There is much to know about being a bus driver. It takes about thirty-five days to train a new employee. But as Doug points out, some skills come through experience that takes years to develop. This "guidebook" or "rule book" contains material needed to choose your style on how to pay at the fare box and where to stand while waiting for the bus. Plus a philosophy on how to maintain dignity and peace when the going gets tough. "The Dao of things cannot be complete without the Dao of driving a bus. I’d ride with Doug all the way to the Himalayas just to listen to the art of his wisdom." - David Biddle, author of Implosions of America— A Story Collection "Nice read. I like the mix of situational context and life lessons." - Chad Upham, graduate, Art Center College of Design

The Dao of Doug: The Art of Driving a Bus OR Finding Zen in San Francisco Transit: A Bus Driver's Perspective

By DOUGLAS MERIWETHER

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2013 Douglas Meriwether
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-6649-8

Contents

Preface by the Author...............................ixI'd Never Do Your Job...............................1Getting Started.....................................5First stop..........................................7Not all Stops Are Equal.............................9The Fare box........................................12Have It Ready.......................................23Tag-in Please.......................................26Where to Stand......................................29Morning Rush........................................32Placing the doors...................................35Stopping and Starting...............................37The Noodle..........................................38School Trip.........................................41Sit Back and Watch the Show.........................43Thank You For Riding!...............................45All alone...........................................47Dragging the Line...................................51Surrender...........................................54Headway.............................................59Packed Stacked and Racked...........................62Split Doors Split Groups............................64Pulling Poles.......................................66Secure the Coach....................................69Knowing the Lights..................................71Next Bus............................................74Nowhere In Particular...............................78The Late Ring.......................................81The Black Hole......................................84Boarding the Coach..................................87Sleeper.............................................90The Boat People.....................................92The White Lie.......................................93What its Really About...............................96Move Up 4...........................................98Back Door!..........................................100Dump and Run........................................102Seniors come out....................................104Reroute In-Effect...................................106Special Events......................................109New Year's Eve......................................111The Bigger They Are.................................113The Argument you Cannot Win.........................117The Stroller Incident...............................119Moms and babies.....................................121Always in Service...................................123Pulling In..........................................127Pulling Out.........................................131Beach and Broderick.................................133Coach Trade and the Defect Card.....................135Calling Central.....................................137Shoes...............................................143Wheel Blocks........................................146RDO.................................................148The Zen Zone........................................150Witching Hour.......................................156The Ninth Level of Hell.............................158Daly City 702.......................................161Payback.............................................165When Worlds Collide.................................167Glossary............................................171

Chapter One

I'd Never Do Your Job

I come from a background where money may not be the root of all evil, and it was acknowledged that it did indeed grow on trees, but that they were two types of money: Good money and bad money. You never wanted to throw good money after bad. And there was a nuance between money earned and money given. Or money found by luck, or money made easy. I never heard too much about money made easy. Honest money made was the best money. A penny saved was a penny earned. But, boy did that sound like a lot of plodding and not too much fun. So it should come as no surprise that if I worked hard to make money, it should therefore be good money, and so I was pleased to find that work as a transit operator in the city by the bay, the Bagdad by the bay, the city that never sleeps, was a hard job but a good paying job. I hit the family ancestral jackpot. I was making good money at a hard job that was in line with my ancestral roots.

But I noticed early on in my muni riding days, that some drivers looked relatively relaxed. And that nothing seemed to phase them. And that some were actually fun to talk to. And that there did seem to be a way in which to make their work look easy and relaxing, and yet is a high paying job. So the seed was planted early on that this might be a good job for me. As a Gemini sun sign, transportation and continual movement fits my sign. And my 4th grade art project, "What do I want to do when I grow up?", was a picture of the silver GM coaches that serviced the NY Port Authority from Jersey during the 60's. I had bus driver as a job I wanted to do since the fourth grade. And I have heard that those that are successful in their jobs later in life, had a passion for those activities or skills from an early age.

But unlike Civil Engineer, Medical Doctor, Dentist, or Lawyer, Bus Driver did not seem to appear on the success roster. But I didn't really care. Ralph Kramden was my hero. I saw that no matter how half baked an idea was that I could hatch, as long as I had my friends, and made a connection with others, everything would turn out okay. When Jackie Gleason would exclaim, "How Sweet it Is!" I got it. I guess you could say the in a way, "The Honeymooners" was my imprint version of "The Wonder Years," that many followed in their youth in the eighties.

So fast forward to San Francisco and the late nineties. Newly elected Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Esq., was mandated to fix muni in his first 100 days, and he took immediate action to hire more bus drivers. I went to the Moscone job fair and put in to get on the list. Finally, at age 39, I was finally making a plan about choosing a job that seemed more like a career or occupation than just a need to get another paycheck fast. I encourage anyone living paycheck to paycheck, or between jobs, to pause a look deep about what kind of service they want to provide to others. I had always sat in the front seat when I rode the bus with Grandma, and liked it when the bus drivers would talk to me. I still do that now, conditions permitting, and I feel like I am actually in a recruitment mode. Early first impressions can and do have a lasting effect on our life decisions later on down the road. Get them when they are young, and so I present myself as doing a fun job.

So the first thing that comes up about why someone would not want my job is, "the people." But where in the world do we not have a job involving other people? And if I am to be resentment free, can I not take quiet time every day to see what amends I can make to determine my part in any negative reaction? To me this is where the rubber meets the road. The path that separates the men from the boys. I see so many miserably quiet lives departing the bus after work daily that I sometimes feel like I am the only happy bozo on the bus! Gee, is it that bad? And if I smile, I try to break that grimace of the boarding face. Usually it works.

I guess I need to do more research about why someone would never do my job, but I guess in a way it adds to my job security. One thing that most people don't realize is that...