Rolling Stone?

I wanted to use snowball as the title of this blog but I'm told I already have so let's try this one...
This is how my day started:

I did an AM Express run that starts way out West of Denver and comes into the Civic Centre Station then heads out to become a local route.
I've explained to y'all before how these insert routes run.

I'm spot on time to start, pick up my first handful of regulars at the Park N Ride and as we leave, we immediately hit the first 3 stop lights in a row.
No biggy but that's a first and it sets us behind by at least three minutes right off the bat.
Not a good start for an Express.

Then we pick up a new passenger right in the middle of a long stretch of a higher speed limit road, where there hasn't been a passenger all year long so far.
Again, no biggy but it sets us back another minute as I slow down, wait 30 seconds for the passenger to come aboard, find his seat and ramp back up to the speed limit.

By now, we're only 5 minutes into the route (schedule wise) but already 4 minutes behind.
And the regulars are used to me being freaking spot on time, so much so that as I'm coming up to two of the next stops, I see the regulars walking AWAY  - back to their homes to wait for the next bus.

I had to honk to get their attention so they can come with us.
Turns out, they figured that since they didn't see me, they were too late to the stop - they didn't realize that I was late - which is a first on this route.

But that snowballed (there's that word) as the route goes on.
As we get more behind, we start hitting traffic lights out of sync.
Meaning we start hitting ALL the lights red rather than breezing down the road in sync as we do every morning.
This sets us more behind with each light.

I noticed that more and more regulars have gone missing - I'm assuming that they figured they've missed me as well.

But as we fall even further behind, we start encountering heavier traffic because we're outta sync and you can guess it...
We fall furher and further behind.

As we hit 6th Avenue to head Downtown, since we're so outta sync, we fall into full on traffic that causes us to sit and wait.
Taking at least 15 minutes to get into town rather than the shorter 6ish.
So yes, we're FAR FAR behind now.

And of course you can see this coming but as we hit Lincoln, the traffic is bumper to bumper and once we get into the Station, it takes close to five minutes to get out instead of the single minute for me to get in and out normally.

But don't forget, I have another route into which I'm inserted in the morning.
I still have to get to that and it takes at least 15 minutes on a normal, dry, sunny warm day.

Today's anything but normal at this point and by the time I get to the beginning of the next route, through more heavy highway and surface street traffic, I'm a full ten minutes behind.

Passengers are looking at me like I'm nuts.
The next bus on the route is only 5 minutes behind me by now.
I'm so far behind that I'm picking up more passengers than normal, folks who are five minutes early for the next bus are already there and wondering who the heck I am.
So that slows me down even further.

To the point that once I get back into town, the bus behind me, who has had nobody to pick up since I've gotten all his regulars...is right on my tail and he's thinking I'm a big nimrod & probably some new Driver who has no idea what he's doing.

And I don't know if you've been on Broadway yet this week but it's been repainted for construction and there is heavy traffic on it now.
Trying to cross or travel Broadway for the next while will be near impossible - on a schedule at least.

By the time I reached the end of my run, I was so late I considered sleeping in the bus and just pulling out for my next asignment.
Well, not that late but you get the point.

So you can see how a butterfly moving his wings in Africa can cause hurricanes in North America.
One new Passenger, one out of sync red light and BLAM-O!

A perfectly sunny, warm, dry day and I'm later than if it were 8" inches of snow and -30° outside.
How embarassing.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, hang on to your patience - Let's Roll!"

Side Note To The Media:

I was recently contacted by a local news outlet here in Denver.
I was asked if I'd comment on and answer a few questions.

I ignored the request but she resent it again the other day.

So I gotta add this as a side note, to remind her and all the readers:

I don't speak for RTD.
I only drive for RTD.
I'ma company man, I do what I'm told.
And I'm told I don't speak for the company.

This is my personal blog, just the thoughts and opinions of some random guy who just happens to drive a bus.

If you want official answers to your questions, please contact RTD.
I've seen you (the person who sent the request) talking to them many times before so I know you already know their numbers and possibly even their personal email addresses.

Please don't ask me again.

RTD neither condones nor endorses my blog, my thoughts or my opinions posted here.
These are just my ramblings.
The mean nothing to anybody but me.

There, got that outta the way...yet again!

Imagine All The People...

RTD is asking to raise taxes again.

I may have supported raising fares because that caused those who actually use RTD to pay for their service but I can't quite find the justification to get my support for raising taxes to the general public.
Keep in mind, statistics show that 40% of folks who live in this country don't even pay taxes.
That means the rest of us pay for services that we probably don't use, so that those who don't pay for it, can use it.

