Working Together: Operator Focus Group Meets for the 1st Time

"Our operators are the face of Pittsburgh Regional Transit."

Several members of our leadership team, including CEO Katharine Kelleman, repeated that phrase often during the first meeting of the Operator Focus Group.

Nine of our operators met with leadership Tuesday for an all-day session led by Chief Operations Officer for Transportation Michael Heidkamp and Deputy Chief Operations Officer for Transportation Charles Reeves .

Operations leadership wants to hear the operators’ concerns and suggestions during these meetings, which will be held once each quarter.

Director of Customer Experience? Shanika Johnson reviewed the job functions of our operators, and why they have the greatest impact on the satisfaction of our ridership.

Johnson also facilitated a group discussion on customer interactions and strategies for dealing with issues while on the job.

Several members of PRT leadership listened to operator concerns and ideas for improving work conditions and employee satisfaction.

"The entire meeting was a resounding success," Heidkamp said. "We heard many productive suggestions from our dedicated operators, and we look forward to collaborating again in May so we can make sure PRT is the best it can be for our employees and our riders."

Special thanks to our operators for their participation, as well as the following members of leadership: Chief Operations Officer for Maintenance Donald A. Rivetti Jr. , Deputy Chief Operations Officer for Maintenance Rick Eanes , Chief Legal Officer Mike Cetra , Chief Human Resources Officer Inez Colon , Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Devlin , Chief Development Officer David Huffaker , and Chief Communications Officer Jim Ritchie .

#publictransit #focusgroup #prt #collaboration #workingtogether #ideas