A Bit About My Job

So I come into the office, and I look on Drivers World to see if I have any shifts. If I do, I confirm them and remember what time I have to come in. It will also to say what the shift will be, eithere a shuttle to and from Denver International Airport, or a shuttle to Eagle Regional Airport, or a charter to or from those destinations. Sometimes you will express one way and have guests the other way.So you come into the office at your showtime, get the manifest and paperwork for the vans and van key, find your van, and do your pre-trip inspection. If you have guests to pick up, you go through your manifest and find thier locations in your mapbook, and plan your journey. Unless you're expressing, then you just head on down to Denver or Eagle. You pick up your guests, help them into the van, load their luggage and move onto the next one. When you have all your guests on board then you might want to say how long the journey will be, if there's any stops, and just ask if there's anything I can do to make your journey more comfartable. Of course as you pick up each guest you call in to confirm with dispatch that you have picked up your guest and are en route to the next pick up. When you have picked up all guests you call to dsipatch to confirm that you are all clear for Denver/Eagle, where they will say yoy are and wixh you a safe journey.
Then you drive.
A drive to Eagle is nice, about 40 mins tops on a nice clear day.
A drive to Denver is longer, a bit over 2 hours on a nice clear day.
A drive to Denver can be pure hell.
Actually, what I mean to say is a drive from Denver can be pure hell.
When it's snowing so you can't see clearly 5 metres in front of you.
When the guest in the back won't shut-up and wants to inanely prattle on for the whole trip.
When a 2 hour trip drags into something closer to 4, and you still have to drop guests off.
But that's a story for another time.

So where were we?

Oh yes, so let's just say you express down to Denver, that's cool, you get to listen to the new Bob Dylan CD you just bought on the car stereo, you get to sit around for an hour, an hour and a half in the commercial vehichle holding area at the airport and wait to get called up to pick up geusts, but you don't mind, cause you get the chance to read and eat and go to the restroom, but you do miss out on any tips due to no passengers. So if you do have passengers, you go into the commercial vehichle section of the terminal and you try drop your geusts of in an appropriate order of their departure and where their gates are. Then you check your van to make sure no one has left anything behind and call dispatch to say you are all clear, where they will probably tell you to wait in holding till it is time to pick up your geusts.
So then you get the call to door 510 where you are picking up your geusts. A porter brings out the luggage and the guests either beat him or trail after. You need to check that each guest trying to board your van actually is on your manifest, and if they are, allow them into the van. Then you load the luggage. Then you give your spiel about the journey, the policy on seatbelts, the fact we'll be stopping at the halfway point to refuel, if there's anything you can do to make their journey more comfartable, please ask. Then you call dispatch and say you have x number on guests on board, am I clear for Vail? Where thay will most likely say, sure, have a good trip, unless there's a last minute addition. So then you drive back up the mountain, stopping at Downeville to refuel, but mainly to go through your manifest and work out where you have to drop people off. It's best to do that inside maybe, because it's freezing out there. You get all your guests back on board, you travel up the mountain. When you reach the valley, you call in to dispatch to say you're back in the valley with how many guests on board and you'll call when you're clear. They say welcome back, and if you're lucky, they'll have organised a support driver to come and take a guest or two of your hands. So you drop of your guests, hoping each one gives you a tip. Once you are clear of guests you check your van to see if anyone has left anything behind. Then you call dispatch and say you are clear of guests, is there anything else they would like some help with, crossing your fingers you can just go home. They say no, thanks for your help, you can bring it in and wash the van and do your paperwork. So that's what you do, you drive back to base and fill up the van with gas. You go around to the washbay and depending on the time of day either wash it yourself, or help the washers clean the van. Vaccumming, washing the outside, emptying the rubbish, making everything neat, checking the oil, refilling the washerfluid. Then you go park your van. Then it's time for the paperwork and computer log. You fill out what run types you had, the hours, your showtimes and dpeartures, the number of guests, if there was any collects or vouchers. If there were, you put them in an envelope and fill out the details, get dispatch to sign it and stick it in the safe. You do the same on the computer log, you put the van location on a map, make sure you give back the key. Is that it? Well you better check your schedule again, because maybe they've changed your showtime. Hey, look at this, you are working tomorrow now, and what's this, they've put you down for friday, even though that's your day off. Well, maybe you could use the money, and it's just an Eagle, so it won't take all day. Why don't you just ignore and confirm it tomorrow when you come in for your shift.
What's that? Oh yeah, I'll catch the shuttle, just coming, just need to stick the paperwork in the thing and I'll be right there.
And that's my job.