The Dao of Doug 2: The Art of Driving a Bus: Keeping Zen in San Francisco Transit: A Line Trainer's Guide

by Douglas Meriwether

Overview

“Do you have a car?”

“Yes, I do, and you’re sitting in it! Today’s car number is 5481. I get a new car everyday, and I can hold up to fifty people at once! I get to take you where you want to go and get paid to do it. I don’t have to worry about parking, because it is free. I don’t have to pay for gas because this car uses free city hydroelectric power. I have a camera to send a bill to someone blocking my parking space. If there is any trouble, help can be here in three minutes. I sold my truck when I moved here and I haven’t had to pay for tires, batteries, gas, parking, or insurance. My employer is my insurance company. The money is coming in, not going out. I am kind of like the ultimate in ride share, without any carbon emission!”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452522814
Publisher:	Balboa Press
Publication date:	01/21/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	196
File size:	5 MB

Read an Excerpt

The Dao of Doug 2: The Art of Driving A Bus

Keeping Zen in San Francisco Transit: A Line Trainer's Guide

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By DOUGLAS MERIWETHER

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2015 Douglas Meriwether
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-2280-7

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CHAPTER 1

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

I was asked why I wrote a book about being a bus driver in San Francisco. The first reason was in answer to why I am here. "We are all here to do what we are all here to do," as the Oracle tells Neo in the Matrix trilogy. Being of service was and is my first motive to get what I learned down on paper. As a guide for those who follow me at the job, I hope to provide a higher vantage point from which to see what lies ahead on the road. And not just with the drive-cam evidence at a Skelley (disciplinary) hearing! To get us on the same page. And for the public at large to get an understanding, a wakeup call, how to smooth the ride.

Where we place the door seems to baffle most intending passengers. The distraction of showing a transfer at an awkward, unsafe moment also causes complaints to arise from our aggravated tone of voice, with a complete lack of understanding of why. Our passion about safety is a first priority, and the challenge is in trying to relay much experience in a short span of time. This relay is what this book is all about. We have reasons for why we do what we do, and if this is understood, another angel can be with us on the bus, and not in the complaint cue.

When patrons rush to the door, they are just as unsure about what to expect from the bus driver as I am of them. If anything written here stirs controversy (although not my intent), it would be worth it to get into a conversation about what has worked and what has not: To see through eyes of interconnectedness, not isolated in our car with the windows up (except for a hand sticking out with the single middle finger in the air as it passes by the bus) is my hope.

The "caution and reinstruct" love letter from our superintendent after an incident, comes without the necessary clarity about our part, and their part, in causing the conflict. It is the proposed solution for next time and an opportunity, through our Zen-like mastery, to state safety needs without an angry or harsh tone.

Preconceived notions or attachment to something else is what's usually behind a service complaint. It is often not what is said, but the tone in which it was said. In the flash-of-the-pan moment, this becomes almost impossible; but on the pages of this tome, a "space cushion" remains.

This space cushion we are trained to keep around our bus at all times goes a long way toward explaining why we are splitting the lane or driving down both lanes of traffic in the Mission or on Van Ness. We are avoiding car doors, skaters, bike riders, and the person with the door open at their parked car. We can't answer your question right now because we are busy looking at the show in front of, and up to, one-to-two blocks ahead. Now sit down and be still, please. Or as you sometimes say to us, "Shut-up and drive the bus," and "Just do your job." Surprise, surprise. We are and you're not helping!

I am continually returned to the state of abashment at the attempts to destroy the self-possession or self-confidence of my integrity and job experience. Someone enters and alights before I have a chance to answer and complains of discourtesy. A motorist rushes ahead, only to block the lane to wait for a parking space. A "fixie" on his bike passes on the right and stands in the crosswalk, preventing a right turn on red. It's an assigned penalty in a love letter that proposes no solution. The other reason for this book is to respond to the continual bombardment from the press, the public, and those in "authority," of our operators' response, "Try a week, a day behind the wheel, and then tell me what you think!"

In the past year, I have received feedback from passengers, coworkers, and other, newer operators, and I hope this follow-up sequel answers the questions I still get about issues or topics not found in book one, Finding Zen. The glossary in the back of this sequel is a tool to help understand words with which you may be unfamiliar. A Skelley, just used above, for example, is that first part of progressive discipline between the manager, the union representative, and the self that tries to follow due process leading to the penalty box.

