Rules of the Road

 

Bard College Department of Transportation

Rules of the Road For Bard Drivers

The Bard College Department of Transportation is charged with managing the safe, secure, and lawful compliance of our drivers, passengers, and transportation assets.  This guide will help all Bard Drivers understand their responsibilities and obligations to ensure that our resources are available and ready for other members of the Bard community.

Take a copy of this guide with you every time you drive a Bard Vehicle.  Refer to this as often as you need, and stay abreast of amendments and changes on our webpage.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email.  We’ll be happy to help.

Thank you,
Jeffery Smith              Andrew Champ-Doran            Alison Link
845-758-7625            845-758-7810                         845-758-7616

Email:  [email protected]         web:  http://blogs.bard.edu/transportation/

Emergency  911    Transportation..845-758-7625    Security Dispatch..845-758-7460

DISCLAIMER

All drivers are required, by law, to know, understand, and abide by the laws and rules of the jurisdiction they are in, regardless of point of origin or issuing agency of their license.

Driving Bard vehicles is a privilege.  This document is designed to outline your responsibilities and duties as a Bard Driver.  While this document is not comprehensive of all duties and obligations of the Bard Driver, you are required to comply with all terms of this agreement, whether explicit or implicit.  Failure to comply with any of the terms of this document shall be considered grounds for immediate revocation of Bard College driving privileges.

All terms of this agreement are subject to change without notice.  Changes will be applied to all Bard Drivers, and do not exempt any driver from compliance with this agreement or regulations governing Bard Drivers.

Bard College reserves the right to deny, suspend, or revoke driving privileges at any time and for any legally allowable reason.

Bard Transportation resources will be made available for Bard faculty, staff, students on Bard sanctioned business and services only.  Bard College Transportation reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any legally allowable reason.

REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A BARD DRIVER

You will need to provide us with a few documents and complete some required steps to become a Bard Driver.**

Required Documents

1)  Current Driver’s License -You must have a current NY Class D (or equivalent from another state) driver’s license for at least 1 year in order to apply to become a Bard Driver.

2)  Copy of a NYS 6 Hour Defensive Driving/Point Reduction Course Completion Certificate -You must have passed a New York State approved 6-hour defensive driving/point reduction class and be in possession of the hard copy certificate from the course. This can be completed by taking a New York State approved class off campus, or online by visiting I Drive Safely, New York Safety Council, Improv Traffic School, or New York Safety Program.

3)  Read and agree to our “Rules of the Road” -The “Rules of the Road” document familiarizes you with Bard College specific rules of conduct.  Our “Rules of the Road” will be updated periodically.  As a Bard Driver, you will automatically be bound by the terms of the most current document.

4)  Print, complete, and sign the “Authorization for Driver Abstract and Rules of the Road Agreement”  -This authorizes Bard College and its insurers to obtain your Driver Abstract and Motor Vehicle report from relevant agencies.  The agreement on the form says that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by the conditions set forth by Bard Transportation Services. Click to download the Authorization for Driver Abstract and Rules of the Road Agreement.
Driving Assessment

5)  Complete a Bard Transportation Driving Assessment -After you’ve provided us with the documents listed above, you will need to schedule and complete a 1-1/2 to 2 hour Driving assessment with us.  The evaluation will be given by one of our professional drivers, and must be completed by all Bard Drivers.

All documents, certifications, and evaluations are required by law and/or Bard College’s insurance companies to drive any Bard College vehicle (including, but not limited to, golf carts, ATVs, passenger cars, passenger vans, leased vehicles, trucks, and heavy equipment).  Each Driver is responsible for keeping their license, certification, and required documentation current and up to date with Bard Transportation Services.  Failure to do so will result in automatic suspension of driving privileges.

**Allow at least one week to process your application for insurance purposes. You will not be eligible to drive a Bard vehicle for up to one week after the above steps are completed and all materials are submitted to the Bard Transportation Services.

Each Driver is responsible for keeping their license, certification, and required documentation current and up to date with this office.  Failure to do so will result in automatic suspension of driving privileges.

AVAILABLE VEHICLES

 Bard College owns and maintains a limited number of vehicles for use on official Bard College business only.  These vehicles range from golf carts to small hybrid passenger cars to eleven passenger vans.  As a Bard Driver, you are authorized to drive only specific passenger vehicles from this small fleet.  You are not authorized to drive Buildings and Grounds vehicles, 14 passenger “Turtletop” shuttles, larger shuttle buses, or any “double-axle” vehicles.

