Photo by AgentAkit
It’s so nice to get moral support from other riders when dealing with tough drivers. I don’t know who you are, but Wednesday morning you made me feel a little better by giving me that thumbs up!
The scoop:
For the second time in as many days, the same driver on the 29 in the a.m. has given me flak about my TransLink card. I never have trouble talking to the customer service folks for the cards, but bus drivers are a different story.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday, the reader on the bus has been down for me in the a.m. 90 percent of the drivers I encounter know that, if the reader’s down, you just let a person with a card go through since it’s just like a broken fare collector. I usually get the same drivers anyway, and they know that I just put on a monthly pass.
But this lady was different. Tuesday, I was told that, as it was my “choice” to carry the card and use it, it’s not her responsibility to let me slide just because the card reader’s not working since she has no proof that I’ve paid in any way.
Wednesday, she made it seem like she was doing me a favor by not forcing me to pay. I told her that there was actually a recent memo that went out for drivers stating that you shouldn’t force a TransLink card-carrier to pay if the unit’s down. “That’s not what my guys have told me.”
I also said that I don’t blame her for thinking about it the way she does — I bet communication’s just not great for drivers sometimes. But I liked being told that it was my “choice” to carry the card. Correct me if I’m wrong: aren’t they phasing out paper passes in October, so I need to carry the card?*
Oy Vey!
So thanks to the guy who made me feel better about being reamed out by the driver, and thanks to you guys for putting up the info a bit ago about translink use when the reader’s down. I used to just cough up the money for a transfer, but no more. I want to save the extra $2.00 for my coffee fund.
* You will need to carry a Clipper card beginning in November, but only if you plan to have an “A” Fast Pass. October 2010′s “A” level Fast Pass will be the last paper pass of that kind. See Akit’s Complaint Department for details on when other levels of paper Fast Pass will be phased out.
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I’m so glad people were supportive of you standing your ground! I know how hard it can be to confront a driver or fare inspector even when you’re in the right, so I’ll give you a thumbs up too! *thumbs up*
I almost feel like we all should just print out the Muni memo and bring it with us. Then it might be harder to argue with the actual document for the driver to see, and if they were never given it they can always take your copy and talk to their supervisor. Just a random thought I had.
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jeff Reply:
July 15th, 2010 at 10:44 am
That’s a great idea. Look for a post later today with an easy-to-download/print version of said memo. Thanks, Cmvh!
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How frustrating! I second (third?) the idea of bringing a copy of the memo with you. Not only will it help you, but the rest of the Clipper carrying public.
Amazing that Muni doesn’t have a better way to disseminate this information to all its drivers.
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