We had a memo/bulletin come out last week that made me sad.
It was a reminder that we cannot "eject" passengers.
It didn't make me sad because we cannot eject our passengers.
It made me sad because there are still those around who think we can!
Both passenger and Driver still think that as Drivers, we are "captains" of the ship.
We are not.
We're simply Drivers, chauffeurs taught how to handle these beasts and guide them along the routes.
In training we're taught to educate and accommodate.
The memo reminds us of this.
You know those tags on hair dryers that tell folks not to use the dryer in the tub/shower?
They had to put those on there because somebody was just that intelligent and did exactly that.
This memo was the same thing - to remind some Drivers that they are not allowed to be ejecting folks from the bus.
If you get on without paying, I have a button to push.
If you cause a disturbance, I have a button to push.
If you're too drunk, too dangerous or just too plain stupid, I have a button for that!
I'll pull over to the next stop and you get to see those neatly uniformed men board the bus and give you the attention you so obviously desire.
But I won't argue with you, debate your fare or whether that was a quarter or dime.
I won't debate whether that transfer was expired or whether your grandmother just dying and you needing to get to the hospital is reason for a free ride.
I'll simply educate, "The fare is X and I'm not authorized to give free rides," then accommodate you by allowing you to decide whether to sit down without paying the correct fare or step off the bus.
Parents - I'm not kicking your kiddos off the bus so that they can't get to or from school.
Caregivers - I'm not leaving your charges out in the cold.
Families - I'm not driving away from your drunken loved ones in the middle of the night in some scary neighborhood.
Everybody gets a ride, I can't "kick them off."
Whether they get tickets is up to somebody else - if a supervisor or a fare inspector comes to visit, that's their call not mine.
I'm just the Driver.
My job is to meet my passenger's public transit needs by offering safe, clean, reliable, courteous & accessible service throughout my route.
I'm sad that we needed a memo/bulletin to remind us of this.
We are not police, captains, authority figures or judges.
We are Drivers, monitoring the safety of those on the bus and around us outside - safely and expediently guiding these 20 ton hulks around the Front Range.
You need a ride?
I gotcha covered.
As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats, Look out for my ejection button - Let's Roll!"
Friday, January 18, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Bah Bah Black Sheep...
Keep in mind that these are my opinions and that RTD neither condones nor endorses my thoughts, my site, my opinions, etc etc etc...
Anywho...
So I am an avid reader.
I read RTD's website, nearly every single page.
I keep an eye on their YouTube.
I read RTD's Twitter and their FaceBook as well.
Not to mention I hear y'all daily.
Before I answer some of the cheese and whine I want to point out that one of our mantras is:
"Our Customers are not persons to argue or match wits with, NO ONE ever won an argument with a customer."
So obviously when I hear all this at work, I just keep my mouth shut, smile and nod then continue along with my job of happily providing the best danged service I can.
There is one complaint that I scream on the inside every time I hear it.
I used to ride the bus before I became a Driver, before I came to work here at RTD.
I did so for a very long time and I've very familiar with the in and outs.
Coming to work at RTD, they specifically ask us if we have reliable transportation to work, transportation that is not the bus.
We have to be able to get to work in any weather and condition.
One of the lines in our handbook reads, "The bus was late' is not an acceptable excuse."
When there is snow, I leave for work extremely early and get to work usually when I'd normally be just waking up.
And amazingly, most of my fellows are there as well.
We plan ahead and take responsibility for getting to our jobs on time.
So when I hear somebody complain about the bus always being late, always making them late, being unreliable...etc etc etc
I think to myself, "then just take an earlier bus!"
"But I shouldn't have to do that. I pay good money for my monthly pass and expect reliable service. RTD doesn't care, they just take our money, raise the rates, give themselves raises and do whatever they want."
When I'm driving, I care.
I start to care less about folks like YOU but overall, I care about the other 99.9999999999% of my customers/passengers.
When I drive, I'm busting my butt to get to my stops on time.
Our old radios used to tell us when we were 3 minutes late.
When we hit 5, we got calls from dispatch.
At ten, we had to call in and we'd better have a dang good excuse.
I've driven nearly 3 in 4 routes out of Platte and I can't recall ONE route that wasn't tough to keep time.
Sure there are stretches on every route, times when it's dead and you can make up lost time.
But just when you're back on track there's 30 people at the next stop, half in wheelchairs or paying with pennies!
Don't hear something I'm not saying in that last sentence.
It's my job to care for every single passenger, regardless of how they pay, or how they board.
Or how long it takes to board them.
It simply takes a minute longer to strap in a chair or to unjam 30 pennies jammed in the slot.
These things happen and it's just a part of life, a part of the job.
But there is going to be that one loser in the back who is going to scream at the person in the chair, or at me for taking that extra minute to make certain they are secure, or who screams at the person paying with pennies or writing out a check - lol, I'm kidding, we don't take checks.
Or the person at the next stop who is going to cuss and swear at me for being a minute, two minutes, five minutes late then call in and complain about me.
All because that one loser slept in late or waited until the last minute to leave the house and believes the world owes him to get him to work on time in spite of his every effort against the world.
