Meet Ken Bailey, Community Transit's Maintenance Manager

It's easy to be passionate about your job when you work with a team that controls its own destiny.

Did you know Community Transit has a fleet of approximately 240 active coaches? These are in a constant state of flux with heavy duty transit coaches retiring after 15-16 years, new coaches joining the fleet, and mid-life rebuilds of engines and transmissions. A strict maintenance program ensures our vehicles are always at their very best. This means there are a lot of moving parts, and not just those that are automotive.

It takes a team of over 40 Mechanics and 7 Service Workers to make those parts come to life. Community Transit believes in keeping almost all of its maintenance in house, where we can ensure work is done to our exacting standards. This means we aren't dependent on anyone else to get things done right.

By investing in the very best training for our Mechanics, we rarely have to outsource. All of our technicians receive three weeks of intensive training on our vehicles, followed by six months on the shop floor to gain hands on experience on every one of our critical systems. This commitment to training empowers our maintenance team to be the best of the best. "Our Mechanics feel pride of ownership," says Ken.

It's not only the training that is meaningful to our Mechanics. There's a real sense of camaraderie as well. "There is a unique internal community here. Most of these people live around here, have worked here a long time. They understand each others' jobs and appreciate and value each other."

Thanks for helping put the 'Community' in Community Transit, Ken!