Policies and Accessibility

SouthWest Transit (SWT) pledges that you will have access to all our programs, services and benefits without regard to race, color, or national origin.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. 

Specifically, Title VI provides that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (42 U.S.C. Section 2000d).

SouthWest Transit (SWT) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in,or denied the benefits of transit services on the basis of race, color, or national origin, as protected by Title VI in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1.B.

The Title VI Plan outlines SouthWest Transit’s commitment to fairness and equality.

Any person who believes that s/he individually, as a member of any specific class, has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, may file a written complaint with SWT. A complaint may also be filed by a representative on behalf of such a person. All complaints will be referred to Erik Hansen, SWT’s CEO for review and action.

In order to have the complaint considered under this procedure, the complainant must file the complaint no later than 180 calendar days after:

• The date of the alleged act of discrimination; or
• The date when the person(s) became aware of the alleged discrimination.;
• Where there has been a continuing course of conduct, the date on which that conduct was discontinued.

SWT may extend the time for filing or waive the time limit in the interest of justice, specifying in writing the reason for doing so.

Complaints shall be in writing (download the form below) and shall be signed by the complainant and/or the complainant’s representative. Complaints shall set forth as fully as possible the facts and circumstances surrounding the claimed discrimination. In the event that a person makes a verbal complaint of discrimination to a Board member or employee of SWT, the person shall be interviewed by the CEO or his/her designee. If necessary, the CEO or his/her designee will assist the person in reducing the complaint to writing and submit the written version of the complaint to the person for signature. The complaint shall be handled in the usual manner.

Within 10 business days, the CEO or his/her designee will acknowledge receipt of the allegation, inform the complainant of action taken or proposed action to process the allegation, and advise the complainant of other avenues of redress available, such as the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Please note that in responding to any requests for additional information, a complainant’s failure to provide the requested information may result in the administrative closure of the complaint.

The complaint should include the following information:

• Name, address, and phone number of the complainant.
• Names and address(es) (if known) of alleged discriminating official(s).
• Basis of complaint (i.e., race color, national origin, sex, age, disability).
• Date of alleged discriminatory act(s).
• Date of complaint received by SWT.
• A statement of the complaint.
• Other agencies (State, local or Federal) where the complaint has been filed.

The investigation will be conducted in a full, fair and impartial manner by the CEO or his/her designee. Results of the investigation will be presented to the SouthWest Transit Commission for a determination. Every effort will be made to respond to the Title VI complaints within 60 working days of receipt of such complaints. Complaints will be determined to be:

• Substantiated (confirmed)
• not substantiated (alleged) or
• inconclusive (no substantiated findings were found)

Following the investigation, SWT will send a final written response letter to the complainant identifying the final determination. In the letter notifying the complainant that the complaint is not substantiated, the complainant will be advised of his or her right to:

• Appeal within (5) business days or receipt of the final written decision and/or
• File a complaint externally with the U.S. Department of Transportation and/or the FTA.

In addition to the complaint process described above, a complainant may file a Title VI complaint with the following offices:

Federal Transit Administration Office of Civil Rights

Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator

East Building, 5th Floor – TCR

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20590

As noted above, within 60 working days, the CEO or his/her designee will conduct and complete an investigation of the allegation, and based on the information received, will render a recommendation for action in a “Report of Findings,” including an explanation of the actions SWT has taken or proposed to resolve the issue raised in the complaint. The complaint should be resolved by informal means whenever possible. Such informal attempts and their results will be summarized in the Report of Findings.

Should a formal process be required, the complainant has the right to be represented by an attorney or other representative of his/her own choosing. A date/ time will be scheduled to accommodate the right of the complainant to bring witnesses and present testimony and evidence. As with the informal process, within 60 days, the CEO will conduct and complete an investigation of the allegation and based on the information obtained, will render a recommendation for action in a “Report of Findings,” including an explanation of the actions SWT has taken or proposed to resolve the issue raised in the complaint.

Within 90 calendar days of receipt of the complaint, the Chief Executive Officer or his designee will notify the complainant in writing of the final decision reached, including the proposed disposition of the matter. The notification will advise the complainant of his/her appeal rights if they are dissatisfied with the final decision rendered by SWT.

The Title VI complaints are to be submitted in writing to:

Attention: Erik Hansen, CEO

SouthWest Transit

14405 W 62nd St

Eden Prairie, MN 55346

Or

ehansen@swtransit.org 

Complaints can be mailed directly to the address or emailed to the email address, above. For complaints submitted by email, an original, signed copy of the complaint must be mailed to the CEO as soon as possible, but no later than 180 calendar days from the alleged date of discrimination.

All complaints alleging discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in a service or benefit provided will be directly addressed by SWT and shall also provide appropriate assistance to complainants, including those persons with disabilities, or who are limited in their ability to communicate in English. In addition, Executive Order 12898 (Environmental Justice) prohibits discrimination based on income status. Additionally, SWT shall make every effort to address all complaints in an expeditious and thorough manner.

Click here to download Title VI Complaint Form

 In accordance with the ADA, SouthWest Transit does not discriminate based on disability in its programs, services, activities, and employment practices.

A Title II ADA grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA provides comprehensive civil rights protections to persons with disabilities in the areas of employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. Title II covers state and local government and any of its departments, agencies, or other instrumentalities.

The ADA mandates that individuals with disabilities shall not be excluded from participation in, denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.

This Title II ADA grievance procedure can be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by SouthWest Transit.

SouthWest Transit will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all SouthWest Transit programs, services, and activities. 

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a SouthWest Transit program, service, or activity, should contact SouthWest Transit as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require SouthWest Transit to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

 The ADA Self-Certification outlines SouthWest Transit’s commitment to accessibility.

ADA grievances can be submitted by downloading and completing the ADA Grievance Form. Forms should be sent to:

Erica Schulte King, Chief Operating Officer

SouthWest Transit

14405 W 62nd St

Eden Prairie, MN 55346

• To receive prompt and courteous information from staff, phone services, and web-based portals to their questions about current routes, schedules, and services provided by SouthWest Transit.
• To find facilities well marked in terms of location, entrance, egress, and services.
• To find facilities that are clean, well-lit, safe, and inviting.
• To find vehicles that are clean (inside and out) and properly marked for their destinations.
• Drivers who are safe, pleasant, courteous, and professional in all other respects.
• An on-time ride with clear announcements about the route, scheduled stops, and connections to other mass transit routes.
• When service is delayed, access to real-time service information when off the bus. On the bus, drivers will keep riders informed of their safe and timely responses taken to route delays and variances.
• To receive prompt and courteous responses to suggestions for service changes and improvements.
• Thorough evaluation and prompt response by SouthWest staff to rider complaints.
• Mobility impaired passengers and others with special needs will be made to feel welcome consistent with the physical capabilities of the facilities, equipment, and staff.
• Prior to significant service changes being made, the public will be given the opportunity to review suggested changes and provide comment before any final decisions are made.
• All overload situations will be addressed within 5 occurrences, which means passengers should rarely have to stand on any SouthWest Transit bus.

• Treat SouthWest staff, contractors, service providers, and fellow passengers with the same level of politeness and courtesy as you would expect from them.
• Allow senior citizens, disabled persons, and persons with service animals to occupy space at the front of the coach or where seats are specially marked.
• Refrain from making cell phone calls in the “Quiet Zone”. In areas where cell phones are permitted, keep calls short and quiet.
• Honor bus driver requests when made in the interest of safety or the needs of others.
• Be considerate of the person in the seat behind you when using the seat-recline feature.
• Do not occupy more than one seat when others need seating. During peak times, place parcels and purses in the overhead rack or on your lap; not in the aisle or in the seat beside you.
• Riders with backpacks or large shoulder bags are encouraged to carry them down the coach aisle.
• Be ready to board or exit several minutes before the posted departure or arrival times.
• At station stops, standees have priority for leaving the bus. All other riders are encouraged to exit from front to rear of the coach.
• Leave your seat, vent, drink holder, and lighting as you would like to find them.
• Use headphones at volume levels that do not disturb those around you.
• Share your ideas about the service (improvements or critiques) with Customer Service. Help improve services by participating in rider surveys and committees.
• Food and and beverages must be kept in a covered container. Please be respectful of your fellow riders and clean up after yourself.
• SouthWest Transit reserves the right to deny service to any passenger who is intoxicated or in violation of SouthWest Transit’s Rider Responsibility Policy.

SouthWest Transit is a public transit agency and does not discriminate against any rider for any prohibited reason. This policy is to keep the safety of the riders, drivers, and other vehicles on the road.

SouthWest Transit will not tolerate behavior that is disruptive to all those using public transit.

SouthWest Transit prohibits behavior which is harmful, disruptive, disgruntled, offensive, or abusive, and behavior which in any way harasses staff and/or customers, whether verbally or physically, by telephone, electronic communication, or in person. SouthWest Transit also prohibits the use of any product which emits or disburses into the air, including, but not limited to, aerosol products, perfumes, and colognes, and all forms of tobacco and marijuana, including e-cigarettes and smokeless products.

