As the general manager for Veolia Transportation's Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG) contract in Chico Calif., Ibrahima Toure oversees a fixed-route/paratransit operation that employs 110 people and operates 70 vehicles.
Since joining Veolia, Toure has held many positions with company, gaining industry and specialty experience while making innovative contributions.
While he was the safety and training manager/IT specialist, Toure assisted the general manager in implementing Veolia's proprietary customer service program, "Going4Green;" instituted the company's safety policies and launched the company's safety culture campaign; and trained bus drivers to meet both the client's and the company's high standards.
As the IT specialist, he was crucial in assisting with the implementation of GFI fareboxes in fixed-route and paratransit buses and installation and implementation of Apollo Digital security cameras throughout the fleet.
As assistant general manager Toure was responsible for updating the administrative procedures of the division, including cash handling, paratransit scheduling, customer service (call handling), and driver handbooks/paddles.
Toure completed these tasks favorably and with the implementation of the updates, helped direct the division to a more efficient and employee-friendly place of business. These updates translated to clearer lines of communication between the division and BCAG and helped to ensure that expectations — on both sides — were met to each party's satisfaction.
As general manager Toure has become invaluable in the installation and implementation of a Mentor computer-aided scheduling, dispatching and AVL/GPS system for both the fixed-route and paratransit fleets and instrumental in assisting with the installation, programming, troubleshooting and implementation of the entire AVL/GPS package.
Toure has successfully developed and implemented internal policies for paratransit, fixed-route, dispatch and maintenance operations, all resulting in increased work flow, communication and productivity. He has also developed performance metrics and strategies for improvement division-wide, including OTP, OER, and paratransit scheduling, among others.
Core of the City
"About 10 years ago, I started my career as a transit driver in Denver, Colo., while attending college. After graduation, my intent was to work in the information technology field. As time went on, I found out just how complex and interesting the transit industry truly is.
"Over the years my appreciation grew as I had the opportunity to develop and mentor employees. What I have grown to enjoy the most is that no matter what capacity that I have served, whether it is safety or operations, I have learned that transit truly is the core element of our cities. Without the work that we do every day, the people that rely on us would not be able to accomplish all that they do.
"The responsibility of providing safe and reliable service to 1.3 million customers per year within Butte County is something that I am sincerely proud to be a part of."
