Johnathan Taylor: WTA operator, National Bus Roadeo champion

Johnathan Taylor: WTA operator, National Bus Roadeo champion

WTA operator Johnathan Taylor sits in the driver seat of a paratransit bus in May in Bellingham. (Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)Johnathan Taylor (he/him)Age: 36City: FerndaleLived here for: 36 yearsOriginally from: Birch BayNotable: Whatcom Transportation Authority paratransit operator and first-place champion of the Community Transportation Association of America National Bus Roadeo Competition.So, you're a paratransit operator for WTA. What does that mean, how did you get into this work?I’ve been doing it for about 12 years. I actually worked across the street and I looked across and wondered what they made. A poor, early 20s-year-old and saw what they made and went, ‘that’s a good government job,’ so I applied and got in and 12 years later, here I am and I love it and I wouldn’t change it. In paratransit, every day is different; I don’t know where I’m going to go. The fixed-route system has their fixed routes. Can you explain the Community Transportation Association of America National Bus Roadeo Competition?It’s an 11-course obstacle course; serpentine, left-turn, right-turn, back-ups in both directions, diminishing clearance with barrels that you have to enter at at least 20 miles an hour, and they go from, I think, a foot wider on either side to 6 inches wider than the bus on either side, and you’re flying through them. You have a pre-trip test, so there’s four planted defects on a bus; it could be anything from screws missing in one of the handhelds, something stuck between the duals, license plate swapped. And a passenger assistance test, that’s meeting and greeting a passenger in a wheelchair, making sure you check what you need to on that, get the lift out, get them on, correctly secure them per their requirements, and all done within seven minutes. It’s very fast-paced and technical. What were the defects in your final?The tag for the fire extinguisher was missing, the transmission dipstick and the bio-spill kit was missing. What was your preparation like for the competition?This was my fifth national. I’ve been doing five roadeos a year for two years and before that I did four a year. Passenger assistance is what we do every day. The competition level is a bit different; you have to talk your whole way through it. The drive comes down to practice; I’ve been through the course 300 times, easily. So, it’s just learning those angles. A lot of it isn’t too relatable to the real world; it’s getting to know and understand your bus. I go into apartment complexes that people would be like, ‘I would absolutely never go in there.’ And I’m like, ‘I got plenty of room.’ What was the hardest aspect of the course and the easiest?It’s always the pre-trip; it’s always the hardest. That has you stressing all day. The easiest part for this one? Passenger assistance. You also won the Otis Reed Jr. award, meaning you're the CTAA National Driver of the Year. So, what's your number one piece of advice to fellow travelers?The award is based off written test, pre-trip and course. At CTAA, they do a 35-foot Coach, a paratransit and a minivan test. And this is the best score out of those three scores out of the entire event. Otis Reed was part of Pierce Transit and he helped get the Roadeo started. My advice: Have fun and deep breaths and get to know your bus and have fun with your job; we’re all forced to work, find something that brings you joy helping others. What is your biggest pet peeve?No blinkers. No, I’m just kidding, we always joke about that, though. I used to have things that irritated me, but 12 years driving professionally … How do I put it professionally? People are just dumb on the road. That’s the nicest way I can put it. Expect the unexpected. If you could drive any vehicle, what would it be and where would you go?Nissan ‘Godzilla’ R34 GT-R and probably through the Grand Canyon. “Faces in the Crowd” is published online and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a “Faces in the Crowd” subject? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.Owen Racer is a Report for America corps member who covers health care and public health in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Reach him at owenracer@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 101. Learn more and donate at cascadiadaily.com/rfa.