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MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 17, 2004 Drivers push for potty breaks While operators say it’s a problem, RVTD says comfort breaks are authorized whenever needed By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Erica Friend, a 45-year-old public bus operator, admits she gets a little irritable when her busy schedule doesn’t allow her enough time to go the bathroom. Normally helpful and courteous with her Rogue Valley Transportation District customers, Friend said, she has only one thing on her mind when she puts off taking a bathroom break, particularly because she’s ended up with health problems. "I’ve had three bladder infections and I’ve worked here two years," she said. "I’ve never had them before." Friend, other local bus drivers for RVTD and drivers around the state have banded together to demand enough time for bathroom breaks. Peter Jacobsen, general manager at RVTD, said he understands the needs of the drivers, even during the busy holiday period. Advertisement "The drivers are authorized at any time to make any variety of pit stops even if the schedule suffers," Jacobsen said. "I would be more happy to have the employees take a comfort break in the interest of health and public safety." But drivers say they sometimes end up responding to questions from passengers after they’ve stopped, eating into their time and putting them under more pressure. "Either you don’t go or you run late for a route," said Carrie Clifford-Risley, local union steward and RVTD dispatcher. The problem was highlighted by the death of Portland bus driver Diane Boothe on Nov. 2 when her bus unexpectedly lurched forward as she rushed in front of it on her way to a bathroom. Jason Reynolds, a spokesman for the Amalgamated Transit Union, said workplace safety investigators are reviewing tapes from two video cameras on the bus and another in the terminal. He said Boothe was running a minute behind schedule, so she felt particularly rushed. "She had diabetes and needed to go to the bathroom," said Reynolds. Union representatives across the state expressed support for the bathroom break request Wednesday when they handed out yellow teardrop shaped pins to bus and light-rail operators as part of the Take-a-Break campaign, which Boothe had helped to develop. A survey conducted by the union showed that two-thirds of the 900 drivers questioned said they became distracted by their physical needs, more than one-third had to make emergency stops, about half restricted their fluid intake and a third had health problems. Friend said she hopes customers understand that sometimes she feels a bit uncomfortable. "I do get a little pissy," she said. "But you’re getting frustrated and you have a little attitude." With the increased use of public transit during the holiday season, Friend said she and other drivers find themselves behind in their schedules, making it more difficult to take a break. "It puts a lot of pressure and pain on you," said Friend. "It can cause accidents because there’s no way your mind can concentrate." Clifford-Risley said the situation for drivers has gotten worse in recent weeks with more seasonal workers riding the bus to Bear Creek Corp. as well as negotiating through holiday traffic. She said some drivers, who spend up to two hours on a route, have diabetes or take diuretics, which causes them to go to the bathroom more often. She said one driver suffered a health problem as the result of being unable to use a bathroom soon enough. 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