employees contact Rail Operations Central Control or Bus Operations Central Control, who advise the employee as to how to proceed (i.e., stop the vehicle pending police response or continue operations until police meet the vehicle)
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