News

Center Holds Coach Operator Apprenticeship Committee Webinar

Posted May 2020

On Tuesday, April 28th, the Center held a webinar for the Coach Operator Apprenticeship Committee. Agencies and local unions working towards a registered operator apprenticeship participated in the webinar to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their operations. Many agencies have moved to weekend operations, have implemented rear-only boarding, and have halted hiring and related training. Agencies also shared their progress made towards apprenticeship and the hope that renewed emphasis will be placed on apprenticeship once the worst of the crisis has passed. Agencies without operator apprenticeships expressed their wish that they had implemented the program sooner because of the benefit that it would be to operators in this stressful period.

During the webinar, Brian Sherlock from the ATU International gave a presentation on a strategy he and others have been working on to create a safer compartment for operators. Without intervention, the normal airflow in a bus creates a unique risk for bus operators. The presentation showed how simple barriers and air flow adjustments in the bus can protect operators much better than PPE alone. This is a hugely important issue given how many infections and deaths the frontline workforce has suffered.

For more information on the Coach Operator Apprenticeship, please contact Kenyon Corbett.