Since when did riding the bus become such a hassle?
Perhaps it started in September when the implemented bus route changes disrupted more than their fair share of angry transit users. Or maybe it’s an accumulation of the added stress riders now feel when they attempt to squeeze onto an overcrowded bus that seems to come around less often than Halley’s Comet. Or perhaps it just has to do with a recent YouTube video showcasing a bus driver verbally abusing a passenger.
The video and subsequent termination of the employee in question, who can be heard on the phone-captured video screaming a colourful string of swear words and threats at a young man, has since garnered the attention of the public eye and brought into question the credibility of the city’s transit employees.
Now, it’s not your average driver that’s going to hurl F-bombs at its passengers and threaten to punch them out, but does this callous indifference towards common courtesy actually come as a surprise?
In a 2010 annual performance report, only 48 per cent of respondents thought OC Transpo employees actually cared about their customers. In other words, more than half of people think they don’t.
And let’s face it. They’re probably right.
Still, it’s not like anybody else is particularly pleasant on the bus. From the person who sits in the aisle seat while the window seat’s free to that one individual who refuses to move to the back of the bus to let others on, the bus isn’t exactly a friendly oasis.
But is a smile really too much to ask from people? Especially from the drivers operating the buses? Aren’t they supposed to greet boarding patrons anyway? After all, part of OC Transpo’s mandate is to deliver a “safe, reliable, and courteous service” to its customers.
So what’s with all the crankiness then? Are all bus drivers in the city inherently bad? Of course not. There are many drivers out there who are pleasant. It’s just that the city chooses not to laud such good behaviour. Take Yves Roy, for example. The OC Transpo driver had been singing to passengers while operating his bus for 11 years until a mere 12 complaints silenced him for good.
While Roy’s singing may not have provided passengers with the “peace and quiet,” the mayor touted on his Twitter account as essential for users, it’s difficult to regard Roy as a menace or even a nuisance.
Rather, it seems as though public transit needs more friendly people such as Roy to brighten up an otherwise uneventful trip. The city should be commending such positive examples, not punishing them. Anything less than that just gives drivers another reason to fall back into this careless pattern where a lack of acknowledgment towards passengers is considered both professional and acceptable behaviour.
But don’t expect things to change anytime soon. Why? Well, it’s not as if city councillors are the ones stuck riding those overcrowded buses every day. They’re not the ones frustrated by a lack of empathy exerted by staff members.
So why should they listen to what anyone else has to say?