Naturally, and especially by ease rather than real curiosity initially is from urban transportation in my town that I addressed. Also, I learned quickly that it is fairly simple to find a company to make an EMT, officials are often happy to get acquainted with future potential conductors. I happened to be confronted with a refusal to make a EMT in other companies for various reasons that were watching, but it has not prevented officials from discussing openly with me a long time and m explain spontaneously working conditions in their business.
The first step was to ask the EMT first paper Pole-job, then go with it in the transport company concerned. I then had the opportunity to discuss quite nicely with the operations manager, who informed me they were just in time for recruitment to train new drivers. Seeing my motivation to get into the carriage of persons, he sent me a file to be completed more quickly, what I have done the same day. I will return in other articles ...
Once completed the first paper by the company, he took it back to center-job to write the agreement EMT per se, then bring it back in the company for signing. It's been quite a journey for not much ;-)
EMT First day!
Arrive 4:45 am at the depot. There are quite a lot of activity in the room where CR (driver-recipients) take their service. A lady is already (or still because I do not know if it ends its service at night or if she just started her day) behind his computer in a small suite of offices. The room contains hundreds of mailboxes used by the company to communicate individually with the CR, a kind of computer terminal, and an impressive amount of posters plastered on every square inch of wall: between deviation notices for works on public roads, reminders of precautions to take and the union propaganda, there is a holy mess! The adjacent room is the lounge with its coffee, its football and sofas.
My tutor arrives. Chic is one tutor. She explains what happens during the service plug. Depending on his schedule, she knows what her service number is LBP. Then you should take the plate (laminated road map) which corresponds to the service. On this figure our daily schedule, with start times to meet at different crossing points and terminals. There is also a barcode that is scanned on the computer terminal mentioned above. Pulls out a ticket with the number of buses allocated to us to start the day (it will change mid-term).
Small walk through the deposit to reach our bus from the 350 it contains, for the most recent equipment and well maintained. Re-chic, ours will bite. Starting the engine is left running by the turn of the vehicle to verify proper operation of fires, leaks and the condition of the tires. It also verifies that the safety devices that prevent the doors from closing on someone working properly (on sensitive or infrared). Then introduced in the module that manages the vane number and bus line. It also introduces into the digital radio the bus number and left on, ready to receive calls from dispatch.
We're finally on and we go to the top of the line moving at a good pace because there is nobody on the road. It's quite nice to be able to appreciate the road capabilities of a bendy bus (18m long) on main roads without stopping. Casually, it grows stronger. There are already some people in first stops that we serve. These customers are still asleep but polite, and they return us our salvation. The sun rises quickly the number of customers increases and towers are linked online.
From a customer view, the day will pass without frills. I see that many people are still polite. There are no passengers openly uncomfortable and the worst that incivility will my tutor be silly to ignore it, headphones on his ears. The 1-2 people who ask their way are very grateful. I am fortunate to live in a city that knows little violence ... I do not think the table is as friendly in Paris, Marseille or Brussels ...
level of driving I realized how important it is forbidden to release the attention of pedestrians crossing without looking, bicycles, delivery men stationed on the road just after a turn around must be good will-nilly, public works, and so on. That said, one could find me masochistic but I do not find it unpleasant, and a priori it seems likely ultimately less painful than staying several hours behind the wheel of a bus touring in a straight line National Highway or to fight against boredom and loss of attention ...
I also understand that driving can be stressful because you really stick to the schedule to the minute, strictly forbidden to leave off in advance (otherwise a warning!). Indeed, a bus leaving in advance means customers must wait for at least the next ten minutes ... whereas delay is usually only 3-4 minutes at most and can catch up. To do this, we sometimes cut corners on the few minutes of flapping which is available at each terminal, but there are other techniques rather surprising that I probably will talk about later.
The day will be an opportunity to discuss working conditions peculiar to their business. It turns out they are excellent for the transport sector. Course schedules can be restrictive because we are led to begin early in the morning to finish later or to cut services. However the 35 hours are in order and relate much more than my previous jobs. But I practiced a trade rather well regarded in an office, etc.. I learn later that the conditions are often quite good in large urban networks. Thus the working day is counted from the beginning to the end of it available for the company, and not from the moment you start driving until you leave the bus at the end of the day as I thought. That is to say that in the 35h of my guardian and his colleagues counted the time to find his plate and the scanner, check for any deviations, test their internal mail ... and even a little chat over a cup of coffee before visiting the car park. It's the same end of the day: paid hours ending some time after leaving the bus ... time to go small acomplir usual formalities and return the deposit if left the bus to a colleague in the end. I am pleasantly surprised by this, because in most of my previous jobs, it was usually paid for the "actual work" even though he was spending time in the company to prepare, check out different components , or otherwise, without compensation!
My tutor, fun and educator, also explained the operation of the schedule. On returning to the company, it is assigned the "worst" times, that is to say that serves mouth-hole and that may be required to complete a service one night and again early The next morning, to cut many services, and not knowing until the last moment what will be the schedule for tomorrow. This period lasts about 3 years. Then it is placed in a schedule coolest of making a week of mornings a week of afternoons a week and cut services. With daily bus lines and different. Finally, after a further period of several years can if desired be "regular" that is to say, be assigned a fixed time on a single line with "his" bus. This tends to become more rare because the CR like to keep the diversity of schedules and lines. And I understand! I do not think not that I would enjoy the monotony of every day do the exact same route at the same times. Moreover, RCs work on alternate Saturdays and one Sunday in eight. All this seems very reasonable ...
Our workday ends around 12:30. We then roughly half the time on a first line and half a second with a twenty minute break and a change of bus in between. Finally, the time has passed quickly. It leaves the bus downtown to another VC who immediately connects with the middle line. We take the shuttle bus company that brings us back to the depot, my tutor is going to make his plate and we go home.
The second day EMT in this endeavor will this time with a tutor, also very friendly and always passionate about his business that for 10 years. Here the service plug is in town to 13h, there is a colleague. The work proceeds in a manner comparable to the previous day, except that we reduce the bus depot at the end of service, to 20.30. In a large company like this one does not need to clean the bus itself: the outside is washed in automatic rollers at the entrance of the deposit, and a team handles the interior cleaning and fair refuel.
Conclusion
After two days I could EMT back and enjoy the diversity of the profession. We see go through all sorts of clients, and has a ringside seat to watch the funny scenes of everyday urban dweller. This experience makes me really want to work for urban transport in my town today, something I never suspected. Indeed I had rather expected a priori to direct me to the coach ... urban transport in the city where I spent my childhood having given me a negative image of the profession that was to drive EMT. I still carried out a second EMT with a bus operator, who is also the subject of an article .
I should mention that besides my tutors, I had the opportunity to talk with lots of VC rest room, and I was delighted to meet a group of people open, friendly, sensitive, cultured and passionate, very far from the cliche of "turner stealing a boorish" as some people think nothing to learn. Some tell me that CR insults are daily, others that they came to be spit on. Seems incredible, never seen it in my life, and given the two services peaceful that I just did. What In any case, the driver of your bus is not furniture, least of all is to respect him as anyone. A "hello" and smile I think are the basic rules you apply when entering a store or restaurant, so why should it be different in the bus?
Read the report of my second EMT interurban .
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