Failure to Communicate

[Buzz]

Everybody here knows the frustration of having to use a spare ... trying to find the one assigned ... it not being in the yard ... or it not being in service ... etc., etc.

There just is a serious lack of communication between the shop and dispatch as to which spares are available and whether they're even in the fucking yard.

My most recent experience was of course, today ... the coldest day of the year so far. At 6:50 a.m. with few buses in the yard, the wind was free to whip up such huge  clouds of dirt that I literally couldn't see where I was going.

Another driver offered to take me around in his bus and, voilà ... there it was ... 834 ... a shitbox, fucking wreck inside ... and no fucking key!

Back to the office, walking against the wind, to get another bus. If this were just a one  time occurrence, I could understand ... shit happens. But I know this happens daily to one or another of us.

#1 - Why did I have to find out that I was using a spare only when I found my bus missing? (Nothing on my card.)

#2 - Why was not the office told that 834 couldn't be used? (Only the shop would take the key out.)

#3 - Why does this continue to happen repeatedly?

The answer is FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. Apparently there is no oversight and nobody gives a fuck.

Sad.

[Kid24]

Happened to me a few times
1) the white switch on the side of the
Console that opened the door was separated. Few years ago that was with that kind of bus
2) spare wasn't in the yard
3) bus was out of service
4) no key in the bus
5) you get in one and the bus ain't fueled up, has lights out or dirty as shit

[Buzz]

It gets better. Get back to the yard, pull up to the fuel pumps and tell 1200 I need a fueler for a spare. Nobody comes. I go to the window and tell Mo ... Mo says "He's right here" and points to the tall kid with the crew cut who's sitting in a chair sucking a lollipop. I hesitate to say his name only because I'm not sure but appears to be of Latino extraction.

I tell him I need fuel in a spare. He says, "Get it Monday." I said "It's a spare, I need fuel." He says, "Get it Monday." Well, I went fucking bonkers. I don't even remember what I said to him but I know it wasn't pretty and certainly not subtle. It has always and forever been that spares can fuel any day ... even Fridays.

Now I've seen/heard this kid wise-mouth other drivers but always held my tongue because it didn't involve me. Now it did. Not taking any bullshit whatsoever from this fucking punk who thinks who the fuck he is.

Told our assistant shop steward I would leave the bus right there. (Even Nico tried to get the wise-ass to go out an give me fuel.) I went to the bus to get my stuff and Eddie was just finished fueling it. How he got involved I have no idea ... but if that bus wasn't fueled I promise it would have sat there until Monday.

[Kid24]

I believe I saw you running in to the office. I did hear you on the radio asking about it. I think another driver had a spare as well and I think Patrick filled him up. When I started 3 years ago I was told no gas on Fridays UNLESS you need it badly for a trip or you have a spare so if someone else gets that spare they would have a full tank. You were 100 percent right and handled it the right way. It's like we are told the rules and when we abide by it either laziness takes over OR they tell you to go about it another way. If that bus wasn't full and someone got that Monday and made a stink over it I bet you woulda heard from the O man trying to rip you a new one

[Buzz]

Well, the bus wasn't full when I got it so obviously the last guy who used it didn't fuel it.

Actually, special ed buses are also allowed to fuel any day ... including Fridays ... at least that's the way it's been.

[Kid24]

My favorite is going to a spare and no key lol

[Buzz]

Soooo ... today, do I get the same spare I finally had fueled Friday? Of course not. I'm assigned another cream puff. This one has the engine light flashing and warning buzzer going off along with a "Low Coolant" indication. It was also obvious that it had not been fueled in its last couple of outings.

So, I go back and advise dispatch of the problems with this bus and they give me another Pride of the Fleet  ... another spare which obviously had not been fueled for at least a couple of days.

3 out of 3 spares not fueled recently. I can only conclude that fueling spares is now "optional."

Good to know.

[Kid24]

I mean the obvious answer was to keep you in the spare you were in on Friday but...ya know lol

[Buzz]

I mean the obvious answer was to keep you in the spare you were in on Friday but...ya know lol

That's what I was told Friday but in the interim it was assigned to a new driver as his regular bus.

[Golfnut]

Reading that post about they guy sitting in the office sucking a lollipop and telling you"To get it Monday!" After all you went through to get to that point would have made me go Ballistic ! I would have told him to go get Steve asap !!! Like right fucking now ! I have anxiety just thinking about it ! Please Pvt message or text me his name ! Thank you !

[sbdriver1]

Where was the GM when all this was going on? He should have done something.

[Buzz]

Reading that post about they guy sitting in the office sucking a lollipop and telling you"To get it Monday!" After all you went through to get to that point would have made me go Ballistic ! I would have told him to go get Steve asap !!! Like right fucking now ! I have anxiety just thinking about it ! Please Pvt message or text me his name ! Thank you !

Oh, I did go ballistic, believe me!! Beside cursing the asshole out, I was fully prepared to leave the bus at the pump and let the shit hit the fan Monday. Steve was already gone for the day. I'm really not sure of the name but phonetically  I think it's the "Hose" that comes before "Hose-B."      

[Buzz]

Where was the GM when all this was going on? He should have done something.

Well, he's there like 5 - 5:30 a.m so if he leaves at 3 it's understandable. This was about 3:45 p.m.

(If he were there, I'm pretty sure the slacker wouldn't be sitting in the office sucking a lollipop.)

[Slowbus]

Enjoy it buzz you always take pioneer side when I post something negative about the job suck it now I hope they hold your bus for the rest of the school year and you get a different spare every day so you know how that feels

[Buzz]

Enjoy it buzz you always take pioneer side when I post something negative about the job suck it now I hope they hold your bus for the rest of the school year and you get a different spare every day so you know how that feels

Thanks for the kind words.

(No idea what you mean about "take pioneer [sic] side." It's usually the union that you're bashing ... unfairly ... but you keep hating, no problem.)