Is there a Sully in you?

No one will ever forget the sight of that US Airways plane making a landing in New York City's Hudson River that frigid day in January 2009. As a Bronx native, I, along with millions of others who have made the daily commute down the Henry Hudson Parkway, could never have expected something like this would ever happen.

Get out of the classroom and onto the training bus

While some transit agencies are cutting back or even eliminating service to save money, why not begin looking at the bottom line with student operators, during and at the completion of their behind-the-wheel training. Identifying poor performers during training and separating them prior to graduation can contribute greatly to overall safety improvements for the training department and, reduce claims.

Getting 'Permission' with Bus Operator Pivot Point Training

Let's simplify the definition of 'pivot point.' The pivot point is the specific location on a bus that an object must align with before the operator attempts to overtake that object, whether it is a vehicle, sign, etc. Attempting to overtake the object — fixed, pedestrian, double parked vehicle — before that object reaches the pivot point locations mentioned below by bus model, will result in making contact with that object. Let's look at the various pivot point locations on some buses.

Driving Experience vs. Driving a Bus

Most new hires come with a basic knowledge of how to operate a motor vehicle. They understand the consequences of making the wrong choice when decision time is at hand and transfer this level of driving experience with them to the operation of a bus. The real task is getting the new hire to comprehend that they must adapt several new techniques to accommodate the larger vehicle, along with the addition of transporting passengers and so on.

Staying Right in a Non-Political Way

The right side of the bus does not provide the same visibility to the bus operator as the left side; therefore, 'Protecting the Right' will eliminate the possibility of being involved in a right-side preventable collision. When the right side is not covered, bus operators should not be surprised when a vehicle overtakes them along the right side.

Buses, Pedestrians and Left-Side Contact

Collisions involving buses turning left and pedestrian contact usually result in serious injuries and, sometimes, fatalities. All instructors should be aware of the top collision types that are occurring at their organization and what corrective actions to apply.

The Importance of an Effective 'Train the Trainer' Program

Nothing can be more frustrating for new Bus Operator Instructors than seeing students, not long after qualifying and moving forward to Depot Route Training, move away from the correct skill applications they were taught on the training bus, to what someone else may be telling them. In many cases that someone else is the Route Bus Operator they are assigned to, who often confront students with a "this is the real world, not the training bus" mentality.

'Five Alive' - Steps To Bus Stop Safety

Throughout my 33 years with New York City Transit, beginning as a bus operator and ending as the director of the safety and training division, dept. of buses, bus stops have been my "bread and butter." Hence, safe and proper bus stop entry/departure and passenger boarding/alighting are top priorities for me.

Louie Maiello