One Armed Bandit

I picked up my papers for my second part and the superintendent, who was by the second desk, commented on my holding a cup of coffee in my right hand and, paddle in the left. He suggested that I not bring personal items into the dispatcher’s office while doing business.

I smiled, as I remembered what I was told that morning by a crewman in the tower. An operator got into trouble by holding a cup of coffee in one hand while using his other hand on the wheel, turning a corner. I have seen enough training videos to know that whenever I am turning or coming to an area of conflict, I must keep both hands on the steering wheel at the ten o’clock and two o’clock positions. 

A few days earlier, acting as if I was being watched, I put my coffee cup down right before a left turn, because I knew the rideshare shuttle might pull-away right as I was turning past him. Sure enough, the vehicle pulled out right in front of me and would have run into me if I had not anticipated his inability to see me from his left mirror. Wow, This is not a safe situation, I thought.

An accident occurred soon after by someone else; the superintendent was in counsel mode with me in the dispatch office, because he knew I was in violation, even though I didn’t get into an accident, and put my cup down before potential conflict. My intuition sensed they were watching me when this near miss occurred. This knowing happens often, and I wonder if I should put in a miscellaneous form for our safety meeting; if I can have any affect on our safety record.

If the drive camera is activated by contact or an abrupt stop, actions before and and after an event are recorded. I must keep returning to good posture and hand placement on the wheel so as to demonstrate awareness in the event a ‘what if’ situation becomes a reality. It is this demand of continually scanning left-right-left, anticipating conflict, that seems not understood by  planners or schedule makers.  We operators need a mental break every hour, but some lines on some schedules don’t allow us this time if we are to remain on schedule.

Headway was extended to twelve minutes on the 22 line four years ago, and I some how managed to stay out of trouble by only registering one minor passenger complaint about moving too soon before allowing a senior to sit. 

Twelve minutes was double the headway between buses and my leader and leader’s leader wasn’t having it. They, the drivers of the two buses in front of me,  would go out of service on a regular basis such that my effective headway time was tripled to thirty-six minutes. This went on for over eight months. At no time did I do the “one armed bandit.” 

One blessing occurred in the middle of this sign-up. A sweet grandma, somewhat confused, decided to stand up between two stops, and fell. She could not decide if she wanted medical attention. After calling the inspector and waiting for her decision to call for an ambulance to be taken to the hospital, I got the break I needed. My follower pulled around me and I was relieved from having to make thirty-six minute headway on a school trip to the marina. 

The cameras showed I was driving in a safe manner and was not making any sudden or abrupt turns. I was safe from discipline. Both of my hands were on the wheel, and I made a safe turn into the terminal. These kinds of “almost accidents” can plague our thought process and fears about our driving record or disciplinary action.

During my next classroom-verified transit training, I smiled when I heard an instructor make a remark I will always treasure whenever I am unsure about what penalty may come my way from an injured or angry motorist or passenger. 

He said, “The real truth about our skill level and experience comes not from what is recorded as an accident, but from all the accidents we avoid and prevent.  We, as operators, do far more in saving the company from damages and expense than in what we cause.” This was the most incredible compliment I could ever receive from the training department, and put me at such ease. Here was someone who knew what we go through.

Keeping both hands on the wheel and keeping an alert posture is the best defense against a fall on board. The jackpot from a one-armed bandit shall not come in the form of a lawsuit payout to a passenger. It comes invisibly as in keeping my job to retirement!

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