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WMATA Forum   » Question & Answer with WMATA guests   » Leona Agouridis, Assistant General Manager for Communications (Feb. 18) from noon to 1 p.m.  
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Welcome to our chat
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Leona Agouridi... Good afternoon everyone. I'm really happy to be here today to answer your questions. You have probably read or heard through the media that our new chairman Dana Kauffman has pledged that Metro will provide a higher level of customer service and open up additional avenues of communication with our customers. We have a lot of questions in the queue so let's get started!
Public statistics about delays and outages
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nashpaul Metro will generally publicize information about Metrorail delays and elevator/escalator outages on the WMATA website and on the Metro eAlert system. But as soon as the delay is cleared or the elevator is back in service, any mention of the delay or outage goes away.

Riders want to know the reason for the delay even after it is cleared, as well as the steps that are being taken to prevent it from happening again. This will also provide information about service reliability on different rail lines as well as elebators and escalators.

Can Metro add a section to its website that includes regularly updated statistics on delays and outages as well archived accounts of all significant service delays?

For Metrorail, this should include the line(s) aand station(s) affected, the time and duration of the delay, the nature of the delay, what steps were taken to mitigate the delay (e.g., bus bridges, additional service, etc.), and steps that will be taken to prevent it from occuring or having a significant effect in the future.

Elevator and escalator statistics should account for the location, start and end times for each outage, the reason for the outage, and the steps taken to prevent it from happening again.

In this time of difficulties for Metro, openness and accountability are essential for public confidence and support. Yet there is virtually no public accountability for service on Metro.
Leona Agouridi... Hi Nashpaul. Funny you should ask ... We agree that our Web site could use more information to tell people about delays on the rail system. We are working on a report that we would post on our site every morning that would give people greater information about our delays. I'm hoping that that report will be up next month.
Driver talking on cell phone, driving with one hand??????
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clex2 Hello,

I have been recently using the Metro system for the past 6 weeks for business and I have been very please with the service. It has been fast, on time, and inexpensive.
However, there was an incident this past Sunday, Feb 13, 2005. While taking the 8:20 pm B30 bus (#4392) from BWI to the Greenbelt station, the driver of the bus used her cell phone multiple times (not hands free), leaving only one hand free to steer the bus. This was a little alarming. There is a sign on the front of the bus that states" Please do not talk to me while I'm driving. Driving this bus requires my full attention", or something like that. Obviously, this bus driver was not paying full attention while drving us. I felt a little uneasy, but we got there ok. I don't think this sort of behavior should be allowed. It puts the passengers at risk. All the other bus drivers I encountered were very professional, and actually dressed in "Metro" uniform. This particular bus driver didn't look like she was prt of the "Metro" system. I didn't see a uniform, but then again, she was wearing a leather jacket.
Anyway, maybe this should be addressed.
Leona Agouridi... Under our rules, the employee should have been in full uniform and should not have been on the cell phone. I will personally pass this information on to Jack Requa, the head of bus so he can look into this. Thank you for giving us this important information.
New signs on platforms
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archers44 I like the new signs that show 3 trains at any given time, especially on platforms that have different lines coming into it.

I understand that you can't include all the information you'd like but it would be nice if you could include the number of cars in any given train. My suggestion for making this work would be to shorten the train abbreviation to two letters and use the third space for the train size. So Orange would be OR6 or OR4 and Red would be RD4 or RD6. It would be nice to know where to stand on a platform rather than running because you expect a 6 car train during rush hour only to find that its a 4 car train.

Thanks!
Leona Agouridis Hello archers44! I’m glad you are finding the new passenger information display signs (PIDS) helpful. We’re testing these out now and we’ve already heard from customers that they like the three lines. We plan to ask our customers how they like the new signs over the next few weeks so that we can make improvements. Your suggestion for “OR6” is one that we’re thinking about making. :)
nashpaul
Quote: Hello archers44! I’m glad you are finding the new passenger information display signs (PIDS) helpful. We’re testing these out now and we’ve already heard from customers that they like the three lines....

Another problem with the signs is the placement of the minutes to next train information. At some stations (perhaps especially stations with entrances that are not at platform ends), it's difficult to see the edge of the PIDS since it is obscured by escalators and such.

It used to be that the valuable information was towards the middle of the PIDS, but now the only useful piece of information at many stations is at the very right edge.

At Clarendon station, for instance, it is impossible to see the minutes to next train info from at least half of the New Carrollton platform. The only thing visible is line (always Orange) and destination (always New Carrollton). So the signs are completely useless for hald of the platform.

