The Transit Rant Thread

[tonyzoomzoom]

our bus drivers do take a lot of crap - both from management and from the passengers   

[theurgy]

In all honesty I always had a bad view of bus drivers but that mainly came from my experience with the drivers of OC Transpo in Ottawa.
Here however, I have been nothing but impressed with both the service and the quality of drivers in public transit, so bravo.

I wish some of that could go out to those spoiled, overpaid asshole drivers in Ottawa.

[tonyzoomzoom]

I also stand on buses and skytrain, cuz thanks to Rebecca Black, I can't decide which seat to take   

[theurgy]

^ BWAHAHA

Yeah I prefer to sit if I can, mainly because I like having my hand free so I can either read or surf on my iPhone.
However I have the choice in my commute between taking the 99 B-Line and the 9. The 99 is much faster but usually packed whereas the 9 is much slower but tends to be pretty empty, making taking a seat pretty guilt free.

My commute between my house and my work on the bus is only maybe 30 minutes on the 9 and 20 minutes on the 99... so I usually opt to take the 9 for the comfort factor.

All that aside, I tend to always take the same seats. Usually in the back corners, so I can prop my feet up against the frame that holds the seat.

[Cosmic Wonder]

Lol nice Tony!

^^If I'm a passenger on a bus and there is ample room with vacant seats I'll try to sit in those spots as well. Not only does it make it easier for those who need the front seats to get them easily, like you said Mike, those seat frames are perfect foot rests lol. However, I will caution whoever rides those Community Shuttle buses....do NOT sit in the back couple rows if you can avoid it. There is one very good reason for that...you will get launched out of the seat if it hits a bump going a little faster. Try it. You'll see what I mean. I've seen countless kids, who think sitting at the back is still cool, move seats very quickly once they get tossed a foot or more off the seat.

Also, I agree that the drivers in the lower mainland are very professional and courteous. I've rode transit and many other cities and they are not courteous, friendly or helpful a all. Just goes to show that the CMBC hiring practices and testing works

Tony, you mentioned we take a lot of crap. That is true, we do. However, I think most of us are able to let it roll off our backs because we enjoy what we do. And the crap we take is almost completely from passengers/public. Management really is on our side and they do everything they can for us. As a company, it's a fantastic place to work. Hopefully our new contract we get sometime this year (we are currently working on an expired contract) keeps the majority of the employees happy as well.  

[theurgy]

If I can give you perspective on what class of bus drivers I dealt with in the past.
This is in 2008, before I moved out here in Vancouver. Thankfully at that time I was commuting back and forth by car, however I often used to take the bus on really snowy days so as I could avoid driving my Speed3 in the winter and getting into an accident. This strike was strategically placed in peak winter season as well as immediately before Christmas, and last until the early parts of February.

This is the Union President speaking to the local news as to why he immediately rejected a very reasonable offer by the City Of Ottawa (which OCTranspo is a part of). The point of issue at the time was over giving over scheduling duties to the City of Ottawa instead of OC Transpo.
The reason they pushed for it was there was a massive amount of abuse in overtime pay and scheduling on the part of the bus drivers.
The scam was, one driver would use up one of his allotted sick days and coordinate with a driver who was just finishing his shift to work overtime to cover his sick day, the following week that same driver would cover the sick day from the driver who covered his shift the week previous. This made it so the drivers would rack up a shitload of overtime pay. Some drivers made more than the mayor that year from this bullshit scam.
Meanwhile they had drivers who would be doing nothing sitting in a waiting room because their shift wasn't scheduled, or because they had a scam with the mechanics whereby if your bus was deemed in service, you would get paid for that time.

