Treasa Lomax was driving a TriMet bus down a frozen highway when all of a sudden, the highway froze.

As in, it stopped moving. The computers than ran the virtual bus glitched and needed a reset.

It was lucky timing for Lomax, a trainer for TriMet. Unbeknownst to her, training manager Allen Morgan was about to blow out a tire on the bus' left side to demonstrate the kinds of scenarios drivers can experience in the transit agency's new bus simulator.

Bus driver trainees started using the new simulator this week. The $327,000 setup, tucked into a corner of the agency's operations center in Southeast Portland, is intended to let drivers drive through maneuvers and scenarios that can't be reliably or safely replicated on the road.

"This is not something we're going to use in place of training on the street," Morgan said. "It's an added tool."

The 10-screen setup, built by L-3 D.P. Associates of Texas, mimics the view out the windows, in the mirrors and behind the driver inside a real bus. The seat, steering wheel and even the sounds of the bus starting up are taken directly from the bus models TriMet already has in service. The simulator's seat has a motor that will make sure drivers feel it when they go over a virtual speed bump, or even crash.

Unlike on a real bus, trainers can summon snow, other vehicles or even a pedestrian to suddenly walk into the street -- or they can blow out a tire. The training exercise can be viewed from any angle and recorded for later review.

And in the event of a mistake -- the kind that can cost thousands of dollars on a real bus -- the same scenario can be repeated.

TriMet is hiring new drivers at a clip of about 30 every three weeks. It, like other other transportation industry employers, is having difficulty recruiting amid a shortage of commercial drivers.

The simulator, TriMet hopes, will help drivers get up to speed faster and cover a broader scope before entering bus service.

"We're hearing from our trainers that the students are already way ahead when they go out on the street," Morgan said.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus