AUGUST 2010 RUN JOURNAL

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 02, 2010- MONDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9750
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9750

Today was unique for two reasons, first I received the same bus for both parts, and second, it was my prized NABI coach, 9750 !

This morning for the 19, 9750 was my coach of designation. He had no defects or irregular functions. Aside from old body damage and a right rear signal that was out, my prized bus ran like the champion that he is! His mirrors have been tightened, and they hold very well on the hells of Harford Road. Perhaps it was the rainy weather, but the 19 seemed to have more new people than regulars this morning. Plenty of regulars were there to greet me, including new ones, but overall it seemed like I saw more new faces than many of the same ones since June 14. I was able to stay on schedule for the whole trip without much difficulty, and I don't remember falling behind or going ahead one time. This is very unusual because normally I have to take a chill at least once during the course of the 19 run because it is very easy to run ahead of schedule do to the fact that the people are not exactly boarding by the thousands. All said and done though, I arrived at State Center at 747A and back to the division at 801A.

For the 15 this afternoon, I was very excited to see that I had been awarded 9750 once again. This marks the very first time I have been intentionally given the same vehicle for both parts, and certainly the first time i've every received 9750 more than once in a day. He performed just as well on the 15 as he had on the 19 earlier today and once again was the standard bearer of true quality! The 15 today was not extremely crowded. Again, I will attribute this to the rain. I found myself having to slow down to avoid being up on my schedule for much of the run until I got downtown. Prior to that, I was reaching every time-point virtually right on time, and that was because I had slowed it down a great deal. When I got to the Saratoga and Eutaw timepoint, I fell behind for the very first time during the whole trip. For the remainder of the 15, I was behind and at a good pace. My follower finally caught up with me on Gay Street and I lost him again when I got on Belair Road. Traffic wasn't too bad on Belair for a Monday, and I actually alighted most people well before I got to the end of my trip. I proceeded on and got to Gardenville Loop at 425P and back to the division at 441P.

[BoltonStboy]

Congratulations on escaping from probation without any scars, no less. Hope that continues, I'll be rooting for you.

Bernie Hackett

[mtabusdriver1985]

Thanks Bernie, I appreciate that alot! Stay with me as I now begin the quest for the day when we are offered the opportunity to roll over to FULL TIME OPERATORS!!!!

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 03, 2010- TUESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9729 With Minor Technical Difficulties, B+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9726 With Major Technical Difficulties C-

Effective immediately, I will be instituting a grading system from A+ to F- as well as the smiles to the right with regards to how my coaches for the day performed overall.

This morning for the 19, I was awarded NABI coach 9729. True to form, this coach had many of the same defects that it had the last time I had it in the previous week for the 15. The block light was still out, the Chime system was still broken as it rang and the stop requested light illuminated every-time the door closed, the coach had extensive body damage all around it, the front door glass remains with a large crack, and the W/C lift does not deploy. This is all that I can remember off hand. Other than these things, 9729 ran a true soldier with the help of his solid fixed mirror which I only had to readjust one time on the whole run. On this overcast morning, I paced myself accordingly to remain on schedule. I have begun to master how to precisely time myself as I go down Harford Road to keep form being up. Every time-point was reached as it should have been up until the last. I arrived at State Center at 747A and back to the division at 759A. I promptly placed this coach on the shop lane when I returned in naive belief that the mechanics would actually look at it. I would be my inheritance that the moment they saw my badge number on the defect report, they tore it up and placed the coach back on the regular lanes.

This afternoon for the 15, I was initially awarded NABI coach 9730, but when I went outside to set it up I discovered that the seat is still non-adjustable and was back too far for me to be able to drive this coach safely and comfortably. This coach was a good bus with everything working and it had stable, tight mirrors (A PRICELESS FACET) on a bus. In lieu of this and much to my dismay, I went inside to the starter to request another bus. She awarded me NABI Coach 9726 which was immediately behind 9730. In order to get my new coach I had to move 9730 to another lane. I did this and proceeded to move 9726 up and get him set up. As I pre-tripped 9726, most things worked right except the fact that the right mirror was loose and required a substantial amount of paper placed in it to keep it in place. Additionally, the W/C ramp worked, but had its own agenda. Despite the setbacks, 9726 is one of my favorite buses because his seat goes up very high and the steering column goes very low. With this coach and a few others, I can sit very high and feel in the utmost of control when operating the vehicle. As I proceeded to Security, I discovered a new problem which would happen with the coach on three occasions this afternoon. Apparently, the transmission on 9726 is having difficulties staying in gear, and on three instances- all at red lights the coach slipped from drive into Neutral on its own. This caused it to drift back somewhat once I took my foot off the breaks. Only by God's good grace was no one directly behind me because even with my quick slamming on the breaks, they would have been hit had they been too close. This did not make for a good trip this afternoon and I was all to happy to get this defective coach back to the yard. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 423P and back to the division at 438P. This bus also was shopped and hopefully all of its defects will be fixed before it is placed back into service.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 04, 2010- WEDNESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9736 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9747 A+

