Bus driver getting fired or bus line getting sued
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:24 amI read this in the paper yesterday.
Now, I'm not sure if this mother is overreacting, but I dare say not. The gist of the story is that a bus driver told this mother of two (2.5 and 7 months) that she couldn't bring her baby stroller on a public bus since there was no room (apparently there was plenty of room). After an argument, the bus driver slammed shut the bus with the stroller and the 7-month-old still aboard but the mother and the 2.5-year-old not, and drove down the street.
I'd be horrified, first by the driver's rudeness, then by him taking off with my daughter. I think I'd take the mother's side in this. That must have been the scariest experience of her life.
To me, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. For those of you not in Ottawa, Canada, and therefore not subject to OC Transpo's whims, they don't have the most favourable public image. Their opinion polls are good, but the contradiction is that word of mouth is always negative (which makes me think these opinion pollers are polling the wrong demographic). OC Transpo busses are constantly in need of maintenance (I swear I'm losing my hearing over their screeching brakes) yet they raise their prices twice a year because of maintenance. Their bus shelters are also poorly maintained (they reek of urine and are rarely cleaned). Their drivers are rude or apathetic to an overwhelming percentage, skip stops (not often, but it's happened to me a few times), drive frighteningly (through stop signs, sometimes red lights), and are often late. OC Transpo doesn't listen to its consumers (probably since they're the only game in town). In fact, I've heard if you make a complaint, it's not treated with confidentiality, so bus drivers and complainers may get into arguments if the bus driver knows who made a complaint. I'm not mentioning all this to open a discussion about OC Transpo's service or to rant, but just to make you aware of the "backstory" to this news bit.
(To be fair, there are good points. Service is usually maintained in bad weather--by maintained, I don't mean strictly followed, but they do the best they can. And there are some good drivers. Also, they seem to be fair in accessibility--people with wheelchairs, the elderly, etc.)
Now, I'm not sure if this mother is overreacting, but I dare say not. The gist of the story is that a bus driver told this mother of two (2.5 and 7 months) that she couldn't bring her baby stroller on a public bus since there was no room (apparently there was plenty of room). After an argument, the bus driver slammed shut the bus with the stroller and the 7-month-old still aboard but the mother and the 2.5-year-old not, and drove down the street.
I'd be horrified, first by the driver's rudeness, then by him taking off with my daughter. I think I'd take the mother's side in this. That must have been the scariest experience of her life.
To me, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. For those of you not in Ottawa, Canada, and therefore not subject to OC Transpo's whims, they don't have the most favourable public image. Their opinion polls are good, but the contradiction is that word of mouth is always negative (which makes me think these opinion pollers are polling the wrong demographic). OC Transpo busses are constantly in need of maintenance (I swear I'm losing my hearing over their screeching brakes) yet they raise their prices twice a year because of maintenance. Their bus shelters are also poorly maintained (they reek of urine and are rarely cleaned). Their drivers are rude or apathetic to an overwhelming percentage, skip stops (not often, but it's happened to me a few times), drive frighteningly (through stop signs, sometimes red lights), and are often late. OC Transpo doesn't listen to its consumers (probably since they're the only game in town). In fact, I've heard if you make a complaint, it's not treated with confidentiality, so bus drivers and complainers may get into arguments if the bus driver knows who made a complaint. I'm not mentioning all this to open a discussion about OC Transpo's service or to rant, but just to make you aware of the "backstory" to this news bit.
(To be fair, there are good points. Service is usually maintained in bad weather--by maintained, I don't mean strictly followed, but they do the best they can. And there are some good drivers. Also, they seem to be fair in accessibility--people with wheelchairs, the elderly, etc.)
