Headway

“When is the next bus coming?” “Is there another bus behind you?” “How long before you go?” All of these questions are actually about headway. Headway is the time in minutes between buses. People usually ask me what is the best line to drive. And I say to you now the real question is, “What line has the best headway when I am scheduled to work?” Which follows to the important question, “What line has a headway where the loss of a leader allows for enough time to have a break at the terminal?” Or, when I won’t “get killed,” or “hit” with an impossible passenger load? Loss of a leader means the bus in front of me is not in service or not out.

A “not out” is a radio term for letting the following operator know they don’t have a leader. And I have found the 24 Line and 49 can be okay to work without a leader most weekday mornings. Some would argue the 6 line is okay without a leader, but I have not found this to always be the case. A lot depends on who is working the bus in front of me.

And the term “working” carries with it a loaded gun meaning, because not all operators seem to be working when they sit behind the seat. So having a non-working leader with a not out in front of me can make for a challenging 4 hour period without a break. And I have found if I go more than four hours without a working leader with double headway, I at some point, leave the Zen zone. And I need to be aware of the warning signs that I am beginning to break down emotionally. I am now good enough where I can outrun or outpace the equipment. A bad bus with low air or slow doors can make matters worse, but I have enough body energy to overcome most defects. It just is a matter of time before I begin to leave the Zen zone and start to risk angry passengers or unprofessional conduct. Some times the transit Gods step in and the bus complains and groans to a stop. Time out for calling the shop.

When I was new, I had trouble in ignoring the defects the coach was signaling to me, and kept going instead of taking a time out for myself. This subjective call differs from person to person, and I have had to do a lot of work on myself to see I cannot make the call about someone else’s personal break down point, or judge whether or not I thought they should or could keep going in service.

I recently had slow doors and doors that would not close all the time. I was dragging down the line. I was heavy, and too many people were waiting at the next zone. I began to pass up. The key is to know when to start picking up again. Sometimes I overdo the pass-up and get a “love letter” from the superintendent. I turned the corner on to Otis by 12th and passed up about eight people. Though I did have room for them, there was another bus behind me. But this time they didn’t see it, or weren’t in the mood to wait. Whoops. I can feel it right away. The rule is to stop and ask them to take the next coach, but my Zen was gone from having “made it” past busy Van Ness. I made a mistake, and sure enough, pen went to paper to result in a confer and consult with my union rep and superintendent. But I do find myself more relaxed than in the past. I am only human. My coach had defects which I chose to take me out of the Zen zone instead of slowing down and asking for help. Minding my own business was all I needed to ‘worry’ about.

Being a victim never works.

Getting along with my coworkers was perhaps the last feather in my cap. Accepting I could not make the call on someone else’s coach or how they operate, was the first step in not getting mad about someone or something outside of my control, and put me in the Zen zone I so admired from senior operators who never seemed to be phased with what was going on in the bus in front of them.

When I was asked by another more senior operator about how many buses I was driving, I didn’t get what she was asking. But I get it now. I only have one bus to operate, and that minding my own business was all I needed to take care of. Trying to do too much usually got me in to the superintendent’s office, or to sign for “love letters” at the dispatch desk from a passenger complaint. I knew I was on a good track when these events stopped happening to me! The only mail I get now is a Christmas card from the superintendent in December. This is mail I like to get! Merry Christmas!

So the feeling I was owed more time gradually became less and less important, and the statement from senior operators who I only have one bus to drive finally came home. And as the years have passed, I see it matters less and less what others do or don’t do. What is important is what I do. Work the rule, and call for help if I need it.

The guessing game about which run and line has a reasonable headway has become less of a hard homework problem, and more about just leaving on time and doing what Central Control always assures us to do when we call in late and heavy: to do the best we can.