Halifax has a brand new transit boss for the primary time in practically a decade and he is studying the system from the blue seats of a metropolis bus.
Robin Gerus grew to become the chief director of Halifax Transit in January, after about 9 years dealing with transit for Guelph, Ont. Gerus began as a streetcar driver in Toronto within the Eighties and labored his means up via that system.
Gerus is at the moment dwelling in downtown Halifax. After a long time of prolonged commutes into Toronto, he mentioned he is had sufficient of driving.
“I did not convey a automobile. I take transit all over the place I’m going. I’m going procuring on transit. I go away work and I soar on a bus and I’m going to a terminal and I discuss to the operators,” Gerus mentioned in a current interview.
“I will be passionate and critical about taking transit. I will be dedicated. I will do the very best job I can, to create the very best transit atmosphere that I can.”
Gerus laid out his background and priorities to Halifax councillors in recent budget meetings. He mentioned he is already began talking with bus drivers, and welcomed calls from transit customers as a result of they know the system finest.
“In the event that they need to vent, they will vent, however I like speaking about their expertise, good or dangerous,” Gerus mentioned.
Different senior transit employees might quickly be following Gerus’s lead: he plans to start out a “day within the life” program the place managers expertise what their staff and prospects see by taking the ferry or an Entry-A-Bus, or visiting a storage for a day.
To this point, Gerus mentioned, he feels Halifax has numerous potential and he was impressed to see ridership numbers have bounced again from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whereas he is nonetheless in studying mode, Gerus mentioned he’ll search for small modifications that might make an enormous distinction, like tweaking route schedules and bettering driver circumstances to maintain staff round and the system correctly staffed.
Gerus takes over at a key time as the town faces main inhabitants development and transit demand, as nicely as increased congestion. The newest information reveals there were 587 overload incidents — when a bus is simply too crowded to permit extra passengers on — from July to September 2024.
General on-time efficiency, which is how typically buses attain a cease inside three minutes of the schedule, was 70 per cent. The goal is 85 per cent.
To those that have given up on the system, Gerus mentioned he understands, however he urged them to come back again and provides trustworthy suggestions about their expertise.
“My promise to the transit riders [is] that I am gonna do my finest to attempt to make enhancements, to realize again their respect to make use of our system. That is why I am right here,” he mentioned.
Though Gerus mentioned he is within the third act of his transit profession and will not be placing in 30 years in Halifax, he additionally “did not come right here for a fast cease.” He mentioned he’ll be sure when the time comes that the service is ready for the subsequent step and has the best folks in place.
Patricio Garcia, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union native for Halifax Transit, mentioned its members have lengthy referred to as for administration to take the bus and are completely happy to see Gerus out and about.
Loads of staff have been “shocked” to be taught Gerus began out as an operator himself, Garcia mentioned, as a result of they’re used to seeing bosses come from administration or employees backgrounds. Gerus has additionally dropped into the operators’ lounge on the Burnside storage earlier than assembly with senior employees there, “which is completely different.”
“I am cautiously optimistic, however definitely my interactions with Robin so far have been very optimistic. Definitely it is a refreshing, completely different means of doing issues,” Garcia mentioned.
The previous transit head, Dave Reage, had been within the function completely since 2016. He just lately grew to become Halifax’s government director of strategic infrastructure and transportation planning. The brand new workplace was began up to have a look at big-picture gadgets, just like the upcoming detailed plan for bus rapid transit.
As an “exterior the field” thinker, Gerus mentioned, he’d like Halifax to finally attempt new fashions alongside bus speedy transit, like micro transit the place smaller automobiles might join rural residents to the bus system, or on-demand bus service. On-demand fashions, just like Entry-A-Bus, enable somebody to guide a trip from one cease on to a second vacation spot like hospitals or clinics.
“We had been very pleasantly stunned by how bold he was to sort of attempt new issues,” mentioned Douglas Wetmore of the transit advocacy group It is Extra Than Buses.
“Up to now, it has often been difficult to get quite a lot of the voices heard.”
Halifax Transit had its new $60.7-million draft operating budget accepted by council final month, which is down about 11.6 per cent from final yr.
New ferry, Entry-A-Bus roles in price range
It has funds for 36 new employees roles, together with 10 new Entry-A-Bus operators, two terminal supervisors, transportable washrooms for operators, and a enterprise analyst. There are additionally 5 aid mates, 4 aid deckhands and three captains for the ferry service, which has struggled with cancellations up to now yr.
Faucet cost with debit and bank cards for buses and ferries is predicted to reach on the finish of 2025 or early 2026.
Later this month, council will determine whether or not to fund one other $2.1 million to increase 10 diesel buses previous their anticipated lifespan. A employees report mentioned these buses are wanted to make the service extra dependable and assist tackle schedule and overload points.
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