Transportation Assistant

Help Keep Albany Moving!

The City of Albany is hiring a full-time Transportation Assistant to join Albany Transit and provide safe, reliable, and customer-focused transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities. If you enjoy being on the road, working with people, and providing a service your community relies on every day, this could be a great opportunity for you.

In this role, you'll safely operate City vehicles, transport passengers to and from scheduled destinations, assist riders with boarding and exiting vehicles, prepare and inspect vehicles for service, and help maintain clean, safe vehicles. You'll be part of a team that helps keep community members connected to the places and services that matter to them through Albany Transit Systems, Call-A-Ride, and ADA Paratransit services.

The duties listed are intended only as illustrative examples of the various types of work that may be performed by individuals in this classification.  Any of the following duties may be performed.  These examples are not necessarily performed by all incumbents and do not include all specific essential functions and responsibilities the incumbent may be expected to perform.

1. Drives van(s), mini-bus or Call-A-Ride car(s) or van(s). Obeys all applicable traffic laws and established safety procedures.
2. Ensures vehicle is ready for use. This may include complete a daily, pre-trip inspection, obtaining keys, filling vehicle with fuel, and providing for a clean interior and exterior of vehicle, arranging for vehicle maintenance and repairs, checking vehicle fluid levels, etc.
3. Assists passengers in boarding and exiting the vehicle, properly secures wheelchairs and mobility aids, ensures passengers follow all safety procedures.
4. Obtains participant lists, client schedule or itinerary, tickets, and any other transportation documents from Call-A-Ride office. Verifies locations and schedule in advance.
5. Completes appropriate documentation including providing receipts, mileage, driver comments and suggestions, timecards, and itinerary adjustment forms. Completes required reports, assists with grant preparation, and other program materials.
6. Assists in travel schedules and directions; resolves any scheduling or itinerary conflicts; adheres to schedules providing transportation in a timely manner. Determines most efficient route for service provision.
7. Provides clients and passengers with general program information. Communicates procedures, itineraries, and assists in resolving client concerns.
8. Picks up and delivers inter-departmental mail, deposits, supplies, etc.
9. May assist in planning transportation programs, scheduling riders, and developing itineraries, and assists in resolving credit concerns.
10. Represents the City of Albany by responding to the public, citizens, its employees, and others in a prompt, professional, and courteous manner while continuously maintaining a positive customer service demeanor. Regards everyone, internal and external, as a customer and delivers the best service possible in a respectful and patient manner.  
11. Works to create a high-performance work culture by demonstrating a positive attitude and modeling the City’s mission, vision, and values. Conducts self with high integrity, proactive in conserving City resources, and seeks and incorporates customer feedback for ongoing performance improvement. Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality customer service.
12. Serves as a member of various City committees as assigned.
13. Assists other staff in the performance of their duties as assigned; and may provide training and orientation to new assigned personnel.
14. Maintains regular job attendance and adherence to working hours.

15. Adheres to appropriate attire, grooming, and hygiene standards established for the position.
16. Operates a motor vehicle safely and legally.
17. Performs other related duties as required/assigned.

Works under the general supervision of the Paratransit Services Supervisor.

Lead Work/Coordination of Work of Others

This is a non-supervisory position. Lead work/coordination of work of others is not a typical function assigned to this position. Incumbents in this position will provide training and orientation to newly assigned personnel.

Education and Experience:

A high school diploma or its equivalent and two years of job-related experience operating motor vehicles; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. One year of experience working with senior clients is preferred.

Special Requirements:

1. Possession of a valid Oregon driver’s license. 
2. Ability to obtain First Aid and CPR certification upon job placement.
3. In accordance with Human Resources substance abuse policies, incumbents in this position are subject to the City's Drug & Alcohol testing program.
4. The individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of themselves or others.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

Knowledge of: traffic laws and defensive driving techniques. General knowledge of Albany geographical areas.

Skill in: operating vehicles of varying sizes and capacities and operation of listed tools and equipment used.

Ability to: work in stressful situations; organize a group; safely drive a mini-bus or van; communicate effectively, verbally and in writing; understand and carry out written and oral instructions; establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, other departments, and the public; and operate computers for data entry.

Work Environment: 

Work is performed primarily in a motor vehicle with travel on main highway, side streets and rural roads. Employee routinely travels to city operation sites and various locations around the city to pick-up and deliver passengers. This position may regularly be required to work evenings and weekends.

Physical Demands: 

The factors described herein are representative of, but not all-inclusive of, those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Detailed information may be available in a supplemental Job Task Analysis document.

The work is medium work which requires exerting up to 75 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing:  sufficient to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Climbing: sufficient to ascend or descend ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
• Crawling: sufficient to move about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
• Crouching: sufficient to bend the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling: sufficient to perceive attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: sufficient to pick, pinch, type, or otherwise work, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: sufficient to apply pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling: sufficient to pick, hold, or otherwise work, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: sufficient to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound. 
• Kneeling: sufficient to bend legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees. 
• Lifting: sufficient to raise objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles. 
• Mental Acuity: sufficient to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Pulling: sufficient to use upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: sufficient to use upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: sufficient to extend hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: sufficient to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time. 
• Stooping: sufficient to bend body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles. 
• Talking: sufficient to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual Acuity: sufficient to observe violations of codes, to effectively operate standard office equipment; ability to read and write reports, correspondence, instructions, drawings, etc.; and to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment, by both day and night.
• Walking: sufficient to move about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT USED

In the performance of job duties, the employee will use a transportation van or bus; basic computer operations including Outlook, hand tools used in the maintenance of transportation van; phone; mobile or portable radio; copy and fax machines; and other related tools and equipment. 

Safety Equipment:

Develops safe work habits and contributes to the safety of self, co-workers, and the public.