In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, 鈥淲hat do you do?鈥� 91欧美激情鈥檚 series 鈥�Working Capital鈥� profiles the people doing the work that makes the region unique.
In 1999, Shane Lonesome took her car into her uncle鈥檚 auto repair shop in Baltimore because of an issue with the muffler.
It didn鈥檛 take them very long to fix, and quickly, Lonesome became intrigued. She was curious about how the process could unfold so fast, and wanted to learn about how they did it.
That curiosity helped Lonesome jump-start a career that ultimately took her to Metro. A friend referred her, suspecting it would be a good fit.
Lonesome has been working with the D.C.-area transit agency for nearly 17 years, and she鈥檚 worked as a bus fleet supervisor at Metro鈥檚 Landover, Maryland, bus garage for three. The role is as different as the problems that may arise, and she has to navigate obscure D.C. weather patterns and area roads to make sure routes aren鈥檛 disrupted.
鈥淥ne of the slogans is, 鈥榃e move the city,鈥欌�� Lonesome said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that we actually can do that.鈥�
Her day starts at 6 a.m., but the time it ends is largely dependent on how many challenges pop up throughout the day. When the buses arrive in one of the Landover site鈥檚 repair bays, the team is responsible for making sure they鈥檙e fixed and back out on the road when they鈥檙e supposed to be.
Sometimes, a bus may need traditional maintenance service or its tires will go out. Other buses could require engine work and time for diagnostics because there are multiple computers that keep the bus running.
Different types of mechanics work in different positions, Lonesome said. Some work on brakes and suspension, while others focus on larger parts, such as engine and transmission.
Determining what鈥檚 wrong is usually the hardest part, she said.
鈥淧arts can be an issue,鈥� Lonesome said. 鈥淪ometimes the way the bus is designed is an issue. It may breakdown in five seconds, but it may take us five days to five months to fix it. That鈥檚 probably the most complicated.鈥�
A consequence of that fluctuating time frame is potentially running out of spare buses.
Lonesome makes sure the repair work gets assigned, prepares reports and gets parts. The average repair is four hours, she said, meaning the bus is out of the shop by lunch. Sometimes, it takes double that.
Her team works during one of three shifts because breakdowns can happen at any time.
鈥淓veryone can’t work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,鈥� Lonesome said.
鈥淓veryone can’t have Saturday, Sunday off. So we have to make sure we’re looking out for everyone on the snow days, the rain days. I mean, the Postal Service probably gets more of a break than we do.鈥�
If a bus breaks down, the operator calls central headquarters, Lonesome said. Then, a judgment call is made to determine whether the bus needs to be towed or can it be fixed on the street before that happens. Either way, the operator gets a different bus, so the schedule doesn鈥檛 get disrupted further, she said.
Each day鈥檚 goal, Lonesome said, is making line, which means ensuring all the buses are 鈥渢here for the operators to meet the customer鈥檚 needs. And once we do that and the lifts in the shop are empty, it was a good day.鈥�
When she worked on the floor, Lonesome said she enjoyed working with brakes and suspensions. But now, whenever she wants to get her hands dirty, she returns to the source of what fueled her passion.
鈥淚 just fix my car,鈥� Lonesome said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really want to get dirty anymore, but I鈥檒l fix my car. I鈥檒l fix my brakes.鈥�
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