This morning on th 19, I received NABI coach 9736 . Arguably this is one of the best coaches in the 9730 series. Aside from his brother 9731, he is about the only one in this ten coach series. He had no defects whatsoever, plus his mirror was powered which always makes for a good trip indeed. Aside from some old body damage which virtually every NABI has, this coach had no problem telling it like it is on Harford Road. The 19 this morning was a bit slow, so I had to slow it as well in order to keep from being up. With divine help I kept my schedule on the suburban part of the trip, and finally when I got to the inner city part the people started to come in droves. This of course will keep you on schedule without any problem, and I had no problem remaining on point from then on all the way downtown. I arrived at State Center at 747A and back to the division at 801A.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9747 . This is probably one of the best buses in the 9740's at Kirk Division. He too had no problems to report and also had a power mirror to aid in the quest of peace. Aside too from old body damage, the only thing wrong with 9747 were a couple of side flashers were out and there was no washer fluid. He ran very well and the air kept me cool the whole trip and the check engine light did not come on one time. The 15 today was a tale of two cities. The trip started out light as it made its way downtown, but once I got downtown I got SLAMMED to the max with people. My follower had caught up with me but he slowed down in order to keep from being up on his schedule. Because of that, I got everybody and had people almost up to my back. A truck was parked on Broadway and Eager which made me have to swing out wide in order to make that turn. More people got on along there and Gay Street! It did not end until I got to the stop on Belair Road in front of the Food Depot supermarket. From then on, I mostly let the loads out without many people getting on. I finally got to Gardenville Loop at about 420P and back to the division at 441P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 05, 2010- THURSDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9745 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9721 A+

This morning for the 19, I was awarded NABI coach 9745 . Like his little brother 9747, 9745 is a good, strong, able coach with good air condition and little propensity for issues while on the road. The only thing that was wrong with this fella were cases of minor body damage on the outside. Other than that, he was a true soldier. When I went outside this morning to set him up, the check engine light and buzzer were on (which of course made me nervous at first) but as soon as I started moving and took off the fast idle, it too went out. Needless to say, I was very glad. When I arrived at the gate, one of the nicest supervisors whom I run into often at Kirk and who came to my aid when my coach broke down in May was there and told me: "I know you're on point, I don't even have to ask what time you pull out, have a great day". I thanked him and wished him well by the same note. When I arrived in Carney to layover, two people boarded the bus and awaited me to pull out. Going down Harford Road this morning, it seemed like more people than usual were there waiting for the bus this morning. I missed a couple of lights that normally keep me on schedule, and as a result I had to recover time one time at Harford and 32nd Street. Once this barrier was crossed, the people started coming en mass. Any further thoughts of being up were soon vanquished with the morning dew. As normal, once I got to the Aisquith and North timepoint, I was on time and remained so until I got downtown where the long lights sometimes get me and set me back a few. I arrived at State Center at 748A and back to the division at 804A.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9721. Like 9745 this morning, this old soldier performed extremely well and is in better condition than many of his younger brothers in the 9700 series. He had no mechanical defects with the exception of his block light being out and the top left side mirror being completely shattered. Other than that, the air worked fine, the mirror was powered and the bells worked. I had no complaints at all about 9721 and would gladly take him anytime. Today the 15 was not as crowded as it was on yesterday. I picked up my average groups at Security Mall and the Social Security Center and one W/C/ passenger at Edmondson and Pulaski. He rode with me all the way to Belair and Erdman Avenue. In between, I got my fair share of people, but thankfully no standing loads to the point where I had to tell people to move back. Despite fewer passengers overall, I still arrived at the Gardenville Loop a bit later than usual, at 425P and back to the division at 441P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 06, 2010- FRIDAY!!!

