Fall 2014

We’re listening! If you have any questions or feedback about our newsletter, please contact us at 403-537-7933.

Access Calgary Open HouseAccess Calgary held its annual open house on June 11, 2014. Once again, the Open House was a big hit! We always enjoy meeting our customers face to face and showing you the work that takes place behind the scenes in order to provide service. We would like to thank all of our customers that came down to our Open House. It was a pleasure to meet you. A big thanks also to all Access Calgary Service Providers and staff that were in attendance. If you did not make it this year, no worries. We hope to see you in the summer of 2015!

Access Calgary Open House

Calgary Transit’s Mission

is to provide safe,

accessible and courteous

public transportation service

in response to the needs

of our customers.

Onward/ By 2020, 100 per cent of the transit fleet will be accessible to all Calgarians.

calgarytransit.com

call 403-262-1000

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Driver Recognition AwardsThe Access Calgary Advisory Committee selected the following drivers for the Driver Recognition award. Two drivers are selected randomly from commendations sent in by you. Customers are encouraged to call in when they receive great service. The number to call is Access Calgary Customer Service at 403-537-7777 and press option #4.

Lisa Schneider – CHBA May Diane Ell – Southland JuneAbdie Abdalla – Southland May

Caregivers, Family and Staff at Access Calgary DestinationsRecent feedback from some drivers who have completed refresher training are raising a common theme.Customers, Caregivers, Family and Staff at agencies may be expecting more than what our service model can provide.

Escorting to door:Drivers are instructed to offer an arm if the customer needs support while making their way to and from vehicles. Please note the drivers are required to escort from exterior door to exterior door only. This means that they will meet a customer at the first exterior door of the building and escort to their vehicle. Upon arrival at a destination, drivers will escort from the vehicle to the first exterior door. It is not the drivers responsibility to escort the customer inside the building.

Customer requires to be handed over to staff/family (HH):Another concern is when customers require to be handed over to staff or family (HH). Often there is no staff or family available to meet the customer. The caregivers may be in another area of the building and drivers must take extra time from their schedules to track down the correct support person. This impacts all other customer’s scheduled for trips as the driver has to wait for the caregiver, and then runs late for their next pick up.

For more information please see our website at accesscalgary.com or call our Customer Service number for clarification (403-537-7777, and press option #4). Thank you!

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Access Calgary Advisory Committee membershipWe are pleased to announce the following have been appointed to the Access Calgary Advisory Committee for the term September 2014 – August 2015:

Jim BrownBrad Davis

Mark FloresSteven Hansen

Barry LindemannStewart Midwinter

Dianne RaduJill Wager

D’Arcy Walsh

Thank you for volunteering to work with Access Calgary to continue providing shared ride public transportation services to our customers. You may contact the Committee by email at accesscalgaryinfo@calgary.ca.

Agency Meeting – November 4, 2014The next Access Calgary Agency meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 4 from 2:30 – 4pm at the Calgary Transit Spring Gardens Administration Building (928 – 32 Ave NE). The purpose of the meeting is to share information between Access Calgary and agency/staff representatives on initiatives, programs and changes that affect transportation for people with disabilities.

The meeting is for agency staff that work with people who have disabilities, hospital or care centre staff and anyone who works as a support for Access Calgary customers. These meetings have been very well attended and space is limited. Please keep the number attending from your Agency to no more than 2 representatives.

Please RSVP prior to October 31 by calling 403-537-7770, press #1 if you wish to attend.

Calgary Transit Summer CampThe “Get On Board” Summer Camp saw 23 kids enrol and learn about how to use Calgary Transit. The camp was held July 14 - 24, 2014. The students applied to attend the camp through their schools, programs or individually via their parents or guardians. The sessions took place at City Hall School and the campers used their new skills such as how to plan a trip, how to transfer, how to travel safely, and when to ask the driver for help over 4 days. The campers really liked picking their own final destination and planning their trip to and from City Hall. Transit Teddy also made an appearance which brought a smile to the faces of all! See you next year!

