Position Summary
The EARL Public Transit Dispatch/Scheduler ensures the smooth operation of door-to-door transit services by coordinating daily driver schedules and managing real-time trip assignments. This role involves optimizing routes, maintaining communication with drivers, and responding to service disruptions to ensure timely and efficient transportation. The position also includes verifying rider information, preparing routes, and adjusting schedules using specialized software. Strong organizational and communication skills are essential for handling dynamic service needs and providing excellent customer support. The Dispatch/Scheduler plays a key role in delivering safe, accessible, and dependable transit to the community. This position must perform regular duties at the assigned worksite. This is a safety-sensitive position.
The Transit Dispatch/Scheduler is expected to exemplify the agency’s core value of Growth, Adaptability, Respect, Responsiveness, Compassion, and Collaboration. This position is responsible for complying with all agency and departmental policies and procedures that reflect and promote these values in the delivery of service.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities, other duties may be assigned:
Agency Specific:
- Must maintain confidentiality at all times
- Must always represent NEICAC in a positive and professional manner
- Must attend training as requested to demonstrate a continued effort to grow professionally
- Adhere to all policies as an employee of Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation
- Attend required agency-wide trainings
- Must travel occasionally within and out of service area
- Establish a collaborative and communicative relationship with fellow staff
- Must be punctual and dependable in completing assignments, meeting report deadlines; daily attendance is essential
Program Specific:
- Learn functionality of all equipment and systems used, adapting to changing technologies as needed
- Keep Operations Manager appraised of all matters affecting the transit department
- Maintain knowledge/proficiency of the service area & current routes/services offered
- Maintain knowledge/proficiency of demand-response transportation software system
- Demonstrate empathy for and awareness of customer needs
- Adapt to flexible scheduling needs within the dispatch center to ensure sufficient coverage when necessary
- Strive to provide the highest level of customer service possible within the operating guidelines of Transit
Dispatch Duties
- Provide a variety of public transportation information to passengers, the public and other organizations, responding to inquiries and requests for service in a courteous manner.
- Monitor Medicaid broker portal for new, cancelled, or revised trip requests.
- Assign same day trips to drivers based on location, availability, and vehicle capacity.
- Verify rider information and collect information which is necessary for the requested trip.
- Monitor vehicle locations using available systems.
- Ensure timely pickups and drop-offs, adjusting assignments as needed.
- Maintain communication with drivers to assist with travel directions, additional mapping, phone calls, etc.
- Relay changes, emergencies, or updates to drivers.
- Respond to driver inquiries and provide support during service disruptions.
- Handle service interruptions such as breakdowns or delays and notify proper personnel.
- Coordinate backup vehicles or reroute trips as needed.
- Document incidents and escalate issues when necessary.
- Respond to rider inquiries and notify proper personnel of complaints related to trip status.
- Provide Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) updates and resolve service issues in real time.
- Record trip completions, no-shows, cancellations, and delays.
- Complete forms and prepare correspondence, reports and documents, as assigned.
Scheduling Duties
- Schedule door-to-door trips based on rider requests and service policies.
- Optimize routes to minimize travel time and maximize vehicle utilization.
- Balance trip demand with available resources.
- Use scheduling software to build daily route schedules, ensuring adequate travel times for trips.
- Adjust schedules based on cancellations, additions, or rider changes.
- Provide appropriate personnel with finalized schedules and route assignments.
- Ensure trips meet ADA or agency-specific eligibility criteria.
- Track schedule adherence and on-time performance.
- Generate reports on service efficiency and rider trends.
Supervisory Responsibilities
N/A
Requirements
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
High school diploma or GED equivalent with one year administrative or customer service-related experience required. Attention to detail, organizational, communication and customer service skills are also required. Computer skills, including data entry, typing and Microsoft Excel and Access programs are highly desirable.
Practical Skills
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization. Must be able to communicate clearly, concisely and courteously with other employees and clients (specifically through telephone) with a professional voice and attitude. Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Certificates, Licenses & Registrations
Must have valid driver’s license and carry State of Iowa Minimum levels of automobile insurance. Must satisfactorily complete a Criminal Records Check and be bondable.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand. The employee is occasionally required to walk; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and taste or smell. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. There will also be extensive use of a computer keyboard.