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9728 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9734 A+

This morning for the 19, I was awarded NABI coach 9728. This old man was strong , sturdy, and willing to be a soldier. His only problem which didn't turn out to be a problem at all was a slightly loose right mirror. A few minutes of time and a couple of pieces of folder paper soon solved this problem and I was on my way. Today on the 19, I picked up a great deal of regulars and quite a few people who were brand new faces on this very straight route along Harford Road. This was a good thing because it made it very easy to remain on schedule without much effort on my part. I was able to basically reach every time point this morning without challenge and ON TIME. Much to my glee and enjoyment, there was no need for recover time at ANY point which made it seem like run was going by so very fast. Maybe it was because it was Friday, or maybe because the weather was so nice, people seemed to be in a good mood and few were ignorant and rude. One person complained that I took a turn too fast, I wanted to respond, but I remained quiet. I was glad when they departed my coach. I proceeded on and arrived at State Center at 746A- ON TIME, and back to the division at 758A.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9734. This was a durable chieftain who gave me no grief whatsoever. His mirrors were solid and held fast for the entire journey without needing to be adjusted one time. In addition to this, the air worked and did so the whole time. The check engine light and buzzer showed their faces three times, but it was only for a few seconds each time. Other than that, this coach was a REAL breath of fresh air. The 15 today was somewhat heavy I was behind schedule almost from the start. Much to my surprise, when I was on Edmondson and Payson Sts, I looked and saw a 15 WHITE MARSH behind me. Immediately I knew something wasn't kosher. I knew this wasn't my follower because my follower is a Bush block, 1315 to be specific. This buses' block no. was 3256. Apparently she was running MAJOR LEAGUE late and eventually went around me a few blocks later. We would end up playing leap frog for some time until we got to Belair Road were she went around me for the last time. I never did see my follower block, but I suppose it didn't matter because the 15 WHITE MARSH ended up picking up much of the people who I would have otherwise had to get and once again would've had a STANDING LOAD. I had a small, but manageable size crowd on my bus for the journey up Belair Road. Once I got to Frankford Avenue, the last passengers exited the vehicle and I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 419P. I arrived back at the division at 438P and proceeded to my mansion. ANOTHER WEEK BITES THE DUST!!! and ANOTHER WEEK CLOSER TO ROLLING OVER TO FULL TIME!!!

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 09, 2010- MONDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9726 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9736 A+

This morning on the 19, I received NABI coach 9726. I was originally assigned 9736, but when I went out to the yard to get set my bus up it was not on the lane it was supposed to be on. I searched around on the neighboring lanes for him, but to no avail in finding him. With time being of the essence, I went back inside to tell the starter of my dilemma but she was out on the lanes arranging buses for the next set of runs later that morning. We rode over in the golf cart to the lane and she came to the conclusion that someone had taken my bus. She then assigned my coach 9726 which the other person was supposed to take, but had taken my in error. If you recall, I had this coach last week and the transmission kept slipping. I was nervous about taking it this morning, but thank God it has been repaired and the transmission stayed in drive the entire journey. The 19 required me to pace myself going no more than 30mph this morning on much of it before North Avenue in order to remain on schedule this morning. I only had to stop once in order to recover time. Once I got to North Avenue though it was smooth sailing from then on. I arrived at State Center exactly on time at 646A and back to the division also for the first time ever right on schedule at 755A.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 10, 2010- TUESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9731 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9748 A+

This morning on the 19, I received NABI coach 9731. This was a strong, resilient, and problem-free coach this morning whose power mirrors made for a great trip this somewhat cloudy morning. The only things which required write up were old body damage and some of the clearance lights were out. Another interesting thing about this coach was the fact that the released air was very loud when the front doors were opened. I arrived at State Center at 746A (once again right on time) and back to the division at 758A.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9748. Like 9731 this morning, he ran extremely well, had solid stable mirrors- though not powered (can't have everything lol.) His air worked perfectly the whole trip without the check engine light coming on for any extended period of time, and nothing decided to malfunction. I was pleased. The only thing that was mildly inconvenient was the fact that the right windshield wiper stayed leaned at the right thus somewhat obscuring part of the mirror. I made due however and did the damn thing! It was a good afternoon. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 420P and back to the division at 440P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 11, 2010- WEDNESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9729 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9748 A-

