As we contend with the effects of the global pandemic, transit agencies are doing everything possible to support the health and safety of passengers and employees. Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), the largest public transit agency in Iowa, is offering free rides to COVID vaccine appointments, and creating a new customer-focused, long-term transit plan with rider input and community consultations.
While changes to the workforce management software were planned before the pandemic to streamline the agency’s system, the pandemic disruption highlighted the value of a contactless, efficient, and more streamlined system. The shift to digital is also providing the added benefit of building employee morale through more reliable data and automated processes that put safety and consistency at the forefront.
DART brought the Workforce Management solution to its Fixed Route operations for dispatch and payroll, moving ahead with digitalization to reduce labor-intensive processes and find efficiencies.
The team saw the value in real-time information that allows employees to respond immediately to situations as they happen, monitor absences, open work to bidding, and assign operators as needed. Payroll procedures went from employees comparing their own notes to paycheck totals for accuracy, to the automated conversion of dispatch data into their payroll information. This created more transparency for the agency and its employees.
Next, DART wanted to integrate Workforce Management tools for paratransit and maintenance staff so that all employees would be using one platform to aggregate all the data. This included bringing in operator sign-in terminals for better employee monitoring and communication.
“I can’t overestimate the benefit of the accurate reporting and payroll hours. It’s invaluable. We weren’t just fixing something to make it new and exciting. We were solving a problem.”
Managing transit operations is a complex logistical and administrative challenge, so when you’re still using a pen and paper to handle certain areas, things can get missed and employees can get frustrated by errors or the pressures of unexpected absences.
Add the uncertainty of the pandemic to the mix and staff experience more pressures.
DART employees were punching in and out with time cards, and operators were lining up at the dispatch window to get route assignments and any additional information from supervisors. A lot of people were in close proximity for work interactions and communal touchpoints. COVID-19 flagged these concerns as social distancing protocols had to be put in place.
“From the payroll side, it was someone’s job to manually type all those time cards into the payroll system,” said Amy Larson, DART’s IT Project Manager.
“Sometimes the time stamps were upside down, or off the card, or they were handwritten, so you had the risk of error in transcribing or not being able to decipher them, and it was always a concern that you would have to track someone down and ask them what time they actually meant to put on the card.”
There was also a lot of time-consuming back-and-forth between departments to gather information and record it correctly. Employee absences and vacations were logged manually, requiring additional processes for verifications and corrections to ensure accuracy.
DART worked with Trapeze developers to document and test the Workforce Management tools for maintenance and paratransit staff that would automate the cumbersome manual processes.
The three-month design phase involved thorough testing of payroll management. Maintenance has about 1,000 pay rules for different employee trades, instructor premiums, and situations where work is grouped together as one assignment, for example, while paratransit has 300. The new software had to capture all these scenarios.
When the project moved into production, DART continued running both the manual system and the new automated system for two pay periods to compare results, Larson said.
“The earlier you can ask a question, the easier it is to fix it. This reassured people. They could see when it compared to their time card or paycheck that this is working. People accepted it very quickly.”
Staff also appreciated the ease and efficiency of the sign-in terminals that improve communications. The system automatically flags and removes no-shows, so that available shifts are posted and filled much faster, and rider service isn’t impacted. Messages from supervisors are now delivered directly onto the sign-in receipt, so employees can promptly take action.
“I think that staff are rolling with it well,” said Skip Herbold, Assistant Transportation Manager and Lead Dispatcher for DART. “Any change is always met with resistance until they find out the system is pretty simple. A slip of paper comes out with their appropriate trips. They also don’t have to wait in a line for five or six operators to get to the window.”
Now DART has fixed route, paratransit, and maintenance using the same platform for consistency and ease of use with smart technology.
The agency has increased payroll accuracy with pay calculation automation and everyone gets paid accurately and on time.
“I can’t overestimate the benefit of the accurate reporting and payroll hours, when someone worked and didn’t, and why they were off. It’s invaluable,” said Herbold. “We weren’t just fixing something to make it new and exciting. We were solving a problem.”
The sign-in terminals have delivered on efficiencies and safety for employees at a time when so many things were in flux because of the pandemic.
The collaborative partnership with Trapeze has allowed DART to leverage the Workforce Management solution across the organization with ongoing support and full integration with PASS for scheduling and dispatching demand response services.
As Herbold said, “It’s a much smarter management tool for your employees.”
Bus
Rail
Paratransit