Gourtto STORY (Winter 2022)

The City of Yokohama, Transportation Bureau magazine "Gurutto" introduces people who work on municipal subways and buses under the title "Works STATION."
This series focuses on the backside of municipal transportation, which is hard to know in daily life. We will deliver interviews that did not fit in the magazine as a web-only article!　This time, we have an interview with Yoshiharu Murakami, a blue line coach driver at the Niiwa Nori Management Office.

The work of a teaching driver

The Yokohama Municipal Subway celebrated its 50th anniversary on December 16, 2022. At the time of opening, the blue line travels from Isezaki-Chojamachi Station to Kami-Ooka Station. Since then, it has been extended with the development of Yokohama, and currently operates 40.4 km between Azamino and Shonandai.
Murakami, a coach driver who says his hometown is Yokohama, often used municipal transportation from an early age.
"When I was little, I used it with my mother many times. I am deeply moved that I am now working as a trainer on the subway."
The blue line driver starts by checking alcohol and reading the timetable of the train he is in charge of when he goes to work. It is said that the driving time per day is about 5 to 5 and a half hours. Due to the shift system, the driving time in succession may be 30 to 40 minutes when it is short, but depending on the day, you may continue to drive for more than 2 hours. It's a job that requires concentration.
"In order for customers to use it safely above all, there are a lot of things they can do before something happens, such as taking a breath before closing the door and broadcasting to warn customers, so I try to do my daily work carefully."

In addition to the same work as a normal driver, Murakami, the coaching driver, also provides other drivers with safe driving.
"Of course, work attitudes must be an example, so I feel tighter. The silver band on the hat is the proof of the instructor's."
Currently, there are about 200 drivers on the entire municipal subway, but about 20 of them are instructed. There is a recruitment once a year and can be judged by candidates. The condition is that you have at least three years of experience as a driver and become an "exemplary" for the surrounding driver in driving skills and service. In addition, he is appointed as a guidance driver after comprehensively judging his normal work conditions.

Relationship between an apprentice driver and a teacher

In fact, Murakami changed jobs to City of Yokohama, Transportation Bureau after three years of nursing care. While watching her mother caring for her grandmother who lived with her, she became interested and got a qualification for nursing care. However, I couldn't give up on my thoughts on railways that I liked since I was young, and took a familiar Yokohama municipal transportation test, and now I am.
"First of all, after one year as a trainer apprentice, I took a classroom course at the Safety Education Center in Kaminagaya for three months as a driver. After that, he was assigned to this Niiba crew management office and received practical training as an apprentice for six months, passed the test, and received a power vehicle pilot license. I've been working here for seven years since I became a driver."
The driver of the Blue Line will receive guidance from a teacher who is called an instructor for about half a year after being assigned to each crew management office. After that, he passed the national exam and worked as a driver on a sunny day.
Murakami has been teaching an apprentice driver alone. He says he will act together every day for half a year and teach them thoroughly.
"The content is an image that mainly corrects what I learned in classroom lectures and changes in practice. Over the past six months, it has led to my own growth, and above all, I felt the difficulty of teaching. "I often thought about what should I do to convey it in an easy-to-understand manner."
I recall that this period was a very important time for Murakami, who is currently the coaching driver.
Now, he is working with a teacher who was instructed when he was an apprentice, and a junior driver who instructed him.

Helping each other

Even now, in the seventh year since I became a driver, it is still difficult to respond to sudden accidents. "It's important to be able to calmly deal with customers when they fall down or have trouble," says Murakami. If something happens, immediately contact the general command center with a radio, and sometimes the station staff rushes together to deal with it.
Basically, a driver often acts alone, but the coordination system with other staff is always in place. The driver of the municipal subway said he had a strong sense of friendship.
"For example, if other staff members are in trouble, they will help each other. I feel like there is something like an old tradition that you can't let go of those in need."

Regarding the Blue Line, which celebrated its 50th anniversary, Murakami says, "I would like to focus on being a municipal subway that has been loved for a long time."
"When you drive, small children sometimes touch their hands. I hope that the motivation will increase, and that the children who will lead such a future will be able to get interested in railways."
The work of a driver who directly interacts with customers. I hope you will feel their hospitality while using the municipal subway.