BusTalk

[frankie]

To Mr L and other drivers past and present: I've always wondered what it's like to be driving a bus for the first time. I've never driven one - I'm just a passenger at heart! Is it like taking your auto driver's test to get your driver's license?

When on the road for the first time, do they give you an older bus in case you damage it and they don't care and then you graduate to the newer buses to learn to drive? As for NY buses - especially when there were multi companies, did each company have their own route to practice on or did the training take place on the company's premises? Once you passed, do they put you on assignment right away? Do they give you an easy route at first, then move up to more challenging routes?

Is driver's training the same now as it was back in the days of non-electronics?

And out of curiosity, what was your reaction or impression when you stepped down from the bus after driving for the first time?

Yeah, I know! So many questions, but I think I can speak for others than myself with this inquiry.

Thanks gentlemen and my hats are off for all of you drivers who have make each trip a safe one! Your professionalism was well earned and appreciated.

Frankie

[JimmiB]

Frankie,
When I was hired by the Reading (PA) Bus Co. in the mid 60's, the largest thing I ever drove before was a dry cleaner's truck. I think that the first time behind the wheel was the sort of apprehension you have when getting your license.
The program they had was a couple of days of classroom to give you company policies and other general indoctrination. After that our group (I think there were 10 of us) spend a few days just riding with the instructor while he explained how everything worked and tips on how to handle a bus. Only after that were we allowed behind the wheel and learned the hard way how to not "curb" the rear wheels among other things.
Once the instructor was satisfied with your driving, you were given a check list and had to (on your own time) ride and drive every route. The regular driver had to sign your list when he thought you could handle that route.
When I drove in Lebanon, PA, I spent a couple of years as the driver instructor. That was pretty easy since this was at the time the CDL license went into effect and we only hired CDL drivers. So, they all had some experience with either trucks or buses. The only hard part was trying to explain to truck drivers who wanted to drive charter bus that the shift lever was working a transmission in the rear of the bus. You're not sitting over the tranny. It's a whole different feel.
Over all, just as a new car driver, once you get used to it...it becomes second nature. In fact, I'd rather drive a bus than a car. I like sitting up higher and being able to see ahead much better than in a car.

[Mr. Linsky]

frankie,

What JimmiB wrote so eloquently pretty much sums up the basic experience.

At Green Line (NY) we had about three days of classroom theory followed by practice driving for about a week at either the parking lots of Jacob Riis Park in Rockaway or the 'runways' at Floyd Bennett Field across Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn.

The last days of training were spent behind the wheel driving the routes (every one of them) but not picking up passengers (the company provided very detailed little maps of each route that became our homework!).

I was not nervous in driver training but I do have to admit that I did have butterflies in my stomach on day one of actual work but that passed very quickly.

As far as what we drove; as seasonal help we did mostly vacation relief, rush hour shuttles on heavily traveled lines and specials to Rockaway's beaches on whatever buses were assigned to us whether new or old (except that I never had the opportunity to drive any of the GM New Looks which had just arrived on the property).

I have to tell you that the very first thing that our teacher impressed upon us was the fact that we were now going to be driving a vehicle with the front wheels behind us! (and was he right - that took a little bit of getting used to!).

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my three summers with the company along with the people I met and the life experiences that it taught me.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Hankg42]

I have always appreciated the acquired skills, after training and experience, that a transit driver possesses. Navigating in heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic is certainly a challenge. One thing I saw that amazed me was my dad, parallel parking an NYCTA Mack C-49DT, in between 2 others, on the "opposite side" of the ramp at St. George on Staten Island. He did it as easy as if he were driving our Chevy station wagon. A vivid memory.

[JimmiB]

Hankg42,
My wife was waiting to join me for lunch one time and I parallel parked a GM old look between two others. She said that I don't do that well with a car.
Mr.L reminded me that my instructor stressed the same thing. You're sitting in front of the wheels !!! Doesn't take long to get used to but at first it sure is a strange feeling.

[Hankg42]

Yes, my dad always reminded me of the fact that the driver was in front of the wheels, and how you had to negotiate a tight turn, of which there were many on Staten Island. To this day, it amazes me how drivers of a standard size car think they have to swing out to the left to make a right turn. What would they do with a 40 foot bus?

[traildriver]

This may sound incredible, but a friend of mine when he was about 18 years old, had never driven a car, but actually learned to drive on a bus!
His first driving experience was in Clemente's rest stop, at State Road, Delaware behind the wheel of a Carolina Coach PD-4104. He eventually went on to becoming a Greyhound mechanic at New York garage (now the MTA Quill depot), then when he turned 24, became a Greyhound driver, at Indianapolis. He left the company during the big strike in '87.

[JimmiB]

Hats off to anyone who learned to drive in an '04.

[traildriver]

Nowadays, some major transit properties have realistic simulators to teach new hires to drive on, before turning them loose on a real bus...