The seat opposite “shotgun,” behind the operator’s seat, is unofficially called, “the black hole.” Folks who sit here become invisible. They cannot see to the front of the bus because their view is blocked. And there is no pull string to activate the chime or stop request. Acoustics are very poor because of the wall …
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Daily Writing Prompt – Who is Driver Doug?
I’m serious about work and my coworker relationships, and the bounty has flowed as an abundance that has served me well–although I have bad fortune with subordinates and with my private life sexual excursions. Glib, quick-witted and able to read a group and others when I am still and quiet–is a rarity in and of …
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From the Training Vault 2
The Late Ring
Nothing can get a passenger angrier than passing up a stop. I can tell a lot about their day by how they respond when I pass-by where they wanted to get off. Intuition does come in to play when I am in the beat of the flow, and I know to stop and open the …
Secure the Coach
Part of testing a new operator in being qualified by a state inspector is coach securement. As this book is written by a trolley operator, the added requirement of coach securement is in cradling the poles by the hooks near the harp at the back of the coach. Many a day goes by where a …
Pulling Poles
When a coach becomes disabled after an accident or a security incident, if the operator is occupied with the police or an inspector, it is important they are not blocking traffic or other trolleys coming up from behind. It is embarrassing to me when a transit bus appears to be the problem in causing a …
Surrender
The most challenging aspect of any operator of large equipment on the road is keeping aware of the “what if ” possibilities. “What if ” that bus in front of me, stopped in the zone, goes out of service? Did I leave enough space between my coach and the stopped coach to get around, if …
Packed, Stacked, and Racked
Alliteration aside, I love this phrase when describing a bus which simply cannot take on one more passenger. One would think when the bus becomes completely grid locked on the inside aisle, common sense by simple observation would be enough to insure no one intending at the bus zone would consider even getting on the …
The Ninth Level of Hell
Whenever I find myself in the ninth level of hell behind the wheel of a large automobile, in my case, a trolley of Muni, I try to ask myself how did I get in such a place? And it is by an essay such as this that I can backtrack to find my part in …
Would you like to make Chrome your default browser?
What bothers you and why? The browser wars between Chrome and Safari. There are just enough of us that use the Mac iOS on Safari who can’t edit a mailing address on large state servers using Chrome and Microsoft apps and browsers. I couldn’t get my California State Franchise Board refund without a pdf copy …
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The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective 