A look at MTA's new bus simulator being used to train drivers

THE BRONX (WABC) -- The MTA has a new bus simulator that is being used to train drivers.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber was at the Zerega Testing Center in the Bronx, checking out the new technology.

"With the use of these simulators, we're making sure that the next generation of bus drivers who are accustomed to, you know, VR and who are accustomed to simulated learning are actually becoming better drivers," Lieber said.

It is an investment four years in the making -- four high-tech simulators cost the MTA $1.4 million. The simulators meant to accurately depict what it's *really like to drive the more than 300 bus routes New Yorkers rely on to get around the five boroughs.

"We could train, for snow in July. We could get our operators ready for inclement weather. In a safe environment, where we wouldn't want them to be operating a bus in the snow if they've never experienced that. We could give them the exposure here in the simulators before they actually go out on the road. And that'll keep us, that'll help us, produce a safer bus operator," said Assistant Chief Training Officer Alvaro Brandon.

Edison Obando, who has been a bus operator for 20 years, says it is pretty realistic.

"Be alert all the time, because anything can happen," Obando said.

The simulators will be part of a training curriculum all bus operators go through before they can actually hit the roads.

The MTA expects to start using them around June 1, anticipating two thousand new hires by the end of the year.

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.