Does This Bus Make Me Look Fat?

I was just reading that accidents on the passenger side of cars are happening at a rate of 3:1.

Wait, start over.

I'm sure y'all have been downtown on either Lincoln or Broadway.
Not just downtown, even further South but it's just REALLY bad downtown.
Cars parked on both sides of the streets and it's tight.
I mean REALLY tight.

Most little tiny cars have a hard time fitting in the side lanes with cars parked next to them let alone a big fat bus trying to squeeze into those lanes.

Most of the time the buses are on the right hand side and we're driving in those lanes praying to God that nobody opens a door at the last second.
No kiddos or pets dart between parked cars right in front of us.

Turns out that passengers in parked cars are three times more likely to get outta the car without checking traffic.
And accidents are happening three times more on the passenger side: doors being taken off, people getting hit, etc.
Seems that because the mirrors are not set for the passenger to see out of that side and because it's a habit for the driver to check the mirrors and not the passenger, the passenger is more likely to cause the accident.
Three times more likely.

So when a Driver is travelling down a street like Downing with cars tightly packed on BOTH sides, he's crossing fingers, praying to all the gods, hanging lucky rabbit feet and enlisting all the passengers to be look-outs.

All that said, keep any eye out before you get out of your car next time.
Drivers are looking for you but we're easier to see - so look before you leap.
Keep your doors, keep your mirrors and keep your dates by keeping alert.

Ok, that sounded really cheesy and public servicey.
Sorry...

Don't mind me, I'm just rambling my own opinions here - remember?
ha ha ha

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

You Late For An Important Date?

Lemme tell ya...

I soooo rarely "lose it" and it takes sooo much to push me to that point.
Usually when I get close I just stop, take a breath and move on.

And I take the bus back and forth almost every day, just like my passengers.
I know what it's like to miss my connections by one or two minutes and see the bus driving away.
Having to sit for sometimes 30 more minutes until the next bus comes.
But unlike some people, I plan ahead and I'm usually early.
Late buses or missed connections only get me where I wanted to go - "On Time" rather than early.

Today I was Driving a very packed and "busy" route.
A ton of professionals heading home.
It's early evening.
We're actually running a minute or two early.

When we come to a stop with a passenger who wants to board but needs the Lift.
So we stop, take an extra minute or two to accommodate the passenger and get on our way.

One of the regulars towards the front of the bus is being a jerk...checking his watch and giving me crusties through the mirror.
He keeps sighing out loud, looking at his watch as if it changed in the last 3 seconds since he checked it.

Normally I just ignore that and drive on, happy to be working and happy to have 59 other happy passengers.
But this passenger actually drew me close to stopping, opening the door and asking him to get out.
It's not my right, nor my job and the guy was never openly rude to the other passenger who needed the lift and seemingly ruined this guy's day!
And of course I didn't do it, I know better.

But I'll tell ya - I wanted to soo badly and that's so unlike me.
We never fell behind schedule and he wasn't "inconvenienced" but still...

Just be patient and polite.
It goes a long way when you're stuffed into a busy bus full of other passengers who just want to get home.
We all want to move as quickly and on time as possible.
One passenger being a jerk just slows us all down and draws a dark cloud over the rest of us.

Ugh - I'd rather be happy than be upset and offended like that guy made me feel today.

Sorry to the other passengers if you saw the smile fade for even a second.
I tried to recover as quickly as possible.
One passenger even asked me soon after, "You love your job, don't you? It shows!"

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

If You're Happy & You Know It...

If there is a check in the "Pro" Column when the home teams win,
it is there because it makes the passengers happy when they leave the game!

Tonight the Broncos won a Pre-Season game finally and the fans going home were in a good mood.
Why's that important, I'm just the Driver?

When you're already in a bad mood, had a few too many drinks and all you wanna do is get home and forget the night, it doesn't help matters when you're sitting in traffic and taking longer to get across an intersection than it would have taken to walk back to your car in the first place!

Everybody's attention turns to the Driver and it's usually not the good kinda attention that I want.

So when the home team wins, people are happy, laughing, making jokes.
Somebody cut me off in traffic and I had to hit the brakes.
The whole bus at the same time said, "Wooooooah!"

I immediately opened the mic and said,
"Sorry folks. I had to stop and give the guy in front of me room to roll back and forth over the Pittsburgh fan he just hit."

The bus exploded into laughter and applause.

That's fun.
Any other night when the home team loses, if I as much as look into the rear mirror at passengers, beer bottles and balls come flying up at me.

So yeah, thanks for the fun y'all.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

I'm Hardly Working - WAIT - I'm Working Hard!

I get asked this all the time:
"Is it hard to drive the bus?"

Nope.
The buses drive better than most of our personal vehicles.
Granted they weigh up to and beyond 33 tons and take three football fields to stop.
Granted the turning radius is wider than a 747 but c'mon...

Seriously, these things handle like dreams.

The hard part isn't driving the bus.
The hard part is not driving the bus like I'm in my personal vehicle.
We have 60 people in the bus with us who expect us to drive smoothly, to take off and stop at lights smoothly.
To take turns and change lanes smoothly.
To be safe, follow the speed limits and be courteous.
Can you imagine if I took the turns at the same speeds we do in our cars?
Or if I put the pedal to the metal when the light turned green?
How about standing on the brakes at the last second when the light turns red?

I've been in them so I know y'all have too - the buses where the Driver jerks around at stops and starts.
Folks getting on the bus and the Driver takes off, lead footed as everybody flies to the back of the bus...
I've had my phone and mp3 players join other passenger's toys as they all fly outta our hands, to the floor and to the front of the bus as the Driver stomps on the brakes, ten feet from the intersection's red light.

So yeah...
The hard part is not driving the bus, it's driving the bus like a professional Driver that's difficult.

The good Drivers are the ones you really never notice.


As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

You Can Ring My Bell.....

It never fails...
In the mornings, we're coming down I-25 in the HOV lane.
Heading into Downtown, coming upon that flyover that takes us to both 19th Street & Union Station.

As soon as we hit the flyover, as soon as we pass that bump in the road where the asphalt turns to concrete...
DING!

Somebody hits the stop request.

So my recommendation - heck, my REQUEST for this year's April Fools prank is for RTD to drop a bench and bus stop sign right next to the 40 mph sign on the curve of the flyover.
Just for the one day - one day only.

PLEASE?

As soon as they hit that bell, I'ma slow down and pretend to open the door.
The bus will go silent and I'm pretty sure they won't hit that bell again until we pull in the Station from then on!
Everybody's gonna be looking at the passenger who pulled the cord like, "Seriously, you want off here?"

ha ha ha ha
Please RTD?
C'mon, you know we won't actually let anybody off on the flyover but it'll be great for a laugh.
I don't even have to stop, just slow down a bit
(everybody will notice and wonder why we're about to stop)
and I can get on the mic and say, "Really? You want this stop?"
For the whole month on April, everytime the bus comes up to the flyover, those passengers will remember that stop and nobody is gonna touch that cord!

Oh yeah, and as always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Truth In Advertising

If you're ever at the Civic Center Station, make your way to 16th Street and check out this neon sign across the street at Jimmy John's Tastey Sub Shop:

"Free Smells"

OH SNAP! Tell Me You Didn't Really Say That?

Yeah, I put my best foot forward and stuck it in my mouth.

Let me set this up:
It's the middle of the afternoon - got to mid 90°s here in Denver.
An extremely stunning mom and her daughter are waiting at the next stop.
It's the tail end of summer here so you can tell they've enjoyed the sun.
Bronzed & fit, outfitted with Lady GaGa Bug Eyed sunglasses.
The apple didn't fall far from the tree with this mother and daughter combo.
Ok, got the picture?

So Mom gets on the bus with cash in her hand and daughter at her side waiting.
Mom asks me, "How much is the fare?"
I think I may have even stuttered my response,
"Two dollars for you and since your daughter is a student she's half with her ID."
I was proud of myself, I'd answered her question and made her day by giving her a good deal!

