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The New Normal: A bus driver steers Seattle through crisis

As an operator for King County Metro, Clay McClure risks his own health and safety to keep the community moving during the pandemic.

by / June 15, 2020

King County Metro operator Clay McClure drives passengers on the 106 route from Seattle's Chinatown-International District to the city of Renton. It's one of the various bus routes McClure operates for King County. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut)

King County Metro operator Clay McClure is one of the many essential workers who help transport Seattle's residents to and from destinations during the coronavirus pandemic, risking his own health and safety to help others. While McClure worries about himself and his loved ones, he is also concerned about Metro's ridership as the pandemic continues to affect our communities. We followed McClure on one day of his life, as he navigated being a resident of Seattle and a bus driver operating a line that often carries some of the city's most at-risk population.

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A look at life during a pandemic. On the surface, our communities are slumbering, as the vast majority of Washington’s citizens are homebound. Empty businesses and roadways offer a daily reminder of the risks the coronavirus presents. How we work, live, play and interact have all shifted. From the front lines to those in isolation, COVID-19 has affected everyone and behind every door, stories unfold. See more stories here.

 

 

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Transcript

00:00
Clay McClure: I love being around people.

00:05
Clay McClure: It's enjoyable to me to have that interaction with all sorts of different people.

00:14
Clay McClure: I would love having a crowded bus, I didn't mind at all.

00:18
Clay McClure: But now when I have an empty bus, you don't have that anxiety of was that cough because of a smoker?

00:26
Clay McClure: Or was that cough because they have the virus?

00:31
Clay McClure: So, yeah, big, big change.

00:35
Loudspeaker on the bus: Attention, riders: please ride only if necessary. Cover your cough.

00:40
Clay McClure: You're basically driving a big petri dish.

00:44
Clay McClure: Where am I gonna get sick? When am I gonna get sick?

00:48
Clay McClure: As a bus driver, I don't necessarily feel like it's an if but a when.

01:04
Clay McClure: I feel like, as a bus driver, I'm very, very likely to come in contact with somebody who's sick and may or may not know it.

01:14
Clay McClure: Because maybe the bus is their only mode of transportation to get somewhere, be it the hospital or whatnot.

01:22
Clay McClure: We can protect ourselves the best we can ...

01:25
Clay McClure: But it's just gonna be spreading too fast, too quickly.

01:30
Clay McClure: I feel like not enough people are taking the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order seriously.

01:37
Clay McClure: I think it's really going to just start affecting us more than we're acknowledging.

01:53
Clay McClure: Whatever percentage of drivers are out of work right now because they're sick, taking care of families, whatnot, the number is just gonna go up.

02:03
Clay McClure: These new cuts that happen started yesterday.

02:06
Clay McClure: So I'm actually working less now than I was before.

02:13
Crosscut video producer: Does that affect your income through Metro?

02:16
Clay McClure: Right now, no. And that's until they possibly do layoffs, or whatever might come from this whole situation, which is an unknown to all of us.

02:33
Bus driver: You have a great day, man.

02:39
Clay McClure: You too.

02:42
Clay McClure: It's hard to remember sometimes to do all of the things.

02:46
Clay McClure: The checklist these days is so long of make sure you ... make sure you ... make sure you ...

02:55
Clay McClure: And you're also not used to it.

02:57
Clay McClure: For me, it's more of like a habit ritual.

03:02
Loudspeaker on the bus: Next stop 68th Avenue.

03:05
Clay McClure: It's been so long now.

03:08
Clay McClure: Gloves off, take a break. Gloves on, back to work. Hand sanitize.

03:15
Clay McClure: The whole pandemic thing going on, it's a little much sometimes.

03:24
Radio sound of Terry Gross of NPR: COVID-19 attacks the lung. That's why people need oxygen ...

03:30
Clay McClure: I've walked dogs and taken care of dogs for years. But with the virus going on, I'm only continuing to take care of one client's dog.

03:42
Clay McClure: That to me is actually the scariest part exposure-wise.

03:49
Clay McClure: They are not the youngest folks in the world.

03:52
Clay McClure: And so, I'm always wondering, afraid that one of them is gonna get sick.

04:00
Clay McClure: And then it's gonna be me that feels super guilty that they got sick.

04:07
Clay McClure: (Talking to the dog) Abigail! Good girl!

04:13
Clay McClure: I've suggested to them multiple times that I should probably take a break.

04:20
Clay McClure: But they prefer that I keep doing it. So I feel like that decision has been made by them. And that's OK.

04:31
Clay McClure: The most difficult part for adjusting to our new reality for me has been the ability to go out and do things without having to worry about everything that's going on around you, you know?

04:49
Clay McClure: But I'm definitely looking forward to the days that I don't feel obligated to wear a mask and take hand sanitizer baths.

05:01
That will just be amazing.

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About the Authors & Contributors

Matt M. McKnight

Matt M. McKnight

Matt McKnight is formerly a visual journalist at Crosscut, where he covered a variety of political, social and environmental issues around the Pacific Northwest.