Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Rant: Metro Drivers Not Paying Attention!
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 21, 2010 at 9:12 pm #595280
uglybrowncrowMemberI’m appauled what happened to my mom and I as we waited for the bus in front of the Lincoln Park tennis courts this morning. We were heading to downtown Seattle at around 10:00 sitting in the bus shelter to briefly to get out of the light drizzle rain so my mom wouldn’t get sick. We were casually talking to each other and the 54 zoomed by us at full speed. It slowed down about 100 ft later, but continued on its way. I immediately called Metro on my cell and the lady told me it’s not their policy to stop if you are waiting in a bus shelter. She said you have to be physically waiting at the provided bus sign located a few feet outside the shelter. What a crock! I dropped the f-bomb on her for bieng so rude and not even helping me make a legitimate complaint. Talk about ridiculous rules. Has anyone even heard of this policy?
June 21, 2010 at 9:27 pm #697235
flowerpetalMemberHere are the directions for waiting at a bus stop. It seems to indicate that passengers wanting an approaching bus should be at the bus stop sign.
Scroll down on this page:
http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/howride-videotext.html
Even with this, it is still too bad that the bus driver didn’t see the two of you in the shelter. I’m not sure if there are other busses that stop at that particular bus; and if not, what bus would you be waiting for. It seems you were just missed.
June 21, 2010 at 9:46 pm #697236
SueParticipantI’ve always thought it was incredibly weird that many bus shelters don’t face the street here in Seattle, so that you can have this exact thing happen to you. When I do find myself sitting in a shelter, I sit sideways on the bench so I can position myself to look out constantly towards the direction the bus will come in and then leave the shelter as it approaches so I will be seen.
While I understand how frustrating it is for a bus to pass you by, I think it’s unreasonable for a bus to stop at every single stop because there may or may not be someone there. Bus drivers won’t stop if they don’t see you, and it is a passenger’s responsibility to watch for the bus and make sure they can be seen.
I’m sorry that you felt you were treated rudely by Metro, however, “dropping the f-bomb” on her was also rude on your part, and if someone called cursing at me on the phone, I would have little incentive to be helpful. You might try calling and talking to a supervisor, calmly and politely, and discussing the situation to understand why they have the rule that they do.
June 21, 2010 at 10:47 pm #697237
uglybrowncrowMemberLook, it is what it is. She was rude to me by telling me that we were wrong. So I did what I had to do. End of story.
June 22, 2010 at 2:19 am #697238
metrognomeParticipantReally, she was rude to you for telling you you were wrong … so that you would be able to catch the next bus … really? What did you expect her to do — call the driver, have him/her flip a Uey and go back to get you? How did your mom react to your potty mouth? Actually, UBC, that is not the end of the story; I believe your conduct is a violation of the Transit Code of Conduct. However, it is unlikely you would be prosecuted unless a transit police officer was dispatched to the shelter, in which case you would have a lot of ‘splaining to do.
And the person you spoke to is correct; the rider is expected to be in sight of the driver as the bus approaches (an experienced driver will scan upcoming shelters for intending psgrs, but I wouldn’t rely on that.) This may mean ‘gophering’ up a few times as the scheduled arrival time nears, using an umbrella if needed. Otherwise, the schedule time for your trip would double, accidents would increase and would certain maintenance costs, such as brake relines, would go up if the driver is required to stop at every stop ‘just in case’.
For those of you with smart phones, there are apps you can use that tell you where the bus is (with some limitations); once the radio upgrade is done and GPS is incorporated, the info will be much more accurate. http://metro.kingcounty.gov/oltools/oltools.html
Sue, the criteria for installing shelters considers several factors, incl available sidewalk right-of-way and, believe it or not, the predominent direction for wind and rain; shelters can be installed ‘backwards’ so that the windows block the weather. I think this is the case on some 56 shelters on the hill approaching CA from Alki. When they install etched glass, it is usually because of a history of vandalism at the stop; the etch patterns are specifically chosen to allow some visibility.
June 22, 2010 at 2:54 am #697239
pigeonmomParticipant“She was rude to
me by telling me that we were
wrong.” That statement just sums it up. Wow. People never cease to astound me with their arrogance.
June 22, 2010 at 3:02 am #697240
JustSarahParticipantBut pigeonmom, didn’t you know that the customer is always right? ;-) (Sorry, couldn’t resist; I paid my dues in retail jobs, and it was always funny to me how earnestly some customers believed that.)
June 22, 2010 at 3:11 am #697241
MrJTMemberIf mama is so fragile that she is going to get sick in standing in this weather for 15 minutes, It makes one wonder how the ol ticker going when her daughter drops the F-bomb on the phone ?
June 22, 2010 at 3:13 am #697242
pigeonmomParticipantThen you would believe all my tails of woe at my job, Sarah. We could commiserate.
June 22, 2010 at 3:18 am #697243
Genesee HillParticipantWhen your bus approaches, stand out by the bus stop. This is not, nor ever has been, rocket science. Wow.
June 22, 2010 at 3:26 am #697244
uglybrowncrowMemberI can see that you all live in closets.
June 22, 2010 at 3:29 am #697245
Genesee HillParticipantWaiting for the F-bomb….
June 22, 2010 at 3:46 am #697246
JustSarahParticipantNo, I take the bus daily to and from work, and have for the past 3+ years. I know that Metro drivers have very tight schedules to keep, making it vital that riders are ready to board when the bus comes. And for the record, I have had a bus pass me before. It sucked, but admit I wasn’t paying enough attention. If you’re at a busy downtown stop, you can pretty safely sit in the shelter, as the bus will stop at all stops at which there are people. When you’re the only passengers at a stop, though, you have to be vigilant.
June 22, 2010 at 5:22 pm #697247
uglybrowncrowMemberI just got into town using the same stop. The bus came rolling around the bend at a fast speed and almost missed me again this morning. There is a huge bend right before that stop. They need to slow down rounding that corner ahead of time. The stop is on the corner of Webster and Fauntleroy Way. That bend makes it almost impossible for the driver to see you regardless,especially when they are moving fast. Unless you haven caught the bus bus from that location before, you shouldn’t be making any comments.
June 22, 2010 at 5:50 pm #697248
sam-cParticipant“Unless you haven caught the bus bus from that location before, you shouldn’t be making any comments. “
Then, Is there a place at that particular bus stop that you could post your rant instead ?
June 22, 2010 at 5:57 pm #697249
flowerpetalMember“Unless you haven caught the bus bus from that location before, you shouldn’t be making any comments. “
Kinda defeats the purpose of a forum doesn’t it? In the OP the question was “Has anyone ever heard of this policy?”
June 22, 2010 at 6:22 pm #697250
ricoMemberBy the way, UBC, at this point most comments are not relevant to the bus stop/driver at all, rather the comments are for you and your “attitude” displayed when the operator on the phone at Metro had the nerve to tell you were wrong. Hard to be told you were wrong when that is just not possible, huh, eventhough you were/are wrong. This has nothing to do with riding the bus anymore, it is about being right and how one reacts when that is questioned.
June 22, 2010 at 7:31 pm #697251
WSBKeymasterA few flagged comments deleted, and topic closed!
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.