Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 3, 2005

Metro announces changes to its policy on take-home vehicles and parking assignments inside metro headquarters

Today, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) Board Planning and Development and Administration Committee met to discuss changes proposed by Metro staff on the use of take-home Metro vehicles and parking assignments inside Metro’s headquarters.

Recently, Metro officials reviewed its take-home vehicle fleet and it was decided to reduce the number of employees with take-home vehicles. Approximately 135 vehicles are brought home each day by Metro personnel and that will decrease the number by 63 percent.

Metro personnel can take a vehicle home if they have a multi-site supervision of Metro locations over a 10-mile radius from Metro’s headquarters; if they have oversight of multiple construction sites; or if they are a member of the Metro Transit Police department with a Command and/or K-9 responsibility.

These changes, effective July 1, will reduce the number of take-home vehicles from 135 to 49.

Inside Metro’s Jackson Graham headquarters building, there are 187 parking spaces, of which 97 are paid spaces. The 90 remaining spaces accommodate Metro vehicles and visitor vehicles. The current market-based fee to park inside Metro’s headquarters is $150 per month.

After a review of these parking procedures, Metro officials recommend retaining 86 of the 97 paid spaces inside the building, and eliminate those 11 spaces through attrition, volunteering, or if necessary, on a last-in-first-out basis. Metro will increase the number of daily visitor parking spaces from 14 to 23; establish a daily visitor parking rate; and reserve additional daily spaces on Board meeting days for paid use as requested.

Changes to the Metro headquarters parking program will take effect on July 1.

The 49 individuals who will maintain their take-home vehicles include:1 General Superintendent for Bus Maintenance, 3 Assistant General Superintendents for Bus Maintenance, 1 General Superintendent for Bus Transportation, 3 Assistant General Superintendents for Bus Transportation, 1 General Superintendent for Rail Car Maintenance, 2 Assistant General Superintendents for Rail Car Maintenance, 1 General Superintendent of Rail Transportation, 2 Assistant General Superintendents of Rail Transportation, 1 General Superintendent of Systems Maintenance, 1 Assistant General Superintendent of Systems Maintenance, 1 Superintendent of Systems Maintenance, 1 General Superintendent of Track and Structures, 1 Assistant General Superintendent of Track and Structures, 1 Superintendent for Elevators and Escalators, 1 Manager for Inspection of Escalators, 1 Director of Elevators and Escalators1 Director of Plant Maintenance, 1 Assistant Director of Plant Maintenance, 1 Manager of Revenue Operations, 2 Senior Project Managers, 1 Director of Infrastructure Renewal Programs, 3 Resident Engineers1 Program Manager/Operations Liaison and 17 for Metro Transit Police

News release issued on February 3, 2005.