Anyhow.... this is all to give perspective, and appreciate the level of service we get here in Vancouver.

http://leapcomp.com/2008/12/worst-union-leader-in-the-world-and-oc-transpos-strike.html

[Cosmic Wonder]

Wow. Makes me even happier to work for this company here as we don't have those issues. Out here we have drivers whose job it is to cover vacation time. That's what they do. It's called "Spareboard" and they cover for vacation, sick days, WCB time off, etc. The only time we would get overtime are for things like additional service (Whitecaps games where they have multiple buses lined up ready to get people home after the game, fireworks nights, or if you have a bus break down and you are on shift longer than scheduled. I find that overtime is closely watched with CMBC and you generally need supervisor's permission.

[oracle]

so today on the canada line, a pregnant lady gets on, and walks over to the disabled seating area where there are 2 c-lais, 1 old guy and a middleaged white broad (this is to show people of all races are stupid). 3 of the 4 look at her, the old man was sleeping plus he was old, then they all look back away. she was visually frustrated and exhausted. i was standing across the car as usual and came over to ask her if she wanted a seat, she nodded, so i ask the 2 c-lais and white broad if they would give up one of their seats. They all ignored me. I then told them they were disgusting human beings with no respect for others. By this time most of the train was looking at me. Short of throwing someone out of their seat, what the hell can u do. Then to put icing on the cake, one of the stupid bitch c-lai's gets up and gets off at the next stop anyways. FUCK MORONS!

that is all

/rant

[Alpinewhite6]

^good on you.

[oracle]

^good on you.

the older i get, the less i care of what people think of me in public. i have a kid and just put my wife in that ladys shoes and id be fukkin choked if no one gave up a seat for my wife.

[theurgy]

Good on ya man... however, can I ask... what's a c-lai?

[missmiel]

so today on the canada line, a pregnant lady gets on, and walks over to the disabled seating area where there are 2 c-lais, 1 old guy and a middleaged white broad (this is to show people of all races are stupid). 3 of the 4 look at her, the old man was sleeping plus he was old, then they all look back away. she was visually frustrated and exhausted. i was standing across the car as usual and came over to ask her if she wanted a seat, she nodded, so i ask the 2 c-lais and white broad if they would give up one of their seats. They all ignored me. I then told them they were disgusting human beings with no respect for others. By this time most of the train was looking at me. Short of throwing someone out of their seat, what the hell can u do. Then to put icing on the cake, one of the stupid bitch c-lai's gets up and gets off at the next stop anyways. FUCK MORONS!

that is all

/rant

I need to marry a man like you! lol

[oracle]

Good on ya man... however, can I ask... what's a c-lai?

chinese lady.

i honestly cant say that age/race matters in terms of the people that are complete morons in terms of respecting others.

[DKaz]

I had to look it up myself...

C-lai
Pronounced "see-lai".

A middle to upper age woman of usually Chinese descent, who has several/all of the following distinctions from regular people:

1. Doesn't have a job, or works in some menial position like housekeeping. Husband brings home the dough.
2. Drives a BMW 7-series, X5, or Mercedes-Benz SL, GL, or ML.
3. Drives 40 km/h down the road, even when everyone is going 60-70.
4. Wears full-length (extending up to elbow) driving gloves on both hands and a welding mask for the face, and for fear of getting skin spots.
5. Puts the driver's seat in the farthest position forward, with the seatback vertical, and still doesn't use the seatback. (ie leans forward, so face is inches from the steering wheel)
6. Hits other cars when parking, and is completely oblivious that she just ran over the hood of the lowered Civic next to her parking spot. Also parks on the lines so that neighbouring drivers cannot even get into their cars.
7. Only goes between the supermarket, home, and the homes of other C-lais to play mah jong.
8. Never smiles, as that creates wrinkles.
I freaked out after seeing the C-lai in the SUV next to me and rear-ended the car in front.

[Keiichi]

I had to look it up myself...

C-lai
Pronounced "see-lai".

