RDO

Regular Day Off. If a workweek goes by and I have kept my sanity, I can test my body and mind and see if I can work on my day off, my RDO. If I haven’t turned crazy by working my run during the week, I can see if I can “get away” with making extra money on a day off at the overtime rate of pay. I know if I have mastered the Zen of Muni if I can work my regular run, and still have the energy to try more work, if it is available, to get ahead of bills, or save for a vacation or toy. One of several things can happen. If I have had a good week, a few hours of work on the weekend can take the Zen vibe away real fast if I am working an intense line without a leader. The good news is folks who would have to wait twice as long to get picked up, have the service they expect, because operators work on their day off.

The best thing about RDO is going home after the day is done. Just made bank at 41 dollars per, and it’s over! Uncle Sam takes away half, but if a holiday is involved, payday is a breeze. The law of diminishing returns does make itself apparent on payday, though. And I have seen that if overtime hours exceed 26 per pay period, the amount of fatigue or hangover from working on a day off, becomes not worth the extra hours due to taxes. Working three days of overtime in a two week period takes such a toll on personal time, I am no fun to be around on or off the bus. I have to be careful I don’t get a PSR, Passenger Service Request. PSR’s result in mail. We find our paddle missing in the receiver’s office before we pull out, and we have to go see the Dispatcher and sign off for our mail.

Trying to explain our life to our loved ones at home, our roommates, or anyone who tries to reach us by phone is a chore. We are not sitting at a desk in an office. Our schedule can change at any time with traffic, construction, fires, parades, protests and equipment failure. If you have a jealous lover, or in a home situation without trust, then this job may not be for you. Sorry, got to go! I have to move my bus up because my follower needs room at the terminal. I have only 3 minutes to take a bite, can I call you back later? I am sorry my phone is off, I am not allowed to have it on!

I now try to say, I gotta go, or I won’t be able to call you back for an hour. Voicemail is great for leaving a message, but don’t expect us to be on the line if you call right back: we are already on the road! Most of my friends now know what to expect when it comes to unavailability on the phone, but it does take some getting used to. Sometimes months. Sometimes years. We can’t just call whenever we like. The schedule is just a guideline, really! Kind of like the Pirates Code on Pirates of the Caribbean! But just as Captain Jack Sparrow, we too have to make it up as we go. So if you do have an Operator on your address book, know this: we never know what is going to happen next. If you wonder why we aren’t arriving at the arranged- for time, hey, we took Muni!

Keeping it Zen adds that sixth sense, the intuition that helps our loved ones and friends understand, dinner may get cold before we get home!