Former Columbia city bus drivers question training, department practices

According to two former City of Columbia bus drivers, the city’s public transit system is severely lagging in their training of new drivers.

Esam Diab and Willard Hambleton worked for the city for a combined 24 years. Diab was fired from his job as maintenance supervisor, a job he held for eight years. He claims he lost his job because he stood up to and spoke against management. While speaking with ABC 17 News, Diab mentioned his religion for continually speaking up for what he believes is right. His wife told ABC 17 News Diab requested a person who had assaulted Diab to be released from jail because of his own religious beliefs.

“They need to do a full overhaul and investigation (of the department),” says Diab.

Both Diab and Hambleton say the city does not take enough time to properly train new COMO Connect drivers. According to both men, many drivers have only one training day on the routes.

Diab says management is so short on drivers, they would put unprepared drivers on the road, in charge of driving the 40 foot bus around town.

Hambleton says when he started at a driver in the late 1980’s, he had only one day to train on the route.

“I was taken out with one person and shown what to look for on the route,” Hambleton says. “They tested me to see how I did and that was it. They didn’t even take time to show me how to drive the other routes.”

According to Diab, the driver who hit and killed a pedestrian was a new driver. Diab says the man spoke little English, was new on the job, and was driving a detoured route he had not been trained on.

Diab says there are other issues with the department. Because they are short-staffed on drivers, Diab says they have been in mandatory overtime for two years.

“They’re forcing people to work 14 to 15 hours a day because they are short,” Diab says.

ABC 17 News also spoke with the City of Columbia’s Public Works Department who oversees COMO Connect. According to their representative, if drivers do not already have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), they can train for two weeks with the city to get on.

After drivers have obtained the license, the city says drivers train for two weeks with a trainer, practicing routes.

The city also says many applicants will drop out of the training because it is too strenuous and takes too much time.