Thursday, November 4, 2004
Trained drivers move Huskie buses
Once past background checks, students find fun behind the wheel
Article by:
Desiree Smith - Staff Reporter
· dsmith@northernstar.info
Vijay Mohandas, a graduate student working on his master’s degree
in electrical engineering, is one of about 60 bus drivers who work
for the Huskie Bus Line.
“My grandfather owned a fleet of 14 buses, so I guess it sort
of runs in my blood,” Mohandas said.
As students board the bus, they begin searching for seats or chatting
with friends.
Mohandas waits patiently for the passengers to get settled. He presses
the accelerator and continues the bus route.
In his three years driving buses for the Huskie Bus Line, Mohandas
has met many different people.
“I like to talk to people; I’m a people person,” he
said. “I like learning something about people.”
Mohandas enjoys driving the bus because there are lots of trips on
the road that he has a good time doing.
Last winter, Mohandas took a group of visually-impaired people on
a cross-country-skiing trip.
“I was so amazed that these people who were legally blind or
completely blind were going faster than me!” he said. “I
thought it was funny that they had no fear, but I was so scared that
the ice could break.”
Mohandas and other Huskie Bus Line drivers have to go through a lot
of training and undergo several background checks before they can
get behind the wheel.
“After they fill out an application, I’ll run a state criminal
background check and look at their motor vehicle record,” said
John Roach, a safety and training coordinator for the Huskie Bus
Line. “If those two look pretty clean, I’ll call them up
and set up a meeting to look at the material for studying for the
permit.”
A permit is needed to learn to drive the bus, just as a driving permit
is needed before a driver’s license test. If the permit test
is passed, more background checks are done.
There is a statewide check, a sex offender check and a check of federal
records, Roach said.
If the potential bus driver passes all tests, classroom training
begins.
The training is about 55 hours of classroom learning and behind-the-wheel
combined, Roach said.
The classroom training includes information on conduct in the workplace,
driving safety and passenger relations. Time is also spent discussing
sexual harassment, drugs, alcohol and blood-borne pathogens. Other
training includes filling out bus routes and reading the maps.
“Since I’ve been trained, I’ve gotten into zero accidents,”
Mohandas said. “That should stand as proof that the training
is really excellent.”
© 2004 Northern Star. All Rights Reserved.
