UCSF Shuttle Factsheet
How old is the UCSF shuttle program, how many miles do the buses travel annually and how many passengers does it carry?
It is 30 years old. The vehicles ferry employees, students and patients throughout the UCSF campus network in San Francisco, traveling 1.1 million miles a year and carrying 2.3 million passengers annually.
How many shuttles are there?
UCSF has 53 shuttles.The majority are 22-passenger vehicles, while some hold 30 or 35 passengers.
What is the safety record of the UCSF shuttle fleet?
There have been 207 accidents involving shuttles during the last 10 years. The vast majority of these involved bumps and scrapes to vehicles or other property and many resulted in no cost or negligible damages. 24 involved injuries to passengers or pedestrians – most of them minor.
What is UCSF doing in response to the July 14 shuttle accident?
We are installing lap belts on our fleet of shuttles even though they are not required by law, adding an “Am I Safe?” hotline and launching an evaluation of all practices, from hiring through training, schedules and oversight. For more information, see the chancellor’s statement, emailed to all faculty and staff.
When will the belts be installed?
So far, they have been installed on more than half the shuttles. The goal is to outfit our entire fleet by the end of August, making them available to riders on all of the routes.
How much will this cost?
It will cost approximately $138,000, funded through UCSF Transportation Services.
Are the belts required?
They are not currently required on the type of shuttle vehicles that we use but in light of the recent tragedy, we want to make them available to passengers. The shuttles are designed for passengers to stand, just as are city buses. Any passengers who prefer not to stand should wait for the next shuttle. The question of whether additional shuttles should be added to certain routes or times will be among those addressed during the planned safety evaluation.
How many UCSF shuttle drivers are there?
Approximately 75 individuals drive for UCSF.
What training and oversight do they receive?
Drivers are evaluated by shuttle field supervisors who conduct drive-along field evaluations. UCSF uses the University of California Core Plus Driver Safety Training Guidelines for Behind the Wheel evaluations and coaching. On-board shuttle camera footage is used to counsel and train drivers on safety and performance. Drivers also receive detailed annual written evaluations, which address opportunities for improvement and recognize above-satisfactory performance. A special program involving classroom training as well as on-road instruction was held last year for all shuttle supervisors and managers. Field supervisors ride the shuttles daily to provide spot performance checks.
What kinds of schedules do they work?
The shuttles operate 16 hours per day, Monday through Friday. Limited weekend and evening service is provided at the Parnassus campus. Driver schedules vary from 6 to 10 hours of driving daily within a standard 40 hour work week; drivers are not scheduled to work more than five days per week. Some schedules require split shifts, most of which do not exceed two-hour mid-shift breaks. In the spring, we began hiring part-time drivers to reduce split-shift schedules.
Where do things stand with the driver involved in the July 14 accident?
He remains on paid administrative leave. The San Francisco Police Department is still conducting an investigation of the accident.
What happened to the shuttle driver involved in the earlier, Nov. 17, 2010, pedestrian fatality?
The driver has been charged and the case is pending in San Francisco’s legal system.
What benefits the husband and two young children of the July 14 victim, Dr. Kevin Mack, receive?
Under UC’s retirement and health plans, same-sex spouses are entitled to the same benefits as opposite sex spouses and we are working with the family to ensure they receive all benefits to which they are entitled. However, under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, enacted in 1996, a same-sex spouse is not recognized as a spouse for purposes of federal law.