Ok, I've said before that I don't allow comments because at least one in ten are of the "not so nice" kind.
I mostly ignore those comments.
Same way I ignore that stuff on the bus.
Act like I don't hear it and eventually folks get off the bus and the rest of us go on our merry way.
But I have one poster who tends to post comments at least every other day.
By now you'd think he'd get the hint that I'm neither allowing his comments nor responding to him.
I'd hate to set the precedent by rewarding his bad behaviour with a reply but I think I need to here.
To you Mr. Poster (First letter is J and it sounds like Slim!):
The route you regularly post about is not an RTD route.
It belongs to the private "For Profit" companies.
They lease buses from RTD and run those routes.
Their drivers are crap: I get complaints about their grumpiness, their rudeness and their lack of language skills and lack of knowledge of the routes.
You have illustrated what most of us already know: they can't stick to a schedule to save their lives.
This is the answer I'd give you if you came to me on the bus with this complaint Mr. J.
"I'm sorry your bus didn't arrive as scheduled. Please call the number listed on the schedule (303-299-6000)."
That route is not RTD.
Those Drivers are not RTD.
That service (or lack thereof) is not RTD.
I'm sorry Mr. J that you are so fed up with that route, with that service and with that company.
You said that if there were an alternative to them, you'd take it.
May I suggest you try riding RTD?
I know you thought that you were but I Gar-Un-Teee you that even our worst Driver will impress the crap outta you after the service you received using that other bus company.
Folks, I'm sorry for those other companies.
They don't pay their drivers very well and you really do get what you pay for.
For whatever myriad of reasons, I hear from Passengers and Drivers alike the horrors of the private companies driving the other routes.
The good Drivers eventually make their way to RTD while the rest make their way into those bad comments.
So let me offer y'all this challenge:
When you ride (or miss a ride) a bus that is horrible, get the bus number and whether the Driver is RTD.
Tell me not the "number" but the letter next to the numbers.
Tell me if it was an X or F or L.
I want to hear from y'all whether you have better or worse experiences on RTD.
I want to hear from you folks whether you notice the difference in Service and professionalism.
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, take MY number - Let's Roll!"
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Can You Spare The Time?
It's been a while since I've said this so I'd like to remind y'all.
If you grab a schedule, you can see certain stops with times listed below them.
Let's say the 15 has Colfax & Broadway (Civic Center Station) listed as 3:00pm.
That means the bus leaves at 3:00pm.
Maybe later but not earlier.
Leaves at....
Leaves at....
If the Driver leaves at 3:00pm, he's ON TIME, not early.
9 other Drivers may leave at 3:01pm for whatever reasons they had for leaving late but the one Driver who leaves at 3:00pm is still on time and not early.
There are times listed where you can read that the bus will arrive at a certain time, say 2:55pm then leave 5 minutes later.
But most of those times you read, are the times at which the bus will leave.
Don't be discouraged by that.
Drivers (RTD Drivers at least) are kept on a short leash when it comes to time points.
That's what we call those times listed in the schedules, "Time Points" or "Time Stops"
We have Street Supervisors who have their computers out in front of them; sitting at random stops making sure buses on a variety of routes are hitting those times, on time or late but never early.
We have GPS on our radios that track our times and let us know when we're late and early.
So we have Dispatch tracking our times as well.
And of course we have our Passengers tracking when we arrive and leave and calling in any discrepancies!
Obviously, there are times when we can't control our arrival times: weather and traffic and passenger loads.
So we can end up being very late.
But the one "time" we can control is NEVER leaving early.
If that schedule reads 3:00pm, we do not leave before 3:00pm.
Many of you think that's when we'll arrive and many times it is when we arrive.
I try to time my routes so that I arrive at those times and keep rolling.
Rather than sit and burn time.
That way I've spread out the "extra time" to the other stops in between, allowing other passengers to get to their stops and get picked up.
Most Drivers have the experience to do this, are familiar enough with the routes to do this and will.
Occasionally we find ourselves having to sit at a stop and burn time.
But when you're on the bus and you see this, please see it as a good thing: we're staying on time rather than leaving early - not taking off before everybody arrives.