Passengers are prohibited from riding in the cargo area of any vehicle for any reason.  Restricted areas include, but are not limited to, areas behind the seats in hatchbacks, vans, and “Turtletops”, the beds of pickups and stakebeds, and the cargo areas of box trucks.

Bard College passenger vehicles are not cargo vehicles.  No driver, department, or organization may remove seats from any vehicle without the expressed prior written permission from the Transportation Department.  If such permission is granted, the driver is responsible for the safe removal, storage, and re-installation of seats for the vehicle.  Removal and re-installation must be accomplished within the time parameters specified on the Transportation Confirmation.

Bard College does not own or maintain any vehicles for personal use.  You can find alternative local and area transportation on our website.  Go to http://blogs.bard.edu/transportation/.  Look under the heading “Taxis, Buses, Trains, Airports” for more information.

TRANSPORTATION AND VEHICLE REQUESTS

Trip requests are submitted by administrative offices, academic departments, or other budget holders of Bard College.  Bard College Department of Transportation will only consider trip requests through one of these budget holders.  Please check with your department, club, or advisor if your organization wishes to request transportation for a Bard College function.

All Transportation Requests must be submitted via email to [email protected] using the “Transportation Request Form” provided on our website.  Please copy, paste, and complete the form in the body of your email.  Information provided in the request must include the following:  Requester name and contact information, account number, date of travel, number of passengers, passenger contact info, times and places of departure, destination, complete itineraries, and returns.  Disregard requests for flight or train itineraries if they do not apply to your passengers.

Incomplete requests may not be considered, and no transportation will be confirmed until all information is provided.

Requesters will receive an email Confirmation of the trip when it is approved and scheduled.  Trips shall not be taken until the Driver has received and carefully examined the Transportation Confirmation.

The vast majority of Trip Requests will be submitted to and approved by the Department of Transportation, though certain groups may arrange trips with the Trustee Leadership Scholar program, the Center for Civic Engagement, or the Bard Prison Initiative.  Bard Driver eligibility must be confirmed for each trip through the Department of Transportation.  Status will be confirmed as soon as is practical.

Bard College reserves the right to grant, deny, or alter trip requests at any time.

TAKING YOUR TRIP

Once your trip has been scheduled and confirmed, you will need to follow a set of procedures for every trip.  These procedures are covered in our “Obtaining the Vehicle” instructions.  By completing all of the steps as listed, you play your part in the cooperation and consideration needed to run our services as smoothly as possible.

Before you go, program Security (845-758-7460, [email protected]) and Transportation (845-758-7625, [email protected]) into your phone contacts.  You may need them. 

Obtaining the Vehicle 

Keys for the vehicle should be picked up at Security Dispatch window on the day and time specified on your confirmation.  Do not enter the Dispatch office. 

A binder marked Transportation Reservations is at Security Dispatch.

The Daily Trip Log and Trip Tickets are in the binder.

The Daily Log displays the account, driver, vehicle, and pick up and return times.  Sign your vehicle out and note the time on the Daily Log.

Trip Tickets can be found in the clear sleeve marked for the day of the week you have reserved the vehicle.  The Trip Ticket should be removed from the sleeve and taken with the driver and stored in the vehicle during the trip.

NOTE: If the Driver’s matching names, vehicle numbers, date, times, and account numbers do not appear on BOTH the Trip Ticket and the Daily Schedule, the trip shall not be taken.  

SPECIAL NOTE: No eating, drinking, smoking, or vaping allowed in any Bard vehicle at any time.

The vehicle is located in its designated numbered space, located in the Main Shuttle Lot next to Central Services.  Before departure, perform a complete visual inspection of the vehicle, outside and in, making sure it is ready and safe to drive.  The Driver must immediately photograph any damage to the vehicle, and send the photos along with a brief report to [email protected] before leaving the parking space.

Use the odometer to track the mileage upon departure and return to campus.  Drivers in vehicles with E-ZPass must note on the trip ticket every entrance and exit onto and off of toll roads, each toll bridge crossed, and any parking paid with E-ZPass.

The vehicle must be returned with more than 1/2 tank of gas. Contact security for access to the fuel pump on campus on your return.

Driver must clean the vehicle in accordance with the requirements of Bard Transportation Services.  Vehicle must be returned clean, inside and out.  Remove all personal items, trash and debris from your trip, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Return each vehicle to its designated numbered parking space.  Vehicle must be backed into the space, and centered between and parallel to the lines.  Turn off all accessories.  Lock all vehicle doors.  Immediately return all found items to Security Dispatch.

The vehicle keys should be returned to the Security Dispatcher.  The completed Trip Ticket, including mileage records and driver signature, should be returned to the sleeve in the back of the Transportation book marked “Completed Tickets”.  Sign the Transportation Log book, noting the time of return on the Daily Schedule. 

