TriMet TV Episode 22 · Nov. 4, 2008 · 2:48 · Download (28MB M4V)

Behind the Scenes at the Bus Garage

Chances are, when you catch the bus home it means your day is just about over. TriMet, on the other hand, works hard after dark to keep our city moving.

Text transcript of this episode

Chances are, when you catch the bus home it means your day is just about over. TriMet, on the other hand, works hard after dark to keep our city moving.

Every night, the crews at TriMet's garages inspect, clean and re-fuel hundreds of buses to prepare them for another day out on the road. Two of these little-known but very important roles are the Spotter and the Service Worker.

When a bus completes its service day and arrives back at the garage,
the operator is greeted at the gate by the spotter.

The spotter removes the fare box from the bus and empties the money into a safe. Then, he connects a special device to the bus' onboard computer, which keeps track of the amount of money and the types of fares deposited in the fare box.

If the bus has any mechanical problems or is due for maintenance,
the spotter will send the bus into the shop for repair. Otherwise, he gives the operator directions to a specific parking spot so the bus can be cleaned and re-fueled.

From there, the service workers take over. The bus is first taken into the fuel house, where a service worker fills the tank, checks the oil, inspects the signs, tests the lift or ramp, and makes sure the cameras are working properly.

Meanwhile, inside the bus, another worker attaches a large vacuum to the doorway and uses a blower to quickly remove trash and dirt. Much of the trash gets recycled, including any paper, cans or bottles.

After that, the bus gets an interior mopping and a wash. If needed, other workers perform a detailed interior cleaning and remove graffiti. Finally, the service worker drives the bus back out to the yard, parks it in the space designated by the spotter then takes the next bus in to be cleaned and re-fueled.

All together, the whole process takes about 14 minutes per bus.
From about 6 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., buses move around the yard in an intricate ballet.

For the service worker, that means a lot of walking. In fact, they have been known to walk as much as 5 miles in one night!

By morning, the buses have been placed so they're ready for their morning pullouts and the operators know where to find them. This is an important job. If the buses aren't in place by the time operators arrive, it could mean delays for the rest of the day.

While most of us are sleeping, spotters, service workers and other TriMet maintenance staff are busy behind the scenes, preparing buses for tomorrow's runs. It's a team effort, to help make sure you get where you need to go.

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