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Monday, September 3, 2012
Bus driver gets defensive about her fare checking
Notice how she says "its her bus". I got news for you lady, it IS NOT YOUR BUS, its the public's bus. Jason made a comment about her fare collection and she became livid.
Seems like she assumed she was being attacked, before really absorbing what Jason was saying. It's sad that operators are attacked so often that they begin to assume the worst in people.
I could have maybe approached her in a more diplomatic way
(background: I had heard her made many calls to dispatch with fare questions that morning, including asking if passes were still valid, and knew Al's view on fare checking)
Man, I don't know what to say about this other than, that could have been handled better by both parties. Although, in the 3 or so seconds of that conversation, no "hi", no "I have a question",no type of greeting at all. What is a operator supposed to do in this situation??? what was passanger looking for in line of this questioning, or statment wanted???? What was to gain, by this exchange??? HB
I think Jason getting on her bus and immediately getting on her was rude on his part, it made her all defensive. Plus hes been listening to her all morning, I'd wonder what kind of creep you are....Why is Jason confronting these drivers, whoms bus he isnt riding?
Al, I get he had a valid comment, but If i was in the drivers position, I may have reacted the same way. Jason is in NO way a supervisor, thats the only person that sould be getting on to quiz her about something right off the bat. Why didn't Jason wait a few seconds to ask her, or ride and observe how shes doing things? Comment MAY be valid, Situation and presentation on Jasons part, I can't find the perfect word, but we was an asshole about it! Period! And in the end, its really not his place to be doing that.
Al I'm sorry but you are way off here. It's a shame that you are so quick to blame drivers seeing as you were one not too long ago. This is the perfect example. Jason has no buisness getting on a bus in revenue with a video camera and immidiately starting a negative conversation IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. He starts off by telling her he thinks she is doing something wrong and he has a video camera rolling. Lets See do you think she is now paying full attention to safety related areas or is she now thinking about this jerk with a camera. OH wow she has been on her radio asking questions about fares. That is what we are supposed to do if we have questions. This change over is confusing for drivers as well as passengers. Jaaon it is none of your buisness if shes asking questions to dispatch. Maybe you should thank her for trying to do her job to the best of her ability. If he had come on a bus I was driving the same thing if not worse would have happened What gives you the right to call her a bitch? Defensive yes BITCH I dont think so. We are bus drivers we are people we are not perfect our job is stressful enough without people like Jason making it more stressful. I'm sure if she had pulled off from that altercation and not seen someone in a blind spot because her attention was on some jerk with nothing better to do than harrass bus drivers and hit someone Jason and Al would be placing 100% blame on the bus driver. Think about what you are doing here. Let bus DRIVERS DRIVE go use your camera on neil or the police who arent enforcing traffic rules on the bus mall or maybe even just take film of how beautiful the city is.
Darn, guys this is simple, if he was acting like a reporter, than interview her like one, she did not know him from "dirt". What she said I'd disagree with, but I was not confronted in this way, by anyone. Most reporters start off with a question (to establish a feel for the interviewee), then get to the point of the interview. HB
Investigate and conduct interviews in a safe manner like when we are not performing safety sensitive duties. It is distracting and dangerous and irrisponsible to do what Jason did in this piece. We are not trained to deal with reporters coming on the bus while in revenue service, the driver ws caught off guard. I dont know this driver at all I do not stick up for all bus drivers and their actions but I will stick up for us to be able to do our jobs in a safe manner without unnecessary distractions. This was an unnecessary distraction. If you want to condone unsafe behavior that is your choice. I say it has to stop.
Theres lots of thin skinned bus drivers out here, and this is not the profession for think skinned people.
Just ignore it...sheesh...everybody goes crazy over this.
And I didn't like the driver that left Jason sitting at the jail either.
If I see something I don't like I'm gonna call it like I see it-sorry if it offends some people but worrying about public opinion has never been part of my consciousness.
