From the Transit Manager
The Oregon Transit Association Conference
Driver of the Year
SAM’s very own Dan Berreth received the prestigious Oregon Transit Association (OTA) Driver of the Year Award!! He was chosen from a select group of Oregon drivers that consistently demonstrate outstanding service and customer care. You can view Dan receiving the award here. We are so proud and thankful to have Dan as part of the SAM team!
Dan’s willingness to volunteer for special events (birthday trolleys, parades etc.) demonstrates his commitment to our community, always ready to lend a hand. His leadership skills were quickly recognized, and he was promoted to dispatcher, where his critical thinking and problem-solving abilities truly shine. Not one to easily have their feathers ruffled and when challenges arise, Dan is an exceptional communicator, addressing issues efficiently and effectively.
Dan is truly dependable, and it should be noted that in the 5 ½ years at SAM, he has had perfect attendance. In addition to his professional excellence, Dan goes above and beyond in the workplace. Whether it is cleaning the kitchen area, restocking coffee, giving coworkers pep talks, giving coworkers a ride home or taking on whatever duty is needed in the moment, he continuously shows his dedication to keeping our team environment running smoothly.
Whether at home or on a trip to Disneyland, he is typically spending off-duty time with his wife Jaime and son Nick. Dan enjoys home improvement and gardening in his backyard oasis.
Dan’s hard work, positive attitude and team spirit make him truly deserving of the Driver of the Year award. We are proud to have him as a part of the Sandy Transit family and believe his contributions exemplify the best qualities of our organization.
SAM and MHX Share STIF Success Stories from Clackamas County
Andi Howell and Kristina Babcock spoke at a session speaking on the Clackamas County’s (SAM, Clackamas County, Wilsonville SMART, Canby Area Transit and Molalla’s South Clackamas Transit District) successful collaboration of STIF funds. Similar to the longstanding, successful SAM-MHX partnership that allows the two services to share costs these agencies have partnered together to obtain competitive rates for technical services, vehicle equipment and maintenance. The group has successfully built a regional website Ride Clackamas where riders can view all the services in one location and plan a trip. They share onboard technology for real time bus location and data retrieval, dispatch software and technology support, all of which Sandy was the lead on the project to secure funding and procure the product or service. The recent Estacada-Village Shuttle interline was a collaborative effort that awarded the County funding to combine the route and increase service. The County group is currently working on coordinated efares whereby a customer could download one app and pay for any service through this process. Due to interest from other agencies this project and some others include transit partners outside of the County such as Hood River and Hillsboro. These cooperative efforts reduces costs for the agencies and also enhance the rider’s experience with seamless travel. These partnerships are a guide for other agencies throughout the state and beyond.
Ridership
Overall ridership for October of 2024 was 8,299 rides. This is a 13.45% increase compared to October 2023! SAM-Gresham provided 5,880 rides, an increase of 7.46%. SAM-CTC increased 716.9% from the launch in January and increased 92.69% compared to September! SAM-Estacada, which began the new interline route on October 13th, increased by 32.5%, providing 424 rides. The Shopper Shuttle provided 577 rides a slight decrease of 10.26%.
SAM rides transported 723 riders in October 2024, a slight decrease of 1.1% compared to to 731 rides in October 2023. ED provided 115 rides, a 22.81% decrease from October of 2023.
Sandy-Clackamas County Partnership
In October SAM brought in $4,837.34 in revenue from the oversight of Mt. Hood Express. SAM provided 122 medical rides to Clackamas County residents, generating $10,270.52 in revenue. The total revenue for October 2024 was $15,107.86.