KPRC-2 has a story posted about how METRO’s “Three Strikes, You’re Out” rule for bus drivers is just more hot air from the transit agency that could power its own wind farm:
Motorists reported some startling behavior by bus drivers, including road rage, speeding through school zones, cutting off other drivers by swerving into lanes, aggressive lane changes, and nearly running people over in crosswalks.
“We play just like baseball,” said METRO Vice President of Operations David Feeley. “Three strikes and you’re out. If you have a particularly egregious situation, we say goodbye pretty quick.”
Despite that policy, Local 2 Investigates found some drivers remaining behind the wheel with as many as nine or 12 strikes, including numerous complaints alleging the same sort of dangerous driving behavior.
Here’s the best part:
Overall, [VP Feeley] said dangerous driving complaints are down 23.9 percent from last year.
“We’re doing something right,” he said.
And:
Hers was among 7,236 pages of complaints reviewed by Local 2 Investigates, starting from July 2007 and continuing through July of this year.
The 7,200 complaints is a declining trend — woo!
In completely unrelated news, Rad Sallee reports METRO CEO Frank “Procurement Disaster” Wilson is getting a retroactive pay raise:
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board approved a 10 percent raise Thursday for president and CEO Frank Wilson, bringing his total compensation to more than $340,000.
Board member George DeMontrond said Wilson’s annual performance review was “most satisfactory” and noted that he did not receive raises in 2005 or 2007. Wilson’s new base pay will be $307,340.
DeMontrond said the increase in base pay — 21 percent since Wilson was hired May 3, 2004 — was “nominal” in view of inflation. The raise will be retroactive to May 3, 2008, said Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts.
[snip]
Although his new contract details were not immediately available, Wilson in 2006 also received $20,000 per year in salary deferred until retirement, a car allowance of $12,600 and membership in the Houston Club. Roberts said those items have not increased.
He still has his car allowance. Because he’s too important to ride public transportation.
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