I have been a Metro-bus driver for 35 years and was 2012 Metro Operator of the Year. I am offended by the nature of the Traffic Lab Q&A regarding Metro-bus drivers.
Driving a Metro coach is not a simple job. The reader who asked the question doesn’t seem to understand what bus drivers deal with every day — traffic; rude customers; drivers in bus zones; cyclists riding on southbound Fifth Avenue in Seattle going northbound; jay walkers talking on their phones.
One of the reasons you see buses sometimes going through red lights is because a car has cut them off making a right turn from the middle lane.
I am now retired and don’t drive eight-plus hours a day, but I run into the same things each rush hour being a part-time driver.
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I am proud of my co-workers. The Metro drivers I work with try to do their jobs, try to be polite and drive safely.
Robert Duncan, Auburn