TriMet TV Episode 5 · Nov. 6, 2007 · 2:22 · Download (23MB M4V)

A Day in the Life of a TriMet Bus Operator

Ever wondered what it's like behind that big wheel? Get the inside scoop from part-time bus operator Dave Maier.

Text transcript of this episode

I'm Dave Maier. I'm a bus operator here at TriMet. I work part time. I've been here about a year.

I get to the garage here sometime shortly before five, and the first thing I do is head for the sign-in sheet, because that's the thing that determines whether or not I get to drive.

Then, the next thing I do is I go to the bus and I do a "pre-trip." That's where I check the bus, inside and out, make sure everything's working OK.

This is the BDS card. It's a little PC card that has my route programmed into it. I stick it here into the vehicle control head, and that way the bus knows where I'm going and when I'm supposed to be there. And then I drive my morning piece.

It's a democratizing kind of an experience to be driving along and picking up all of society and taking them where they need to go. And experiencing people that I might never have a chance to come in contact with.

"Sixty-six! Hi... How are ya... Hello, how are you doing today? Yeah... Welcome to my movie!" (laughs)

I really love it when you drive the bus enough, a particular route enough, that it starts to feel a bit like a cracker barrel in an old country store. You know, you've got Floyd, you've got Lynn, you've got Leslie... You've got all these people... You get to know their names and they know your name. We're with each other for fifteen or twenty minutes every bus ride. They just become a part of my life.

I'm a gratitude junkie. I'm really a gratitude junkie. I enjoy having someone say "Oh gosh, thank you!" That makes my day when I've made somebody say that.

One of the things I like about driving the bus... You know, some people do crossword puzzles, some people do Sudoku... I like to maneuver buses around difficult turns. It's a challenge and it's satisfying.

Coming back, it's the same thing, running from my last dropoff to the garage. And at stoplights I'll clean up my transfers and get my pouch back in order, put it back on the shelf, and I'm done. Then I go home and I get my nap! (laughs)

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