Any person engaging in disruptive behavior may be asked to cease the behavior and/or may be asked to leave the SouthWest Transit facility or vehicle. In addition, SouthWest Transit reserves the right to suspend or ban individuals from the SouthWest Transit system.

SouthWest Transit differentiates between three distinct levels of offenses. Each level is described below, with examples given.

1. Minor Offenses – Behaviors that disrupt service without otherwise infringing on the rights of other customers, operators, or employees of SouthWest Transit or its contractors. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Unintentionally damaging or soiling a SouthWest Transit vehicle
• Bringing an excessive number/size of packages on the vehicle
  • Due to capacity of vehicles, safety, and rider comfort, it is the rider’s responsibility to control unsecured packages and packages that have loose items that could roll out. A passenger’s packages cannot collectively take up more space than one passenger seat’s worth of space.
• Failing to control a service animal
• Smoking or use of other prohibited or illicit substances
• Repeated no-shows or late-cancels of rides (SW Prime service)
• Delaying vehicle departure
• Using personal devices without earbuds/headphones
• Phone calls taken via speaker phone
• Fare evasion (intentional non-payment of fare)
• Solicitation and distribution of printed material, including, but not limited to:
  • Selling items
  • Political campaigning
  • Religious activity
  • Panhandling

2. Major Offenses – These behaviors are those that infringe on the rights of other customers, staff, or operators and interfere with the safe operation of the vehicle. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Use of profane and/or threatening language directed at staff, operator or other
• customer(s).
• Disruptive behavior that impacts operator, staff, or other customers. (Ex. yelling,
• throwing items, banging on windows, etc.)
• Falsely booking or cancelling rides for another customer (SW Prime service)
• Attempting to operate the vehicle
• Intentional damage of property or equipment
• Stealing the property of riders, drivers or SouthWest Transit
• Exhibiting violent behaviors on a vehicle without striking or attempting to strike an
• operator or customer.
• Other unsafe conduct

3. Direct Threats – A “direct threat” is defined by Federal regulations [28 CFR § 36.104] as posing a “significant risk to the health or safety of others”. This may include both safety and security issues and/or highly infectious diseases or conditions. Examples include:

• Assault or attempted assault
• Sexual exposure or unwanted advances

Serious health-related conditions or conduct impacting public health (bed bugs, tuberculosis (TB), spitting, intentional discharge of bodily substance, etc.)

This wireless network connection is a free service for use by customers of SouthWest Transit. By using this service, you agree to be bound by the following terms of use.

Acceptable Usage

This service is provided for lawful, personal use only. You may not use it for any other reason or resell any aspect of this service. You must not use this service to transmit any material or perform any other action which would be in violation of any applicable law or regulation or the rights of any third party. Any use not authorized above is strictly prohibited.

SouthWest Transit shall have the right, but not the duty, to monitor, intercept, and disclose any transmissions over or using this service, and to provide user information, use records, and other related information to appropriate authorities under certain circumstances (for example, in response to lawful process, orders, subpoenas, or warrants, or to protect the interests of SouthWest Transit).

Warning

There are certain privacy and security risks inherent in the use of an open wireless network. You acknowledge that, by use of this service, your device could be exposed to viruses or other harmful applications and that your device or files could be accessed or monitored by third parties. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for providing security measures that are suited to your intended use of the service. SouthWest Transit does not guarantee the security of this service or the privacy of any data.

Content Filtering

SouthWest Transit may implement URL filtering or other content filtering services which block access to certain websites or content through the service (“Content Filtering”). SouthWest Transit is not liable to you for any acts, omissions, performance or non-performance, related to the Content Filtering.

Examples of content that Content Filtering may block, includes, without limitation, content that:

• Could cause SouthWest Transit to be in breach of any federal or state law, rule, regulation, code or instrument which governs its conduct or to incur a liability to any third person or entity;
• Could interfere with the integrity and/or performance of the service or SouthWest Transit’s other networks or equipment;
• Depicts, alludes to or promotes offensive or illegal behavior;
• Is patently offensive or promotes racism, sexism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual;
• Harasses or advocates harassment of another person;
• Exploits people in a sexual or violent manner;
• Contains nudity, violence, or offensive subject matter or which may contain links to adult websites;
• Promotes conduct that is abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory or libelous;
• Promotes an illegal or unauthorized copy of another person’s copyrighted work (including but not limited to file sharing applications, or any other Bit-Torrent or peer-to-peer applications);
• Involves the transmission of “junk mail,” “chain letters,” or unsolicited mass mailing, instant messaging or “spamming”;
• Furthers or promotes any criminal activity or enterprise or provides instructional information about illegal activities including, but not limited to making or buying illegal weapons, violating someone’s privacy, or providing or creating computer viruses;
• Contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots, Easter eggs or other computer programming routines that may damage, modify, delete, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept, access without authority, or expropriate any system, data or personal information;
• Uses sexually suggestive imagery or any other inappropriate, misleading or deceptive content;
• Netflix, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon.com streaming services, Rhapsody, cloud streaming services, and other applications, Internet portals, or websites that require significant streaming of data
• High bandwidth operations, such as large file transfers, application installs or operating system updates and patches.