Leona Agouridi... Interesting obervation. We're testing now and will ask the station manager at Clarendon to check this out.
suggestion for more efficient bus service
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freeflyer747 In practically every city I've lived in, people would board buses through the front door but EXIT through the rear door. As a frequent bus rider in DC, I see many people exit through the front door before new people can board the bus, which really slows things down. Think of how much quicker and more efficient bus service would be if a sign said, "Please exit through the rear door", with exceptions being made of course for seniors, disabled, etc.
Leona Agouridis Hello freeflyer747! Thank you for your suggestion about how to speed up the passenger boarding on our Metrobuses. Changing customer behavior is quite a challenge. On our buses, just like our trains, it’s a good idea to allow customers to get off before allowing new customers to get on board because it helps ensure there is enough room for the customers who are boarding. Your suggestion has merits in terms of keeping a constant flow predominantly in one direction and we will consider your suggestion.
Printed Bus Information
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jasper As an attorney, I travel all over the DC Metro area. Because my vision is somewhat impaired, I can't drive. I rely on the rail and, more importantly, the bus system to get me where I need to go. I have noticed many changes in the printed bus schedules over the last 12 months. They are fantastic (even I can read them) ... and the maps are now real maps! Good Job! It really makes a difference. Having them on-line as PDFs is also a great service.
Leona Agouridis Thank you very much for your kind words. We’re always looking for new and different ways to get information into the hands of our customers. I’m glad you like the new timetables and I will pass your comments along to the people who work in our print shop. They’ll be happy to hear this.
Is the blue line in VA the red-headed step-child of Metro?
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jdwalker Before I got called up last year (I'm in the Army Reserves), I was a contractor working in Crystal City...and I saw this in 2003. Now that I'm working in the Pentagon, I see it even more. I live near Franconia-Springfield, and use Metro to commute every day.

When I get off work at 5 and go get on the Metro, I'll be standing there waiting, and see easily three or four yellow line trains go by before I see a blue. The yellow line trains will be easily six or eight car trains, yet the blues will be four cars.

One time, I was coming home late at night from somewhere, and hopped on the blue line. it was an eight car train at 10pm. Those eight car trains are needed on the BLUE line during rush hour, not at 10pm. What in the world is Metro thinking?

Please, put some eight car trains on the Blue line at rush hour, and make them come more frequently. I'm tired of being a sardine. I almost got arrested one time because we were packed in so close, and this one guy was rubbing up against me, and enjoying it a little too much, and I pushed him away from me.

J.D. Walker
Leona Agouridi... Hi JD. Gee I wish we could have 8-car trains everywhere. We have more cars on order with the goal of having one-third of the fleet be 8-car trains during the rush hour. What you saw was probably the result of an operational problem we were experiencing. Please stick with us until we can get more trains.
Leona Agouridi... I'm really sorry. I just checked with our head of Rail and he said having more trains on the Yellow Line rather than the Blue Line is not part of our regular operating schedule. When there are more Yellow Line trains it's because of some kind of delay on one of the lines.
kmf164 I've seen the opposite... 3-4 blue line trains go by, before my yellow train arrives. I assumed there was some delay with the yellow line.
Leona Agouridi... It is possible, yes. It depends on where the problem occurred on the line.
Train Operator's Announcements
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skcomm I lived in New York City for a number of years and don't every recall hearing a train operator announce the wrong station name (if I could hear it at all is a different issue -- but that's not my question). Here at Metro, however, I seem to hear a train operator announce the wrong station at least once a week. Either he thinks we're going in the opposite direction, or sometimes thinks he's on a different line altogether.

Given how hard it is to tell what station we are pulling into can be (a lot fewer signs than a typical new york station, dimly lit, uniform look, the pylons are unreadable because of the angle, etc.), what can be done to improve the regular announcements?
Leona Agouridi... We're planning on working with our operators through additional training to improve their announcements. I ride the train everyday and think there are some areas where we can improve our announcements, but I have to admit that I rarely hear a train operator announce the wrong stop. When I have heard this I've also heard the train operator make a correction.
Customer Complaint Phoneline
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H5 Rider Good Afternoon:
Often when I used to call the customer assistance phone number to report issues with the 16th Street bus line I was brushed off, rarely asked the specifics (place where incident occurred, time of day, etc.) instead I was simply told "The matter will be looked into." and the person would hang up. Occasionally I would get a gentleman named Bob when I would call and he would always take the time to hear my story and it was obvious he was taking a report to be forwarded to the proper department. My question is, why is the same practice not followed with each representative that answers these calls? It really makes the customer feel good that he/she has been listened to rather than being rushed off the phone before the customer has completed his story.
Leona Agouridis I am sorry that you have been provided with inadequate service from our customer service agents. To prevent these issues going forward we have asked in our FY ’06 budget to be able to hire a person to implement and manage a customer service quality assurance program. This is standard business practice within the customer service industry and we belive that help improve our service across the board. In the meantime, please escalate any inadequate service to the manager, Robin Mclelland. By the way will pass your comments along to Bob. We agree that he is a great customer service rep.
Metrobus
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JoeinSilverSprin... Common frustration - 'where is my bus!?'
Does WMATA know where its buses are in real-time and could this information be available to riders? My vision is that each Metrobus has a GPS in it and this is linked to a computer at WMATA. I'm waiting in lousy whether for a bus that runs every 20 minutes - did I miss it, is it delayed, should I start walking? I dial a WMATA number, the computer prompts me for my busline, then my general location. A computerized voice tells me where the buses are in my vicinity.

If WMATA knows where the buses are, then this system is not really that hard to set up. Other businesses do this fancy-pants computer stuff all the time.