If I left Colfax & Broadway a minute early, then I'd be at least a minute early to every other stop down the line and everybody who was expecting me to arrive at their stops that minute later would miss the bus by just a minute.
I know that feeling.
I've arrived at my stops and seen my buses a few cars away, knowing I missed it by only 30 seconds and having to wait another half an hour for the next.
So that's a ton of words to tell you something very simple.
But I wanted to explain what you're reading and what I'm doing with the stops.
Again, this is only the RTD Drivers (not the privates who drive RTD buses) and possibly only me since RTD neither condones nor endorses my blogs!
RTD taught me in training that I'm not to leave EARLY and that those times listed in the schedules are the times we leave those stops.
I'm on time.
You're running because you're late.
Silly Rabbit!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, check your watches - Let's Roll!"
If you grab a schedule, you can see certain stops with times listed below them.
Let's say the 15 has Colfax & Broadway (Civic Center Station) listed as 3:00pm.
That means the bus leaves at 3:00pm.
Maybe later but not earlier.
Leaves at....
Leaves at....
If the Driver leaves at 3:00pm, he's ON TIME, not early.
9 other Drivers may leave at 3:01pm for whatever reasons they had for leaving late but the one Driver who leaves at 3:00pm is still on time and not early.
There are times listed where you can read that the bus will arrive at a certain time, say 2:55pm then leave 5 minutes later.
But most of those times you read, are the times at which the bus will leave.
Don't be discouraged by that.
Drivers (RTD Drivers at least) are kept on a short leash when it comes to time points.
That's what we call those times listed in the schedules, "Time Points" or "Time Stops"
We have Street Supervisors who have their computers out in front of them; sitting at random stops making sure buses on a variety of routes are hitting those times, on time or late but never early.
We have GPS on our radios that track our times and let us know when we're late and early.
So we have Dispatch tracking our times as well.
And of course we have our Passengers tracking when we arrive and leave and calling in any discrepancies!
Obviously, there are times when we can't control our arrival times: weather and traffic and passenger loads.
So we can end up being very late.
But the one "time" we can control is NEVER leaving early.
If that schedule reads 3:00pm, we do not leave before 3:00pm.
Many of you think that's when we'll arrive and many times it is when we arrive.
I try to time my routes so that I arrive at those times and keep rolling.
Rather than sit and burn time.
That way I've spread out the "extra time" to the other stops in between, allowing other passengers to get to their stops and get picked up.
Most Drivers have the experience to do this, are familiar enough with the routes to do this and will.
Occasionally we find ourselves having to sit at a stop and burn time.
But when you're on the bus and you see this, please see it as a good thing: we're staying on time rather than leaving early - not taking off before everybody arrives.
If I left Colfax & Broadway a minute early, then I'd be at least a minute early to every other stop down the line and everybody who was expecting me to arrive at their stops that minute later would miss the bus by just a minute.
I know that feeling.
I've arrived at my stops and seen my buses a few cars away, knowing I missed it by only 30 seconds and having to wait another half an hour for the next.
So that's a ton of words to tell you something very simple.
But I wanted to explain what you're reading and what I'm doing with the stops.
Again, this is only the RTD Drivers (not the privates who drive RTD buses) and possibly only me since RTD neither condones nor endorses my blogs!
RTD taught me in training that I'm not to leave EARLY and that those times listed in the schedules are the times we leave those stops.
I'm on time.
You're running because you're late.
Silly Rabbit!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats, check your watches - Let's Roll!"
Free Ride
Like many of you Passengers, I personally feel like it doesn't matter how often I ride the Light Rail, it seems like every time I get on a train there is a Fare Inspector asking for tickets.
And at least once a day I see somebody in cuffs or being chased, or simply ticketed for not paying.
But now you can bet that any free rides you were getting are going to be a thing of the past.
Thanks to FOX 31 News reporter Heidi Hemmat, who rode the Light Rail throughout the day and estimated that she could have ridden 80% of the time for free!
And at least once a day I see somebody in cuffs or being chased, or simply ticketed for not paying.
But now you can bet that any free rides you were getting are going to be a thing of the past.
