Watch Jeanne Ryan Drive A 40 Foot DTA Bus On "Your Turn To Drive"

Since the day I arrived in Duluth many years ago I distinctly remember looking up at Lake Avenue going how do people drive up that steep hill? And of course, it was winter when I moved here and my car was stickshift so all those factors shot down my confidence pretty quickly. Then I saw a DTA bus take a hairpin turn and scoot up that hill like a champ and I thought wow, that is some mad driving skills.

I still think that to this day and have always said to myself I could never drive something that big. Well, last Friday I had my chance along with other members of the public. It was called the "Your Turn to Drive Event." This was a great way for the general public to have a chance to get behind the wheel and try it and also maybe entice a person or two to want to do that job full-time.

For some reason, I was not nervous at all which I don't know why, maybe the instructor made me feel at ease. Once I got myself settled in the seat I felt like I was in the cockpit of a plane with all the different buttons and dials. First thing was to check my mirrors as you would with any vehicle, then I got a quick instruction on turn signals which are actually big buttons on the floor that you have to press down the entire time into your turn.

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Then of course gas and brake. Interestingly enough I actually did not use the accelerator the whole time, I literally rode the brake from start to finish. I must say I did pretty well I did not run over any cones or hit the brakes too hard, I did miss a turn because I was not clear on my instructions, but no biggie. The DTA staff were so kind and patient they made it a breeze.

Now I am not saying driving a bus is easy by any means, not at all. I was on a closed course with an instructor, not taking a hairpin turn with cars all around me. So again hats off to all those DTA drivers out there, it is a tough job and many people rely on you to get around every single day. So Thank You for all you do!