What to do about abandoned bikes at Metro

[Bruce&Linda Dwyer]

FYI
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Robin H. McClelland 
To: coburg at erols.com ; gill at waba.org ; waba at waba.org 
Cc: Lora B. Byala ; ouibike at worldnet.att.net 
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 3:43 PM
Subject: RE: Bike Issue at the Metro Station


Brigitta - The issue of abandoned bikes was raised while I was out sick the end of last week.  Upon my return, I responded to inquiries from both our Operations and our Plant Maintenance Department.  If they've already contacted you, I apologize for any duplication of effort.  

When the Customer Assistance Department receives a customer comment regarding specific abandoned bikes, the complaint is sent to MTPD (Metro Transit Police Department).  Per Deputy Chief Malone, MTPD then tags the appropriate bikes and assigns an impound date.  The date allows time for the bike owner to move the bike, etc.  Once the impound date has passed, MTPD contacts our Plant Maintenance Department who makes arrangements to have the unclaimed bikes removed.  

Oftentimes, the complaint we receive is more generalized, i.e. there are too many abandoned bikes at Franconia-Springfield that are taking up much-needed rack space.  MTPD then visits the station, investigates the complaint, and tags bikes as needed.  

Although there is no set schedule to check bike racks for abandoned bikes, MTPD frequently makes the observation and initiates the process without prompting from our customers.  

Customers can report abandoned bikes by calling Customer Assistance at (202) 637-1328, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.  Customers can also send an e-mail to: csvc at wmata.com.  A third option is to report abandoned bikes by calling (202) 962-1116 and leaving a message (24-hour access).

I hope this information has been helpful.          

Robin H. McClelland
Manager, Customer Relations
WMATA
8405 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD  20910
(301) 562-4620 phone
(301) 562-4612 fax

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