As an alternative, there are the computerized bus stop signs outside the Rosslyn Metro. Of course, these signs do not know what time it is:
("Next #3 bus is scheduled 10:02pm" but that's 6 hours from now!)

I don't know, seeing the problems with the Metrorail platform message boards, maybe this is too much.
Joe in Silver Spring
Leona Agouridi... My frustration too! We recently had a GPS system put on our buses so that Central Control can know where the buses are. Our IT people are working on a project to install scheduling technology to determine whether our buses are running on time, early or late. Once this happens we'll be able to translate the information in a way that's meaningful for our customers and customer service agents -- on the Web, on the phone or on a PDA. We're with you.
using credit cards on Metro
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kmf164 A recent Friday morning, I purchased a weekly fast pass, paying for it with my credit card.

That afternoon, heading home from work, I remembered that my SmartTrip cards had insufficient balance for exiting Metro parking. At the fare machine, I attempted to pay for my added SmartTrip balance with my credit card. The machine rejected my transaction for no apparent reason. I tried another fare machine, and again the transaction was rejected. Fortunately, I had a dollar bill with me. I then put that into the machine to get my balance up enough to get me out of the parking garage that day. In the process, I was ridiculed by a fellow customer in line behind me who saw me put the dollar bill into the SmartTrip machine - he remarked "all the other machines are for cash". Of course, only the two machines at the end handle SmartTrip cards. Once on my way out of the Metro Station, it occurred to me - the reason the fare machine rejected my credit card: I already had used it that morning and Metro only permits one credit card transaction per day, per card.

Question #1: Why does Metro allow only one credit card transaction per day? I don't ever see any such restriction anywhere else. Can you PLEASE eliminate that restriction. I use Metro daily, but imagine that restriction would greatly confuse and frustrate visitors to Washington.

Question #2: I know that if I have insufficient balance on my SmartTrip card, I can still get through the fare gates with the balance going negative. In that situation, I must replenish the balance before I can go through the fare gates again. If I tried to get out of the parking garage with insufficient balance, would it still allow me to get out of the parking garage, only putting my balance into the negative like the fare gates do?

Leona Agouridis We recognize the need to convert all our fare vendor machines to accept credit and debit cards, particularly at high-volume stations. We are currently reviewing proposals from the farecard machine manufacturers and evaluating the priority for implementation in accord with identified funding levels. Our long-term goal is to have all vendors accept all payment methods.
jeremai Not meaning to be rude, but this does not answer either of the two very interesting questions.
Leona Agouridi... You're right. We're sorry. We allow only one credit card transaction per card per day to protect customers if their credit card gets stolen. In response to your second question, you can get out of the parking garage with a "negative balance" now, but that is expected to change in the next few weeks.
influence of customer service
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thm I'm curious what the influence of customer service on Metro operations has been. What is the most significant example of complaints or suggestions received by the customer service department that has caused a change in the way things are done at Metro?
Leona Agouridis 2 CAR TRAINS!!! We had several hundred emails complaining within the first few days of making that change. We took that information up the chain of command and to our Board, and made the change back.
Franconia-Springfield Traffic Pattern
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jdwalker I commute every day from Franconia-Springfield, and when I return home at night, it's almost impossible to leave the Metro garage, because I leave from the 4th floor entrance. People coming all the way around the garage and people using the second floor or first floor exits have the right of way, and no one ever wants to let us through.

Would it be possible, in order to avoid backups from folks trying to leave the garage from the 4th floor exit, to install a traffic light there or have a Metro Transit officer there to direct traffic? It sure would help matters.J.D. Walker
Leona Agouridis I wasn't aware of that. I'll ask our parking department to check this out. If you want to provide your contact information, I'll follow up with you. Post that info here in the forum and we'll make sure it doesn't appear publicly.
Budget to Bolster Customer Service?
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DennisJaffe I understand that the proposed budget allocates money to hire additional staff for responding to customer inquiries by email.

This is needed and I'm glad to see it reflected as a priority.

I'm curious if you could provide estimates on how many email inquiries have been received -- like for December 03 and December 04 or something like that?

How many emails does each staff person on the average respond to on a given day -- again if you have a comparison from one year to another.

By the way, my registration confirmation went to my spam folder. Could you add a message on the website at sign-in advising would-be chatters to look out for the confirmation message in their spam folder, just in case?

Thanks.
Dennis Jaffe
Leona Agouridis Hi Dennis!! I am happy to know that you are chatting with us today and we will put a message on our site for future chats advising people to look in their spam folder for their confirmation message.

As far e-mails per rep handled..I would like to look at the total volume of customer interactions...Calls, E-mail, and other correspondence.

NOV 04 NOV 03
Calls 2300 2000
Emails 3300 2300
Other 330 220
TOTAL 5930 4520
Cases Handled by month per Rep
740/month 560/month

These numbers have been growing steadily over the past couple of years. We do feel it is a priority to be able to respond to each question with the attention it deserves.

Thank you for your support.
Thank you and goodbye
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Leona Agouridi... I've had a great time chatting with you today and hope I was able to address your concerns. We plan to have chats on the first and third Fridays of each month and hope you'll join us again.

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