Keeping San Francisco Muni Bus Drivers in Check

San Francisco pedestrians involved in avoidable bus accidents due to either inexperienced or inept bus drivers have recently found a voice.

This week, the San Francisco Examiner issued a report that found scores of preventable accidents have been caused by bus drivers, many of whom, have previously been involved in similar unnecessary accidents.

Just last year the report cites, 379 preventable bus accidents with 348 bus drivers.  This means that over “sixteen percent of Muni drivers were at fault in at least one accident last year.”

The city’s response?  Fire only a handful of drivers.  In fact, according to the report, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is considering firing just seven drivers total.

To be fair, there are other ways of dealing with such things, depending on how serious the accidents actually were and the frequency at which the accidents occur each year.

A driver, for example, might be put on notice or suspended for several days for an incident before a decision is handed down resulting in an employee eventually loosing his or her job.

But records are cleared after only twelve months.  So what does this mean for Muni bus drivers when it comes to discipline?   Potentially, drivers could be responsible for accidents each year and stay under the radar until a second chance comes around in a few months.

In the report, Paul Rose, a spokesman for the SFMTA admits however that past major accidents can be taken into consideration, if suspension or dismissal is being considered.  In addition, the bus driver’s union was quoted in the report saying, “the numbers are encouraging considering that bus drivers carry 700,000 people while driving a 40-foot vehicle and dodging distracted pedestrians.”

Although it may be tough to find any bus driver that has a completely unblemished record, it is clearly in the city’s best interest to try.  The fact also remains that certain Muni drivers are reasonably competent.

But the record also shows that “preventable bus accidents are far too common in San Francisco.”  Even just from a financial perspective, the report claims, “firing bus drivers who are consistently involved in preventable bus accidents,” is well worth it.

However in this economy, the answer to every problem simply can’t be: fire the guy!

I submit that if Muni turns its attention more closely to who is hired in the first place, the less time they will  spend deciding who to fire.

How about pondering over what training programs are currently in place for Muni drivers.  And what, if anything, is the city doing to make sure that bus driver’s are given the training they need before getting behind the wheel?

For more information on the report cited above, please see: (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2011/01/muni-drivers-can-stay-employed-despite-accidents).