Driver Gets a 5-Ring Circuit

The competition to get to the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City was stiff. You had to be among the best, with years of experience under your belt. Now, the lucky few will have to perform under pressure as the world watches.

We’re talking here about the bus drivers, of course.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Mark Goldberg, a 26-year veteran of the Orange County Transportation Authority who is among hundreds of bus drivers nationwide who have been hired to ferry spectators to and from Olympic events.

“I’ll probably retire in two years. This will be the highlight of my career.”

While the athletes compete for medals to hang around their necks, Goldberg and his fellow drivers already have their reward: badges that identify them as “Drivers for the Gold.”

“It’s very cool,” said Goldberg, 55, of Santa Ana.

The Utah Transportation Authority has rented 900 buses from transit agencies from as far away as New York and Texas. Among them are 60 OCTA buses that recently were taken out of service and sitting idle.

“They’re old buses, but they’re still in good shape,” OCTA spokesman George Urch said.

Goldberg is one of 41 OCTA drivers in Utah for the games.

To get the job, they had to have at least 20 years’ experience, a safe driving record and pass security clearances.

“They also asked, ‘Have you ever driven in snow before? Have you ever driven on ice before?’ ” Goldberg said by telephone from Utah, where he’s using three weeks of vacation for the adventure.

The drivers get paid, meals and lodging. Goldberg is bunking at a Motel 6.

But it’s a Motel 6 at the Olympics.

His normal route is the 71 Line, from Balboa Peninsula to Tustin, Yorba Linda and back.

For the next few weeks, his route will be the 10-minute drive from a parking lot to the Snow Basin Ski Area where the downhill competition will be held.

Goldberg doesn’t have tickets, but from where he parks his bus, he can see the course out his front window.

“That’s a good seat,” he said. “It’s heated.”