T sets up phone lines for workers
Employees want connection to kin
The general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Daniel A. Grabauskas, said yesterday that the T is setting up about 42 phone lines at key locations so bus drivers and train operators can keep in touch with family.
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 at a Department of Public Utilities hearing.
Grabauskas also said the agency has provided, since 2006, an emergency hot line number that an operator’s family member can call if the operator must be reached.
“When we receive a message on the hot line, 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 the commuter rail, paratransit, commuter boat, and private bus services had been 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 said 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 could not immediately be reached for comment yesterday evening. 