This morning on the 19, I was awarded NABI coach 9729. When I saw this, I was initially a bit worried because this coach had a number of defects which i'd written up many times and had yet to be fixed. When I went out to inspect it, the only things which were wrong with it were a partially unlit destination sign, an completely defective block light, minor scrapes on the outside most of which was covered by a fresh new paint job, and a rear right turn signal that was out. Another thing wrong with 9729 that has yet to be fixed is the fact that the driver's seat often swivels back on its own with pressure added to it. This makes it often difficult to sit back in the seat too hard without it moving backwards. Not safe at all. Everything else (including the mirrors) was perfectly fine and 9729 ran like a champion and then some this morning. At Harford and Moravia is when things started to go a little sour as my farebox got a terrible trim jam which it never quite got out of. I called radio on this issue and they responded. Eventually the damn thing stopped taking dollars too and so no one else would lose money I just put the orange tarp over it and called it a day. I proceeded on and kept it moving as normal and arrived at State Center at 746A, and good moving traffic allowed me to get back to the division at 758A. The bus was shopped when I got back to the division and they were working on it when I left after part two later on that afternoon.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9748. This able-bodied fella performed very well with coincidentally almost the same issues as 9729. He had an out block light, a partially out destination sign, and a rear left side rear flasher that was out. The only real problem with 9748 was that his mirror arm was too loose for secure comfort. This meant that everytime I rode over a heavily cratered area, the mirror would shift entirely. I had to adjust it back into place about four times the whole run this afternoon. Once I adjusted it the last time at Saratoga and Greene, it held for the rest of the way. Other than that, 9748 ran like a solider and gave me no problems whatsoever. Along the way I picked up one of the current black and whites in training at the Bush Division. His badge number was 2207 and he is one of those who already had a CDL. We had good conversation and I educated him about how it is as a part-timer and some of the things I learned in training in the months past. He rode all the way to the end of the line at Gardenville and departed accordingly. I wished him well and told him to tell his peers to please be ever so careful as to not have any accidents at all- especially on that 90 day probation! He thanked me alot and went on his way. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 415P and back to the division at 430P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 12, 2010- THURSDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9731 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9926 A+

This morning on the 19, I received NABI coach 9731. Like earlier this week, this chieftain coach had no defects to note except that of having mild body scrapings and a rear flasher being out. His mirrors were solid and stable and held fast during this most tumultuous of mornings. Once more, the monsoon rains from India graced the City of Baltimore in bucket-loads. Several streets were completely flooded and some of them were literally rivers. Needless to say, I picked up many more people than normal because several just wanted to get away from the floods. Glory to God my windows never fogged up and my visibility never was impaired due to the rain. My attention stayed on the idiots in the cars as their driving abilities get no better when the roads are wet. The closer I got to my destination, the more the rains slowed down, and by the time I got to State Center at 748A the rains had ceased. I got back to the division at 758A with drenched passenger seats and a very wet interior floor.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9926. For a 99, this coach had its share of mild issues. Like most NABI coaches, it had its share of old body damage on all sides. The front right flasher was out, the radio was not working at all, and the side destination sign was partially out. Additionally, this coach seemed to have an issue shifting into third gear at first. It took some technique and time, but I worked with it and finally learned how to press the accelerator just right to get the third gear shift when it was supposed to happen. Other than that, 9926 was a pleasure to drive. His mirrors were strong and solid, they were powered, and did not need to be adjusted at all from the outside. I picked up one W/C passenger on the 15 today who rode a relatively short amount of time, and my follower saved me alot of work by going around me relatively early in the trip and dusting me for good, lol. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 418P and back to the division at 435P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 13, 2010- FRIDAY!!!

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9824 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9736 A+

This morning to do the 19, I was awarded NABI coach 9824. For those not in the know, this coach has had an interesting history. It has had a car come through the fence at the top of the hill at Kirk Division and land on its roof, additionally, its brakes gave out once causing it to cause severe damage to several vehicles. When I got this coach, he ran like a dream. Aside from some minor body damage, all the lights worked, the mirrors were tight, and no mechanical issues were in existence. Finally, this coach had lots of kick and was an all around pleasure to drive. The air was very cold on it, more so than on other NABI coaches, and I preferred to just open my window to get some fresh air. I arrived at State Center at about 748A and back to the division about 800A.

