Say It Again, Sam!

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!"