Fortunately, classes are given on a regular basis in the training department to keep the information fresh. We have AR training (Accident Review), VTT class (Verified Transit Training), and requalification for those who haven't been behind the wheel for sixty days. This Line Trainer's Guide is just another point of information to get us on the same page. When I see the small coincidence of right action and joy around me on the bus and on the street, I get such a smile and a laugh and realize I am in the right place at the right time.

This book, and the stories within its chapters, are from intense passions released in the never-dull moments of driving a ten-ton vehicle on overhead wires in San Francisco. The life of a trolley operator contains all the challenge I ever need in a job. Thank you for reading. Thank you for riding!

CHAPTER 2

THE COLAS AND SALT POSSE

In receiving feedback from new operators who were interested in my first book about finding Zen, they thought that the "guidebook" would contain factual information about passing the tests for getting a class B license. This chapter is a response. One of the more stressful tests in becoming a qualified operator in the state is to pass the air brake test. The air brake test can be stressful, especially if memorization skills are rusty. The acronyms, COLA, and SALT POSSE, helped me get the air brake check lined up in the correct order so the qualified state inspector would be put at ease and would, therefore, put me at ease to increase the chances of passing the test.

Knowing that COLA is the first part of the air brake test, C stands for cut-in, O for cut-out, L for LAWD, the low air warning device, and A for air or the beginning of the air leakage rate tests.

C—After chocking the rear wheel on the right, turn on master control, and between pumps in the service brake, you are lowering the air on the needle to get the compressor to cut-in and begin restoring air to the tanks. The cut-in should occur at or slightly below 85 psi (pounds per square inch), and the cut-out should be at 125 psi. During the test, you must state that you are seeing the needle start to rise to confirm that the air governor has cut in.

O—Stop pumping the brake to bleed the air, and then wait for cut-out. To confirm this and to pass the test, you must say, The needle has stopped rising. This occurs at 125 psi.

L—Now comes the low air warning device. Continue to pump and bleed so that the needles drop out of operating range and down to 55-to-75 psi. This is when an alarm should sound. Continue until the parking brake pops up at around 40 psi.

A—This is an automatic safety feature that will hold the coach when air is dropping. Let the air rebuild, and get ready to perform the air leakage rate tests, S.A.L.T. Always state air in pounds per square inch and not just say the number 85 or 125, but 85 psi or 125 psi.

SALT is an acronym for the standard air leakage test. This begins by turning off master control and placing your foot on the service brake for one minute and watching the air gauge needle to see that it does not drop more than 3 psi. [The minimum brake test, for example, where we put our foot down on the power pedal to see if the bus won't move with the parking brake on, has been cut. The equipment from the Czech Republic, the ETI Skoda, fails this test, as the hill climber was built into the points of power on this bus. The hill climber helps us up steep hills.]

We then go on to POSSE: I am going to check my air leakage for the P, parking brake, the O, open lines, the S, static air leakage test, the S, service brake, and the E, emergency brake. The last two, S and E, are called the rolling brake tests where you accelerate and use the service brake in a smooth, controlled stop and in an abrupt stop. The emergency brake test is applied to see if the coach is held by the brakes; it used to be a part of the minimum brake test whereby you would put on the parking brake and then depress the power pedal to see if the bus would roll or not. But if you do state the items of POSSE to the instructor, you let him know that you've been around a while and have knowledge of the requirements of previous years.

I would always be confused about the word static. What the heck does that mean? When coupled with its opposite, dynamic, I realized static means not changing or not moving, like the dynamic brakes that engage after the air brakes when coming to a complete stop. The air brakes are then what hold the coach on the hill by use of the hill holder. This toggle button holds the coach by the air brakes so that you can rest your foot on the brake pedal. This switch is part of the interlock system used by the back doors and is active when the green light is on above the rear door. The door dial and hill holder both hold the coach by the air brakes, but the service brake should be used before a smooth start or stop. The rear of the coach is where the front spring is compressed or uncompressed and is the primary system for keeping the coach stopped. The secondary system is in the front. The two gauges you see on the dash have two needles. The white is always the rear. It is the primary brake system. The spring brake is another name for this white needle, primary air brake system. In older flyer coaches, the green needle is for the rear air.