Time stopped.
I heard the sweat drip of a fly on the windshield.
Somewhere in the distance I heard plates shatter on a floor.
All the air went outta the bus as all the passengers gasped and held their breath.

Mom & daughter, in unison - gave me the crustiest looks and in stereo said:
"She's not my daughter." "She's not my mother."
And both showed me their college student IDs!
All I could do was sputter that those IDs covered their fares.

They went to opposite sides of the bus, not even friends let alone related.
Both had lifted their sunglasses onto their heads and proceeded to glare at me through the mirror for the rest of their rides.

That was the absolute quietest any of my routes has EVER been.

Yeah, I had a great day!
How about you?

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

I had a passenger ask me about the rate hikes RTD was proposing.
I wasn't able to respond because I hadn't heard anything regarding this.

So I went to the RTD site and found some information.
Before I go on with my opinions about this, I want to highly recommend y'all get to know the RTD site.
Not just because you can learn when to catch your bus & train but because every penny RTD gets is from YOU, the taxpayer & the rider.
You want to know that RTD is both spending your money wisely and that it is still worth your money.

That said, let's look at some of what the proposal reads.

It reads that next year, RTD will spend $18 million more than it makes.
Translating the explaination: the economy has killed sales tax and rider/fare revenues.

Some of the proposals to make up that difference include a fare increase.
But if you go back to the reason for the deficit, it sounds like the economy can't support this increase.
Nor would it be able to afford any sales tax increase.

The proposal mentions "3rd consecutive year of no salary increases"...
Let's get real here, nobody is getting raises in Colorado right now.
The economy is in the tank.
If the Rider & taxpayer can't afford tax and fare increases, they can't afford to give raises either.

Now we get to the points I felt were key here:
"Service Reductions & Hiring Limitations"

There are so many routes RTD puts me on during the week where I drive these big long accordian buses...empty.
Take the 116X as an example.
I think it runs every 20 minutes during peak times.
Drop that to once an hour or at least once every half hour and you'd fill a bus, pay for the gas and the only imposition to the passenger is that they have to get to their stop 15 minutes earlier.
Now on the other end of the spectrum is the 120X & 122X.
Those buses are PACKED - STANDING ROOM ONLY during peak times.
But they also run off peak and we can cut that too.

I think that setting runs back to every 30 minutes during peak, 60 minutes during off peak on most routes and maybe every 20 minutes on the very busy lines like the 0, 15, etc - would go a really long way towards cutting expenses, cutting fuel costs, cutting issues like the proganda I'm about to talk about concerning "Drivers shortages" etc.
And wouldn't be a hardship for most riders.

At the moment we're hearing that we have a Driver shortage.
But the last "vote" (where Drivers get to pick their assignments for the next 4 months) saw almost every route picked.
The few open runs after the vote were the itty bitty Peak Hour runs that are only one trip, one hour, etc.
And those would probably get cut if we smartly and carefully cut back service to the 30/60 model I recall growing up here in Denver in the 80s.
Drivers are being hired right off the street, in packs of 15 & 20 and put into service Full Time to fill all the runs.
The problems that could arise from this are many but one is that they won't last long.
We have half our new Drivers quitting within their first year.
The Union treats the Driver like crap - that's all for another post.
But rush new Drivers into service under pressure and they are going to be more likely to quit.

There are other issues the Drivers & RTD need to address (getting rid of the Union!) to reduce Driver loss that would also reduce the training costs, increase customer safety & satisfaction and retard the shortage issues.

Again, RTD would want me to remind you that these are all just my opinions and as you've read them tell us, they "neither endorse nor support" anything posted on this blog.
This is just me, a Driver & passenger and a taxpayer.

I want to encourage everybody to read and get involved in how RTD spends your tax dollars and fares.
This impacts us all, both the Driver and the Passenger.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

"Mommy, What's Wrong With The Driver?"

If you hear me laughing out loud up in the Driver's Seat - the answer is, "No, I'm not insane - well, not technically....YET!"

In the course of my day I get to look at my surroundings me over and over and over. I get to read some pretty funny names and signs.

