By: Madison Smalstig
If you need to ask a question about a bus at MITS, Deborah (Debbie) McCoy is the go to person. As the parts supervisor, Debbie must keep track of all aspects of a bus. She has records for how many miles the buses have driven, how much gas they have used, when their parts were replaced, which parts were replaced, who was present for the repairs on-site, if repairs were made off-site and when accidents occurred. All of this information is used to determine when, why, and if the buses need repairs. Then, she begins her process in making the repairs. If the repair requires a new part, then she sets out to find one. “Every time we order parts, I fax it out to at least eight different places,” said Debbie. While eight times may seem excessive, this is done to find the best deal on those necessary parts, which ultimately results in the best price for the people riding MITS buses. Sometimes, however, there are rare occasions where parts are needed right away. In this case, Debbie simply shortens the process and gets the part to the bus within a day’s time. She makes it happen.
Debbie also communicates with the other members of the garage to make sure the repairs and records are set straight. After she creates the reports about how much fuel the buses use each day, she runs them over to Janet Coburn, maintenance secretary, who then generates the log for the month. She also takes her information on the buses and runs them by Larry Featherston, group leader for the mechanics, so that a preventative maintenance work schedule can be made for the mechanics. They all communicate to make sure all things run smoothly in the garage and the buses get back out onto the road as soon as possible.
When Debbie first came to work for MITS many years ago, things were very different. MITS had a different name, the garage was in need of improvement, and they didn’t have modern facilities. “The buses had no radios, they had to stop and find a phone booth to call,” said Debbie. “Some buses didn’t have heat.” That is not the case now.
Although it used to be outdated, MITS and its employees have taken it upon themselves to put time into improving their facilities for their workers and customers. Buses now include those radios that were missing, making it easier for drivers to communicate to headquarters and each other; the building is now nice and modern, and therefore a better place for workers to function and be productive; and the buses are now equipped with new technology.
Although her job and work environment have improved over the years, Debbie has always liked her job. She has something new to every day and she never has to sit at her desk for too long. “The atmosphere and the challenge” are the two greatest things she enjoys about her role at MITS. She has a daily purpose to make sure that the buses out on the road are safe for every single MITS customer.