The secondary system is signified by the red needle and is for the front tanks. This one is usually moving behind the other needle, depending on where the air compressor is and how far the lines and tanks are from the compressor. That loud pop you guys hear is when the tanks are full, and cut-out has been reached. This pop, however, is no longer a part of the DMV test, as other secondary systems on certain manufacturers of equipment have surge suppression for kneelers, stabilizer levelers, or water vapor "dryers" that can make a similar pop sound and not reflect that the primary tank is full. Once again, the new statement you must make to the DMV State Instructor to pass the air governor cut-out test is to say, The needle has stopped rising. The pop you may or may not hear can give you the clue, but you must base your observation on the needle and not the pop.

As a motorist, I never knew that the service brake was the correct name for what most people just called the brake. The emergency brake is also called the parking brake. So I came to believe that if I was ever to talk to a professional driver (perhaps at a truck stop), the terms service brake and parking brake would telegraph status above Class C. So much is understood with knowing how brakes work and what items are needed to check with preoperation that, seeing a motorist pull away on a cold day without defrosting or scraping the windows, shows a neglect that is not safe or professional. This brings us to the first part of taking the bus out as a professional, the pre-op or preoperational checklist before going into revenue service.

CHAPTER 3

PRE-OP

Muni instructors are good at this, as are all state-qualified trainers. This test is much easier when you are in the bus and moving slowly around the points to be covered. As long as you pan around with a mental note of where you are, you simply describe everything as you walk around. The required things you must now say to yourself are as follows:

Mirrors: I will adjust them later. Tires: I cannot have retread, regrooved, or recapped ones on the front, but I can on the back, and they must be the same size, same type. I would check between the rear tandem tires to see if there is debris. If I had a mallet, I would check air pressure. Do not kick the tires. This does not gain extra credit.

For the front of the coach, a W pattern from ID lights to the wipers and across works best. Looking down the side of the coach, verbalize that you are checking the windows to make sure they are secure.

Upon entering the coach and after checking aisles, windows, ER exit latches, roof hatches, chime cords, hand holds, seats and stanchions, wheel chair area, fire extinguisher, wheel blocks, safety cone, close the door and put on your seatbelt.

Important things to remember on a daily basis are to check the rope tension on the poles in the back of the trolley. The poles have a specific slot at forty-five degrees from the angle on the roof whereby the pole can be lowered to inspect the collectors, the carbon in the brasserie, and the shunt wires and swivel rotation of the collector. The collectors are the two swivels at the end of the pole that collect the power. The shunt wires are the two wires that move this power down the pole to the inverter so the bus system can be powered.

It quickly becomes obvious that other fixed objects can block you from lowering the pole to eye level, so whenever checking this (even on a track in the yard), you may have to move to a more favorable location. It's important to have both wires down when doing this, unless you want to see how far you can fly off the ground when your body becomes the ground for the 600 volts of direct current. Not a good idea to be doing this in a puddle of water in the rain with metal toe guards in your shoes.

Setting up the coach in the seat requires more than what you are taught for pre-op by the state test. You do need to see if master control is in the correct setting if the bus has been turned on by the yard starter and that the fare box is not blocked. Setting the pattern, the destination, and the run sign all take time each morning or at relief. These procedures are not part of regular training to pass the test. If the DVAS (Digital Voice Activated System) is making a recurring announcement, the run sign may not update. Also, if the buttons on the DVAS are sticky or picky, it may take extra time to get displays correct. The wheel blocks and cones are a big deal. If you have no cone or wheel block, that is a warning sign that the bus may be trouble. If the bus needed these during the last shift, why are they missing now? Did the shop take them? Were they used somewhere else? The odds you will need them go way up if the bus is missing them.

Inevitably, what is not checked is missing or is what you will need later on in the day. Keep your Zen! Keep your job!

CHAPTER 4

MIRROR, MIRROR

This is a great follow-up chapter, especially after an accident. In fact, it was after an accident that I had to relearn the art of mirror placement and view. The subtleties in rocker arm angle and tightness of the joints make for a challenge to get the best view from the seatback. Changing the elevation of the seat and the distance from the pedals can cut off a small, but critical, sliver of blind spot view towards the rear that becomes really important really fast when leaving the curb or passing double-parked vehicles.

