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Parking has been a battle for Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Sailors since the crew moved aboard the ship over a year ago.
“This led to people getting to work extremely early to get a spot, pay for parking or use one of the incentives that we have available, such as our carpool program or the transportation incentive program (TIP),” said Hicks.
Although another 200 parking spaces at garage 902 and 903 became available, it only provided temporary relief. In March, Ford opened up the Net Center parking lot providing ample parking for Ford Sailors.
“We have over 700 spaces available just in this spot alone,” Aviation Support Equipment Technician 2nd Class Doland Miller, Ford’s assistant leading petty officer for transportation. “Having a shuttle guarantees that Sailors can get from the parking lot to the ship when they need to get there without having to worry about traffic, and without having to worry about paying for parking. It guarantees that their vehicles are safe thanks to the roving security in the lot and makes sure they stay safe on their way to and from the ship.”
Electronics Technician 3rd Class Alysa Rodriguez, a Ford Sailor who has been using the shuttle for the past two months, said parking at the Net Center is beneficial, and leaves more time to sleep in and prepare for the workday ahead.
“It’s a good option because the alternative would’ve been to show up at the garage at 4 a.m. and that’s ridiculous,” said Rodriguez. “It’s super convenient because I can use my mornings to make breakfast and take my time to get to work, and still park at 6:30 a.m.”
Currently, Ford’s shuttle drivers use two 15-passenger vans and one 7-passenger van to get Sailors to and from the parking lot.
“We try to keep it so there’s always a van nearby before we leave the parking lot,” said Miller. “We always keep a steady stream so people don’t have to wait as long.”
Ford’s shuttles run as early as 4 a.m. and as late as 8 p.m., with five drivers in the morning and another five in the afternoon.
“I’m out of bed by 2:30 a.m. every morning to grab breakfast, feed my son and kiss my wife before I head to work,” said Miller. “Waking up early every day is a real challenge and leaving early is difficult because I worry about having everything ready so the day is easier for my family until I return. Most days, I’m gone before they wake up. The first time they see me for the day is after lunch.”
Transportation runs seven days a week and Sailors assigned as shuttle drivers have two non-consecutive days out of the week off.
“They make our job easier getting to work,” Rodriguez said. “They do their job really well and I really appreciate what they do.”
Sailors interested in parking at the Net Center do not need passes to park and can use the shuttles every day from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the hours between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sailors may contact an on-call shuttle driver at (757) 266-7739.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2016 19:06 |
| Story ID: | 217916 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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