Serious issue with Port Authority driver (Pittsburgh, Monongahela: light-rail, rating, bike)

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by Burghgirl17

War and Peace would be easier to read.

It
is
not
that
serious.

If you get this worked up over such a minor occurrence in life, how do you get through your life on a day to day basis?

You sent your complaint to the Port Authority.

If you're soliciting other opinions and experience, you've got it, but if someone doesn't agree with you, then you have to accept that, too.

She/he is venting and she/he is allowed. I've seen people complain about lesser things. I believe the op came on here asking if any of you have had similar experiences, they didn't come here to be criticized. Driving a bus is a customer oriented job, if you can't deal with the public, then find another job, don't stay for the money! I have had some horrible experiences with bus drivers, some act as though they didn't even want to talk to you when ask a simple question.I actually left my house wondering what the driver was gonna be like today. Drivers are one of the biggest reasons I quit riding the bus.There is no reason why the driver can't be courteous, the job is what you make it, you choose your attitude.

[Squeamish]

Thanks to all of you who have been respectful and kind to me, or at least haven't made me out to be a jerk. To those of you who are railing on me: While I obviously disagree with you, I do understand and respect your perspective. I'm not saying I'm not at fault! I think I mentioned somewhere in my report that after it became clear the driver was a bonehead broken record and wasn't going to provide any additional information, I should've sat down and followed up with PAT customer service instead. I agree with all of you there. Both the driver and I are at fault. I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm just saying that even despite my repeated questioning, this driver's behavior was appalling, unprofessional, and threatening (once he claimed the police were on their way). I think we can all agree that that's unacceptable behavior on the part of a public transit driver. A driver here in the Twin Cities would've calmly and respectfully explained what she/he knew about the policies and probably apologized for what she/he didn't know, instead of bullheadedly instilling guilt and insisting he was right when it turns out he was partially wrong. He was an opinionated a-hole.

I reported the incident to customer service, but felt the need to share my experiences somewhere and get others' viewpoints on the situation. To get the word out. Hence, I posted it here.

[Squeamish]

Oh, and let's not get into the discussion about whether I could've ridden from that station to my destination, or just ridden my entire route. There are many different opinions, everyone feels strongly about their opinion, and we'll never agree. You can't disagree that the busway is MANY TIMES faster than biking down the side streets. You're right, I could've easily ridden to my destination from Negley, but after that experience, I was in no mood to bother. I think most would feel the same way.

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

A driver here in the Twin Cities would've calmly and respectfully explained what she/he knew about the policies and probably apologized for what she/he didn't know, instead of bullheadedly instilling guilt and insisting he was right when it turns out he was partially wrong.

Really? You can guarantee that every single driver in the Twin Cities would've behaved that way?
I'm sorry that you came across someone that you disagreed with and felt that you were treated wrongly. But it was one person among an entire system. There are jerks in every job in every city. It's just part of life.

[Impala26]

Originally Posted by groar

some people don't like to ride on the street and want to take the bus to the park to ride on trails.

and it's nice to be able to bike from wherever the bus stop is to your destination. for some people, an 8 mile or whatever bike ride is a bit much or would take too long.

also, if you're coming from out of town on a train or plane with a your luggage and your bike, you can take the bus to wherever you're staying with your bike and then use the bike as your primary form of transportation.

bike racks make it easier for bikers to take the bus, and bussers to take their bikes. what exactly is wrong with that?

and i'm guessing buses don't have trailer hitches for cars because that would be totally impractical, while bike racks are not.

We all know the terrain around here too. On warmer days when I'm not feeling in the mood for a workout or something, I will opt to find a bus to hitch onto with my bike. South Side Slopes anyone? And not only does it save you lots of effort, it often saves you time too.

Or maybe you have a day like today when you don't know if it's going to rain or not. You bike in during the morning, but then find it pouring in the evening and have nothing along the lines of good rain gear to wear.

Also, keep in mind the OP had a folding bike, a bike that was SPECIFICALLY designed for use in conjunction with public transit and not biking the entire length. If you've seen one of them, you can see pretty clearly that they're not ideal for longer-distance biking.

