On-bus pet peeves

[cta_44499_FG]

I started this topic out of curiousity of what those of you out there think. What are some of the things that occur on board the bus that simply annoy you? These can be things that passengers and operators alike do.

Here are some of mine as an operator:

- Groups of tourists with one member to pay for all and they all stand at the farebox. Not intently, but u have to ask them multiple times to all step in. Remember, run paddles don't necessarily comphensate for eternally long paying customers at service stops.

- Those that ignore the destination sign, WHOM ARE everyday riders...and then are angry with you because you didn't tell them, and REPEATEDLY do this. Mind you that there in normal circumstances a two working destination signs, an audio announcement...and many times I personally will tell them...and it still means nothing. Destination signs are only for decoration...pay them no mind.

- The back of the bus is at the REAR. Not the front door...not the middle...the REAR! (I think you can guess where I'm going with this)

[Busjack]

The eaters, those that leave garbage (although I may look at discarded newspapers), and those you can hear using cell phones. I feel tempted to point my ear in their direction.

On the sign side, my peeve is the reverse--you can't trust if they signify a real route variation or are just inconsistent. For instance, it turns out there is a difference between a 156 to Belmont or Belmont-Halsted. I saw that 36 is now to Congress instead of State-Polk, but the schedule indicates that it was changed on November 2 (and the time point is Harrison-Wells, although the route is via State-Congress-Wells-Harrison-State). The 157 are a bit clearer in saying that they are to Harrison (and what?) via Ogilvie and Union Stations, but again going to Harrison seems to be a recent change.

[cta_44499_FG]

The eaters, those that leave garbage (although I may look at discarded newspapers), and those you can hear using cell phones. I feel tempted to point my ear in their direction.

On the sign side, my peeve is the reverse--you can't trust if they signify a real route variation or are just inconsistent. For instance, it turns out there is a difference between a 156 to Belmont or Belmont-Halsted. I saw that 36 is now to Congress instead of State-Polk, but the schedule indicates that it was changed on November 2 (and the time point is Harrison-Wells, although the route is via State-Congress-Wells-Harrison-State). The 157 are a bit clearer in saying that they are to Harrison (and what?) via Ogilvie and Union Stations, but again going to Harrison seems to be a recent change.

Well when I say this i mean something like "22 CLARK// 22 HOWARD/RED LINE" vs. "22 CLARK//22 to DEVON". Or "77 BELMONT//77 to HARLEM" vs "77 BELMONT//77 to CUMBERLAND"....should be obvious differences.

[ArcherRider]

My pet peeve is the bus operator talking to a passenger while drive the bus and not paying attention to the road and making me miss the stop.

[Buslover88]

Groups of tourists with one member to pay for all and they all stand at the farebox. Not intently, but u have to ask them multiple times to all step in. Remember, run paddles don't necessarily comphensate for eternally long paying customers at service stops.

Would this apply to a group of 20 disabled kids on school field trips (that use CTA to get to their destinations because teachers want them to learn how to take CTA) who don't pay because they don't know how to?

[BusExpert32]

Would this apply to a group of 20 disabled kids on school field trips (that use CTA to get to their destinations because teachers want them to learn how to take CTA) who don't pay because they don't know how to?

It wouldn't really be teaching kids how to ride the CTA if they don't start with showing them how to pay the fare.

Anyway, large groups usually tend to board buses at major terminals which doesn't delay the bus much if at all.

[jacksone44]

It wouldn't really be teaching kids how to ride the CTA if they don't start with showing them how to pay the fare.

Anyway, large groups usually tend to board buses at major terminals which doesn't delay the bus much if at all.

people exiting out of the front door (other than elderly, disabled or just a malfunctioned door) instead of the back. From what I hear with friends that live overseas, this is banned there.

[Guest]

My biggest pet peeves are of course passengers trying to slide past you without paying, (dosent really happen on Pace but at CTA it was a problem!). They think theyre smarter than you or passengers trying to slip past using a UPass that isnt theirs. The one that really gets me is the occasional passenger who thinks he knows your job and also tries to tell you how to do your job.

[cta_44499_FG]

Would this apply to a group of 20 disabled kids on school field trips (that use CTA to get to their destinations because teachers want them to learn how to take CTA) who don't pay because they don't know how to?

