Capital Metro Drivers Deliver Smooth Rides Everyday

By Ricardo Gándara | Austin American-Statesman
Tuesday, May 27, 2008

With his gloved hands firmly on the large steering wheel and eyes focused ahead to navigate downtown's afternoon rush hour, Richard Nichols welcomes riders boarding Capital Metro's No. 987 Leander/Northwest Express bus. He has two objectives, he says. First, to get these 30 workers and students to their destination safely and on time. Second, to make the ride pleasant and stress-free so they forget about the day and begin to unwind.

It works. Once he gets on MoPac Boulevard at 38th Street going north, most of them are dozing. It's as quiet as a library; the coach temperature is cool. The 45-foot 3500 MCI bus, known as the "Cadillac," is super comfortable. High cloth seats with arm and foot rests. Free Wi-Fi. These buses, good enough to haul rock stars, are used on routes targeting riders who drive to park-and-ride lots and head to the University of Texas and downtown.

As more people ride the bus, Nichols' driving skills become all that more important. System-wide, Capital Metro reports an 11.2 percent increase in riders in April of this year compared with the same month in 2007.

Nichols makes this an extraordinary public transportation experience, as if he's driving a charter for tips. He's over-the-top friendly, but then, that's just him. "Don't you look dressed for success," says Carolyn Powers, a Texas Department of Insurance employee who boards at Lavaca and Sixth streets shortly after 4 p.m. "Did you have a lunch date?"

"No, ma'am," says a smiling Nichols, 48, who's been with Capital Metro less than two years but was a bus driver in Phoenix the 10 previous years. Sporting a pressed, stark-white, long-sleeved shirt - one of three company-issued shirts he can wear on the job - and navy blue pants (he gets a $365 uniform allowance every year), he says, "I think a white shirt makes one look more professional."

Mu-Lan Jin, a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation employee, is one of those fast asleep on the drive north to Leander via U.S. 183. After her nap, she sings Nichols' praises. "He is a very cool guy. He drives the bus so smooth. This is my nap time. I love it, and he is so nice and courteous."

Nichols, a native of Cuero, has an additional 18 years experience of driving 18-wheelers, school buses, fork lifts and front-end loaders. He's very serious about his job. "When I drive, I look for hazards, you know, the unexpected - like cars coming up fast, switching lanes without a signal and just driving reckless. Basically, it's defensive driving," he says.

He acknowledges the great responsibility that comes with transporting the public. "You have to love driving. When I'm behind the wheel, I feel this great control. I'm the top dog. People are counting on me to get them somewhere, and I have to be perfect about it."

Nichols' driving day starts shortly after 6 a.m. He has the cross-town Route 300 that begins near the Capital Metro garage at Fifth Street and Pleasant Valley Road. The meandering route takes him through East Austin neighborhoods and ends at the North Lamar Transit Center on U.S. 183. And his clientele is a dramatic contrast from his afternoon route, which attracts downtown workers and college students. On Route 300, you see people - many of them lower-level workers, senior citizens and students - who use the bus as their primary transportation. Kids attending Webb Middle School, Sims Elementary School and LBJ and Johnston high schools pack the bus along the way.

Nichols makes three rounds of this route before he ends his morning shift about 11:30 a.m. Because his afternoon route doesn't begin until mid-afternoon, he stays at Capital Metro's garage to eat, play dominoes or go to a nearby library to use the computer.

As cordial as Nichols is, he's tough when the situation calls for it. His bus holds 95 people, including those standing, and some days, he's at capacity. He's had fights on his bus that required him to boot people off. Nichols points to five cameras inside and outside the bus that allow dispatchers to not only monitor his driving but also record the behavior of passengers. Occasionally, people without money board the bus and ask for a ride. He'll let them ride until the next stop, where he asks them to get off. "You have to use good judgment. It's your call. Do you ask that person to get off immediately or do you let them ride until the next stop? If you let them ride, you avoid trouble," he says.

For as long as he can, Nichols will always be a driver of some sort. "When I was 18, I got my chauffeur's license, then my commercial license. It was either be a driver or a police officer. I just like how it feels to be on the road.

"I like working with people," he says.

Just then a student gets on the bus with a soft drink. "Drinks are not allowed," he tells her. "I'll let you go this time, but please don't do it again."

The girl takes her seat and whispers to her friend: "He's nice."

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200