So when I hear those whines, moaning about late buses ruining their lives - I wonder if they are the same folks who wake up late, leave the house at the last minute, speed down the highway and complain about the cop who pulled them over for speeding.
I can just hear them:
"I pay good money in taxes that pay for my license, my fees, your salary! You can't keep the roads clear of traffic and you make me late to work every day. Then you give me a ticket? You obviously just take my money and don't care - I'm calling to complain about you..."
As I read through RTD's pages and I see these same few names complaining, I see RTD and RTD's Directors trying to be patient and accommodating and eventually just give up and move on.
I want to jump in and remind folks to take responsibility for their own actions.
Yes RTD is late sometimes.
There are 150 routes spread over 2400 miles.
10,000 bus stops, 800 buses out at any one time.
Half a million boardings each week.
There is only one of YOU and you can't even get to work on time 5 days a week.
And all you got is to blame somebody else for you not taking responsibility and leaving the house a few minutes early to catch an earlier bus or simply get to the stop on time.
I feel for the folks who have to take your complaints every day.
They obviously don't get paid enough.
Me?
I'm taught by my trainers to have this attitude:
I'm paid by the minute.
I take each minute to do my job, do it the best way I can and to not worry about the previous minute or the next until I've made the most of every second of the current minute.
Ok, my ranting about the one or two whiners in a sea of freaking awesome customers is over.
I just had to get that out of my system.
I think I'm good for a bit longer!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats, Whether we're on-time or late - Let's Roll!"
Anywho...
So I am an avid reader.
I read RTD's website, nearly every single page.
I keep an eye on their YouTube.
I read RTD's Twitter and their FaceBook as well.
Not to mention I hear y'all daily.
Before I answer some of the cheese and whine I want to point out that one of our mantras is:
"Our Customers are not persons to argue or match wits with, NO ONE ever won an argument with a customer."
So obviously when I hear all this at work, I just keep my mouth shut, smile and nod then continue along with my job of happily providing the best danged service I can.
There is one complaint that I scream on the inside every time I hear it.
I used to ride the bus before I became a Driver, before I came to work here at RTD.
I did so for a very long time and I've very familiar with the in and outs.
Coming to work at RTD, they specifically ask us if we have reliable transportation to work, transportation that is not the bus.
We have to be able to get to work in any weather and condition.
One of the lines in our handbook reads, "The bus was late' is not an acceptable excuse."
When there is snow, I leave for work extremely early and get to work usually when I'd normally be just waking up.
And amazingly, most of my fellows are there as well.
We plan ahead and take responsibility for getting to our jobs on time.
So when I hear somebody complain about the bus always being late, always making them late, being unreliable...etc etc etc
I think to myself, "then just take an earlier bus!"
"But I shouldn't have to do that. I pay good money for my monthly pass and expect reliable service. RTD doesn't care, they just take our money, raise the rates, give themselves raises and do whatever they want."
When I'm driving, I care.
I start to care less about folks like YOU but overall, I care about the other 99.9999999999% of my customers/passengers.
When I drive, I'm busting my butt to get to my stops on time.
Our old radios used to tell us when we were 3 minutes late.
When we hit 5, we got calls from dispatch.
At ten, we had to call in and we'd better have a dang good excuse.
I've driven nearly 3 in 4 routes out of Platte and I can't recall ONE route that wasn't tough to keep time.
Sure there are stretches on every route, times when it's dead and you can make up lost time.
But just when you're back on track there's 30 people at the next stop, half in wheelchairs or paying with pennies!
Don't hear something I'm not saying in that last sentence.
It's my job to care for every single passenger, regardless of how they pay, or how they board.
Or how long it takes to board them.
It simply takes a minute longer to strap in a chair or to unjam 30 pennies jammed in the slot.
These things happen and it's just a part of life, a part of the job.
But there is going to be that one loser in the back who is going to scream at the person in the chair, or at me for taking that extra minute to make certain they are secure, or who screams at the person paying with pennies or writing out a check - lol, I'm kidding, we don't take checks.
Or the person at the next stop who is going to cuss and swear at me for being a minute, two minutes, five minutes late then call in and complain about me.
All because that one loser slept in late or waited until the last minute to leave the house and believes the world owes him to get him to work on time in spite of his every effort against the world.
So when I hear those whines, moaning about late buses ruining their lives - I wonder if they are the same folks who wake up late, leave the house at the last minute, speed down the highway and complain about the cop who pulled them over for speeding.
I can just hear them:
"I pay good money in taxes that pay for my license, my fees, your salary! You can't keep the roads clear of traffic and you make me late to work every day. Then you give me a ticket? You obviously just take my money and don't care - I'm calling to complain about you..."
As I read through RTD's pages and I see these same few names complaining, I see RTD and RTD's Directors trying to be patient and accommodating and eventually just give up and move on.
I want to jump in and remind folks to take responsibility for their own actions.
Yes RTD is late sometimes.
There are 150 routes spread over 2400 miles.
10,000 bus stops, 800 buses out at any one time.
