Yesterday evening I ran to catch the bus just before the traffic light changed. It was pretty full, and I expected that we would pull off right after I got on.
After waiting for a while, the driver declared rather loudly, 'I'm still waiting to see a student card.' He was apparantly talking to a young lady, who was maybe fifteen, who did not have a student card to accompany her student metropass.
The funny thing was that she was clearly with a huge group of her school friends (who I assume had the necessary cards), and what's more, WAS WEARING A SCHOOL UNIFORM! The driver, on hearing that she didn't have her card with her, bluntly gave her the options of paying $2.75, or getting off of his bus. I found out that the bus had been sitting there for five minutes before I even got on. He eventually threatened to put the bus out of service, and she eventually got off, and I assume walked the mile to the station.
The whole thing was a little shocking and a little humorous. I guess the driver could be commended for sticking to the rules... except that he was clearly more interested in the rules than in the people they are meant to serve. A few stops later, an old man was getting off the bus, and he asked the driver why he had kicked the girl off the bus. The driver responded by loudly reciting that bylaw number one clearly states blah blah blah... and the old man responded by telling him to have some respect when speaking to a senior. This guy should have been a book-keeper or something, and should definitely remove himself from the service sector, and perhaps the general public.
4 comments:
I was once on a streetcar when a guy got on board, tossed his cash fare into the fare box and sat down. The driver decided that the cash in the fare box was not equal to the cash fare (it must have all been in quarters or something), but the passenger said that there was indeed $2.75 in the box and of course wasn't going to pay extra. The driver proceeded to call TTC security and put his streetcar out of service. As you know, when a streetcar goes out of service and just sits on the tracks, you can't get on the next streetcar because it can't pass the first one. I offered to pay whatever the fare difference was, but the driver would have none of it. I called in to the TTC and made a complaint and was told that the driver had followed the correct protocols. Over a dispute about $1! Put the whole damn line out of service. Some drivers are really nice and awesome, others are on power trips.
And don't you dare ask for a transfer on the Queen car if you forgot to get one when you paid your fair.
ahh...the kinder way.
Trent, I think you really should have forgotten the main theme of this post, and just focused on the style of the old man. Dang, I bet he has some sweet shirts stashed away in his closet, and maybe even some nice socks!
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