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New MBTA lines will allow operators to reach their families -- without cellphones

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 30, 2009 07:32 PM

By Globe Staff

MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said today his agency is setting up about 42 new phone lines at key locations so bus drivers and train operators can keep in touch with their families.

The installation of the lines was one of the steps the agency has taken to address concerns among employees after the public transit agency instituted a tough new policy cracking down on cellphone possession and use, Grabauskas said.

"We are committed to putting the necessary systems in place to allay any concerns Operators may have about their families and dependents contacting them in the event of an emergency while they are at work," Grabauskas said in remarks prepared for delivery at a Department of Public Utilities hearing.

Grabauskas also said the agency has provided, since 2006, an emergency hotline number that an operator's family member can call if the operator must be reached.

"When we receive a message on the hotline, I want to assure you that in the event of a family emergency we will find the Operator and allow them to contact their family," he said.

The MBTA's new policy, which Grabauskas called the strictest in the nation, calls for termination for a first offense of talking on a cellphone or texting while on duty on a bus or train. An operator who is found in possession of a cellphone will be punished by a 10-day suspension.

Grabauskas also said that MBTA contractors carrying passengers on commuter rail, paratransit, commuter boat, and private bus services had issued similar directives.

The new rules were imposed after a May 8 crash in which a Green Line trolley rear-ended another trolley near Government Center Station. The crash injured about 50 people and caused $10 million in damage. Authorities say the trolley driver told them he was texting just before the crash.

New regulations being considered by the Department of Public Utilities would "mirror" the MBTA's new regulations, Grabauskas said, and he welcomed them.

DPU Chairman Paul J. Hibbard couldn't immediately be reached for comment this evening.