Al, I think you have got to understand here, its not WHAT Jason did, its HOW Jason did it. If he got on and "Told his story" first, maybe things would be different, but your driving along, you pick up a passenger that gets on says to you "So your picking fights over fares"? I would be thinking "WTF? Who the hell are you?? Your not in uniform, what F**k are you doing on my bus throwing accusations??" Had Jason been more like "Hi, I listen on on the TriMet scanner feed, and I am just curious...yada-yada-yada..." Do you see what all the fuss is about Al? Jason approached this in a "He thinks hes a higher power" instead of a "Concerned citizen".
And if the driver is really causing problems, report her, confronting her probably is an ineffective solution.
Jason got on the bus and immediately started to posture with the driver. And it is "her" bus of sorts when she is operating it..just like it was Als bus when he was out operating it.
Why didn't Jason wait a few seconds to ask her, or ride and observe how shes doing things?
An issue was that I didn't have a fare (nor really wanted to take a ride) which made fare questions awkward. I did check in on another operator where I did ride and did ask questions in a much nicer way. Ideally, I would have done that here.
Also, one of her calls was asking whether a pass was still valid. The answer seemed obvious, but I later thought that it could be a 2-zone 14-day or rolling 30-day pass (they were sold until the 20th).
Seems like she assumed she was being attacked, before really absorbing what Jason was saying. It's sad that operators are attacked so often that they begin to assume the worst in people.
ReplyDeleteI could have maybe approached her in a more diplomatic way
ReplyDelete(background: I had heard her made many calls to dispatch with fare questions that morning, including asking if passes were still valid, and knew Al's view on fare checking)
Man, I don't know what to say about this other than, that could have been handled better by both parties. Although, in the 3 or so seconds of that conversation, no "hi", no "I have a question",no type of greeting at all. What is a operator supposed to do in this situation??? what was passanger looking for in line of this questioning, or statment wanted???? What was to gain, by this exchange???
ReplyDeleteHB
I think Jason getting on her bus and immediately getting on her was rude on his part, it made her all defensive. Plus hes been listening to her all morning, I'd wonder what kind of creep you are....Why is Jason confronting these drivers, whoms bus he isnt riding?
ReplyDeleteHe had a valid comment and she freaked out.
ReplyDeleteI'm 100% on Jason's side of this.
Al, I get he had a valid comment, but If i was in the drivers position, I may have reacted the same way. Jason is in NO way a supervisor, thats the only person that sould be getting on to quiz her about something right off the bat. Why didn't Jason wait a few seconds to ask her, or ride and observe how shes doing things? Comment MAY be valid, Situation and presentation on Jasons part, I can't find the perfect word, but we was an asshole about it! Period! And in the end, its really not his place to be doing that.
ReplyDeleteAl I'm sorry but you are way off here. It's a shame that you are so quick to blame drivers seeing as you were one not too long ago. This is the perfect example. Jason has no buisness getting on a bus in revenue with a video camera and immidiately starting a negative conversation IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. He starts off by telling her he thinks she is doing something wrong and he has a video camera rolling. Lets See do you think she is now paying full attention to safety related areas or is she now thinking about this jerk with a camera. OH wow she has been on her radio asking questions about fares. That is what we are supposed to do if we have questions. This change over is confusing for drivers as well as passengers. Jaaon it is none of your buisness if shes asking questions to dispatch. Maybe you should thank her for trying to do her job to the best of her ability. If he had come on a bus I was driving the same thing if not worse would have happened What gives you the right to call her a bitch? Defensive yes BITCH I dont think so. We are bus drivers we are people we are not perfect our job is stressful enough without people like Jason making it more stressful. I'm sure if she had pulled off from that altercation and not seen someone in a blind spot because her attention was on some jerk with nothing better to do than harrass bus drivers and hit someone Jason and Al would be placing 100% blame on the bus driver. Think about what you are doing here. Let bus DRIVERS DRIVE go use your camera on neil or the police who arent enforcing traffic rules on the bus mall or maybe even just take film of how beautiful the city is.
