[OAC_Sparky]

NefCanuck,Apr 27 2008, 10:46 PM Wrote:Well then maybe the maintenance team @ the TTC should start cracking the books to get competent to fix the hybrids, rather than bitch considering the damn things are, by what you're saying, still under manufacturers warranty.  The fact that the buses are still warrantied gives them the chance to get competent for after warranty work...

If the workers aren't going to learn how to fix what's put in front of them, why the hell should they be kept around? :rolleyes:
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Quote:Yes, I'd heard the maintenance on the hybrid buses is currently down by a non-union shop (ie they are still under warranty from the manufacturer). Therefore the purchase of more hybrids has been delayed internally until a deal is in place to protect the current maintenance personal from layoffs.

It has nothing to do with skill level, Dan. It has to do with the warranty that comes part and parcel with the equipment purchase. The problem is when the warranty ends, they will need someone to fix the equipment. I'm pretty certain that the maintenance staff is as competent as any to maintain a hybrid bus -- there is no voodoo magic involved -- it's just another application of some of the same mechanical principles. Does a regular bus have a braking system? Charging system? Engine? Of course. So does a hybrid. An electric motor isn't rocket science. Just a little different.

Ford does the same thing (or tries to), they buy tooling from a contractor, the work is warrantied, but the support in some ways is poor because the vendor does not have a vested interest in the long-term viability of the equipment. Worn-out equipment means Ford will have to buy new from them again. We have contractors doing work on weekends; Monday comes and the contractors all bug out and we're the ones who have to fix the mess they leave behind.

I have yet to see an instance where contracting out work has worked out for the better; even the money you seem to save on paper evaporates when you consider downtime and warranty costs due to slipping quality control and issues that the subcontractors fail to address that used to be dealt with at the plant level.