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With the unemployment rate climbing to 10.2 percent, you or someone you know may be looking for a job.

METRO has openings for part-time bus operators. If you’re a people person, we’ll train you and help you get your commercial driver’s license. Never driven anything bigger than a compact car? No worries. We have simulators and hours of training. By the time you’re behind the wheel of one of our buses, you’ll be a confident and safe driver.

Watch METRO Matters and hear Irene Mingle of our human resources department give you the nuts and bolts of becoming a METRO bus operator.

If you want to apply, please go on-line and click here. If you have a friend who is interested but doesn’t have Internet access or isn’t computer savvy, drop by our building at 1900 Main St. and tell the security guard you’re here to apply for a bus operator position.

You’ll be directed to a second-floor office where you can use a computer to apply – and a friendly staff person will give you any needed help.

Catch the show on a big screen at home on Comcast’s Channel 17, Houston Media Source.

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If you’re a METRO customer, you know that since April 2008, there have been only two ways to pay - the METRO Q® Fare Card or cash. So far, the METRO Q® has been received by the public well.

But what’s the future of the smart card? Jeff Linton, director of revenue, tells us just how smart the METRO Q® can be – and tells us what other transit agencies are doing.

You can also watch it on Comcast Channel 19 at these times:

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We’re on our way to building light-rail – but the process of constructing light-rail lines can be disruptive to the residents and businesses nearby. Kim Williams, associate vice president of corporate programs, tells what METRO is doing to make this process smoother – from corridor offices to a hotline phone number.

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Fast forward to 2012. Step on a METRO train, and you should be boarding a new CAF USA train with six doors on one side and one level from front to back.

Find out more cool features of these new trains – including the so-called Jacuzzi seat – from METRO’s President & CEO, Frank J. Wilson.

Also, learn how METRO’s unprecedented way of ordering these trains surprised the industry – and saved the agency time and money.

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METRO’s vanpool program has a whole new look - it’s been rebranded as STAR vanpool.

David McMaster, director of customer service, says it’s a convenient and cost-effective way to get to and from work.

You can also watch it at on Comcast’s Channel 17 at these times:

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Ever wonder why METRO designs certain routes that end 10 blocks from your favorite store?

So what goes into planning our routes? And do your suggestions come into play? Our guest on this edition of METRO Matters is an expert on transportation planning. Kim Slaughter, associate vice president for planning, has more than 20 years in transportation planning in both the public and private sectors.

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METRO schedules about 5,000 trips every day for people with disabilities. 

And we have just made it easier for people with disabilities to book their trips by going on-line. 

Our latest edition of METRO Matters features Art Jackson, director of transportation programs, who explains how this works, along with all the other features of our METROLift service.

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The next time you board our bus, the person you sit next to may not be who you think he or she is.

METRO has a bus marshal program, similar to the federal government’s air marshal program launched after 9/11.

MPD officers, dressed in every day clothes – from surgical scrubs to blue jeans to a repairman’s uniform – board our buses and watch for suspicious activity.

So far, this program has helped reduce crime on buses. In fact, in fiscal year 2008 (Oct. 1, 2007 – Sept. 30, 2008), on-board bus crime dropped by 33 percent from from the year before.

Starting this month, you can watch METRO Matters on HTTV Channel 19, in addition to Houston Media Source’s Channel 17 on Comcast.

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