Thanks to FOX 31 News reporter Heidi Hemmat, who rode the Light Rail throughout the day and estimated that she could have ridden 80% of the time for free!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The Voice of the People!
With all the union oppression in the news recently, I joined close to 500 people at Denver's Capital today.
About 300 union supporters and about 200 American People & Wisconsin supporters.
Showing our support of Wisconsin's Governor, Scott Walker.
As soon as I was recognized by another RTD Driver & his ilk, I thought I was going to get my rear end stomped.
Turns out that those who support unions don't take too kindly to their fellow union members opposing them!
It's no small wonder the police were there with their riot gear - the union memebers were always one heartbeat away from violence.
At least those who were threatening me with violence almost every minute of the rally!
Just another day in the life of an RTD Driver who's required to be in an oppressive union in order to keep a job he loves!
About 300 union supporters and about 200 American People & Wisconsin supporters.
Showing our support of Wisconsin's Governor, Scott Walker.
As soon as I was recognized by another RTD Driver & his ilk, I thought I was going to get my rear end stomped.
Turns out that those who support unions don't take too kindly to their fellow union members opposing them!
It's no small wonder the police were there with their riot gear - the union memebers were always one heartbeat away from violence.
At least those who were threatening me with violence almost every minute of the rally!
Just another day in the life of an RTD Driver who's required to be in an oppressive union in order to keep a job he loves!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Do You Hear What I Hear...
I hope not.
LOL
Seriously.
You'll notice that I don't allow comments on this blog.
Remember that this is my personal blog and that it only represents my personal thoughts, ideas, practices and customer service attitudes, etc.
RTD has stated that they neither support nor endorse this blog.
That said, I get some ugly comments from both my fellow Drivers and from angry passengers and drivers.
I respond to y'all personally but I will not allow those posts.
If you want the negative posts/comments, there are plenty of them to be found on the net.
That's one of the reasons I started this blog.
There are tons of Passengers commenting out there but I couldn't find any Drivers.
This is blog is for that.
I am an RTD Driver giving you my point of view of the road and my job.
I will however, answer your questions and concerns and help you to better understand an issue or situation.
But keep in mind, this is my personal blog and RTD neither supports nor endorses...
LOL, yeah - that again!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"
LOL
Seriously.
You'll notice that I don't allow comments on this blog.
Remember that this is my personal blog and that it only represents my personal thoughts, ideas, practices and customer service attitudes, etc.
RTD has stated that they neither support nor endorse this blog.
That said, I get some ugly comments from both my fellow Drivers and from angry passengers and drivers.
I respond to y'all personally but I will not allow those posts.
If you want the negative posts/comments, there are plenty of them to be found on the net.
That's one of the reasons I started this blog.
There are tons of Passengers commenting out there but I couldn't find any Drivers.
This is blog is for that.
I am an RTD Driver giving you my point of view of the road and my job.
I will however, answer your questions and concerns and help you to better understand an issue or situation.
But keep in mind, this is my personal blog and RTD neither supports nor endorses...
LOL, yeah - that again!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"
Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful...
NOT!
The last few weeks have been a weather rollercoaster.
From -35° to 66°.
From warm (if not HOT) and sunny to 8" of snow and icy in most places.
And when it gets bad, you know the roads lock up.
But that doesn't always mean YOUR bus will be late.
In fact, most are not.
Keep in mind that it's not the weather or the roads that are bad but the folks driving them.
Many of you passengers know this as you watch all kinds of wild driving abilities being displayed front of the bus.
The buses which are late are usually the "inserts" but what does that mean?
Remember, I'm only talking about RTD here, not the private companies which lease RTD buses and run routes.
RTD has around 400 runs in any given day, at least 20% of which are Trippers.
Those numbers are not exact but pretty close.
The point is that a tripper is not the full run most passengers are used to.
A full run of say the 0 goes from Denver to Highlands Ranch.
A tripper may start at the Broadway Station and run to Broadway & Colfax then change into another route and do another partial run.
In the mornings for example, the 116X from Ken Caryl Ranch goes to the Civic Centre Station then changes to a 38 at Wadsworth and only goes to Stout & 18th before shutting down and heading back to the garage.
