Thrills and Responsibilities: Life as a Roller Coaster Ride Operator
- coastergirl101
- Dec 3, 2023
- 6 min read
Over the summer of 2023, I had the honor of working as a ride operator for Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Originally published December 3rd, 2023
Why This Job?
The job of a ride operator has always been a dream of mine since I started riding bigger coasters. I enjoyed the interaction ride operators had with guests at Cedar Fair amusement parks.
For example, one operator would announce the rules for riding and interact with the guests coming onto the ride. When restraints were checked, the operator would have a fun closing announcement, whether it was the ride slogan or a joke.
I wanted to work a job that drew attention to myself. I also love doing anything with roller coasters.
When I saw SeaWorld Entertainment was hiring for a ride operator at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, I applied for a summer position. When I was hired after my interview, I was asked which ride I preferred to work with.
My first choice was Cheetah Hunt since it had emotional value to me – my grandmother’s bucket list coaster. Unfortunately, the ride was not available for more workers, so I chose Iron Gwazi instead.
My First Day
On my first day of training, I was led around the area behind the scenes to learn where employee break rooms were and where to purchase food. I clocked in and was led to the ride station for Iron Gwazi.
After a bit of waiting in the ride’s control booth, a supervisor showed me two training books and gave an explanation of how the ride is operated.
Ride operators are trained to operate both the coaster Iron Gwazi and the kids ride nearby called Gwazi Gliders.
Every ride requires at least one supervisor to manage the employees. Iron Gwazi requires at least four employees to operate the ride. Thankfully, the lowest employee turnout I ever worked with was five.
Here is a list of the ride operator positions:
Unloader – In charge of checking restraints on the unload side of the station. Also unlocks and locks the exit gates. Could be one or two people in position.
Loader – In charge of checking restraints on the load side of the station. Also helps with ADA guest loading. Could be one or two people in position.
Gwazi Gliders – In charge of operating the kids ride. Checks restraints, locks entrance and exit gate, and starts and stops the ride.
Entrance/Height Stick – In charge of opening and closing the entrance to Iron Gwazi. Also check guests’ height, fill out ADA form information, and lead guests to the lockers.
Grouper – In charge of leading guests to the right lines in the bullpens (the different coaster train entrance area). Also double-check guests’ height, double-check for loose articles, and inform guests of ride qualities.
Control Panel – In charge of dispatching the ride, unlocking restraints, and checking for any ride errors. This job is the hardest to learn and is separately trained from the other positions. Trainees are based on work experience. I never was trained for this job.
Ride positions are rotated every hour to ensure workers aren’t bored or overworked in their position. For every shift under six hours, workers receive two breaks that last fifteen minutes. Shifts six hours or over receive one break that’s fifteen minutes and a thirty-five minute lunch break.
Job Benefits
The job is part-time. If you work twelve hours, it’s considered a double shift. Over the summer, a worker incentive was to work thirty hours a week to receive $13 per hour rather than the minimum wage at the time, which was $11.
The benefits did exceed the pay. I had free entrance and parking to any SeaWorld Entertainment park, a discount on food and merchandise, the ability to purchase twelve free entrance passes after thirty days of work, and discounts on season passes. Even though the pay was Florida’s minimum wage, the perks were amazing!
However, this incentive was harder to follow, since managers purposely tried not to give thirty hours to the operators.
Overtime pay was given to workers who did forty hours or more. I never worked this much during the summer since I was busy with other things.
An Average Day
For me, an average day on the job went as followed:
9:30 a.m.
I arrive at the employee parking lot and go to the employee tram stop. The employee parking layout was huge, and I had to park a long way from my break room due to my role.
Once the tram picked me up, I told the driver my break room and be transported there.
Oftentimes, I would prefer to walk to my break room since the tram had to stop along the way for other workers.
9:40 a.m.
I clock in and head straight to the ride station.
When I was gathered with the other ride operators, our supervisor for the day would ask which position we wanted based on who arrived first. I usually chose the Grouper position since that meant I got to test ride.
After the loading positions and the control panel position cycled the ride a few times (checked restraints, coaster speed, etc.) I would go to the front seat and do my test ride. My job was to make sure the on-ride speakers worked.
There are speakers on the lift hill, the final break run, and the waiting station. These are used for the control panel to announce a ride shutdown to the guests on the ride. It's a normal incidence to occur and is very safe when the coaster train stops in one of these areas.
After a test ride, I go to my position.
10:00 a.m.
The ride opens and for an hour, I do my duties as Grouper.
Every hour, I would rotate to a different position. The next position depended on the amount of people working.
11:40 a.m.
I take my fifteen minute break.
1:00 or 2:00 p.m.
If I worked more than six hours, I take a lunch break.
3:40 or 4:00 p.m.
My shift ends. I would know my shift was over when another ride operator told me they were taking my spot.
I'd make sure to clock out on time and take the employee tram back to my car.
Unruly Guests
As with any customer service job, I had a lot of interesting encounters with guests.
A lot of guests followed the rules. Ride operators have to be strict with enforcing the rules to ensure guest safety. Guests were usually more mean to me when I told them their bags were required to go into a locker they had to pay for.
The worst guests I had to deal with were both dads with a kid too short to ride.
The first dad was near the beginning of my job. He was coming up to choose which seat to sit in with his son when I stopped and remeasured his son. Unbeknownst to me, the height check at Grouper was slightly off. So, his son was tall enough according to the entrance height, but not the station height.
A supervisor had to measure them. They said his son was too short according to station height, but when measured at the entrance he was allowed to ride.
The guest then decided to talk badly about me to the people in line while he waited. Sorry for playing it safe!
The next encounter was on my last day on the job. A man's daughter was obviously a few inches under the height requirement at the entrance.
I measured this girl multiple times and told the dad she was not allowed on. He proceeded to cuss me out and said he would talk to Guest Services about my incompetence.
A photo was taken of me measuring the girl and her height and they stormed off. I didn't see the family for the rest of the day, so I guess they had some sense talked into them.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed my experience as a ride operator. I was bummed about a few things -- lack of ride announcers, working in the summer heat, low pay -- but I did like the benefits when I had them and I made some friends at the job.
If you are a roller coaster enthusiast, I highly recommend a part-time job as a ride operator!
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