Dulles International Airport bus operators that ferry passengers and employees between parking lots and the main terminal have expressed concerns that the vehicles they drive are old and unsafe. Fearful that they may get fired, several drivers have spoken up on the strictest terms that they would remain anonymous.
“We report things are wrong, but they don’t act on it,” said one operator. Another driver said that the buses “break down all the time.”
Though the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says there is a regular repair and maintenance schedule for the vehicles.
Drivers say their buses have bad brakes and transmissions, worn-out tires, inoperable turn signals, poor suspensions, oil leaks and broken air-conditioning units. Doors don’t open and close easily — or sometimes at all. In one case, a steering wheel came off in their hands.
The Washington Post reported on the issue. The Post requested and reviewed 300 pages of maintenance reports on four buses that drivers said were the worst performers. The records, from September 2010 to August 2011, showed that three of the buses were broken down every month, with a range from 1 to 13 days. The fourth bus had one month when no problems or repairs were reported. Most problems were repaired within 24 to 72 hours.
The Airport Authority also says it plans to soon replace some of the aging buses. However according to their own employees, they are just saying what they want you to hear.
“They’re playing games,” a driver said. “They are just moving around the buses that have problems.” He then recalled an instance when he reported to his supervisor that he had to use an emergency brake to stop a bus he was driving in an employee parking lot. An hour later, he saw the bus being used in a passenger lot.
Officials say they follow the Federal Transit Administration guidelines. Under those guidelines, the average retirement age for vehicles is 15.1 years.
The FTA does not have guidelines for airport buses but the Airport Authority said the average age of its buses is nine years old, with the oldest at 14 years old.
Mike Wolf, a spokesman for Standard Parking, wrote in an e-mail: “We operate a very safe fleet of buses at Dulles and would never put an unsafe bus on the street… whenever a breakdown does occur, in accordance with established policy it is called in immediately and that bus is replaced immediately… there is a schedule for maintenance for each bus, based on mileage and other factors. All of the repair work is done at a shop at Dulles and is checked by a supervisor.” He continues to say the Dulles buses are in a “high-use environment,” adding that none of the repairs drivers talked about are unusual and that all “would be expected to arise in the ordinary life of buses.”
Many drivers have a different view, stating “They do emergency repairs, and then they put [the buses] back out. They’re old, and things break constantly.”
One driver stated that when he reported to his supervisor that the buses were in bad shape, the supervisor said: “If you don’t want to drive the bus, go home.”
Authority has said Standard Parking gives it “monthly reports on all repairs that are performed by their subcontractor FleetPro.”
FleetPro had no comment.
The Airport Authority said it had budgeted $3.3 million to buy new buses, which would be delivered next year.
This does little to prevent the constant anxiety of the drivers, whose safety is at risk on a daily basis. Unfortunately in the present economy, the reality of being strained to work in an unsafe environment makes life a constant game of Russian Roulette for the drivers at Dulles Airport.
Category: Bus Accidents
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