Submitted by Mark Reynolds
With the Olympic Games in the home stretch, the volunteers responsible for operating the Athlete Bus System are gearing up for their duties. Each volunteer must take three days of mandatory driver training that includes security procedures and route familiarization.
Since the athletes are the most important client group in the Olympics, it is important to get them to their destinations on time. Plain white Chevrolet 12-passenger vans will be used to move the athletes around to city venues. Each van is equipped with a GPS tracking system that is monitored from two remote sites. Should a driver of a van deviate from the route or be held up in one spot for longer than two minutes, security will attend to troubleshoot any problem.
There are 6,000 police officers from various cities across Canada here in Vancouver to serve and protect. One police officer will be stationed every 10 blocks on any particular route and will respond if there is any disruption of travel. This fleet of vans is operated by a smaller group of approximately 300 professional driver volunteers (must have a Class 4 driver’s license or better).
The entire team that “moves the games” represent approximately 2,500 drivers of 1,100 vans, mini-buses, transit buses and motor coaches with services offered 24 hours a day. The security system operates on a “bubble to bubble” scenario. Vehicles go through an extensive security sweep at the depot until deemed sanitized. Once a driver leaves the home location or “bubble,” the vehicle cannot stop for any reason until it reaches the next security check point located at a venue, and then enters that security “bubble.” Only then can the athletes load and unload.
If someone should open a door and/or leave a vehicle, then that vehicle is no longer secure and cannot enter a security bubble. Athletes must then be unloaded at the public entrance where they will be screened and have their belonging searched. This could be a very costly error on their part as they could be late for their competition, so I’m sure they all will be good passengers. In fact, the security system set up was based on input and expectations from the athletes association.
The first day of route familiarization for the little group of van volunteer drivers saw a long caravan of white vans winding their way down the busy streets of Vancouver. Supposed to follow the trainer in the lead van, the group promptly got separated when all but the lead van was stopped by a very long red light. Off heads the Leader thinking her little flock of trucks will be following behind her. Not so. The new lead van takes a wrong turn and the entire group just followed along behind, ending up in a one-way back alley that barely had room for a van to manoeuvre. The group had been on the road for exactly 10 minutes.
Although a little embarrassing, the bonus was meeting a couple of police officers who were there from the Calgary Police Service. They were so excited to be in Vancouver and really looking forward to the start of the Games.
In the “long run,” mother goose found her flock and the rest of the day went smoothly.
Mark Reynolds is a former Ponoka resident living in Vancouver. He is a volunteer with the Olympic Winter Games and will file regular reports for the Ponoka News.