Of all the calls I make to TMC, (Transit Metro Control), none is more gratifying than seeing the response to a tree trimming request. Homeowners are required to trim the trees in front of their home or business, but this has created some disparity in when limbs and leaves get cut away from our overhead …
Author Archives: driverdoug2002
Tree Trimming
Thanks for your service, In the middle: Noticed very little, By the by, Many in the Cars, The Trucks, the Buses, Have passed you on the way: To bars And you stood quietly, Giving us fresh air, As we didn’t seem to care,, Now that you are bare, More aware, Of your trunks, and your …
A Rose by any Name
One of the subtle aspects of joy about being a transit operator are the many people we see on a regular basis. We may never talk to them or get to know their name. They inadvertently become a part of my friends and acquaintance list, even though I have no written list, or what would …
Rider Alert
Nothing is more disconcerting than seeing people waiting for a streetcar that isn’t coming. Especially in the afternoon when the fog is rolling in and visitors are caught in shorts and without jackets. If you plan to visit San Francisco between the Fourth of July and Labor Day, prepare for early spring/winter conditions. Even though …
Alpha Dog
People watching is the greatest job benefit of being a transit operator in the Baghdad-by- the-bay. Friends and family always ask about the great benefits a that civil service worker must have in being a government employee. I usually mention the post office as having the best defined contribution plan or pension. But in the …
Welcome to my collection of Stories: CAR CLEANERS
I am sure these coworkers have stories to tell! I can only imagine what sorts of things they have had to pick up, wipe up, or mop up in their day. If there be any sequel to this missive, I am sure the experience of a graffiti cleaner, a floor sweeper, or those that pick …
Continue reading “Welcome to my collection of Stories: CAR CLEANERS”
The Dao of Doug 2: Keeping Zen in San Francisco: A Line Trainer’s Guide Glossary 2
kneeler: pneumatic pistons installed at the front door of a coach that can lower the steps for those needing assistance in placing a load or themselves on to the first step lift: another device located below the front steps of a bus that extends from the bus and on to the sidewalk to allow for …
The Dao of Doug: Finding Zen in San Francisco Transit: A Bus Driver’s Perspective (Dao 1)
Glossary 1 paddle: our timetable or schedule that we pick up in the receiver’s office that comes with our defect card and books of transfers. This entire bundle is called an outfit. pre-op: usually done on a track in the bus barn and is a term for checking mirrors, lights, radio, horn, doors, wheelchair lift, …
Behind the Yellow Line
“Please move back. I need you to step back behind the yellow line while the coach is in motion.” I state, when the coach is full: Or, if someone does not have their fare ready and they are looking in their pockets or hand bag for change, I say, “I can’t see my mirrors.” The …
Afghanistan Banana Stand
The US and the UK now have lagging world currencies with real interest rates below inflation – and have money that has lost more value against gold than any other BRICS nation. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who [has] the fairest [currency] of them all? c1937 Disney Pictures, from Grimm Faierie tales, Snow White and …
The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective 