St. Cloud Metro Bus Wins Statewide Safety Award

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Metro Bus has won a statewide award for a safety program that cut its preventable accidents by 45% over the past decade.

The Minnesota Public Transit Association gave Metro Bus its Management Innovation Award on October 19th at the group’s annual conference, which was held in St. Cloud this year. The award honors a transit system that finds a new way to solve a problem for its riders.

Metro Bus Training and Safety Manager Scott Stark presented the program, called the Accident Reduction Package, to the awards banquet crowd.

The program started when Metro Bus leaders decided that discipline and one-off training sessions weren’t enough to stop preventable crashes. Instead of handling each accident on its own, the agency began using its data to spot patterns and find what was causing them.

Metro Bus also changed what happens after a driver is involved in a preventable accident. Drivers are still held accountable, but they now also get help fixing unsafe habits and building their skills.

Other changes include an accident review committee with members from across the agency and yearly driver training that mixes classroom work, behind-the-wheel testing and one-on-one feedback. A digital board also counts the days since the last preventable accident. The agency added monthly safety reports, safety committees, employee recognition and wellness programs, and new technology.

According to Metro Bus, safety is now treated as everyone’s job, from bus drivers and mechanics to supervisors and top leadership. Fewer accidents also mean fewer service disruptions and less damage to buses and other public property.

Metro Bus provides about 800,000 fixed route and Dial-a-Ride trips a year in St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park.

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