For example:

"Pei Wei" (Pronounced "Pee Wee") - An Asian Health Food Diner...
"Ho Mei" (Pronounced "Homie") - A Chinese kitchen that serves Mexican food too!
"Wife Savor Laundromat" - I think the name explains itself - LOL

Come on, I don't care who you are - that's funny stuff.
I love a business owner who has a sense of humour!

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, read the signs - Let's Roll!"

It's That Time Again....

In just a few days the times will be a changin...

On August 22nd, 2010 the new Schedules will come out for the remainder of the year.
There are a grip of changes, of reductions, of seasonal changes, of modifications, etc.

The Drivers don't have the new schedules yet, we're still working with the current ones for the next week but I've heard that you Passengers can get your hands on the new schedules at both the Market & Civic Center Stations.

A sample of the changes would include the closure of the Stapleton Transit Center and the rerouting of  the Federal routes. Like Route 31 no longer goes into Downtown - it simply goes up (still doing the Westminster Mall Loop) and down Federal; down all the way to the Federal & Evans Hub.

In fact, I've heard that RTD no longer does the route 31, that it is now a private sector route. You know, one of the contractors who have those letters after the numbers on the buses and whose license plates are normal and don't have "GVT" on them...

And don't forget to contact RTD either by phone, mail or online and let us know how you felt about your Driver. Only the top say, 20 of 1000 Drivers have enough senority to keep picking the same (their favourite) routes so the odds are you're going to see new Drivers starting Sunday the 22nd. So let your (current) old Driver know how well you loved them by contacting RTD and letting their boss know.

Please make sure that you grab a new schedule for your routes by Sunday or come Monday on your way to work, you may be surprised.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Stop Following Me!

You know you're driving too much when....

I drive the accordian buses (the articulated bus) all the time.
I love them.

Most of the Drivers I know have either been mandated to work on their days off or are volunteering for extra work on their days off.

Just the other day, I was checking my mirrors as I was rounding a corner and I wondered why the driver behind me was on my bumper.
I caught myself thinking, "Get off my behind, Mister."
Then two seconds later realizing that was the back of my own bus!

And not just once but at least twice.

Are you kidding me?
Oh Em Gee - Becky

I need to get some sleep.

What Can Brown Do For You?

Nothing if he's on an RTD bus!

RTD Finally gave Drivers an optional coloured uniform.
We no longer have to look like UPS rejects.

We can now wear Nickel Grey & Black as well as the traditional Tan & Brown.

So climb aboard - check out our new duds.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Move Em Out!

Y'all know the bike racks on the front of our buses have those bright orange antenna like appendages on them, right?
I was told today that with the bike rack down, the appendage could be used to prod pedestrians to move faster through the crosswalks at intersections!
I'ma hafta try it one of these days.



Of course the folks who told me this were just joking...

I think!
LOL

That's What I Think...

So you've heard that my posts are just my personal opinions.

According to "RTD Legal" they neither sponsor nor endorse my opinions, thoughts, ideas and attitudes.
I'm just a Driver who happens to work for RTD and who drives a bus for a living; mediocre living that it is!
While occasionally you'll hear me mention CDL laws or RTD rules, please remember that RTD neither endorses nor sponsors...

LOL - ok, now I'm just being silly but I guess that's how I feel about RTD's "legal department".
I mean, seriously?
A bus operation needs an internet legal department?

Ok, so all that said I really only thought my fellow Drivers read my posts.
I don't know how they've found me nor do I know how many actually read this.
I know a few Drivers know who I am (although I'd rather keep that a secret so I can post my opinions without fear of revenge...) and they ask me a ton of questions and give me a ton of requests for posts.
As I've said, a couple want to write some posts themselves.
I've even received a few questions from readers that would seem to be Passengers and not my fellow Drivers.

I'll answer questions now and again (I'll start with a couple here) but I don't think I'll allow comments on this blog.
Some of the mail & comments I get is inappropriate and vulgar/violent.
But I do plan to respond to that hate mail as well so keep it coming folks!