Disclaimer

SouthWest Transit does not make any warranties or guarantees regarding this service or any content or information accessed by use of this service. THIS SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. SOUTHWEST TRANSIT HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGMENT AND TITLE, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE. SOUTHWEST TRANSIT DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL PERFORM AT A PARTICULAR SPEED OR THAT IT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE.

Limitation of Liability

You acknowledge and agree that SOUTHWEST TRANSIT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF, RELATED TO, OR IN ANY WAY INVOLVING USE OF THIS SERVICE, unless the claim directly results from an intentional, willful, or wanton act by SouthWest Transit. ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR NEGLIGENCE IN PROVIDING OR SECURING THIS SERVICE IS EXPRESSLY PRECLUDED. SOUTHWEST TRANSIT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, OR LOST PROFITS, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, THAT ARISE OUT OF, RELATE TO, OR IN ANY WAY INVOLVE USE OF THIS SERVICE.

Indemnification

You agree to hold harmless and indemnify SouthWest Transit from and against any third party claim arising from, related to, or in any way involving your use of this service, including any liability, losses, damages (actual and consequential), suits, judgments, litigation costs, and attorney fees, of any kind or nature.

This Privacy Policy informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your data when you use any of our Services and the choices you have associated with that data.

By using any of the Services, you agree to the collection, use, and transfer of your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using our Services, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Data”). Personal Data may include, but is not limited to:

• Email address
• First name and last name
• Phone number
• Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City
• Cookies and Usage Data
• Location information
• Usage Data
• We may also collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Services or when you access the Services by or through a mobile device (“Usage Data”).

This Usage Data may include information such as your computer’s or mobile device’s IP address, operating system, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Services that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, device type,

unique device identifiers, and other diagnostic data.

Tracking & Cookies Data

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our Services and hold certain information.

Cookies are files with small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our Services.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Services.

Examples of Cookies we use:

• Session Cookies. We use Session Cookies to operate our Services. Session Cookies contain information regarding a particular session in which the Services are being used, and all information in a Session Cookie is lost when the web browser is closed.
• Preference Cookies. We use Preference Cookies to remember your preferences and various settings.
• Security Cookies. We use Security Cookies for security purposes.

Payment Data

When you use a credit card to pay for the Services, a third party that handles payments for us will receive your card information. To keep your payment data secure, we do not store full credit card information on our servers.

Use of Data

We use the data we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, improve, expand, and promote the Services;
• Notify you about changes to our Services;
• Allow you to participate in interactive or personalized features of our Services when you choose to do so;
• Provide you with customer care and support;
• Analyze how the SouthWest Transit community uses the Services, so that we can improve the Services;
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues;
• Facilitate transactions and payments;
• Find and prevent fraud; and
• Respond to trust and safety issues that may arise.

Transfer of Data

Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including Personal Data, to the United States and process it there.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

SouthWest Transit will take all steps reasonably necessary to so that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Data

SouthWest Transit may disclose your Personal Data in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation;
• Protect and defend the rights or property of SouthWest Transit;
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Services;
• Protect the personal safety of users of the Services or the public; or
• Protect against legal liability.

Security of Data

We are committed to protecting the data of the SouthWest Transit community. Even though we take reasonable precautions to protect your data, no security measures can be 100% effective, and we cannot guarantee the security of your data.

Services Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Services (“Services Providers”), to provide the Services on our behalf, to perform Service-related support or to assist us in analyzing how our Services are used.

These third parties have access to your Personal Data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

Links to Other Sites

Our Services may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Children’s Privacy

Our Services do not address anyone under the age of 18 (“Children”).

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from any Children. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your Children have provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from Children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Services, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “effective date” at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• By email: customerservice@swtransit.org 
• By phone number: 952-949-2287
• By mail: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346

SouthWest Transit’s presence on social media platforms creates a forum for conversations about issues that are important to customers. Social media allows SouthWest Transit to share information beyond the conventional web experience. However, SouthWest Transit encourages anyone interested in more information to visit its official website, www.swtransit.org. 