If a scheduled trip is not taken, for whatever reason, the scheduled driver must mark “No Trip Taken” on the trip ticket, and return it to the “Completed Tickets” sleeve in the Transportation Log.  Failure to do so will result in maximum mileage charges billed to the department.

PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD

If all goes well, the preceding steps will be sufficient.  You may encounter some problems while on the road.  The following should help you deal with some of those.

Inclement Weather/Road Conditions

In instances of inclement weather, your judgement is critical.  It is better to cancel an event or trip than to suffer the consequences of personal injury or property damage.  Please cancel all trips when the weather and road conditions deteriorate.  If an announcement is made that normal Bard Shuttle service is (or is about to be) suspended, all trips and use of Bard Transportation vehicles are automatically suspended.

Moving Violation/Parking Tickets

Moving violation citations or parking tickets are the sole responsibility of the Driver.  Upon receipt of a ticket or citation, the Bard Driver must immediately notify Bard Transportation, and provide Transportation with a clean copy of the entire ticket, front and back.  Clear smartphone photos, scans, or photocopies emailed to [email protected] are acceptable.

The Driver must pay the resulting fine in full, via registered mail or in person, and immediately provide the Transportation Department with proof of payment and full tracking information or signed receipt.

Failure to comply with any provisions of this section will result in immediate and permanent revocation of Bard driving privileges.

Mechanical Failure

As a matter of safety, all mechanical failures or difficulties shall be reported to the Bard Transportation Services immediately.  The vehicle must be taken out of use immediately and remain out until the cited condition has been corrected.

Mechanical failure warning citations must be forwarded to the Bard Transportation Services immediately.  In most circumstances, Drivers shall not conduct their own repairs on Bard College-owned vehicles.

Accidents and/or Vehicle Damage

Upon any accident or discovery of damage, the trip is immediately suspended.  All accidents require an immediate police response and report.  This is for many reasons, including law, our insurance company’s requirements, and the protection of all parties involved.  The Responding Officer will provide the Driver with his or her name and badge number, agency name and contact information, police report number, and instructions on retrieving the police report.  The Bard Driver will provide this information, along with the information required below, to [email protected].

Once that report has been filed with police, the Driver is to immediately contact Bard Security Dispatch and notify them of the situation, citing particulars such as injuries, names and known conditions of all passengers, ability of the Driver and vehicle to continue the trip or return, etc.

The Driver is required by law to share driver’s license and proof of insurance with other involved drivers.  Take clear photos of any other involved drivers’ license and proof of insurance.  Forward all photos to [email protected].

The Driver must identify and photograph all damage to all vehicles and property, identifying information for all vehicles involved, all involved drivers’ licenses, insurance cards, registration information, VINs, etc.  The Bard Driver must complete and email the Bard Accident Report and an MV 104.  The MV-104 is also available online in a fillable form.  The Bard Accident Report must include the names and contact information of all passengers in the Bard vehicle and a complete written narrative of events.

Send the reports, along with all photos, to [email protected] immediately.  All necessary forms are available as PDFs on our website.

These steps are required by law and/or Bard’s insurance company, are not negotiable, and may not be overridden or delayed by any supervisor.

**********

POINTS TO REMEMBER 

  • Campus speed limit is 25 M.P.H on Annandale Road, and 15 M.P.H. on all other roads. All Bard College vehicles must adhere to the speed limit.
  • Bard College vehicles shall not be driven or parked on walks, lawns, bike paths, or any location other than roads and parking lots.
  • The consumption of alcoholic beverages or use of any controlled substance prior to or during any assigned trip is strictly prohibited.
  • Driver and all passengers must wear seatbelts in all Bard College vehicles.
  • Do not use River Road to or from the Rhinecliff Station, Rhinebeck, or the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Please use 9G/9/Rhinecliff Road to access Rhinecliff or Rhinebeck, and 9G/199 to the KRB.
  • Please get directions and plan your trip before departure.

Thank you for your attention.  Remember, you can refer to this manual and find a wealth of information online at blogs.bard.edu/transportation.  Feel free to contact us via phone at 845-758-7625, or email us at [email protected].

Best of Luck, and Safe Travels, The Bard College Transportation Services

______________________________________________________________________

Inclement Weather: In the event of inclement weather (ice and snow), updates will be posted to our home page, and to Regroup.com, the Campus Emergency Notification System.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CONTACT SECURITY DISPATCH 845-758-7460

All schedules have been provided by Bard Transportation Services. For more information call 845-758-7625, or email [email protected].