Week 2, Check
Week two started off with an immense amount of anxiety. I was feeling mega butterflies as I arrived to the garage that morning. I knew that this week was gonna be the week we really kicked it up and got into the nitty gritty that is bus driving.
The previous week, we'd only taken out what are called the cut-away buses. They are smaller than what you would typically assume a bus would be because of the tight places they go in the outlying areas of the Charleston Metro area. If you're from the area, think West Side hill, South Hills, Fort Hill (notice the "hill" trend there?).
So anyway, I knew that the second week of training we'd be getting our big bus legs. I was scared stiff. On Monday, we took out one of the cut-aways on some of those difficult hill routes. I had the (dis)pleasure of driving the outbound Fort Hill/Montrose route. For one thing, I'd never even really HEARD of Fort Hill. Second, a lack of knowledge meant also I had no clue where it was or, once I was in it, where the heck I was going. This made for a very stressful drive.
Another thing that got me on that route was how narrow the streets were, how many turns there were to make, and how inept I felt about it all. By the time we had to switch drivers, I was in a right state. My confidence had been severely effected in the short time frame that it took to put the cut-away in drive, drive the route, and then put it back in park. I was downtrodden. At best.
The next day helped boost my spirits back up and my confidence was making it way back up to par again. By the end of the week, I felt great about driving the buses. Especially the big fancy hybrids, which are a DREAM to drive.
I guess that first day was just a bad start to the week, but I learned a lot from it. The primary lesson, however, was don't let some stupid route get you down. Sure it was tough, and honestly I couldn't tell you were we went because I'd been so focused on not hitting things or missing turns that I didn't really pay attention to where I actually was. But I'll probably drive that route a million times in the future. So really one day of being completely lost is quite insignificant.
I am still very excited about this job. It's a little nerve wracking still, but I expect that's normal so early in the game. The coming week will be a little more crazy, as I'll be out of the class room setting and out in the buses with the regular drivers. They will be teaching me the real world of bus operating. I will be picking up passengers, managing time, and probably by Friday evening, I'll be exhausted beyond belief.
The previous week, we'd only taken out what are called the cut-away buses. They are smaller than what you would typically assume a bus would be because of the tight places they go in the outlying areas of the Charleston Metro area. If you're from the area, think West Side hill, South Hills, Fort Hill (notice the "hill" trend there?).
So anyway, I knew that the second week of training we'd be getting our big bus legs. I was scared stiff. On Monday, we took out one of the cut-aways on some of those difficult hill routes. I had the (dis)pleasure of driving the outbound Fort Hill/Montrose route. For one thing, I'd never even really HEARD of Fort Hill. Second, a lack of knowledge meant also I had no clue where it was or, once I was in it, where the heck I was going. This made for a very stressful drive.
Another thing that got me on that route was how narrow the streets were, how many turns there were to make, and how inept I felt about it all. By the time we had to switch drivers, I was in a right state. My confidence had been severely effected in the short time frame that it took to put the cut-away in drive, drive the route, and then put it back in park. I was downtrodden. At best.
The next day helped boost my spirits back up and my confidence was making it way back up to par again. By the end of the week, I felt great about driving the buses. Especially the big fancy hybrids, which are a DREAM to drive.
I guess that first day was just a bad start to the week, but I learned a lot from it. The primary lesson, however, was don't let some stupid route get you down. Sure it was tough, and honestly I couldn't tell you were we went because I'd been so focused on not hitting things or missing turns that I didn't really pay attention to where I actually was. But I'll probably drive that route a million times in the future. So really one day of being completely lost is quite insignificant.
I am still very excited about this job. It's a little nerve wracking still, but I expect that's normal so early in the game. The coming week will be a little more crazy, as I'll be out of the class room setting and out in the buses with the regular drivers. They will be teaching me the real world of bus operating. I will be picking up passengers, managing time, and probably by Friday evening, I'll be exhausted beyond belief.
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Belledog