The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective
Rail Transit Commuters
One recent writing prompt on my Word Press channel–was to describe, “What would I do if I lost all my possessions?” I started to write about the two men I see here on Oahu that were fortunate enough to survive the Maui wind fires from Hurricane Dora, and are basically having to start over here …
Continue reading “What’s Gotten Rotten in our Income and Affordability?”
They say its a bitch, and it really is. Problem is, half the time I never knew I was receiving payback. I was having a bad day without knowing I was the cause. And it took me years to see the cause and effect my actions of pissing off others had when this energy boomeranged …
Next time you see an operator wearing a safe driver patch, ask yourself what it reminds you of. Is it a nuclear or biological warfare hazard symbol? Perhaps it is a design not unlike the fallout shelter signs of the fifties and sixties. No, this is the safe driving award patch for a transit operator …
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was to do nothing and stay in Hawaii. As a twenty-nine year resident of San Francisco I thought it would be a good idea to go move back there now that COVID is over—to find my heart—and be …
One of the tools always at the disposal of an operator is the 702. This is the three digit 700 code of numbers that describes certain incidents over the radio to Central Control. And the code number 702 means the operator is taking a twenty minute break as a comfort stop to use the rest …
When is this? Perhaps in five minutes after 5 p.m. when all the elevators fill with office workers ready to go home. Perhaps it is senior citizens looking out their window and seeing the rain has stopped and the sun is out. Perhaps it is the classroom bell ringing at Marina Middle School, signaling the …
The best time to work Muni is when the bus has an empty aisle and half the seats are open. This occurs in the morning on most major holidays and on Sunday mornings. The aisle is empty and half the seats are empty. The pulse and rhythm, the ebb and flow of passengers is steady …
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 …
“Unbelievable, just unbelievable.” This is the statement of a resident nearby the La Playa bus terminal by the Ocean Beach Safeway. It was recorded for the Jon Stewart Show. This was a comedy show, and the occasion for the recording was based on the fact that this man’s garage was hit by motor coaches more …
“Baby needs a new pair of shoes.” That’s what I say when I am hitting hard, or I see sparks at night off of my collectors. Shoes are the carbon blocks sitting inside the brasserie or metal brackets that form a slot at the end of our trolley poles. This is the point at which …
The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective