Training Day 9 - Driving

My trainer was still not available but another one was. I spent the day driving practicing what I have already learned.

Monday is a public holiday so I won’t be training.

Training Day 8 - Observing

My trainer was not available today so I rode ‘shotgun’ with another driver while he did his normal schedule. This worked out well because I needed a break from driver training. It is rather intense. As well, I was able to observe another driver’s techniques and ask questions about them.

It was a split shift. I started at 05.45 until 10.26 (how’s that for precise scheduling) and then from 14.45 to 17.42. This is about 7.5 hours work time and a 4.5 hour break. The maximum span of a split shift is 12 hours. We were under this by 3 minutes.

The morning schedule was a service (route 436) into the city, then route 438 out, then route 438 back in and then route 435 out. However, during the 438 service into the city, the traffic was so slow down George St, we arrive at the end of the route about 1 hour late (the entire route is schedule to take less than 1 hour). So, the 435 service was cancelled and we went straight back to the depot in Burwood. We arrive half an hour later than our intended finish time of 10.26.

In the afternoon, we did a ‘school special’, picking up kids from 3 private schools and getting them to a train station. The route is schedule to take only 15 minutes. After that we were scheduled to go into the city to do a rush hour L38 service. However, during the school special, the closed circuit television stopped working. This records all movement in the bus for security reasons. We were advised to go back to the depot to have this fixed. Because we had lost time, the L38 route was cancelled and it was replaced by a shortened 435 route. The result is we arrived back at the depot about 20 minutes earlier than originally scheduled.

During the time between the 2 halves of the shift I went home. It is about 45 minutes each way, door to door: 15 minutes from depot to train station, 15 minutes on train (including waiting) and 15 minutes from train station to home. As an employee of Sydney Buses I can travel on trains, buses and ferries free.

Training Day 7 - Driving

More driving. 5:30am start again.

First thing in the morning I did some driving in suburban areas which had various kinds of traffic calming devices: speed humps, chicanes, etc. Didn’t too badly (in my opinion) but I need more practice with the chicanes. Then I rode as ‘shotgun’ while my trainer drove a scheduled L38 service from Five Dock to Wynard. In the afternoon I did some driving on highways and main roads. I felt comfortable doing this but my trainer said I wasn’t checking my rear view mirrors often enough. Drove several kilometres on Parramatta Rd, the lanes are very narrow, only just as wide as the bus.

Training Day 6 - Driving

Same as yesterday. Arrived at Burwood depot at 5:15am for a 5:30am start. In the morning, I rode with my trainer while he did a regular bus service. I stood next to him and he pointed out driving techniques.

Meal break was at 9:30am.

In the afternoon, we went back to the Olympic Park at Homebush for several hours driving. But then we went outside the park into suburban streets.

I am now much more confident using the air brakes. The key is to put the whole foot on the brake pedal (it is designed for this), not just the front part of the foot as is normally the case with cars. I am able to stop the bus smoothly (important for passenger comfort).

I am also better at taking left hand turns, but more practice is required. I had the opportunity to drive though some roundabouts. If turning right, this means, in effect, turning left then right. A bit tricky, especially on the small ones. I need to practice this manoeuvre more.

Another challenge in going through turns is ‘tail swing’. The end of the bus is several metres past the real axle. This means when turn right, the tail goes left. I saw several telephone poles with blue paint on them, having been side swiped by buses when turning. But not by me (not yet).

I have now done 2 days of the 8 days of driver training I am scheduled to do.

Training Day 5 - Driving

Arrived at Burwood depot at 5:15am for a 5:30am start.

I met my trainer (and assessor). In the morning, I rode with him while he did a regular bus service. I stood next to him and he pointed out driving techniques.

Meal break was at 9:30am.

In the afternoon, we went to the Olympic Park at Homebush where I spent several hours driving. The bus I drove was a Mercedes Benz MkII, one of the oldest buses in the fleet. The park has wide roads with little traffic.

I found the driving challenging. The length of the bus (together with the fact the driver sits in front of the steering wheels) makes taking corners (especially left-hand ones) tricky. The bus has air brakes. With hydraulic brakes (as in cars), the brakes are more effective the harder the brake peddle is pushed. With air brakes, the effectiveness increases the farther the peddle is pushed.

I finished for the day at 2:30pm.

Training Day 4 - Depot Tour

(on Friday, the 22nd), Induction to Burwood depot.

I arrived at about 07.45 (for a 08.00 start). I met the BOT1 (Bus Operator Trainer, Level 1) who I stayed with for the day

He introduced me to various people in the depot, including, the General Manager, various other managers and some union officials. The union seems to play an important part in the running of the depot, sort of a parallel management system. I was advised that if I had any problems with any of my colleagues, I should take it to the union first (instead of the depot management) as the union’s procedures were less formal and faster.

I was taken on the tour of the depot: parking area, mechanical repair sheds, bus cleaning sheds, depot offices. This included being told about safety procedures to be followed and safety risks to be aware of.

I was shown the various models of buses the depot has. The radio procedures were reviewed; the ticket machine demonstrated; the driver’s seat adjustments demonstrated; the location of the security emergency buttons identified; and a discussion about the closed circuit television camera.

My driver’s uniforms were ordered (I won’t receive these until after I have passed the preliminary course):
- 4 long sleeved shirts
- 1 short sleeved shirt
- 2 long trousers
- 1 short trousers
- 3 regular socks
- 2 long socks (for short trousers)
- 1 belt
- 1 wide brimmed hat
- 1 vest (sleeveless sweater)
- 1 ‘bomber’ jacket
- 1 set of rain gear
- 1 pair of shoes

At the end of the day, I did an assessment about what I had learned during the day.

Training Day 3 - Classroom

Yet another day at the State Transit Authority’s offices on Cleveland St, Strawberry Hills.

The day contained the following sections:
1) Review of Day 2;
2) AFC Revenue Procedures – a review of what was done yesterday and a chance to practice on the machines;
3) AFC Procedures and Evidence Gathering – “evidence gathering” is the term used for the trainees being tested on their AFC knowledge. This is the 1st of 36 assessments we will have to do in the next 2 years, most of them in the next 3 weeks. We have to pass them all. I passed;
4) RTBU, Rail, Tram & Bus Union – presentation by some union officials. I signed up. It costs $15.80/fortnight.(tax deductible). For an extra $2.30/fortnight (also tax deductible!), the union will pay for most traffic infringements incurred while driving a bus. I signed up for this, too. Website http://www.rtbu-nat.asn.au/;
5) FIS/DIS Radio Procedures – using the radio to report faults and emergencies.
6) Work Forms – a review of the many forms which are part of the job, bus faults, leave, accident, etc, etc;
7) Customer Service Workshop – a video;
8) Depot Training Workshop – almost nothing said.

The instructor (and one of the union reps) said that driving a bus is easier than driving a car. We'll see.

Tomorrow I report to the Burwood depot at 8am.

Training Day 2 - Classroom

(this was posted the day after).

Another day at the State Transit Authority’s offices on Cleveland St, Strawberry Hills.

The day contained the following sections:
1) Review of Day 1;
2) Bus Operator Legal Requirements – an overview. There are 4 or more Acts of Parliament (State and Federal) which governs Bus Operator behaviour;
3) Depart of Education and Training signups – more forms, more signatures. The Bus Operator training is a formally recognised course and is monitored and assessed by the Dept of Ed. Also, the is a ‘contract’ between the participant (me), the employer (State Transit of which Sydney Buses is a part) and the Dept of Education;
4) Managing Fatigue – general ideas and discussion. Fatigue is a major cause of accidents;
5) AFC Sign On, Smart-card, Tickets and Passes – Automatic Fare Collection, the ticket machine. We were given a lecture, a demonstration and we had a chance to practice. The machines are smarter than I expected. Each driver has a smart-card and PIN. At the beginning of the day, the driver’s schedule is loaded into the card and is referenced by the AFC machine in the bus;
6) AFC Revenue Procedures – processes for dealing with the money collected. The driver is responsible for the money. If there amount collected is less than the amount sold, the driver has to make up the differences, but keeps any over collections;
7) Questions / Review / Revisions.

Training Day 1 - Classroom

The training was done in a Training Room at the State Transit Authority’s offices on Cleveland St, Strawberry Hills. The start time was 07.30. There was a 40 minute lunch break and 2 15 minute coffee breaks. The day ended at 16.10. There are 12 trainee drivers in the course. Technically, we are being trained to achieve a “Certificate III in Transport & Distribution (Road Transport) and a Medium Rigid driver’s licence.

The day contained the following sections:
1) Welcome and Housekeeping – lecturer self introduction, fire procedures, toilets, etc;
2) Traineeship Overview – an overview of the training course;
3) Recruitment HR Sign Up – filled in forms for bank account (for pay), tax and signed a contract (details of which I’ll describe another day);
4) State Transit Overview – organisation charts, etc;
5) Equity – behaviour in work place, sexual harassment, respect for other peoples’ values, religion, etc;
6) Occupational Health and Safety, Common Bus Operator Hazards – safety for yourself, colleagues and passengers (‘customers’) including a video on how to avoid back problems by adjusting the driver’s seat correctly and simple back exercises;
7) Role of Bus Driver – a description, in general terms, of the various responsibilities a driver has;
8) Drug & Alcohol Testing Awareness – there are random drug tests. Interestingly, a driver can have a blood-alcohol level of .02 (not zero as I would have expected). This is to allow for alcohol which might be present in some medicines (cough syrups, etc.) and food. A small glass (285ml) of beer puts you over the allowable level for 1 hour;
9) Mobile Phones – absolutely not allowed while the driver is in the bus, even if parked. The Authority does not want photos in the newspapers of a driver using a phone when it might look like s/he is driving (too embarrassing and it has happened).