RTD reports that there were 97 million "boardings" in 2010.
That means that one passenger could have been jumping on 11 thousand times an hour last year.

LOL - more likely not but hey, it coulda happened!

Here's an example:
RTD (not including the private companies running RTD routes) has more than 400 routes/runs a day.
We'll use 400 to be conservative.
Most RTD buses (that RTD uses - not the privates who use RTD buses) have more than 40 seats but we'll use 40 as a conservative number.
Most routes have more than one run back and forth but to be conservative, let's just assume each only goes once per day.
We've all been on the bus at least once when it's packed full and many buses do that several times a run: take the 122X or 120X as examples.
So if each of the 400 runs fills up once with 40 people that's 16000 passengers each day, times 365 days is 5,840,000 a year.
The average passenger has to take at least one transfer to get to their destination each day so that's 4 boardings per passenger a day making it 23,360,000 boardings a year.

So you can see how only 16,000 "regulars" can account for 25% of the 97 million boardings a year, using conservative numbers.
And we didn't take into consideration the Mall Shuttles, the Light Rails and all the other packed full runs on each route, not to mention the weekend & holiday hordes that pack buses until folks are hanging out the windows just to fit in!

All that to say, there could be only 65 thousand people using RTD on a regular basis, many of whom get discounted prices, have employers who pay for their fares, or who don't pay the fares at all - and the tax payer is shouldering the burden of financial support.
The Front Range boasts more than 2,195,000 tax payers.
Potentially that's only 3% of the population riding what the rest pay for.

All these numbers are not exact but mostly just conservative guestimates to make a point.

Don't get me wrong, this is my job: Driving for even just 65,000 people a day every day of the year.
And I LOVE doing it.

But I don't believe RTD should raise taxes on the rest of the people to support the few who use it.
I believe that the services should be supported by those who use them.

Then again, that's just me and I'm sure I only represent a tiny percentage of the population who feels this way.
I'm just some guy who drives a bus.

As Always, "Welcome aboard that bus, find your seats - Let's Roll!"

Ride Like The Wind...

Bikes on the bus?
The bus only has room for two bikes on the rack in the front.
Some of the big buses (the large airline seat tour buses) have compartments underneath where you can fit more.

But the majority of the city buses only have room for those two bikes on the rack.

Never fear, your friendly Drivers are here!

If it is safe and there is room, we allow Passngers to board with their bikes on the back of the bus.
The back has more room than the front.
Bikes can be kept out of the path to the front door and lift.

I had an accordian bus packed and still had room for a group of four bikers who all sat on the side seats in the back.
They all locked their front tires to the hand rail near the ceiling then sat in their seats and held the bottoms of their bikes from banging into other passengers.
It was a wall of bikes with their riders safely and comfortably behind the wall in their seats.

I was really impressed!

If you load your bike into the back of the bus, you're just asked to be safe and considerate.
Please remember that other passengers are counting on you to keep your bike from getting their clothing greasey, dirty or damaged.

All that said, do remember that if the rack is full and there is room in the back, you're more than welcome to load the bike in the back of the bus.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, hang onto your bikes - Let's Roll!"

Be Kind, Rewind

Some of us Drivers go to great lengths to make certain the bus is clean.
We clean all the trash from the seats and floors.
We clean the windows and keep some open to allow fresh air to circulate.

We manage the thermostat to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible.

We clean and iron our uniforms.
We stay well groomed and shower.
We use aftershaves, colognes, brush our teeth and chew gum.

Other Drivers have even taught me to carry air fresheners and sprays.

Many of us don't simply get in the bus and drive, we want the Passenger to be just as comfortable if not more so on the bus.
After all, we are trying to garner and keep your business as customers.

To us you're not just cattle that we must load, transport and offload at the next stop.

You're a person with whom we develope relationships, with whom we've become familiar and whose trust and respect we've worked hard to earn.

One of the most embarassing things that can happen to us is that we sit in those seats and after a few minutes of warming it up we start to smell like funk.
And not just your average kinda of funk.
But the nasty killer butt sweat funk that smells like dead animals on the side of the road kind of funk.
Like somebody hasn't showered in two weeks, was working out every day of those two weeks, soiled their underwear every day of those two weeks and spent all two weeks sitting in that chair!

Passengers get on the bus and you can see it in their faces immediately.
Y'all have that look like you have just been punched in the face and stomach.