In training, the famous wheel block example comes to mind. The instructor places a wheel block even with the footprint of the rear tire and asks the student to center the wheel block in the bottom view of the flat mirror from the driver's seat. The view in the rectangle of our mirror should place the wheel block at the center of the rear tire in the middle of the bottom frame of the mirror. Seat adjustment also comes into play. Am I high and tight or low-rider and reclined?

This makes a difference in revenue service at the relief point. Is the operator I relieve shorter or taller? I can either adjust the seat to keep the mirrors aligned, or I can raise or lower the seat and then tilt the mirrors. The rush to keep the beat may have to wait for this critical pause when "sliding seats."

I usually keep the seat in the same position as the operator I relieve to see how it fits my body first. But I check the elevation of the curbside mirrors immediately and use the joystick to change the angle on a mirror, if it no longer fits my height in the chair. I don't get cramps or twists in my back or legs from riding in the same position day after day, week after week when I change how I sit and how I angle the mirrors. With the older buses, it's usually easier to adjust the seat rather than the mirrors.

Most of us have found the universal position for the mirrors on the older buses and have come to believe that an attempt to move the rocker arm and angle of the mirror becomes like the cartoon of sawing off legs on a chair to keep it from rocking. One tap on the mirror can cause more problems than it's worth. Moving the chair to fit the mirror is usually okay if my legs can reach the power pedal and brake without any play. I know that taking the time to get the mirrors right is my highest priority.

Right now, I am seeing that my interior mirror angle needs lowering so that I can get better coverage of the seats in front of the middle or rear door. I have been switched on to a "drive cam mode" in my mind's eye. That is to say, I am missing passenger complaints because I am scanning what is going on within the coach. Mirrors are not only helpful for scanning traffic hazards outside of the bus, but also for what is going on inside. The miracle of the appearance of having eyes behind my head or intuitively opening the door without a ring comes from how I set my mirrors. Keeping Zen is much easier than guessing about what may happen next.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Dao of Doug 2: The Art of Driving A Bus by DOUGLAS MERIWETHER. Copyright © 2015 Douglas Meriwether. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Why I Wrote This Book, 1,
The COLAs and SALT POSSE, 4,
Pre-op, 7,
Mirror, Mirror, 9,
LPO, 11,
Timed Transfers, 13,
Transfer Cut, 16,
Not a Bus ... a Person Driving a Bus, 19,
Cloak of Invisibility, 23,
The Kneeler, 27,
Flip-Up Seats, 29,
Avenues or Streets?, 31,
Islands and Curbs, 33,
Crunch Zone, 36,
APC Coach, 38,
Over There, 40,
Flat Tire, 41,
Hot Lunch, 44,
Car Cleaners, 46,
Safe Driver Award, 48,
Open Run, 52,
Follow My Leader, 54,
Restricted Mode, 56,
Upper Yard, 58,
EPU, 60,
The Long and the Short of It, 64,
Big Mouths and Cry-babies, 69,
We've Been Waiting an Hour, 71,
Stop Request, 73,
Late Ring, 76,
Motor Coach, 79,
Open Trench, 81,
Buttonhook, 83,
Jay Walkers, 85,
Bike Rack v. The Wiggle, 87,
Frisco, 90,
Retrievers, 91,
Road Call, 93,
The Overhead, 97,
Drop and Rack, 104,
Service Dogs, 107,
Faux Pas Number 117, 108,
Rolling Delay, 111,
Blocked Zone, 114,
One Block Spacing, 117,
The Flag Stop, 120,
Reading On Muni, 122,
The PA: Calling Out Stops, 124,
VTT, 127,
Range Sheets, 130,
Relief Time, 134,
Sliding Seats, 136,
GSU, 138,
Stop Sign and the Four-Way Stop, 140,
Not My First Rodeo, 142,
Running Time, 144,
Leaving Time, 147,
Splits, 149,
Drive Camera: Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, 151,
Straight Through, 153,
Owls and Twilights, 156,
The Tower, 157,
Beep Beep, 159,
Sacramento, 161,
Line Trainer, 165,
Lost and Found, 167,
Dust Cover Jacket, 173,
Glossary, 175,
Song of the Trolley Man, 179,