So the folks who ride the 38 don't know that the bus is inserted into the 38 schedule at Wads and always freak out when it stops at Stout/18th.
The 38 that runs from Walmart in Applewood to Stapleton and back would only have to deal with local traffic in bad weather and would most likely be within a few minutes of being on time.
The 116X that is inserted would have to contend with traffic on 6th Ave into town, then traffic in Downtown, then traffic inside the Civic Centre Station then traffic on I-70 West to Wadsworth.
In snow & ice like we had a week or two ago, that bus could be an hour late while the buses on the route who are not inserts would only be a minute or two behind.
Even when the roads are clear and the sun is out, traffic can still be an issue.
Jams, accidents, obstructions, etc can make an insert late.
I'm not making excuses for late Drivers, I'm just trying to help some of you Passengers understand why they are late.
Again, this only applies to RTD because I'm told that the private bus Drivers can be an hour late if they show up at all - even in the summer when the roads are bone dry and the sun is shining and there is no traffic on the road!
Something I noticed after the weather cleared last week:
TONS of broken mirrors on cars parked downtown.
While I pray for more careful Drivers and don't condone or encourage folks breaking these mirrors on purpose, I really don't feel sorry for folks who park downtown, on the street in bad weather.
Don't misread that as me saying, "I'm glad it happens..." - that's not what I'm saying.
I am saying that when cars are sliding all over the place, when you have to park 2 feet from the curb and you KNOW big commercial vehicles and buses are already driving close to your parked car...
Is it really smart to park there?
Is an extra few bucks for a paid parking lot spot worth it over coming out the next morning or after work and finding you got hit, nobody left a note and your insurance wants a huge deductible to replace a very expensive mirror?
Even when the weather and roads are clear, some folks park so far from the curb that I have to literally change lanes and obstruct traffic just to avoid the accident.
Be careful out there.
Winter is far from over.
You KNOW that here in Colorado, when the weather treats us to this many sunny and warm days in a row, it exacts a price by handing out the opposite soon after!
Stay warm, patient and safe folks.
I'm doing my best...
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"
The last few weeks have been a weather rollercoaster.
From -35° to 66°.
From warm (if not HOT) and sunny to 8" of snow and icy in most places.
And when it gets bad, you know the roads lock up.
But that doesn't always mean YOUR bus will be late.
In fact, most are not.
Keep in mind that it's not the weather or the roads that are bad but the folks driving them.
Many of you passengers know this as you watch all kinds of wild driving abilities being displayed front of the bus.
The buses which are late are usually the "inserts" but what does that mean?
Remember, I'm only talking about RTD here, not the private companies which lease RTD buses and run routes.
RTD has around 400 runs in any given day, at least 20% of which are Trippers.
Those numbers are not exact but pretty close.
The point is that a tripper is not the full run most passengers are used to.
A full run of say the 0 goes from Denver to Highlands Ranch.
A tripper may start at the Broadway Station and run to Broadway & Colfax then change into another route and do another partial run.
In the mornings for example, the 116X from Ken Caryl Ranch goes to the Civic Centre Station then changes to a 38 at Wadsworth and only goes to Stout & 18th before shutting down and heading back to the garage.
So the folks who ride the 38 don't know that the bus is inserted into the 38 schedule at Wads and always freak out when it stops at Stout/18th.
The 38 that runs from Walmart in Applewood to Stapleton and back would only have to deal with local traffic in bad weather and would most likely be within a few minutes of being on time.
The 116X that is inserted would have to contend with traffic on 6th Ave into town, then traffic in Downtown, then traffic inside the Civic Centre Station then traffic on I-70 West to Wadsworth.
In snow & ice like we had a week or two ago, that bus could be an hour late while the buses on the route who are not inserts would only be a minute or two behind.
Even when the roads are clear and the sun is out, traffic can still be an issue.
Jams, accidents, obstructions, etc can make an insert late.
I'm not making excuses for late Drivers, I'm just trying to help some of you Passengers understand why they are late.
Again, this only applies to RTD because I'm told that the private bus Drivers can be an hour late if they show up at all - even in the summer when the roads are bone dry and the sun is shining and there is no traffic on the road!
