The Dearth of Motorbus Drivers.
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What Class of Man Gives Most Satisfaction ?
One of the greatest of the many difficulties which beset the motor omnibus operating engineer is the scarcity of properly qualified drivers : the increase in the number of motorbuses has been so rapid that it is impossible to obtain experienced men for the work. A high percentage of the troubles experienced at the present time is directly trace able to this cause, and it is only recently that designers have begun to take into account this state of affairs and to simplify, accordingly, their designs as much as possible. The success of all motor omnibus companies, and, indeed, of all companies running motor vehicles, depends almost entirely on the adoption of a really sound system as regards the selection and training of drivers. Without such a system, the best vehicles will have but a short life, punctuated by frequent breakdowns, and the company which started with the most rosy prospects will be brought, sooner or later, to financial ruin if this all-important question is neglected. At the present time, many companies have little or no settled system for the training of the men, and this leads to disastrous results. As a rule, the prospective drivers come to the company with absolutely no knowledge of motor vehicles and. with little, or no, mechanical aptitude. They are sent out in batches of half a dozen or so, on a chassis or break-down lorry, and are taught, more or less thoroughly, how to steer, change speed, and apply the brakes. The course of tuition varies according to the progress shown by the learner, who is rarely instructed in the mechanism of the vehicle which he is to drive. When the instructor considers him sufficiently advanced, he goes up to Scotland Yard to Obtain license to drive a mechanically-propelled stage carriage. Here he is put through a certain amount of test work in traffic driving, reversing, etc., and, if he is fortunate enough to pass this ordeal, he obtains a license to drive a motorbus of the particular type on which he was examined, and, in due course, he becomes a full-fledged motor omnibus driver, with a more or less good idea of manipulating his charge in traffic, but with little knowledge of the-Why and wherefore of the various mechanical parts of which it is composed. Having, now, a vehicle to run on his own, he experiences a natural desire to understand his machine, and on the slightest provocation will run it up a side street and experiment, very often to the detriment of the mechanim. In addition to this loss, the profits of the company are diminished, as the bus may miss one, or several, journeys, in consequence. It should be made impossible for this sort of thingto occur, as most companies provide a well-paid staff of road fitters, whose duty it is to effect roadside adjustments. Two courses are open for adoption by the operating engineer : either the duties of the driver should be purely mechanical, i.e., steering, changing speed, applying the brakes, ; or, he should be thoroughly competent to un
dertake all average roadside repairs. No intermediate course can be permanently successful. Every engineer must study his particular service, but, looking at the matter broadly, it would seem that the former is the most suitable system for adoption in large towns, or where a large number of buses are running over a comparatively short distance, whilst the latter is well-nigh essential in country districts.
If it is decided that the duties of the driver shall be limited to manipulating the steering wheel, the changespeed gear, and the throttle and brake levers, it behoves the engineer to make sure that his instructions are carried out to the letter. A strap passed over the bonnet and secured with a padlock will be effective in preventing the driver from tampering with the engine in most cases. The road fitters should be provided with keys, and they, alone, should be authorised to make any adjustments on the road. The road foreman might well be furnished with a motor tri-car, a box taking the place of the usual passengers' seat, in which spanners, screw jacks, sparking plugs, arid other spares and tools to facilitate the usual road repairs would be carried. Such a machine, whilst being economical in running, would soon save its first cost, and, doubtless, numerous and varied uses would be found for it in addition. Upon a bus returning to the garage, either for repair or at the end of the day, the driver, having made out his report, would hand it over to the garage staff at the gate.
If, on the other hand, the engineer decided on the second system, he should do all in his power to increase his drivers' technical knowledge. Weekly lectures on the petrol motor, and allied subjects could probably be arranged, whilst a reading-room, supplied with the technical papers and a few good text books, would prove a valuable aid to those desirous of becoming thoroughly expert in their work.
All buses should have their " shed days " in regular rotation, and, on these occasions, the drivers and conductors might well be employed in cleaning down and generally assisting the fitters ; at the same time, increasing their knowledge of the propelling mechanism, Many smart lads, ex-Post Office and District Messengers and others, are seeking employment, and are naturally attracted by the new industry. It would, no doubt, be found advantageous to put them through a course in the shops till such time as they are old enough to obtain drivers' licenses. The motorbus driver of the present day is recruited from many different callings : horse-bus drivers, gfooms, and stable hands pre ponderating. Many people, founding their faith on his knowledge of traffic conditions, advocate the horse-bus driver as the most suitable man to train. In very many instances, however, he is quite unsuitable, his brain being anything but receptive. He is used to a slow-moving vehicle, and is apt to cut things altogether too fine. He seems often incapable of becoming a sympathetic driver, letting in his clutch carelessly and applying his brakes with unnecessary violence. In a recent conversa-. lion, with one through whose hands some 6o motorbus drivers have passed, I elicited the information that his best pupils were country grooms, who are sharp and keen to get on, and soon pick up the necessary knowledge of London's varying traffic conditions.