SouthWest Transit’s use of social media is intended to encourage interaction between the user and SouthWest Transit. SouthWest Transit cannot verify or confirm the accuracy of user content or their compliance with the guidelines outlined here. SouthWest Transit does not endorse any of the views in content posted by users.

Privacy

SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts are not official SouthWest Transit websites, but instead consist of SouthWest Transit information posted on a third-party service

provider’s platform. As such SouthWest Transit has limited control over how each platform uses personal data provided by users. Users are encouraged to read the privacy policy of each social media platform in advance of engaging with SouthWest Transit via these platforms.

SouthWest Transit recommends that users of social media platforms refrain from including personal information that they wish to remain confidential when interacting with SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts.

Data Practices and Records Retention

Communications with SouthWest Transit are subject to Minn. Stat. Chapter 13, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. To the extent that any content on social media is government data, such data are transitory communications and will not be retained by SouthWest Transit.

Social media is not intended to be a method for the filing of complaints or for transaction of official business with SouthWest Transit.

Matters pertaining to official business should be addressed to SouthWest Transit by contacting SouthWest Transit directly at its business office located at 13500 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN.

Content expressed by anyone other than SouthWest Transit on SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts does not reflect the opinions or positions of SouthWest Transit, its employees or elected officials. SouthWest Transit reserves the right to limit or remove content from its social media accounts.

Availability

SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts and updates are subject to downtime that may be out of its control, because social media servers are managed by a third party. SouthWest Transit accepts no responsibility for the networks becoming unresponsive or unavailable.

Accessibility

SouthWest Transit strives to post accessible content both on its web pages and social media accounts. SouthWest Transit uses YouTube’s built-in closed-captioning feature, which requires occasional editing for accuracy and clarity.

Content

SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts may contain a variety of content. The types of content that may be seen on various social media platforms include but are not limited to:

• Alerts about impending route or schedule changes
• Reminders about SouthWest Transit policies and practices
• News releases and links to stories about SouthWest Transit happenings at www.swtransit.org 
• Information about public meetings
• Polls and opportunities to provide feedback on SouthWest Transit initiatives
• Shared content from other organizations that partner with SouthWest Transit
• Information about special events and promotions
• Related Photos and videos
• Shared content

SouthWest Transit may also occasionally share content from other social media users or websites, including following or liking other users or content and linking to other users, websites, or content.

Sharing such content is provided solely for the convenience of users and is intended to point users to additional information that may add perspective for users. SouthWest Transit is not responsible for the accuracy, currency, or reliability of this shared content. SouthWest Transit does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through this shared content, nor does it explicitly or implicitly endorse the shared content.

SouthWest Transit’s content is also intended to be shared, and users are encouraged to share content they find relevant or interesting.

Comment policy

SouthWest Transit encourages members of the community to interact on issues of regional significance with SouthWest Transit, its members and staff, and one another via SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts. SouthWest Transit expects that users will interact in a respectful manner.

Users are fully responsible for anything they post, including links, videos/photos and other material. SouthWest Transit does not agree with or endorse content that users post on its social media accounts.

SouthWest Transit’s goal is to share ideas and information with as many individuals as possible and its policy is to accept the majority of content added by users.

However, comments may be removed and users blocked for the following behaviors:

• Threats of violence or other potentially criminal behavior
• Hate speech
• Profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Nudity in profile pictures
• Defamation to a person or people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Comments specific to a person’s employment with SouthWest Transit that may be considered non-public information or require further investigation
• Comments whose main purpose are to sell a product
• Comments that infringe on copyrights
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile
• Links to non-relevant sites (that could be construed as spam)
• Other comments that SouthWest Transit deems inappropriate

All content added by users may be reviewed and may be deleted.

Contact Information

SouthWest Transit’s social media accounts are managed by its Marketing Department, which can be contacted at: marketing@swtransit.org

Coming soon: SouthWest Transit’s procurement policy.

While soliciting is not permitted on SouthWest Transit property, SouthWest Transit does permit candidates to meet and/or introduce themselves to their constituents on our property, as is their right.

SouthWest Transit staff is not permitted to get involved with any candidates during work hours, included but not limited to setting up any informational displays and/or tables or agreeing to hand out any literature on behalf of a candidate.

Minnesota Statutes, Sections 13.025 and 13.03 require this policy.

YOUR RIGHT TO SEE PUBLIC DATA

The Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13) presumes that all government data are public unless a state or federal law says the data are not public. Government data means all recorded information a government entity has, including paper, email, flash drives, CDs, DVDs, photographs, etc.

The law also says that SouthWest Transit must keep all government data in a way that makes it easy for you to access public data. You have the right to look at (inspect), free of charge, all public data that we keep. You also have the right to get copies of public data. The Data Practices Act allows us to charge for copies. You have the right to look at data, free of charge, before deciding to request copies.

HOW TO REQUEST PUBLIC DATA

You can ask to look at (inspect) data at our offices, or ask for copies of public data that we keep. Make a written request via email to SouthWest Transit’s Responsible Authority by using the data request form found below. If you do not use the data request form, your request should:

Say that you are making a request for public data under the Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13).

Include whether you would like to inspect the data, have copies of the data, or both.

Provide a clear description of the data you would like to inspect or have copied.

You are not required to identify yourself or explain the reason for your data request.

However, you may need to provide us with some personal information for practical reasons. For example, if you want us to mail copies to you, you need to provide us with an address or P.O. Box. If we do not understand your request and have no way to contact you, we cannot respond to your request.

HOW WE WILL RESPOND TO YOUR DATA REQUEST

Upon receiving your request, we will review it.

We may ask you to clarify what data you are requesting.

If we do not have the data, we will notify you in writing within 10 business days.

If we have the data, but we are not allowed to give it to you, we will tell you as soon as reasonably possible and identify the law that prevents us from providing the data.

If we have the data and the data are public, we will respond to your request appropriately and promptly, within a reasonable amount of time, by doing one of the following:

Arrange a date, time, and place for you to inspect the data at our offices.

Provide notice to you about our requirement to prepay for copies.

Allow you to pick up your copies, or mail or email them to you. We will provide electronic copies, such as email or CD-ROM, upon request, if we keep the data in that format and can reasonably make a copy.

Response time may be impacted by the size and/or complexity of your request and by the number of requests you make in a given period of time.

Following our response, if you do not make arrangements within 5 business days to inspect the data or pay for the copies, we will conclude that you no longer want the data and will consider your request closed.

If you do not understand some of the data, such as technical terminology, abbreviations, or acronyms, please tell the person who provided the data to you. We will give you an explanation if you ask.

The Data Practices Act does not require us to create or collect new data in response to a data request, or to provide data in a specific form or arrangement if we do not keep the data in that form or arrangement. For example, if the data you request are on paper only, we are not required to create electronic documents to respond to your request.

If we agree to create data in response to your request, we will work with you on the details of your request, including cost and response time.

We are also not required to respond to questions that are not about your data requests or requests for government data.

REQUESTS FOR SUMMARY DATA

Summary data are statistical records or reports created by removing identifying information about individuals from entirely private or confidential data.

We will prepare summary data if you make your request in writing and pay for the cost of creating the data.

You may use the data request form below to request summary data. We will respond to your request within 10 business days with the data or details of when the data will be ready and how much we will charge you.

DATA PRACTICES CONTACTS

Responsible Authority

Name: Erik Hansen
Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346
Email: datarequest@swtransit.org

Data Practices Compliance Official

Name: Erik Hansen
Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346
Email: datarequest@swtransit.org

Data Practices Designee

Name: Erica Schulte King
Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346
Email: datarequest@swtransit.org

COPY COSTS – WHEN YOU REQUEST PUBLIC DATA

Minnesota Statutes, Section 13.03, Subdivision 3(c) allows us to charge for copies.

You must pay for the copies before we will give them to you. We do not charge for copies if the cost is less than $2.00.

Multiple requests made within the same 10 business-day period will be treated as a single request for the purposes of calculating total copy costs.

If possible, and upon request, we will provide you with an estimate of the total cost of supplying copies.

100 or fewer pages of black-and-white, letter- or legal-size paper copies cost 25¢ for a one-sided copy or 50¢ for a two-sided copy.

The charge for most other types of copies, when a charge is not set by statute or rule, is the actual cost of searching for and retrieving the data and making the copies or electronically sending the data.

In determining the actual cost of making copies, we include employee time, the cost of the materials onto which we are copying the data (paper, CD, DVD, etc.), and mailing costs, if any.

If your request is for copies of data that we cannot copy ourselves, such as photographs, we will charge you the actual cost we must pay an outside vendor for the copies.

Employee time to make copies is $35.34 per hour.

If, based on your request, we find it necessary for a higher-paid employee to search for and retrieve the data, we will calculate search and retrieval charges at the higher salary/wage.

We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably possible.

You do not have to provide any contact information. However, if you want us to mail/email you copies of data, we will need some type of contact information. We also need contact information if we do not understand your request. We will not work on your request until we can clarify it with you.