Also, did that nested quote blow your mind or what? Why can't we do that by default?

[Urban_HillBilly]

Originally Posted by Burghgirl17

War and Peace would be easier to read.

It
is
not
that
serious.

If you get this worked up over such a minor occurrence in life, how do you get through your life on a day to day basis?

You sent your complaint to the Port Authority. What are you accomplishing by posting the Port Authority Dead Sea Scrolls here? If you're soliciting other opinions and experience, you've got it, but if someone doesn't agree with you, then you have to accept that, too.

Word. Somebody has to realize how to enjoy life, people, and just ignore the Aholes producing bad karma with a smile.

But lets be honest. War and Peace is kind of harsh. I could really get through Old Man and the Sea quicker than this post.

[RedBall]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

Thanks to all of you who have been respectful and kind to me, or at least haven't made me out to be a jerk. To those of you who are railing on me: While I obviously disagree with you, I do understand and respect your perspective. I'm not saying I'm not at fault! I think I mentioned somewhere in my report that after it became clear the driver was a bonehead broken record and wasn't going to provide any additional information, I should've sat down and followed up with PAT customer service instead. I agree with all of you there. Both the driver and I are at fault. I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm just saying that even despite my repeated questioning, this driver's behavior was appalling, unprofessional, and threatening (once he claimed the police were on their way). I think we can all agree that that's unacceptable behavior on the part of a public transit driver. A driver here in the Twin Cities would've calmly and respectfully explained what she/he knew about the policies and probably apologized for what she/he didn't know, instead of bullheadedly instilling guilt and insisting he was right when it turns out he was partially wrong. He was an opinionated a-hole.

I reported the incident to customer service, but felt the need to share my experiences somewhere and get others' viewpoints on the situation. To get the word out. Hence, I posted it here.

God, I have never read anything so asinine on these message boards. Fine, the bus driver was a jerk. He probably deals with people trying to snow him every day, so maybe he is a little trigger happy. Fine. Point made.

So what is your excuse? Your behavior and reaction was equally if not more appalling than anything the bus driver did allegedly.

In all seriousness, I am shocked that this is apparently not a joke.

For you to be so upset over such a frivolous interchange is remarkable to me.

It is entirely your fault that this lasted more than two sentences. You are to blame entirely.

You ask the question once. The bus driver answers. Regardless of what the answer is or how rudely the answer is delivered, or how incorrect the answer is, the incident should have been over.

And just FYI, its not your job to educate, or convince, the bus driver on how incorrect he is, or how important your little problem is, or how important your perspective is. And the bus driver doesn't care. He's driving the bus.

Later you call CS and complain if it was that damn big a deal.

What could you have possibly thought was going to result from "repeated questioning?"

I understand your feelings were hurt because he wasn't polite, but your behavior was completely inappropriate. Completely.

You are really coming off as self-important, hyper-sensitive jerk.

[ditchdigger]

I think I mentioned somewhere in my report that after it became clear the driver was a bonehead broken record and wasn't going to provide any additional information, I should've sat down and followed up with PAT customer service instead.

I have a question. Do you suppose, that after his exchange with you, the driver is more, or less, likely to be polite to the next person with a question?

[neurodistortion]

I try not to be biased when responding to the posts on here, which is why I am pretty understanding whether the situation merits attention despite how ridiculous it may seem. You have the right to be upset to the bus driver, just as the bus driver has the right to make the rules on his bus as he sees fit. Yes, the Port Authority has set rules and they are typically followed, but generally, the bus driver has the final say as to what goes on within the bus. After all, he is the driver and he is in control. He may have been a dick to you, but that comes with every profession, even engineers. Keep in mind, he could've refused you service, as it's in the United States Constitution, but it was his choice to allow you to ride and perhaps give him a hard time. I doubt that most people from the Twin Cities or anywhere else would've reacted this way, but this sounds like a unique situation.

[Yac]

I'd like to ask everyone to at least try to be civil.
Yac.