This afternoon for the 15, I received NABI coach 9736. Like always, 9736 is a good vehicle all around. His mirrors are solid, his driver's seat is comfortable, and the only defects were old body damage and the left rear side flasher was out. Aside from that, he ran like a soldier and gave me no problems. He had pep and kick for the 15 this afternoon and did the route very well . The air cooled the bus off very well, but the driver's air was barely working at all. I was somewhat hot in the beginning, but I soon was cooled off by the air outside. The 15 today was very light before I got downtown. I had to truly drive in granny gear for most of the trip and even had to take a catch up layover at Walbrook Junction for a few minutes. I was able to pace myself to a tee for the remainder of my time-points until I got downtown. Once I got there, I fell behind (AS USUAL) and would remain slightly behind for the rest of the voyage. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 415P and back to the division at 434P. ANOTHER WEEK BITES THE DUST!!! ANOTHER WEEK CLOSER TO ROLLING OVER TO FULL TIME!!!

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 16, 2010- MONDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Route: 9723 A+ No mechanical difficulties
My coach for the PM 15 Route: 9726: C+ Moderate mechanical difficulties

This morning on the 19 I received NABI coach 9723. I noticed that this old boy has a new mirror arm which makes him unique among the NABI's. He had no mechanical issues at all and no defects with the exception of a rear side flasher being out and a W/C lift that sort of did what it wanted to and made me play with it for about 8 minutes before it finally stowed all the way back in. He handled the 19 well, and had a great deal of pep to him which is not a common trait among the 9720's. With a nice crowd on the 19 this morning, I made it to State Center exactly on schedule at 746A and back to the division at 759A.

This afternoon on the 15, I received NABI coach 9726. This coach was once again very problematic with respect to its functioning, much like it was about two weeks ago. It had a good deal of body damage all around, and the right mirror needed to be tightened considerably. On the good side though, the seat on this coach is so wonderfully high and comfortable that it could be the model for ALL other NABI coaches, and the air conditioning is great and kept me comfortable the whole trip. If only the transmission worked as well as the air and driver's seat. Like a fortnight ago, the transmission on this coach had a problem staying in drive. On several occasions, this coach went from drive to neutral on its own at red lights, and on a few occasions it did so while in motion. None of these were pleasant occurrences and once again I could not wait to get this coach back to the yard. I arrived at Gardenville Loop at 415P and back to the division at 435P. I promptly parked this coach on the shop-lane for maintenance and hope that it gets the attention that it deserves before it is released back into service because right now it is not in my opinion safe to operate.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 17, 2010- TUESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Tripper: 9723 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Tripper: 9750 A+

This morning on the 19 I received NABI coach 9723. This was the second day in a row two that I have received this coach for my AM part. Once again, he had no mechanical issues at all and no defects with the exception of a rear side flasher being out and a W/C lift that sort of did what it wanted to and made me play with it for about 5 minutes today before it finally stowed all the way back in. Despite being a slow starter, he handled the 19 well once again. I made it to State Center 748A and back to the division at 801A.

This afternoon on the 15, i received my son, coach 9750. Like normal, he performed like a champion on the 15 line. His mirrors were strong, all of his mechanical functions were fully up to standard and all of his lights were working. Aside from minor body smudges on the exterior, there was nothing to report of which is good because there were no pre-trip inspection cards left anyway, lol. In doing the 15 today, he had kick and was able to take the hills and valleys with no problem. I arrived at the Gardenville Loop at 413P and back to the division at 429P.

[mtabusdriver1985]

AUGUST 18, 2010- WEDNESDAY

My coach for the AM 19 Tripper: 9723 A+
My coach for the PM 15 Tripper: 9735 A++

This morning on the 19 I received NABI coach 9723. This was the record third day in a row two that I have received this coach for my AM part. Again, he had no mechanical issues at all and no defects with the exception of a rear side flasher being out and a W/C lift that I knew had issues and I did not even bother to play with it today, lol. This was a rainy morning and I had lots of people. With his slow starting abilities, he is not a coach to take it on often. He did his thing this morning and handled the 19 well as expected. I made it to State Center 748A and back to the division at 803A.