Minnesota Statutes, sections 13.025 and 13.03 require this policy

What is a “Data Subject”?

When government has information recorded in any form (paper, harddrive, voicemail, video, email, etc.), that information is called “government data” under the Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13). When we can identify you in government data, you are the “data subject” of that data. The Data Practices Act gives you, as a data subject, certain rights. This policy explains your rights as a data subject, and tells you how to request data about you, your minor child, or someone for whom you are the legal guardian.

When SouthWest Transit Has Data About You

SouthWest Transit has data on many people, such as employees, job applicants, vendors, and riders. We can collect and keep data about you only when we have a legal purpose to have the data. SouthWest Transit must also keep all government data in a way that makes it easy for you to access data about you.

Government data about an individual have one of three “classifications.” These classifications determine who is legally allowed to see the data. Data about you are classified by state law as public, private, or confidential. Here are some examples:

Public Data

The Data Practices Act presumes that all government data are public unless a state or federal law says that the data are not public. We must give public data to anyone who asks. It does not matter who is asking for the data or why the person wants the data. The following are examples of public data about you that we might have: Name, email address, home address, phone number.

Private data

We cannot give private data to the general public. We can share your private data with you, with someone who has your permission, with our government entity staff whose job requires or permits them to see the data, and with others as permitted by law or court order. The following are examples of private data about you that we might have: Credit or debit card data; Social Security numbers of employees.

Confidential Data

Confidential data have the most protection. Neither the public nor you can access confidential data even when the confidential data are about you. We can share confidential data about you with our government entity staff who have a work assignment to see the data, and to others as permitted by law or court order. The following is an example of confidential data about you: Data collected as part of an active investigation for the purpose of starting or defending a pending lawsuit.

Your Rights Under the Government Data Practices Act

As a data subject, you have the following rights.

Access to Your Data

You have the right to look at (inspect), free of charge, public and private data that we keep about you. You also have the right to get copies of public and private data about you. The Data Practices Act allows us to charge for copies. You have the right to look at data, free of charge, before deciding to request copies. Also, if you ask, we will tell you whether we keep data about you and whether the data are public, private, or confidential. As a parent, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about your minor children (under the age of 18). As a legally appointed guardian, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about an individual for whom you are appointed guardian. Minors have the right to ask us not to give data about them to their parent or guardian. If you are a minor, we will tell you that you have this right. We will ask you to put your request in writing and to include the reasons that we should deny your

parents access to the data. We will make the final decision about your request based on your best interests.

When We Collect Data From You

When we ask you to provide data about yourself that are not public, we must give you a notice called a Tennessen warning. The notice controls what we do with the data that we collect from you. Usually, we can use and release the data only in the ways described in the notice. We will ask for your written permission if we need to use or release private data about you in a different way, or if you ask us to release the data to another person. This permission is called informed consent. If you want us to release data to another person, you may use the consent form we provide.

Protecting Your Data

The Data Practices Act requires us to protect your data. We have established appropriate safeguards to ensure that your data are safe.

In the unfortunate event that we determine a security breach has occurred and an unauthorized person has gained access to your data, we will notify you as required by law.

When Your Data are Inaccurate or Incomplete

You have the right to challenge the accuracy and/or completeness of public and private data about you. You also have the right to appeal our decision. If you are a minor, your parent or guardian has the right to challenge data about you.

parents access to the data. We will make the final decision about your request based on your best interests.

When We Collect Data From You

When we ask you to provide data about yourself that are not public, we must give you a notice called a Tennessen warning. The notice controls what we do with the data that we collect from you. Usually, we can use and release the data only in the ways described in the notice. We will ask for your written permission if we need to use or release private data about you in a different way, or if you ask us to release the data to another person. This permission is called informed consent. If you want us to release data to another person, you may use the consent form we provide.

Protecting Your Data

The Data Practices Act requires us to protect your data. We have established appropriate safeguards to ensure that your data are safe.

In the unfortunate event that we determine a security breach has occurred and an unauthorized person has gained access to your data, we will notify you as required by law.

When Your Data are Inaccurate or Incomplete

You have the right to challenge the accuracy and/or completeness of public and private data about you. You also have the right to appeal our decision. If you are a minor, your parent or guardian has the right to challenge data about you.

How to Make a Request For Your Data

You can ask to look at (inspect) data at our offices, or ask for copies of data that we have about you, your minor child, or an individual for whom you have been appointed legal guardian. Make a written request via email to SouthWest Transit’s Responsible Authority by using the data request form found below.

