Trained to care: New bus drivers undergo rigorous training
Under the supervision of a training instructor, driver trainees get behind the wheel on their second day of class. Their intensive training takes three weeks.
Metro Transit hired more than 300 new bus drivers last year to keep up with expanding service, contracts to operate Sound Transit routes and retiring drivers. Each of those drivers will have spent three weeks in a rigorous training program before being certified as road ready.
Their training requires personal evaluations, classroom instruction and lots of time behind the wheel of the training coaches--on both a closed course and the open road.
Because Metro service peaks in the morning and evening rush hours, the system relies heavily on part-time drivers whose workweek consists of a morning or evening rush-hour shift.
"Due to the hot job market, it's getting harder to find people interested in this type of part-time work, but the ones we do hire are excellent employees," said Michael List, supervisor of operations training. "We have a broad range of part-time drivers--retired Metro drivers, other young retirees, students, artists, mothers of school-age children and those who want to step up to become a full-time driver."
List is proud of the success rate of Metro's training program. Of those 300 drivers hired in 2000, very few failed to successfully complete their one-year probation.
Driving a bus for Metro Transit is an important job. Not only do bus drivers have to navigate a 2,134-square-mile region filled with driving challenges, but they also interact with a variety of people every day. They need good driving skills, confidence, the ability to communicate, flexibility, common sense and patience.
The hiring process begins with a brief overview orientation and a video test that evaluates customer relations skills. If job candidates pass the video test, they are fingerprinted, given an in-depth interview and told to obtain a commercial driver's license.
In the interview their driving record is scrutinized. They are asked about their work habits--particularly attendance and punctuality. The candidates are also given theoretical questions involving customer service to answer and asked to read and answer questions about Metro policy.
All applicants are required to pass a drug test before employment, and once they are hired, they will be subject to random, post-accident and follow-up drug testing.
Those who pass the interview and initial screening then begin an intensive three-week training program.
Eight days during the training period are spent in the classroom covering policies, procedures and customer service, and becoming familiar with the six different kinds of buses Metro operates.
By the second day of training, the candidates are behind the wheel for eight hours of practice starting out on Metro's training course in Tukwila. Driving a big articulated bus isn't hard; it operates very much like a car. What is difficult is maneuvering 60 feet of metal and rubber around corners, up to curbs, and in and out of lane changes. Still, most driver candidates are ready to take an empty bus out on the real road that first day under the guidance of a supervisor.
Most practice driving is done on weekends. By the last week of training, the trainee is driving an actual route with an instructing operator. Then it's time to meet the customers during rush hour for an additional three days of instructor-supervised training.
"Our training program has an 80 percent success rate," List said. "We're very proud of the quality of drivers who graduate from our program."
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