Metro buses killed three people last week, prompting the Metro Area Transit Authority to institute a retraining program for all drivers.
“What we’re going to require all of our bus operators to do is participate in a one to two day retraining effort,” Steven Taubenkibel, a Metro spokesperson said.
A Metro bus killed two women on Feb. 14, while another woman was killed Feb. 17, according to Taubenkibel.
Driver training is already extensive, according to Earl Beatty, the bus representative for the local Amalgamated Transit Union’s local chapter, which he says represents 75 percent of Metro workers.
“The training is the very tough, military-type training. It’s seven weeks. Only about 50 percent of the participants that start out finish,” Beatty said. “You go out to driving a bus, it’s about six weeks of someone standing over you hollering and screaming.”
Beyond training, Beatty said that factors beyond the driver’s control hamper safe driving, especially during inclement weather like last week’s snow and ice storm. He cited ice, demanding schedules, and poor visibility as major factors that contribute to accidents.
“The mirrors on the buses create a blind spot,” he said. “At night, the glare off the front windshield is a serious problem because it reduces the operator’s visibility by about 40 to 50 percent.”
Chuck Vansant, Georgetown’s Director of Off-Campus Student Life, said while waiting for a bus Tuesday night that the incidents cannot be blamed entirely on the drivers.
“A lot of people have been walking in the street,” he said. “I don’t think it’s much different than how anybody else in the city drives.”
Metro has already tied last year’s total for bus-related fatalities. Last week’s deaths bring the total to five 2007 fiscal year, the same number as the entire 2006 fiscal year, according to Taubenkibel.