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Access Calgary Scheduling SupervisorAdam Kinney was hired as the new Scheduling Supervisor at the beginning of July, 2014. Prior to joining Access Calgary, Adam was working with Calgary Transit on the fixed-route side. He began his career with Calgary Transit in 2011 as an Operator and worked as a Dispatcher since 2013. Before coming to Calgary Transit, Adam finished his Master’s Degree in Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. Adam also holds a B.A. degree from the University of British Columbia, a double major in History and Religious Studies. In his personal life, Adam is busy spending time with his wife and three young children. Adam is looking forward to being part of the Access Calgary team and continuing to improve on a service that is vital to the residents of Calgary.

Access Calgary Call Centre SupervisorCheryl Tang joined Access Calgary as a Call Center supervisor in April. Prior to that, she worked as a manager in a number of different industries including: ecommerce, retail, telecommunications, and most recently with the airline industry. Cheryl is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a major in English and Psychology.

In her spare time, Cheryl is an avid reader and loves to travel. Running a half marathon is on the top of her bucket list. Cheryl will be running the Call Centre along with Donna Purdy.

Access Calgary Operations Control Centre SupervisorKim Landriault was hired with Access Calgary on June 30th, 2014 as the Operations Control Centre Supervisor. Prior to joining Access Calgary, she held numerous positions with Canadian Pacific Railway while completing her BA at Athabasca University. When Kim is not at work, she keeps very active with her 2 children and Sheppard named Otis! Every weekend during the summer, they like camping while during the winter, they love to ski. Welcome to Access Calgary Kim!

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Winter is comingWe have already had our first blast of winter and we know that more is on the way! We cannot predict traffic patterns due to bad weather and poor road conditions. Please ensure you are booking your trips with enough time to allow for traffic issues so you will not be late. Customers are also asked to ensure sidewalks and steps at their residences are clear of snow, ice and other debris. This improves safety for both customers and Access Calgary drivers. Our weather can change quickly and unexpectedly. Please ensure you and those in your care are dressed appropriately for all trips. If the vehicle you’re in feels either too warm or too cool, speak with the driver and they will try to adjust the temperature so that everyone on board is comfortable.

Calgary Transit Travel TrainingAre you new to Calgary? Do you feel uneasy trying to learn how to use Calgary Transit by yourself? Did you know that Access Calgary is able to help customers learn to use Calgary Transit’s regular bus and CTrain system? Our Travel Training specialist will work with customers (based on abilities) to learn how to plan your trip, how to board a Calgary Transit bus or CTrain – even if it is only to one destination. Having customers use Calgary Transit rather than Access Calgary means more flexibility for the user to venture out and participate in our community. Customers who are able and choose to use Calgary Transit ensure that the limited resources can be used to deliver more trips for customers who are dependent on Access Calgary’s door to door service. All “low floor” buses are equipped with a ramp feature to allow people with mobility aids or strollers to board easily. Give us a try!

For more information on learning how to use Calgary Transit please contact Trelena at 403-537-7862.

Refresher Training for DriversAll Checker Yellow Cabs drivers who deliver Access Calgary service have recently received Refresher Training. A total of 14 classes were scheduled (two days per class) each between July and October of this year. Checker drivers fulfill a substantial amount of Access Calgary trips every day. They are receiving training based on the Access Calgary Driver Training Program that was launched in late 2012. Access Calgary is commited to an ongoing and consistent training program for drivers who are providing service to Calgarians with disabilities. We thank Checker Yellow Cabs management and all the drivers for their commitment to the training program and for delivering excellent customer service!

Daylight savings Don’t forget to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday, November 1st as daylight savings 1 hour “Fall Back” starts on Sunday, November 2nd.

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HOLIDAY HOURS:Access Calgary Booking line, Customer Service and Eligibility will be closed on:

November 11, 2014

December 25, 2014

December 26, 2014

January 1, 2015

If you require a trip the day after a statutory holiday, you must request your trip the day before the holiday or as early as four days in advance of the day of travel.

All Subscription bookings with the exception of Dialysis are cancelled on:

Tuesday November 11 (will not suspend on the Monday)

December 22 – January 4, 2015

February 16, 2015: Family Day

April 3, 2015: Good Friday

April 5, 2015: Easter Sunday

If your subscription booking is still required for any of the dates above you may call in and make a casual booking.