A middle to upper age woman of usually Chinese descent, who has several/all of the following distinctions from regular people:

1. Doesn't have a job, or works in some menial position like housekeeping. Husband brings home the dough.
2. Drives a BMW 7-series, X5, or Mercedes-Benz SL, GL, or ML.
3. Drives 40 km/h down the road, even when everyone is going 60-70.
4. Wears full-length (extending up to elbow) driving gloves on both hands and a welding mask for the face, and for fear of getting skin spots.
5. Puts the driver's seat in the farthest position forward, with the seatback vertical, and still doesn't use the seatback. (ie leans forward, so face is inches from the steering wheel)
6. Hits other cars when parking, and is completely oblivious that she just ran over the hood of the lowered Civic next to her parking spot. Also parks on the lines so that neighbouring drivers cannot even get into their cars.
7. Only goes between the supermarket, home, and the homes of other C-lais to play mah jong.
8. Never smiles, as that creates wrinkles.
I freaked out after seeing the C-lai in the SUV next to me and rear-ended the car in front.

I agree with everything about this post except for Housekeeping as a menial position......proper housekeeping is hard work. hehehe

[oracle]

so today on the canada line, a pregnant lady gets on, and walks over to the disabled seating area where there are 2 c-lais, 1 old guy and a middleaged white broad (this is to show people of all races are stupid). 3 of the 4 look at her, the old man was sleeping plus he was old, then they all look back away. she was visually frustrated and exhausted. i was standing across the car as usual and came over to ask her if she wanted a seat, she nodded, so i ask the 2 c-lais and white broad if they would give up one of their seats. They all ignored me. I then told them they were disgusting human beings with no respect for others. By this time most of the train was looking at me. Short of throwing someone out of their seat, what the hell can u do. Then to put icing on the cake, one of the stupid bitch c-lai's gets up and gets off at the next stop anyways. FUCK MORONS!

that is all

/rant

I need to marry a man like you! lol

im no angel. but basic human rights / social responsibility get me going.

[Keiichi]

It's just basic morals.  Seems like a lot of people nowadays lack the ability to envision themselves in other people's shoes.

[Oshiguru]

A while back I stood for an old lady to sit in my seat and then as i'm helping her walk, some C-lai took the seat. The C-lai noticed I was giving the old lady a seat and stood up after I asked. It's just sad that she went for the seat in the first place .

I wouldn't be surprised if what has been said in this thread is happening right now.

[DKaz]

^^^ Same thing happened once with me except it was a girl in her late teens. Told her the seat was for the old lady she goes whatever and looks away. The old lady shoos her hand smiles saying it's ok when she sees that I'm about to lose my cool and then someone else gives up their seat for her.

[DKaz]

Very sad this morning... I was on the West Coast Express Train #3. All I remember is when we pulled into Coquitlam Central Station, the engineer suddenly applied the brakes, then when my car got into the station passengers were screaming and looking away or looking underneath the train to see if they could see the guy who got hit. I was shaking for quite a bit after the incident as we were let off the train to catch a bus. Can't imagine actually being on the platform witnessing it first hand, I would not have gone to work that's for sure.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/254965--west-coast-express-train-service-disrupted

West Coast Express train service disrupted
Person hit and killed by a train
News1130 Staff  Jul 18, 2011 08:30:21 AM

COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) - The West Coast Express trains are not running right now after a man was hit and killed by a train at the Coquitlam Central Station shortly after 7 a.m.

Drew Snider with TransLink says there may have been an accident involving one of the trains and a person at the station.  "We would advise anyone who normally takes the West Coast Express to take an alternate means of getting into wherever they need to get to today.  We don't know how long this is going to take to clear up."

West Coast Express trains #4 and #5 are operating, but only as far as Port Coquitlam Station.

A bus bridge is in place to transfer people to Braid Station and SkyTrain.  Buses are also picking up people from the Port Moody Station to get them to Lougheed Station.  As a result of incident, the Millennium Line is keeping its rush hour service in place longer to accommodate additional customers.

For up to the minute traffic updates, you can follow us on Twitter @News1130Traffic or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox. You can also listen live to traffic reports every 10 minutes on the ones.