Serious issue with Port Authority driver (buy, move, deal)

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by RedBall

God, I have never read anything so asinine on these message boards.

Reputation points for that!

[hnsq]

OP - I find it surprising that you, as a self-proclaimed visitor to the city, would lecture a bus driver who deals with these issues day in and day out for years on what he should/shouldn't do.

Would you feel if an intern started working with you and criticized how you did your job and suggested changes on his first day?

Or would you want him to listen to you and just stay quiet?

This is public transit, you get what you get!

[Squeamish]

This thread is seriously getting out of hand.

My report clearly tells you that I was not lecturing him; I was clarifying my questions. I think I also clarified this in subsequent posts because people assumed I was being an ass and lecturing him. I reformulated my question multiple times, but I was not lecturing or anything of the sort.

It's clear that attitudes toward these things in terms of what's acceptable are very different in Pittsburgh than they are in IA/MN.

[hnsq]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

This thread is seriously getting out of hand.

My report clearly tells you that I was not lecturing him; I was clarifying my questions. I think I also clarified this in subsequent posts because people assumed I was being an ass and lecturing him. I reformulated my question multiple times, but I was not lecturing or anything of the sort.

It's clear that attitudes toward these things in terms of what's acceptable are very different in Pittsburgh than they are in IA/MN.

It isn't a case of what is acceptable, it is a case of accepting the rules at hand and not making a mountain out of a molehill.

[onepoint]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

This thread is seriously getting out of hand.

My report clearly tells you that I was not lecturing him; I was clarifying my questions. I think I also clarified this in subsequent posts because people assumed I was being an ass and lecturing him. I reformulated my question multiple times, but I was not lecturing or anything of the sort.

It's clear that attitudes toward these things in terms of what's acceptable are very different in Pittsburgh than they are in IA/MN.

That the question was "reformulated ... multiple times" cuts to the core of the criticism in this thread. It should have become apparent fairly quickly that the driver was not cooperating to your satisfaction. My advice would be to sit down, cut your losses, and call the Port Authority for clarification and to voice your complaint later.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

It's clear that attitudes toward these things in terms of what's acceptable are very different in Pittsburgh than they are in IA/MN.

I really don't think it's about difference in regional attitudes. I think you got one dimwit driver, then continued to try to extract an answer there was no chance of getting from that source. You just were agonizingly slow in recognizing the situation as one where the information you were seeking was not forthcoming from that source (the driver). That's all. That could happen anywhere.

Reminds me of my boss, who at times confronted with something illogical will attempt to get a logical answer, with frustrating results. ;-)

[aveojohn]

Evidently, a lot of you do not ride the bus on a regular basis and have to deal with some of these moronic drivers!

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by aveojohn

Evidently, a lot of you do not ride the bus on a regular basis and have to deal with some of these moronic drivers!

Yes, we do. We just have reasonable expectations and don't get our panties in a twist over one unpleasant person.

It's a bus driver. Not a neurosurgeon.

[ditchdigger]

You should all go back and read the rule as quoted:

“…Port Authority permits cyclists to bring their foldable bicycles onboard Port Authority buses, light-rail cars and the Monongahela Incline during peak and non-peak hours. Folding bike users riding buses with bike racks are required to use the racks to secure their bicycles.”

Like I pointed out earlier, the driver was giving Squeamish a break in not requiring the bike to be unfolded and put outside on the rack. What happens if for some reason the driver has to slam on the brakes, Squeamish loses hold of the folded bike, and it goes flying, injuring another passenger? The driver gets in trouble for bending the rules. He was being a nice guy.

So what does he get for being a nice guy? An earful from Squeamish right then and there, being called all kinds of names here on the forum, plus he's got to answer to customer service about why there was a complaint.

I bet from now on, he'll very civilly tell anybody with a folded bike to get off the bus, and put it on the rack before he'll allow them back on, and to hell with the fact that everybody in his bus, and the two busses behind him, has to wait for all that to be accomplished. I'm sure the 50-60 people who are delayed in getting to their destinations will be very grateful to Squeamish for being sure the driver will be polite in his rigid adherence to the rulebook, and the dolt who mistakenly brings the folded bike on board won't feel the least bit embarrassed by being shown to everyone to be ignorant of the rules, and the cause of their delay...

[Squeamish]

Originally Posted by onepoint

It should have become apparent fairly quickly that the driver was not cooperating to your satisfaction. My advice would be to sit down, cut your losses, and call the Port Authority for clarification and to voice your complaint later.

I agree with this. This is what I should have done. In my original post, I indicated that this is what I should have done, and I sincerely apologized for anything I might have done to escalate the situation.

Originally Posted by hnsq

It isn't a case of what is acceptable, it is a case of accepting the rules at hand and not making a mountain out of a molehill.

It's not an issue of accepting or not accepting the rules. I accept the rules. My intent was to clarify the rules. On the mountain out of a molehill thing, I basically agree with you. This thread is way longer than the initial issue would justify. I just feel the need to clarify my position because some people clearly don't understand.

Originally Posted by greg42

I think you got one dimwit driver, then continued to try to extract an answer there was no chance of getting from that source. You just were agonizingly slow in recognizing the situation as one where the information you were seeking was not forthcoming from that source (the driver).

While we disagree on regional cultural variations, this part of your post is right on target. While I'm highly intelligent from a technical/engineering standpoint, I'm bad at reading people and understanding social nuances. Most people would've caught on to this driver being a moronic broken record and dropped the issue long before I did. I assumed a high level of professionalism from a bus driver, and it took me a long time to realize that it just wasn't happening from this guy.