AND YOU THINK IT'S ME!

Trust me, I've spent an entire bottle of Lysol or FeBreeze soaking this chair.
And it's still so bad that nobody will sit within the first two rows of seats on the bus.
Folks are standing in the aisles rather than sit too close.
Passengers in wheelchairs are trying to get down the aisle to the back of the bus, standing up and carrying their chairs over their heads to get away from that smell!

The smell is so bad that I can barely see the road through the tears in my eyes.
I can barely breath.

Sorry folks.
I'm one of those Drivers who does his best to keep the bus and its Driver clean and smelling fresh.
I'm mortified and embarassed by this stench.

But for all of us Drivers who go to those lengths to keep things clean and fresh, there are at least as many who obviously do just the opposite.
I seem to be the lucky Driver who "makes relief" for many of those Drivers.

Not only is it hell for the Passengers and us Drivers who follow these Drivers but that stink soaks into me as well.
I have to drive my personal vehicle home after work and my personal vehicle absorbs that funk.

Other Drivers tell me it's a hazard of the job.
We catch all the colds our Passengers have and we carry all the stenches the other Drivers pass on as well.

Whatever the reason, I'm passing on my hard core apologies to all my Passengers for that horrible stink today.
I'm passing on my hard core condemnations to my fellow Drivers and co-workers who are supposed to clean the buses and remove those odors.

This is where I usually invite y'all aboard but at this point, I think it's better for your health & safety to take the bus behind me.
When you see me, your Driver crying, face red and nose running...
Consider that fair warning!

One Step Forward & Two Steps Back...

Forward?
Oh yeah, it's that time of year folks...

Saturday night before you head to bed,
don't forget to set your clocks one hour ahead.

You know what I love about Daylight Savings?

As a Driver, we spend at least 4 weeks this time of year with the sun rising and setting RIGHT IN OUR EYES.
You know, it's all fun and games until somebody gets blinded by the sun.

Just when the sun is starting to be high enough in the mornings and evenings that we can safely drive, we go and set the clocks forward so that we have to go through another 4 weeks or so of the sun rising & setting in our eyes again.

Yeah, we have shades but when the sun is low enough, we can't pull those down without blocking our sight several blocks ahead in traffic and without cutting the traffic lights from view.

It's all good.
What's a couple of months a year of blindness, followed by decades of cataracts later in life caused by that direct exposure?
At least I have a job!

Hey, speaking of "at least we haves"...

Send your prayers and positive thoughts to our families and friends in Japan, Hawaii and along the our Western Coast.
8.9 (possibly 9.0) earthquake in Japan followed by more than 90 aftershocks, a completely separate 6.9 earthquake following those and a 30 foot tsunami that translated into high water/waves in Hawaii and millions in damages to California.
So far more than 300 dead in Japan and so much damage that it's being compared to "Japan, 1945"

Welcome to the weekend.
Welcome to Daylight Savings.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, set your clocks, send your prayers - Let's Roll!"

Frosty The Snowman...

Hey folks.
It's gonna snow tomorrow.
I wanted to remind you of a few tips.

The roads aren't usually the problems here in Denver and along the Front Range.
It's usually the other drivers on the roads that slow us down and provide hazards.
Most of us (Drivers) slow down and become extra precautious because of these other drivers.

Number one tip:
Be patient.
While most of us will still be on time, yours might be the bus that is running a little (or a lot?) late.

Two:
Try taking an earlier bus if you're able.
That may help with number one.

Three:
Move around, stand out at the stop.
When the weather turns this white and the roads become filled with crazy drivers, the bus Driver has to divide the majority of his attention to the roads/other drivers.
Help him to see you by making yourself obvious if you're able.
Many passengers try to avoid the bad weather by sitting deep in the shelter or standing inside stores or doorways near the stop.
The Driver won't see you until the last second and that makes it harder on slick roads for him to safely stop in time to pick you up.

Four:
Please dress warmly.
I know you're going to wear what you're going to wear but I can't tell you how badly I feel when I'm a few minutes late to a stop and you Ladies are dressed for summer but freezing outside.
I'm sorry.

Five:
If you're not a Passenger or a fellow Driver and you're reading this...
Please don't park your car on the streets during bad weather.
I know sometimes you just don't have another option.
But the roads get slick.
The lanes shrink.
Snow builds up next to the curb and many of you can't get close enough so you stick out into traffic.