Half a million boardings each week.
There is only one of YOU and you can't even get to work on time 5 days a week.
And all you got is to blame somebody else for you not taking responsibility and leaving the house a few minutes early to catch an earlier bus or simply get to the stop on time.
I feel for the folks who have to take your complaints every day.
They obviously don't get paid enough.
Me?
I'm taught by my trainers to have this attitude:
I'm paid by the minute.
I take each minute to do my job, do it the best way I can and to not worry about the previous minute or the next until I've made the most of every second of the current minute.
Ok, my ranting about the one or two whiners in a sea of freaking awesome customers is over.
I just had to get that out of my system.
I think I'm good for a bit longer!
As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats, Whether we're on-time or late - Let's Roll!"
Say What?
I'm not saying I hate you, I'm just saying if you got hit by a bus, I would be driving that bus.
I'm not sure how I feel about that...but I can admit I smirked!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
It's A New Year With Some New Changes...
Happy New Year!
So it's 2013 and we have a few changes.
Some changes coming now.
And more changes later in the year.
But let's start with the immediate changes; who they affect and who they don't.
The Smart Card.
You've seen all of our Smart Card readers, the new radios and heard about the changes on all the local news channels.
I've been asked about this constantly for the last six months.
It's here...mostly!
The Smart Card is replacing the myriad of Passes RTD has out there.
From the 6 bazillion College passes to the 4 trillion Eco and NEco passes.
All the tickets and coupons and all the different Monthly passes.
And eliminate 90% of the transfers we hand out.
As of this month, the Smart Card only affects those with College & Eco (NEco) Passes.
For College students, when your current sticker expires you'll be given the new College Pass Smart Card.
For Eco Pass holders, if you haven't already been given your new Smart Card, it's on its way to you now.
Hang onto your current pass and make sure you still have your sticker on it.
We're extending any deadlines/expiry dates to January 31st of this year.
This way Eco Pass holders have a chance to get the new cards and still use their old ones while they wait.
But that's the extent of the current changes: Eco & College Smart Cards.
Regular Monthly passes don't go "Smart" until the Fall and we'll be selling Tickets & Coupons at least until then and accepting them through the end of this year when they all expire.
So if you use Monthly Passes and/or Tickets & Coupons, you won't see any changes this month.
And NO - at this time, there are no Fare increases being announced, at least none that I've heard or read on RTD's site!
Starting in 2014, the only folks who'll be using cash and asking for paper transfers will be the one time and first time riders who probably won't ride again or who've only just begun to learn how to use the system.
This is what I've been taught, told and what I've learned so far.
But I strongly recommend you call in (303-299-6000) and ask them, they know far more than I.
And read RTD's web site.
There are a ton of pages dedicated to this change.
There is a customer service number for the Smart Card as well (303-299-2273)
And don't forget that there are Service Changes coming up next week.
The new schedules are in the buses and Stations as we speak, grab the new ones so there are no surprises come Sunday (January 6th).
As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats, Break out the Smart Cards - Let's Roll!"
So it's 2013 and we have a few changes.
Some changes coming now.
And more changes later in the year.
But let's start with the immediate changes; who they affect and who they don't.
The Smart Card.
You've seen all of our Smart Card readers, the new radios and heard about the changes on all the local news channels.
I've been asked about this constantly for the last six months.
It's here...mostly!
The Smart Card is replacing the myriad of Passes RTD has out there.
From the 6 bazillion College passes to the 4 trillion Eco and NEco passes.
All the tickets and coupons and all the different Monthly passes.
And eliminate 90% of the transfers we hand out.
As of this month, the Smart Card only affects those with College & Eco (NEco) Passes.
For College students, when your current sticker expires you'll be given the new College Pass Smart Card.
For Eco Pass holders, if you haven't already been given your new Smart Card, it's on its way to you now.
Hang onto your current pass and make sure you still have your sticker on it.
We're extending any deadlines/expiry dates to January 31st of this year.
This way Eco Pass holders have a chance to get the new cards and still use their old ones while they wait.
But that's the extent of the current changes: Eco & College Smart Cards.
Regular Monthly passes don't go "Smart" until the Fall and we'll be selling Tickets & Coupons at least until then and accepting them through the end of this year when they all expire.
So if you use Monthly Passes and/or Tickets & Coupons, you won't see any changes this month.
And NO - at this time, there are no Fare increases being announced, at least none that I've heard or read on RTD's site!
Starting in 2014, the only folks who'll be using cash and asking for paper transfers will be the one time and first time riders who probably won't ride again or who've only just begun to learn how to use the system.
This is what I've been taught, told and what I've learned so far.
But I strongly recommend you call in (303-299-6000) and ask them, they know far more than I.
And read RTD's web site.
There are a ton of pages dedicated to this change.
There is a customer service number for the Smart Card as well (303-299-2273)
And don't forget that there are Service Changes coming up next week.
The new schedules are in the buses and Stations as we speak, grab the new ones so there are no surprises come Sunday (January 6th).
As Always, "Welcome aboard, Find your seats, Break out the Smart Cards - Let's Roll!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