No....I did not say that. <_<

[jajuan]

I have a specific example for the not reading the destination sign/ignoring announcement issue which happens every time I may leave work during the last hour of how the CTA defines PM rush. I take the 12 Roosevelt home from work everyday and of course during the last hour PM rush there's going to the possibility of garage trips mixed in with the full trips. Kedzie is my stop regardless so it doesn't matter which trip I catch and a lot of the operators on the 12 recognize my face enough not to worry about mentioning it. It never stops ceasing to amaze me that everyday it's almost the same people who gripe at the driver about not stating Kedzie as the last stop when you have the destination sign displaying 12 to KEDZIE, Mr. CTA announcing Route 12 Roosevelt to Kedzie, and the operator stating in a loud voice before people board and pay, "I'm only going to Kedzie." And it's always half a busload of people left when the bus approaches. Sometimes I want to say to the operator it's a day when everyone is blind, deaf or illiterate. It's definitely a big difference between 12 to KEDZIE and 12 to CENTRAL/HARRISON (on two lines of course).

My other big peeve is when there are passengers who board and go through the searching all their pockets to find their fare routine, and the driver causing the operator to sit at the stop until the said fare is found just to go through a possibly made up tale for not having the fare. The other fare scenario is the rider who's paying cash and has his fare but doesn't get it ready before boarding the bus. I already make consideration for late buses or heavy traffic. I shouldn't have to take scammers or unprepared riders into account too.

[MVTArider]

Not a pet peeve but more of a minor annoyance sometimes, the people who carry on large amounts of groceries/shopping bags. If your shopping and got say 3-4 bags you can carry at once thats fine, 10+ bags that take up the entire front section, not so fine. Especially when they spill and then after the person gets off you notice a few stray tuna cans rolling around I also heard of someone bringing an entire gas barbecue grill on board once, I'm not sure if it was our system or not though.

Dude that was eating sardines in the back once was pushing it too :)

[trainman8119]

People who just refuse to fold up strollers. They can't carry the damn things

up and down the stairs, put the kid in jeopardy, then on top of it block the

aisle and then make you feel like the criminal when you trip and stumble

over the darn thing. This bugs me worse than bikes to.

[BUSANGEL#1]

My biggest peeve is when there are empty seats on a bus and people stand up front near the driver blocking the front door. Its like folks are scared to move to the rear. Blocking ailes and doors is so inconsiderate and nervewrecking.

[Buslover88]

No....I did not say that.

I'm just asking because that's what we do every week on our field trips. I would've thought that would annoyed any operator by now.

It wouldn't really be teaching kids how to ride the CTA if they don't start with showing them how to pay the fare.

They've taught us on trains for so far, but they can't do it yet for the buses since they're not trying to have a driver get angry because there's 20+ of us boarding one bus and all of them paying a fare. That would take at least 5 to 10 minutes to be done. You try doing this, lol.

[BusHunter]

There are a lot of pet peeves out there. Here is a few. People who take unfolded strollers past the handicapped accessible area to the rear doors. On Novas I have sat in the side seats before the back door and had people run over my feet, then they put the stroller in front of the back door blocking it off. When the bus is crowded this puts all the passengers using the front doors only, which is a really hard to do. Probably the next is arguments between riders and operators. Some are completely unnecessary. Then there are the people who get on and say "Hang on, I've got more" and get on with 10 bags ( true story although the woman was homeless and seemed to be living on the bus) or the guy that gets on with a flat screen digital TV ( looked about 32" to 40") and blocks the aisles. Then there was the roach bus on the #76 that I mentioned on here before. It was so bad they were crawling on people including me. Although I have to admit I've seen no roaches lately. There was even an incident where a bus operator tried to run me over. He seemed tired and misjudged his stop running into a pole which spun two newspaper cans around in a circle like they were nothing. The force of the impact made the streetlight cover up by where the pole attaches to the streetlight dislodge and fall to the ground less than 10 feet where I was standing. A close call a few feet over and I probably am dead. Then waiting an hour for a bus in the cold to see five or six show up. Then lastly the bus that takes on two wheelchairs two bikes and a full load while his followers seem to be lagging behind him. Happened once on the #22. It's a wild world!! :rolleyes:

[sw4400]

Then there are the people who get on and say "Hang on, I've got more" and get on with 10 bags ( true story although the woman was homeless and seemed to be living on the bus)

If she's a caucasian somewhere between 40-50 yrs old, I've seen her before. I've seen her holding up #11 Lincoln, #9 Ashland, #80 Irving Park buses for two or three light cycles with her large amount of bags. Condense and discard what isn't needed, IMO. I'm sure the bus drivers want to tell her this, especially now that the supervisors turn them around if they're very late and they probably get some sort of note to file or disciplinary action for being late consistently(whenever the driver is late, he/she seems to get grumpy. Probably for this reason, but again this is just my thought on why. Only a CTA bus driver would know if they face some sort of discipline for being late on runs consecutively)

[BusHunter]