We were given 3 booklets (and a number of handouts): a “Trainee Induction Handouts” (165 pages), “Trainee Information Booklet” (51 pages) and a “Employee Folder” (perhaps 50 pages).

The training course is scheduled to take 19 days. If I stay on schedule (extensions are possible), I’ll be on the road, by myself, with real passengers, on Tuesday, October 17th.

Offer Confirmation

Today I received a letter from Sydney Buses confirming the job offer. Technically, the offer is for a place in the “State Transit’s Induction Program for New Bus Operators”.

I am to report at 7:30 am at their Cleveland St, Strawberry Hills, office. This is the same place I did the ‘employment assessment’ tests. I am to bring my Tax File Number, bank account details (I get paid while training), the receipt I got when I applied from the Driver Authority Card and the Learner’s Log Book I got when I did the Knowledge Test

Reference Checks

My references have been checked in the past 2 days.

When I applied for the job I was required to provide the names of 2 people with whom I had worked in the past 10 years. Unfortunately, one of my references is overseas and not scheduled to return until the end of September. I am scheduled to start training on Tuesday, Sept 19th.

I am somewhat annoyed because I had warned someone at Sydney Buses that one of my references was going overseas and that person seemed to suggest that this reference would be contacted. However, yesterday Sydney Buses phoned me to ask me for another reference. Luckily, another ex-colleague had heard that I was applying for a bus drivers job (so the idea was not a complete surprise) and was willing to provide a reference at short notice.

The referees were asked if I am trustworthy, would they recommend me for employment, what was my sick leave pattern, do I get on well with people, and did I leave my last employment on good terms.

Learner's Log Book

When I passed my Knowledge Test, I received 2 booklets:
1) A Guide to Heavy Vehicle Competency Base Assessment,
samples here:
http://static.flickr.com/83/236624278_10b8dbb19a_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/80/241224569_2dfdfbaa9b_o.jpg
2) Heavy Vehicle Competency Based Assessment Learner’s Log Book,
samples here:
http://static.flickr.com/79/236625408_fa434613f7_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/84/241219093_9c71224390_o.jpg

The Learner’s Log Book has a serial number and is assigned to me by the RTA

I have not been told explicitly what these books are for, but from the content it is obvious they are for tracking my progress while learning to drive a bus. These booklets cost $20.

Knowledge Test – Post Mortem

There are a number of reasons why I did better on the 2nd test compared to the 1st.
1) In the 1st test I attempted to answer the questions too quickly. For most of the questions, the correct answer is logical and easy to spot. There were at least 2 questions to which I knew the answer but second guessed myself (because I suspected it was a ‘trick’ question) and chose the wrong answer.
2) Between the tests I reviewed the sample questions on the web: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/car-c.pdf. I had been told this existed but I hadn’t bothered looking for it before the 1st test. The one is for the ‘normal’ (car) licence. This one http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/mediumrigid-mr.pdf is for the Medium Rigid licence. I didn’t know about this one until after the test. I understand these include all the questions which might appear on the test, but I am not certain of this.
3) The 1st test showed me that the test I took is specifically for Medium Rigid vehicles. This is important as the Heavy Vehicle Drivers’ Handbook contains information about all trucks. There are many numbers in this book (distances, weights, lengths, time), more than I an able to remember. After the 1st test I decided I didn’t have to memorise the numbers relating to the heavier trucks.
4) During the 2nd test I used the ear phones which are available. The questions and answers are spoken as well as being on the computer screen. The ear phones helped my concentration.
5) The test allows questions to be skipped, to be redisplayed at the end. In the 2nd test I used this feature when I wanted time to consider the answer.

Here is an outline of the structure of the test:
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/tests/driverknowledgetest/teststructure.html. I was allowed to get 3 wrong answers in the 1st section and only one each in the other 2 sections. During the 2nd test there were several questions to which I was unsure of the answer but each of my ‘considered guesses’ were right.

Each test attempt cost $34. The test is available in languages besides English.

Knowledge Test - Passed

Whew! I answered all 45 questions correctly.

Knowledge Test - Failed

I attempted the Knowledge Test for the Medium Rigid Drivers Licence and I failed. I will try again on Monday.

The test is a set of multiple choice questions. It is done on a touch sensitive computer screen. The test is in several sections (I don’t know how many because I failed in the first section). I was allowed to have 3 wrong answers in the General Knowledge section. I had gotten up to about question 12 when I exceeded my limit of errors and the test terminated.

The questions were trickier than I had been expecting. Not tricky in the sense they were deliberately misleading, but in requiring detailed knowledge.