Something I noticed after the weather cleared last week:
TONS of broken mirrors on cars parked downtown.
While I pray for more careful Drivers and don't condone or encourage folks breaking these mirrors on purpose, I really don't feel sorry for folks who park downtown, on the street in bad weather.
Don't misread that as me saying, "I'm glad it happens..." - that's not what I'm saying.
I am saying that when cars are sliding all over the place, when you have to park 2 feet from the curb and you KNOW big commercial vehicles and buses are already driving close to your parked car...
Is it really smart to park there?
Is an extra few bucks for a paid parking lot spot worth it over coming out the next morning or after work and finding you got hit, nobody left a note and your insurance wants a huge deductible to replace a very expensive mirror?
Even when the weather and roads are clear, some folks park so far from the curb that I have to literally change lanes and obstruct traffic just to avoid the accident.
Be careful out there.
Winter is far from over.
You KNOW that here in Colorado, when the weather treats us to this many sunny and warm days in a row, it exacts a price by handing out the opposite soon after!
Stay warm, patient and safe folks.
I'm doing my best...
As Always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"
Your Tax Dollars At Work
I've mentioned this before.
Your tax dollars, public funds/monies support abortion, homosexuality, religious education and a myriad of other "extremist" issues that divide this State.
Your tax dollars go to support the Union that demands that RTD Drivers either become members or not be allowed to Drive.
That union extorts membership fees which are used to support candidates and the causes mentioned above.
Whether you're a conservative or a liberal, you don't want your public tax dollars being used to support the other side's causes and or politicians.
The ATU will tell us that only ~$2.00 of an about $600 member's annual contribution goes to this political left wing but that doesn't jive with the millions spent annually just here in Colorado.
But again, regardless of your political bent, public tax dollars should not be spent to support either side's political agenda.
Even more frightening use of public tax dollars by the Union:
If you are a Christian slash Conservative and you oppose the Union by objecting or refusing to participate in its mob-style practices (such as strikes) you can be fired.
I love Driving for RTD.
I love serving the public.
I love Driving a bus for YOU, the Passenger.
I do not love the Union and as a Coloradoan Tax Payer - I despise this use of our tax dollars.
Forcing an employee to be part of a union to get a job and to compromise his religious beliefs in order to keep his job...
And to use public tax payer's dollars to support this...
As a human being I'm disgusted.
As a tax payer I'm appalled.
As an RTD Driver, I'm afraid for my career and my physical, emotional, financial and mental health.
I don't want to be fired because of my Faith and my opposition to the Union.
Or any other excuse they'll fabricate (in lieu of) to cause me to be fired!
Your tax dollars, public funds/monies support abortion, homosexuality, religious education and a myriad of other "extremist" issues that divide this State.
Your tax dollars go to support the Union that demands that RTD Drivers either become members or not be allowed to Drive.
That union extorts membership fees which are used to support candidates and the causes mentioned above.
Whether you're a conservative or a liberal, you don't want your public tax dollars being used to support the other side's causes and or politicians.
The ATU will tell us that only ~$2.00 of an about $600 member's annual contribution goes to this political left wing but that doesn't jive with the millions spent annually just here in Colorado.
But again, regardless of your political bent, public tax dollars should not be spent to support either side's political agenda.
Even more frightening use of public tax dollars by the Union:
If you are a Christian slash Conservative and you oppose the Union by objecting or refusing to participate in its mob-style practices (such as strikes) you can be fired.
I love Driving for RTD.
I love serving the public.
I love Driving a bus for YOU, the Passenger.
I do not love the Union and as a Coloradoan Tax Payer - I despise this use of our tax dollars.
Forcing an employee to be part of a union to get a job and to compromise his religious beliefs in order to keep his job...
And to use public tax payer's dollars to support this...
As a human being I'm disgusted.
As a tax payer I'm appalled.
As an RTD Driver, I'm afraid for my career and my physical, emotional, financial and mental health.
I don't want to be fired because of my Faith and my opposition to the Union.
Or any other excuse they'll fabricate (in lieu of) to cause me to be fired!
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