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Who are the people who know the most about the buses in your fleet? They are most likely the operators and the servicing technicians. They are also the key people whose knowledge, level of training and attitude can determine the success or failure of new powertrain technologies. Training and recruitment of both need to be held to a higher standard than we have seen in the past. I will argue that even the culture of those involved in fleet operations needs to be changed. The bar for technical competence and product knowledge needs to be raised for operators and technicians. In return managers should find ways to include them as stakeholders, investing them with both additional responsibility and accountability. This will require greater access to training and recognition of achievement. Where are the busses stored and serviced? Most likely in an all-purpose state/county/municipal service facility servicing a variety of equipment.

In order to safely commercialize hydrogen fueled vehicles (ICE, fuel cell or both), the nation's corps of automotive technicians and emergency service personnel will need to be trained on the unique aspects of hydrogen technology, especially the high pressure onboard storage systems and reforming technologies these vehicles will require. This situation presents tremendous challenges to the nation's vocational and technical training infrastructure. This presentation is intended to detail the demands already placed upon vocational training, quantify the additional demands that will occur due to changing automotive technologies (including the transport and storage of hydrogen fuel), and finally, to propose a plan of action that could begin to deliver this critical training to our nation's technicians and emergency personnel.