Access Calgary Employee Helps Another!Ben Gabriel, Field Services Supervisor for Access Calgary was recently involved in an accident with a saw and a tree branch that apparently did not want to be cut down. Ben injured his leg and had to be rushed to hospital by STARS air ambulance. The good news is that Ben is ok! He is a highly respected member of our team and will be returning to work soon! Another positive aspect of this story is how another staff member came through to help Ben out. Allison is a passenger agent with Access

Calgary. She is also very good friends with Ben’s daughter Jocelyn. Allison not only kept us all informed with how Ben was doing, she also organized a bake sale for Access Calgary and Calgary Transit staff. All proceeds from this sale went to STARS air ambulance and they raised just over $1000.00! It’s great to see how good things can come from even the toughest situations. Great work Allison. Your willingness to go above and beyond is inspiring to all of us.

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Access Calgary Staff enrolled in Online Customer Service TrainingWe are always looking to

serve you better. Access

Calgary staff are currently

enrolled in an online course

called Phone Doctor. Topics

include essential skills in

listening and questioning,

complaint resolution and time

management. The modules

include videos and interactive

quizzes and is housed online.

This program allows staff

to improve phone skills in

order to serve our customers

more effectively. Our team

is dedicated to increasing

customer satisfaction.

Kerby Expo 2014 Access Calgary staff attended the Kerby Expo 2014 on September 10th and 11th. The facility was full of exhibits and Calgary Transit’s booth was busy with visitors who had questions about our service. As our population ages, ensuring that our seniors know how to use Calgary Transit becomes more and more important. You do not have to wait until next year to ask about what is new at Calgary Transit. You can call any time at 403-262-1000 for Calgary Transit Customer Service or Access Calgary, 403-537-7777 option 4.

Congratulations to all of you!

Our customers’ satisfaction is important to us. Thank you for taking the time to let us know you appreciate the service. If you’d like to submit a commendation for one of our employees, or if you have a concern about our service, contact Customer Service at 403-537-7777 and press option #4.

Access Calgary employee recognitionOur customers have noticed the great work our staff does.

Access Calgary is pleased to take this opportunity to recognize our employees who received customer commendations. They are:

John (2)Bill (3)Joanna (2)Yasmin (2)

Carol (3)Judy (3)ShelinaBruce (5)

BlancaDeb PAmberSheila

KarenKathryMary (2)Margaret

Deb CWendy (2)

Calgary Transit now has a Hearing Aid AmplifierCalgary Transit Customer Service Centres are now using an inductive loop amplifier device to assists individuals who use hearing aids. This device helps to reduce background noise. The device is simply positioned between the people holding the conversation. It picks up the sound via an integrated or an external microphone and transmits signals to the teleloop. These signals are picked up by the applicants hearing aids.

These devices have been found to be very helpful. Customers have indeed reported that they are able to hear the conversation much better. We want to continue to improve our service and communication to our customers.

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Tell your friends and family!This newsletter is available on the Access Calgary website.

Go to: accesscalgary.com and click on Newsletters in the left-hand column.

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of this newsletter, please call 403-537-7770.

Contact numbersAccess Calgary 403-537-7777

From the voice menu, make your choice from the following:

#1 Acrobat (24 hours daily),

– Automated telephone system to confirm or cancel bookings.

#2 Advance bookings (daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.),

– Request a trip or trip change.

#3 Same-day booking inquiries (daily 6 a.m. to midnight),

– Includes stand-by requests, late bus inquiries and same-day cancellations.

#4 Customer service (Mon. to Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),

– Feedback, service concerns, compliments or general information.

accesscalgaryinfo@calgary.ca

#5 Eligibility services (Mon. to Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),

– Apply for or renew registration or change personal information.

#6 Holiday hours. TTY (daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) 403-537-7977

Access Calgary Eligibility Services

(Mon. to Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) 403-537-7770

Access Calgary website accesscalgary.com

Calgary Transit website calgarytransit.com

Did you know?The best time to call to request a trip is after 11 a.m.