Questions:


Q: Why won't you post the license plates and pictures of the cars who cut the buses off and who drive like (censored)?
A: Yeah, this was obviously from a fellow Driver who is upset with the amount of rude drivers here in Denver who have no respect for the bus. I've explained before that revenge at all, let alone this type of revenge is not appropriate of an RTD Driver. RTD didn't hire us because we have short fuses or tempers. They hired us because we make smart choices and decisions. Because we are long suffering and patient. Because we let crap roll off our shoulders, keep on smiling and do our jobs. Our concerns are for the safety of the Passenger, not the butt nugget in front of us.

Q: Why do you drive away while passengers are yelling and chasing the bus?
A: This was from a Passenger - I could tell by the way it was worded and I rewrote the question so it is easier to correctly answer. If you have been to an RTD transfer center or park n ride, you've noticed the signs posted nearly EVERYWHERE you point your head. The signs instruct passengers NOT to chase the buses or to expect to be allowed to board at any other spot than the loading gates. There is a HUGE safety concern that causes these signs. I watch the news like many of you and I've seen reports not only here in Denver but around the country of passengers who chase a bus, pound on the back as they run after it...
Slip, fall and get run over.
It is extremely dangerous to chase a bus. If you've seated yourself close to the Driver you've noticed how loud it is in the cockpit. We have road noise, fans, engines, brakes, air actuators, etc and we're lucky if we can hear our own thoughts let alone somebody outside hollering at the bus. We are very aware that folks may be chasing the bus while we're in the stations so we drive slowly and carefully and pay particular attention to the sides and back of our bus as we pull away. But there are blind spots, and people are small compared to the bus so y'all can pop in or out of sight within a second and that's all it takes for an accident to happen.
I really hate to be this rude but if you can help it, be early to the bus - whether this means taking an earlier connection or simply leaving the house a few minutes earlier.
We'll do our best to keep you safe but we need your help - please don't chase the bus, it's far too dangerous. You may be late because you missed a bus but at least you'll get to work at all.

Ok, I've got a ton more questions to answer but this post is long enough.
I picked these two because I've talked about them before so they were low hanging fruit - easy to pick.
I'll answer more later, so keep em coming.

And remember:
These are just my opinions and RTD neither endorses nor supports.....

Ha ha ha ha
As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Need A Ride?

If somebody is standing at a stop that is marked for the route we're on, I have to stop.
Occasionally you'll see the one person at the stop wave the bus on.
Otherwise, I need to stop.

Open the door and call out the route, the direction, etc.
I don't know who can't read the bus.
I don't know who can't see the bus.
I don't know who fell asleep waiting for the bus.
I don't know who has their earphones on and didn't hear the bus approach.

I need to accommodate everybody.

So I appreciate your patience while we stop and you hear me calling out this information.
It may take an extra few seconds but it may save another passenger their job, their time, their home, who knows - just because they made their bus.

Someday that passenger may be you...

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

And Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled...

Ugh...
I've been hesitant to post again thanks to the notice by my employer that they are "eye-ballin" me.
Oh well, I mean I know that they have to distance themselves from views that are not politically correct.
I understand the whole, "We don't sponsor or endorse..." anything I write, say or do.
I just hope that doesn't mean they don't agree with much of what I write.
After-all, I love customers.
I'm always putting y'all first and believe the number one priority (besides safety of course) is the customer/passenger.

Speaking of not sponsoring or endorsing something...
I'm not a fan of the Union, in case y'all didn't already notice this.
So lemme ask you this:
In "the real world" what employer can require an employee to come in for 15 hours but only pay for 8?
Nobody's fooled by the "take a couple of hours off but be back here in two hours..." slight of hand.
And in the real world, what employer can get away with taking two equal employees but discriminating against the senior and chosing the junior employee for a promotion?

Ok, I'm getting off the subject here.
I understand RTD coming down on me and letting me know they see me.
I changed the Logo of this blog and I'm pretty sure everybody understands that RTD doesn't "sponsor or endorse" this blog.
I'm over it and will get back to posting for y'all.

And I've gotten requests from a few Senior Drivers (three actually) who want to write something for the blog.
Soon there will be more than just me relaying to you our tips, trips and adventures.

In the meantime, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"