TRIMET: "Let us mess with you"

Interesting exchanges over on Twitter, not sure if you would've seen it.  Basically, @Rimbaud1854 brought up an excellent point in that even though TriMet "tweeted" about the fare increase & service changes, they didn't have anything on the buses or trains or at stops to let people know.

(individual tweets condensed for readability)
Rimbaud1854 says:

• Why was there no "signs" on the actual bus and trains about the schedule trains @trimet ? Not everyone uses the computer for bus times.
• I now understand there was a schedule change. I don't understand why there was no 'signage' on any bus or train.
• I noticed the fare increase yesterday and asked the bus operator if that ment there was a schedule change cause all the bus r late
• his reply? "I don't know, you'll have to talk to dispatch" so that was helpful.
• I was told by them 'sir you should have seen on the web or called in to trimet' I don't use those because I have a book.
• do I have to go all the way downtown to get another book? Or does Fred Meyers sell them?

TriMet replies:

• We notify customers via our website, Twitter, email, and flatscreens of the service change.
• We also notify operators internally about the service change, though apparently the operator you spoke to missed it.
• We update the schedules at the posted stops, but we've never done extra on-street communication about service changes.

(And I'm thinking - great - so poor commuters without internet access who don't live downtown and therefore have bus stops that are just signs by the side of the road would not have seen any twitter, email, or flat screen displays to know about this.  Way to go, TriMet.)

Anyway, it continues:

Rimbaud1854 says:

• I figured it out. Gonna go downtown tomorrow and get one. I understand. Just frustrating that I missed it.

TriMet says:

• Sorry you missed it. We tweeted about it a month beforehand and the day before service change, so we do our best.

Rimbaud1854 says:

• just seems odd that there wasn't any signs on max. I understand you guys can only do so much to reach everyone.
• electronic media is good. But, sometimes I have emergencies that take me away from them. The ppl IRL are what I focus on.
• its hard to explain to someone who just lost there son I have to check twitter. Oh well. I will resolve this tomorrow.
• if this was 1991 how'd you go about notifiying customers? Signs at stops. Not the internet. Don't rely on the internet.

AND TriMet's response:

• We used to publish brochures about service change that would be placed on buses and MAX trains.
• And we used to put ads on the MAX trains, but we stopped two years ago.
• If you'd like to request we start doing print notices for service change again, please fill out this form: http://trimet.org/mailforms/comments_general

And my thoughts: NO - this is not "doing your best."  Recognizing that not everyone is a choice rider and therefore making it a point to reach people through means other than the internet or fancy flatscreen displays would be doing your best.  Putting brochures & channel cards back on the buses and trains to let people know about service & fare changes would be doing your best.  You know what else is not doing your best?  Making a guy who has already filed a complaint with you through Twitter fill out ANOTHER FORM to ask you to do what you should've been doing in the first place.  Sheesh.