How does the bus assignment work?

[OrionFlyer]

How does the bus assignment work? Do the drivers get the same bus everyday?
I've seen evidence of this at the Landover Division.  Today ,Tuesday and last Tuesday Flxible Metro B for the R12 and the same Orion VI for the F14 at the exact scheduled times I caught them last Tuesday. Today I caught the same Orion VI (Route F14) that I rode last Tuesday at the same scheduled time (Leaving New Carrollton at 11:07) with the same non functioning back door.

[LandoverDivision]

Orion VII? You mean VI?

[Tristan]

How sure are you that it is not functioning, versus the driver not willing to use it?  You didn't mention any bus numbers, but have you checked to see if indeed it is the same number each day?

[OrionFlyer]

I think they were the same buses. Is the R12 that leaves Greenbelt  at 10:23 towards New Carrollton  always a Flx B?

I think the only person that can truly answer my question about the bus assignments is wmata supervisor. I want to know if the same buses are used at the same scheduled time everyday unless somethings wrong with the bus .

[Tristan]

If that were the case, it isn't universal law.  I can tell you with 100% certainty that it is not absolute WMATA policy to do this.

I know here at DASH, that's not our policy either but a couple drivers get the same bus every day per request.  I've heard of drivers with preferred buses or bus types @ WMATA taking what they want, but it's more common on weekends.  Anyone know Doofy & Flanders?

[79MetroExtraMD]

I know a few operators who like a certain coach depending on the run they have, the seating, or for capacity. One always gets a tic because he runs a Z8 in the evening. Also, I think if you have more seniority, you have a better chance of getting a particular coach (if it isnt on the DL )

[WMATAGMOAGH]

This was the policy both at Ride On and at TCAT when I was privy to such information, my guess is it still applies at both properties:

Each block had a bus type assigned to it.  In the case of TCAT, this meant a block could be designated as 40 footer, 35 footer, or 35 foot non-lift equipped.  The dispatcher was then supposed to assign the same type of bus to a specific block each day, but it didn't necessarily have to be the same bus each day.  In the case of TCAT, they currently have 1 non lift equipped bus.  Since that bus can only operate on one of 4 routes without violating the ADA, it is likely that certain drivers may get that bus on a consistent basis, but other than that, buses are assigned based on their type, not the specific unit.

TCAT and some of its predecessors used to give each bus to a specific driver, and it was that driver's bus.  Gaithersburg Ride On used to assign specific buses to specific blocks.  The advantage to these sorts of policies are that the driver can develop a sense of pride about his or her bus, keep it clean and make sure it runs well.  The problem with this was that if a bus broke down, the driver might call in sick since he or she wouldn't want to drive a bus other than his or her own.  Additionally, miles and wear and tear are balanced out more easily over an entire fleet if the buses are moved from block to block and from garage to garage.

[OrionFlyer]

Well I guess the driver may pick the same type of bus but not the same number.   

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Well I guess the driver may pick the same type of bus but not the same number.  

Drivers almost never get to pick.  They generally get told by a dispatcher (or some equivelent title, it changes from TA to TA) what to take.

[Perry]

That's how it is here too.  We assign bus type, not vehicle number.  If we say we need an artic on the 109, it doesn't matter which one is on there as long as it's an artic.  However at PRTC, I had to actually decide which vehicle ended up on which trip.  Prior to the service change I would redo the bus assignment list and assign a specific bus number to the block and we'd actually levy liquidated damages on First Transit if a certain % of vehicles were not assigned.  It was a fairly high percentage, so as to allow for breakdowns, maintenance, accidents, etc.  I'm sure they're still doing that now, but it was quite challenging.  I'd have to get maintenance records prior to doing this so I could mix them up a bit for mileage purposes.