ReplyDeleteSorry Cris-disagree-Jason is functioning as a transit reporter as a reporter for KATU would-investigating a story.
ReplyDeleteThe driver FREAKED OUT and claimed it WAS HER BUS.
She deserves the admonishment.
Your ideas are yours, not everybody is interested in scenic videos of how lovely Portland is (not)
A real reporter gets right to the point, and that is exactly what he did.
ReplyDeleteShe's supposed to be a 'professional' and she handled herself in the most unprofessional manner.
Darn, guys this is simple, if he was acting like a reporter, than interview her like one, she did not know him from "dirt". What she said I'd disagree with, but I was not confronted in this way, by anyone. Most reporters start off with a question (to establish a feel for the interviewee), then get to the point of the interview.
ReplyDeleteHB
Investigate and conduct interviews in a safe manner like when we are not performing safety sensitive duties. It is distracting and dangerous and irrisponsible to do what Jason did in this piece. We are not trained to deal with reporters coming on the bus while in revenue service, the driver ws caught off guard. I dont know this driver at all I do not stick up for all bus drivers and their actions but I will stick up for us to be able to do our jobs in a safe manner without unnecessary distractions. This was an unnecessary distraction. If you want to condone unsafe behavior that is your choice. I say it has to stop.
ReplyDeleteI think she was a bitch-she shouldnt have reacted at all.
ReplyDeleteI've had people scream at me and took the abuse.Didn't call police-didn't kick her off. I wasn't threatened.
And if you remember-I was a walking target when i WORKED there.
I never called the police once and asked 2 people to leave-both out of control drunks.
She didn't have to react like that-she didn't have to react at all- thats the proper way to handle situations.
So he asked a question-big fucking deal
Theres lots of thin skinned bus drivers out here, and this is not the profession for think skinned people.
ReplyDeleteJust ignore it...sheesh...everybody goes crazy over this.
And I didn't like the driver that left Jason sitting at the jail either.
If I see something I don't like I'm gonna call it like I see it-sorry if it offends some people but worrying about public opinion has never been part of my consciousness.
To use the term "reporter" is an insult to all reporters. It's even an insult to paparazzi.
ReplyDeleteHe approached her looking for a fight. And she didn't even give him that.
Disgraceful....uncalled for. He owes her an apology.
Baloney-she should have just ignored him.
ReplyDeleteAnd let me make one other comment. Yes I was a bus driver 6 months ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can tell you from first hand knowledge that 50% of Trimet drivers are ASSHOLES.
Al, I think you have got to understand here, its not WHAT Jason did, its HOW Jason did it. If he got on and "Told his story" first, maybe things would be different, but your driving along, you pick up a passenger that gets on says to you "So your picking fights over fares"? I would be thinking "WTF? Who the hell are you?? Your not in uniform, what F**k are you doing on my bus throwing accusations??" Had Jason been more like "Hi, I listen on on the TriMet scanner feed, and I am just curious...yada-yada-yada..." Do you see what all the fuss is about Al? Jason approached this in a "He thinks hes a higher power" instead of a "Concerned citizen".
ReplyDeleteAnd if the driver is really causing problems, report her, confronting her probably is an ineffective solution.
Al is wrong on this one..
ReplyDeleteJason got on the bus and immediately started to posture with the driver. And it is "her" bus of sorts when she is operating it..just like it was Als bus when he was out operating it.
To say she was a bitch? Totally unfair.
OK-by popular demand I removed the word bitch.
ReplyDeleteOh my.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, "bitch" was NOT my title choice.
Also, I did get off the bus when she asked.
Why didn't Jason wait a few seconds to ask her, or ride and observe how shes doing things?
An issue was that I didn't have a fare (nor really wanted to take a ride) which made fare questions awkward. I did check in on another operator where I did ride and did ask questions in a much nicer way. Ideally, I would have done that here.
Also, one of her calls was asking whether a pass was still valid. The answer seemed obvious, but I later thought that it could be a 2-zone 14-day or rolling 30-day pass (they were sold until the 20th).