Photo by backofthebuspodcast
I had already boarded the 31BX outbound at Davisadero and Pine when a man tried to board by tagging his Clipper card, but it didn’t work. He talked to the driver about it, saying that he had just bought a monthly pass and showing him a receipt for his payment (I’m not sure which month pass he bought and loaded to his card but I suspect it was the September one, which I presume wouldn’t be valid until the next day, Sept. 1). The bus driver said that since the card clearly wasn’t working, he couldn’t let him on unless he paid the $2.
The man got irritated and repeatedly tried to board and walk to the back of the bus, but the driver called him back. After a few times the man got extremely angry, yelling and cursing at the driver and, after a few other riders expressed their disapproval of his behavior, he cursed at the rest of the bus. The driver then said that he might consider pulling the bus out of service because this man was so disruptive. The man eventually left the bus after making sure the driver and the other rides knew what he thought of them (not complimentary, to say the least).
After he left, the driver pulled away from the curb and began to turn down Pine when the man ran up from behind the right side of the bus and crossed right in front of the bus to the other side of the street! He was within two feet of the windshield. It was insane. The driver had to slam on his brakes to keep from hitting this man, and even after he pulled away he kept checking behind him to the other side of the street to make sure the guy wouldn’t do it again.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the driver calmly but firmly stood his ground on not only the non-working Clipper card, but also the guy’s inappropriate behavior. While I would not have enjoyed having to wait for another bus, it was clear that the driver’s reasoning for possibly pulling the bus out of service was for everyone’s safety, and I appreciate that. The man said he would file a complaint and took the driver’s number and route info, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he files a complaint soon. If he does, I think that it should be taken with a grain of salt because I don’t think the opinion of someone who is willing to throw themselves in front of a moving bus just to prove a point is rational or based in reality.
Strangely enough, the remaining riders developed a kind of spontaneous solidarity over the whole ordeal, laughing and chatting with one another about it (once we were far enough down Pine to know it wouldn’t happen again, of course), and many, including me, complemented the driver on his management of the situation.
The one thing that sticks out in my mind from the whole thing was when the guy loudly objected to just paying the $2 fare and sitting down, telling the driver that “it’s not about the two dollars, it’s about the principle.” It was clear to me that to the driver, it was also about principle… about the principles of doing his job, applying the rules fairly, and keeping his other passengers safe as this guy began to melt down.
Props to you, Unknown Bus Driver, whoever you are.
Maybe the driver should have been more understanding; Clipper cards malfunction all the time! It’s horrible. My coworkers and family members have had to call clipper repeatedly because their monthly cards don’t load properly. Luckily those that I know dealt with reasonable operators who understood their clipper problems. This dangerous situation could have been avoided if the driver was sympathetic to the frustrated passenger.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Frustration doesn’t excuse the guy’s obnoxious and potentially injurious behavior.
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It doesn’t but the situation could have been avoided all together with a bit of understanding.
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1) It sounds like the rider was trying to use a September pass to ride on the last day of August. MUNI has stated it will honor cards when the reader isn’t working. I think in this case the driver was in the right. Speaking of which…
2) Remember that MUNI also accepts complimentary comments about drivers who do their jobs well. In a similar situation get the driver’s # and let MUNI know. Maybe if they didn’t feel like their jobs were so thankless tbe system would improve a little.
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I’m a bit saddened that the driver remains “unknown” to the rider and us, while the disruptive rider may get to file a complaint (in which he can provide whatever story he wants).
I think that it behooves those of us who value a safe and sane MUNI driver to take a few minutes to send GOOD comments directly to MUNI! That driver is probably just another low-profile person who happens to be able to handle a high-stress job calmly and safely. Shouldn’t we be applauding him to MUNI so that he keeps his job over the lame crappy drivers who might be more career-aggressive ?
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Just popped into echo the fact that MUNI accepts compliments as well. All you need to do is send them the route and time and the can figure out who the driver was.
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mcontact/formcomm.htm
There are links for complaints and compliments.
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@ Andy & AlexJB: I did submit a complementary comment to the 311 website also, with as much info as I could provide outside of the driver’s number.
@Karrie: I don’t know the exact circumstances of his card purchase, although the irate rider definitely did his best to make everyone aware of them and how they proved he was in the right. I guess what really got me was his sense of entitlement and expectation that the driver should make an exception for him, even after he had shown the driver and the rest of the riders an INCREDIBLE amount of disrespect. I can sympatyize with the guy, but I’m not going to excuse how he acted.
In my experience, I’ve found that most people who have lived here for an ample amount of time and have a decent head on their shoulders understand that MUNI (and more generally, the City itself) will periodically screw you. It’s just one of those things that happens, regardless of who you are, what neighborhood you live in, what line you take, etc. You certainly don’t have to like it, but you do have to learn to deal with it. MUNI doesn’t run on happy thoughts and good karma, it runs on cash (most of the time, anyway). A sympathetic driver or a lucky break should be appreciated, but not expected. To expect a driver to bend the rules for you every time you have a problem, just because you are YOU, is ridiculous.
The guy was $2 from home. He could have swallowed his pride, paid his fare and been home in 30 minutes. Instead he chose to have a fit, then almost got himself killed by choice and still got home late. Say what you will about my take on it, but that does not sound like a justified or sane response to the problem. If the guy needs help, I hope he gets it. He just shouldn’t expect to find it on the bus full of strangers.
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Next time you think “it’s only 2 bucks”, remember that pigs killed kenneth harding for only 2 bucks.
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Well, you know, those pigs are still better than those PIMPS.
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No, Jay, Mr. Harding was not killed for evading a $2.00 fare. He was mortally wounded (later found out that the fatal shot was his own bullet) after running from the police and shooting at them.
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I would say most are very happy the so called “pigs” killed Kenneth Harding. He was pure and simple garbage with little to no social value.
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Great story — and response — from Nick. Thank you for posting.
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Hhaving periodically faced balky Clipper readers, I ALWAYS have my purchase receipt. I am very clear that if I have already paid for service, a monthly pass for example, it is Muni’s responsibility to honor that purchase. I see NO reason to pay a surcharge because the particular reader fails. Sadly, in AC’s case, I have had a few arguments w/drivers, but I remain politely firm that having paid once I shall not pay twice. There is no need for rude language, but the driver’s threat to go out of service is a middle finger to all riders. Note that in the most recent case, after a reader failure the next three riders boarding had failures as well–not too likely we all had bad cards, eh?
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