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!"