If she's a caucasian somewhere between 40-50 yrs old, I've seen her before. I've seen her holding up #11 Lincoln, #9 Ashland, #80 Irving Park buses for two or three light cycles with her large amount of bags. Condense and discard what isn't needed, IMO. I'm sure the bus drivers want to tell her this, especially now that the supervisors turn them around if they're very late and they probably get some sort of note to file or disciplinary action for being late consistently(whenever the driver is late, he/she seems to get grumpy. Probably for this reason, but again this is just my thought on why. Only a CTA bus driver would know if they face some sort of discipline for being late on runs consecutively)

No, she's African American. I've seen her a few times getting on at Belmont/Cumberland with me. Also a few times I've driven past her in the car. I think those bags are all she has in the world. I thought that maybe she finally freaked out and shot that cop at Western/Belmont that was in the news about 6 months ago, but it wasn't her. That woman was heavier.

[Guest]

If she's a caucasian somewhere between 40-50 yrs old, I've seen her before. I've seen her holding up #11 Lincoln, #9 Ashland, #80 Irving Park buses for two or three light cycles with her large amount of bags. Condense and discard what isn't needed, IMO. I'm sure the bus drivers want to tell her this, especially now that the supervisors turn them around if they're very late and they probably get some sort of note to file or disciplinary action for being late consistently(whenever the driver is late, he/she seems to get grumpy. Probably for this reason, but again this is just my thought on why. Only a CTA bus driver would know if they face some sort of discipline for being late on runs consecutively)

A CTA bus driver will not be written up for being consecutively late although they will write you up for being early. Being written up for being late is an unjust charge unless it is proven the bus driver diliberately causes the bus to be late like b.s'n with other operators when they shouldve left already or stopping for a coffee while the bus passengers wait. As a former CTA operator I do not condone this nor have I ever done this because I know it isnt right, thats what your layover time is for, not in the middle of a run!. Unfortunately there are quite a few CTA bus operators who think they can do whatever they feel like without regard to the passengers.

[cta_44499_FG]

A CTA bus driver will not be written up for being consecutively late although they will write you up for being early. Being written up for being late is an unjust charge unless it is proven the bus driver diliberately causes the bus to be late like b.s'n with other operators when they shouldve left already or stopping for a coffee while the bus passengers wait. As a former CTA operator I do not condone this nor have I ever done this because I know it isnt right, thats what your layover time is for, not in the middle of a run!. Unfortunately there are quite a few CTA bus operators who think they can do whatever they feel like without regard to the passengers.

Agreed! I stop for coffee, but I do so during my recovery time, of course assuming u have any since days like today (snow), recovery time can be a hard thing to come by!

You do however, on the flip side...have those operators whom deliberately leave the terminal EARLY and cause a heavy load for the follower bus. That two is just...wrong!

[geneking7320]

How about this one:

People who stand in the exit door area and impede others from leaving the bus. I think CTA should reconsider the stroller rules (which I think they relaxed). A question for the operators:

What happened when you've had passengers with strollers in the front of the bus and a rider in a wheelchair wishes to board?

Gene King

[cta_44499_FG]

How about this one:

People who stand in the exit door area and impede others from leaving the bus. I think CTA should reconsider the stroller rules (which I think they relaxed). A question for the operators:

What happened when you've had passengers with strollers in the front of the bus and a rider in a wheelchair wishes to board?

Gene King

According to CTA proceedure....we can only simply ask those in the way to clear the room for a wheelchair. If they refuse to comply, its up to them to re-consider or the wheelchair person will simply have to wait on the next bus. We are not in the position to force anyone to move. If they don't want to...then its just that.

Sounds silly...but if a person wishes to be ignorant...u simply can't un-ignorant them i guess. :huh:

[Guest]

According to CTA proceedure....we can only simply ask those in the way to clear the room for a wheelchair. If they refuse to comply, its up to them to re-consider or the wheelchair person will simply have to wait on the next bus. We are not in the position to force anyone to move. If they don't want to...then its just that.

Sounds silly...but if a person wishes to be ignorant...u simply can't un-ignorant them i guess.

You know it was funny, a conversation I was overhearing bewteen passengers while I was waiting at Rosemont for departure this morning. Passengers were talking about how bus drivers dont greet them when they board the bus. And Im thinking to myself, they have a lot of nerve griping about this. We greet these same passengers and they look at you like youre beneath them. I told one passenger that we do greet them but sometimes they dont show the same regard to you and then theyre crying that the bus drivers are rude. Or when a passenger starts to argue with a driver, were told not to take it personal but when they use profanity or make derogatory remarks such as race, how do you not take it personal?. In the years I worked at CTA Ive had my share of run ins with passengers using profane language, obscene gestures and a few times insensitive racial comments directed towards me. The passengers sure have a lot of nerve griping about bus drivers attitudes. Walk in our shoes for one week....