It's the worst feeling in the world to feel a Ginormous bus start sliding down a tiny incline or into an intersection or drifting across the lane.
And in my experience, this hasn't happened on the highways or simply flying down the roads.
But it's happened to me going only a few miles an hour.
In traffic.
Downtown where the roads are narrow, slick and packed!

I've not hit anybody or anything yet.
I pray to God I never do.
But please help me prevent this and park wisely, yeah?

Be safe during these last few snow storms of the season.
Stay warm.
Stay alert.

Stay with us and let us do all the worrying in this weather.
Hop on board, toss in the earbuds.
Crank up the tunes.
Pass out for a few.

Let me Drive.
That's what you pay fares and taxes for.
I'm actually kinda good at it!
LOL

As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"
Albeit slowly.

I Just Died In Your Arms...

To The Driver I Followed Into That Hell Hole:

LOL, We'll get back to him in a few.

I've said before that Drivers are professionals.
We are paid to Drive and stay on schedule.
Whether our shifts (runs) are 5 hours or 10, we should not be pulling over between stops and running to the restroom or taking food & drink breaks.

I've heard of this and it makes me wanna cry to think of Passengers in a hurry to get to their destinations while a Driver has left them alone on the bus and he's off in a 7-11 doing only God knows what.

RTD builds in "Recovery" time at the end of each direction.
For example:
If I'm on the 0 from Market Street Station and I'm going all the way to Highlands Ranch PnR, there are restrooms at both ends and usually at least a few minutes built into the end of each run to recover, hit the head and clean the bus.

Sadly, because of traffic, passengers and what not, we usually end up doing what's called a "Turn & Burn" meaning that we have to hit those end points and keep on going in the other direction either to make up time or to be on time.

I LOVE being busy, I'm just a work.a.holic like that.
I'm also one of those "professionals" who will not eat or drink before or during my shift so that I don't need to stop and take restroom breaks.
I know this is unhealthy but that's just how my head works.

Besides - taking a restroom break takes time.
No matter where we are, we have to first make sure there are no passengers on the bus.
We can't ask folks to exit the bus until we return and we can't leave passengers on the bus unattended.
So that limits where and when we can stop.
But even if the bus is empty, we have to take the time to shut em down, secure and seal em up.
Head to where ever the heads are then get back and quickly survey and get ready to roll.
Even if you're the fastest pottier West of the Mississippi, that's still a few minutes at least and like I said, we don't usually have enough time.

So when we do get the time...
It's a mad dash to those tiny little boxes y'all have seen Drivers disappear into at stations and park n rides.
They are usually the size of your shower at home.
Ok, I take that back - MY shower (I have a tiny apartment).
Don't hear me wrong, I'm grateful for ANY restroom they give us that has running water so I can wash my hands afterwards.

So I finally get a chance to hit a restroom after a three hour stretch and I'm seriously looking forward to this break.
I quicktime it to the head but it's locked.
Obviously another Driver is already occupying this water closet.

I wait.
And wait....and wait.
7 minutes later (and when I use the word LATEr, that's what I am now) the guy finally comes out and with him he brings .....
DEATH!
I'm not a fan of using public restrooms.
I'm OCD and a super clean freak.
And even a company restroom is a public one to me.
And this is why.
I wanted to drop to my knees and toss my cookies, your cookies and all my passenger's cookies.

And I still had to use this restroom and get back on the road.
I've never sliced onions that have made my eyes tear like this.
I had chemical training in the Service and CS (tear) gas didn't burn this badly.

I've shoveled horse stalls, I've dug and filled latrines and dealt with corpses in the Service.
And I've still never gagged, thrown up or been exposed to... to this...

I had to get in there.
Throw up once.
Gag myself dry.
Do my business and wash up.

I think I spent a total of maybe 2 minutes in there.
E...Turn...It...Teee...

So to the Driver whose wife (or mother!) kicked him outta the house and banned him from her bathroom:
I'd like to say, "Take your rotting corpse to the doctor."
"You're minutes from death from what I can gather."

To my Passengers who saw me crawl, crying back into the bus.
Who watched me drag myself up the chair and into my bag.
Who choked a little when I soaked myself with Lysol...

I'm sorry.

I consider this a lesson learned.
There's a reason I don't eat or drink after dinner the night before and until the ends of my runs.
I think I was just reminded the hard way.

I just had to vent this.
Kind of an explanation to my passengers who thought that was ME when I got back.
I swear, that was the cologne of DEATH.
I followed Death into the restroom.
He came out wearing an RTD uniform!

As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, make sure you have your air fresheners - Let's Roll!"