Driving Me Crazy: The pet peeves of TriMet bus drivers

TriMet bus drivers unload about stupid things motorists do around buses

[@kyleshepherd8639]

Trimet op here. Amazing video Mr McGinness, and KGW! This is exactly the kind of stuff we want the public to know. Thanks so much KGW team!

[@BusDriverLife]

So much truth in this video!!!

[@TVHouseHistorian]

If people only understood that by not yielding to our yield sign and trapping us in a bus stop for only a few extra seconds adds an incredible amount of time to our schedules and makes it impossible for us to get our riders to their respective destinations in a timely manner. Think about it this way: if your trip in a single-passenger car takes you 20 minutes (give or take), it takes bus riders at least DOUBLE that amount of time to get to where they're going on a good day, between standing and waiting for a bus, boarding, then making at least one connection, and then arriving at their final destination. If you're driving a car, you DO have time to wait for us to pull out of a stop. Pulling dangerous maneuvers in order to get in front of a bus NEVER saves you time. It only increases danger. Take heart. You won't be behind us for long, as #1, either you will turn or the bus will turn. #2 we'll wind up meeting each other at the next stop light anyway, and #3 YOU, the driver of a car, have the ability to make up any time (which is negligible) in many different ways that are safe and legal. A bus on the other hand cannot make up time, as the further and further we get behind, the more and more people gather at bus stops, which increases trip time, and thusly our passengers miss their connections, which means it takes them even MORE time to get where they need to go. Lastly, when you're out there on the road, expect to encounter mass transit. Yes, it's called MASS transit for a reason, because without a mass transit system there would be 10's of THOUSANDS more cars on the road, and the entire metro area would be in gridlock. So that means your 20 minute commute to work in the morning would take the better part of 2 hours. The system can only be efficient when we all stay patient and work together. True - you might not be getting paid to operate a mass transit vehicle, and you may never board one, BUT, you do benefit by our community's transportation system. Everybody benefits from mass transit, whether they use the system or not.

[@mickeyshay3527]

people need to understand that trimet owns the treet and only allow others to share it.

[@bububella40]

Very well said not to mention our "recovery time " at the end of the line which doesn't guarantee a break😪 when cars don't yield it makes an already stressful job into even more stressful 😔

[@markcaldwell2831]

Well said, in fact this whole speech should be applied everywhere in the UK to highlight the problems us bus drivers face each day.

[@jeffreyb8770]

OR, a car politely waits to give you the right-of-way, but a passenger takes ALL DAY to exit (or enter), then the driver gives up and passes you, and now you're ready to merge, but the Good Samaritan is long gone. A-AARGH!

[@bluechex7881]

It's not personal to driver. My time is more valuable than bus rider.

[@jimhanold9026]

Bus driving looks like a VERY stressful job!

[@wturner777]

It is, and it's also rewarding at the same time.

[@pablocruise678]

Drivers feel the bus is an inconvenience, until they need the bus... Op in Vegas.

[@CityLifeinAmerica]

They also don’t realize if anything there’s always more people on a bus. So if you’re inconvenienced by a bus, it should be the people on the bus are inconvenienced by the single car!

[@susanfaulkner2304]

True!

[@bluesky4385]

These drivers provide a great service to so many and are treated so terribly. The Drivers deserve a tremendous amount of credit and respect, and deserve to be paid well for that difficult job. There are so many trash types these drivers have to deal with daily, especially in a city that has deteriorated as much as Portland has.

[@erynd2524]

Omigosh! This happens all the time!! Shoutout to my Valley Metro drivers! Y’all are heroes!❤️👍🙏

[@aaronbrodrik6764]

I like that they updated the rear light on the busses now they say stop amd light up way more.

[@anthonybyrne7121]

I'm a bus driver in Australia here 80% of cars don't give way to us when we leave a bus stop. We don't have the yield light we have a sign saying give way to us as we pull out of bus stops.

[@katherineperkinsschaller357]

What amazed me, as a driver was a car that knew there was a stop and just assumed I had a passenger waiting for me to stop, but, guess what no one waiting so I keep going, and this car swings around to pass me, but, I don't stop and he totals his car when he smashes into the driver side of bus. He told me he was hungry and in a rush for dinner. No matter how many times someone smashed into me, I was never hurt...and here would be some totaled car, and I'd get a day off until Tri-Met sorted the accident out and I was back behind the wheel.😏

[@bellearielauroradisneybust5501]

I drive daily and i hate break checkers and those that follow too close. Give space.

[@katherineperkinsschaller357]

I drove tri-met for six years, blind spot? Didn't have one.

[@MrFunCollector]

Sees bus, pull out in front of bus like tomorow will never happen then drives slower than a donkey walks.

[@susanfaulkner2304]

Disney bus drivers go through a lot. Same with bus only lane. They even get the ECV's on with no problems. They always have a good attitude.😊

[@patrickrichmond9896]

In many states, if you are even caught using your phone while driving, you can get a ticket. I wouldn't be a bit surprised that once a motorist receives a ticket for spacing out, that motorist would sue thinking he or she has the right to space out to electronic devices.

[@11O100]

I get in a bus lane sometimes, but get out of it as soon as I realize I'm in it.

[@sabianwoods]

Yes on school bus while I was in high school in Coquille, Oregon back in 2010s

[@ryans413]

People need to understand big vehicles don’t handle like your small car dose be patient leave space and don’t cut off a buss or big truck they can’t stop as quick as a car

[@petergoodwin2465]

I thought it was going to be an easy job, 14 years later and it gets harder everyday. People can't drive for shit in Australia. They never follow road rules ,turn from the wrong lane , cut the bus off , refuse to give way and they are getting worse .

[@markcaldwell2831]

Driver aggression?? Don't drive a bus in the UK cause everyone is aggressive around buses. Everyone MUST get ahead of the bus any way they can. Some of the things I see make my eyes water. I wonder how many of the four in that news studio actually behave aggressively towards bus drivers??

[@portlandgirlx0x096]

I work w/2 former tri met drivers. They are survivers. They survived physical, sexual, verbal assault from passengers, 60+ hours a week. No help from tri met. Notice the drivers don't have protection around them? All that + this news story to worry about! Forget it! 🤯

[@tl7908]

Who ever passed the law to give bike riders the right to run yellow lights, just gave them more reasons to practice their Kama Kasi Bicyclist. A law allowing bicyclist the right to ignore lights and they do, was most likely written by a lawyer, who rides his bike everyday into Portland. One only needs to drive car, bus to see how the bicyclist interpret the law.

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

Bicycles follow the same rules as Cars, and Cars are also allowed to run yellow lights.

[@robleeg]

This was a stressful job frfr. I did 2yrs

[@deeslim2]

Did you quit?

[@Leonard_Wilson]

If you think this is bad, try driving in Manhattan.

[@wturner777]

I believe it. Most people can't drive for sh**!

[@thealexpshow782]

Even every one driving experiences bad drivers sometimes

[@patrickrichmond9896]

The reason of the blocking is because this is not the thing to be making jokes about. This is about someone's commute who can't afford to drive a car. Yes, there are children here but like i say, this is not the thing to be making jokes about. This is not funny.