Sarah Sherburn

MUPP 2011

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Schedules Section Group Leader

Cleveland, OH

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Can you describe your work and how your planning degree contributes to it?

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As the schedules section group leader at GCRTA, I am responsible for supervising the schedule analysts and a service management analyst. This involves reviewing vehicle and crew schedules to ensure adherence to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, efficiency, and cost effectiveness within the HASTUS scheduling program. I work with the analysts to analyze ridership data and make scheduling decisions. I also spend a great deal of time creating rail schedules, especially for construction and special events.

Without the foundation I learned at CUPPA regarding public transportation concepts, transportation funding & finance, and the core urban transportation classes, I wouldn't have the background understanding of why certain decisions have to be made.

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What do you like most about your current job or related work in planning?

 

What I like best about my job is that I get to see the effects of what my team and I do every day out on the streets and how it impacts our customers. As someone who uses our service every day to get to work, I get to interact with our operators and always encourage them to let me know if they're encountering any problems with the schedules (plus, they're never shy!).

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What advice do you wish you had gotten as a MUPP or, conversely, what advice would you give to young planners today?

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Keep an open mind.