We recommend using the sample Data Request Form – Data Subjects found below. If you do not choose to use the data request form, your request should:

• Say that you are making a request as a data subject, for data about you (or your child, or person for whom you are the legal guardian), under the Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13).
• Include whether you would like to inspect the data, have copies of the data, or both.
• Provide a clear description of the data you would like to inspect or have copied.
• Provide proof that you are the data subject or data subject’s parent/legal guardian.

We require proof of your identity before we can respond to your request for data. If you are requesting data about your minor child, you must show proof that you are the minor’s parent. If you are a legal guardian, you must show legal documentation of your guardianship. Please see the Standards for Verifying Identity below. If you do not provide proof that you are the data subject, we cannot respond to your request.

How We Respond to a Data Request

Upon receiving your request, we will review it.

• We may ask you to clarify what data you are requesting.
• We will ask you to confirm your identity as the data subject.
• If we do not have the data, we will notify you in writing within 10 business days.
• If we have the data, but the data are confidential or not public data about someone else, we will notify you within 10 business days and identify the law that prevents us from providing the data.
• If we have the data, and the data are public or private data about you, we will respond to your request within 10 business days by doing one of the following:
• Arrange a date, time, and place to inspect data in our offices, for free, or
• Provide you with the data within 10 business days. You may choose to pick up your copies, or we will mail or fax  them to you. We will provide electronic copies (such as email or CD-ROM) upon request if we keep the data in electronic format
• We will provide notice to you about our requirement to prepay for copies.
• Following our response, if you do not make arrangements within 5 business days to inspect the data or pay for the copies, we will conclude that you no longer want the data and will consider your request closed.
• After we have provided you with your requested data, we do not have to show you the same data again for 6 months unless there is a dispute about the data or we collect or create new data about you.

If you do not understand some of the data (technical terminology, abbreviations, or acronyms), please tell the person who provided the data to you. We will give you an explanation if you ask.

The Data Practices Act does not require us to create or collect new data in response to a data request, or to provide data in a specific form or arrangement if we do not keep the data in that form or arrangement. For example, if the data you request are on paper only, we are not required to create electronic documents to respond to your request. If we agree to create data in response to your request, we will work with you on the details of your request, including cost and response time.

In addition, we are not required to respond to questions that are not about your data requests, or that are not requests for government data.

Data Practices Contacts

Responsible Authority

Name: Erik Hansen

Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346

Email address: datarequest@swtransit.org

Data Practices Compliance Official

Name: Erik Hansen

Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346

Email address: datarequest@swtransit.org 

Data Practices Designee

Name: Erica Schulte King

Address: 14405 West 62nd Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55346

Email address: datarequest@swtransit.org 

Copy Costs – Data Subjects

Minnesota Statutes, section 13.04, subdivision 3 allows us to charge for copies.

You must pay for the copies before we will give them to you.

We do not charge for copies if the cost is less than $2.00.

Actual Cost of Making the Copies

We will charge the actual cost of making copies for data about you. In determining the actual cost, we include the employee-time to create and send the copies, the cost of the materials onto which we are copying the data (paper, CD, DVD, etc.), and mailing costs such as postage (if any).

If your request is for copies of data that we cannot copy ourselves, such as photographs, we will charge you the actual cost we must pay an outside vendor for the copies. The cost of employee time to make copies is $35.34 per hour.

Standards For Verifying Identity

The following constitute proof of identity:

• An adult individual must provide a valid photo ID, such as
  • a driver’s license
  • a state-issued ID
  • a tribal ID
  • a military ID
  • a passport
  • the foreign equivalent of any of the above
• A minor individual must provide a valid photo ID, such as
  • a driver’s license
  • a state-issued ID (including a school/student ID)
  • a tribal ID
  • a military ID
  • a passport
  • the foreign equivalent of any of the above
• The parent or guardian of a minor must provide a valid photo ID and either
  • a certified copy of the minor’s birth certificate or
  • a certified copy of documents that establish the parent or guardian’s relationship to the child, such as
    • a court order relating to divorce, separation, custody, foster care
    • a foster care contract
    • an affidavit of parentage
• The legal guardian for an individual must provide a valid photo ID and a certified copy of appropriate documentation of formal or informal appointment as guardian, such as
  • court order(s)
  • valid power of attorney

Individuals who do not inspect data or pick up copies of data in person may be required to provide either notarized or certified copies of the documents that are required or an affidavit of ID.

SouthWest Transit has a no solicitation policy. Unauthorized items posted on buses, at stations, or elsewhere on SouthWest Transit property will be promptly removed.

All requests for advertising on our buses or at our stations should be sent to The OOH Squad.