Passengers and Destination Signs

[cta_44499_FG]

Since I had added this to another thread, I figured I'd make a new one to gather some thoughts, heres the story:

People do not pay attention, they board an express and want a local stop. They will then blame the operator because they chose not to pay attention. Sometimes you sort of have to be hard. That's the only way you teach them a lesson. You try to be as polite as you can, but sometimes you have to teach them hard. I've had this happen to me many times on the X80 at the Glen. One lady called me a "f*c*i*g a$#hole" for not stopping at Central Park after I told her it was an X. She didn't understand much English nor did she seem to care, I simply told her "I'd rather have her think I was one then the other 35 people on the bus whom knew what they were boarding being mad at me for delaying service at a location I'm not supposed to stop".

My all time favorite here at North Park are the 147s to Devon and 151 to Foster or N151 to Berwyn Red Line. Never fails, someone is always not paying attention. Mind you the 147 at Wintrop will announce "This is the last stop for this bus!" on such said trips. Of course, its always the operators fault. On Mondays, I ride back from Foster and Broadway to the garage for a second pullout. An bus signed for 36 to Foster made the left on Foster from Broadway, and lo, 15 people had to get off that bus....and of course it was that drivers fault too. He politely told them, "the signs say it and the annoucement is telling you 36 Broadway to Foster."

I realize people make mistakes, I am human too. However, in my years I've been with CTA, I've come to notice it to be the same people on the same routes doing the same things. This becomes a matter of self attention to your surroundings.

What are your thoughts?

[Busjack]

I previously mentioned that, as a passenger, one runs the risk that signs are inaccurate, or that something like "to Belmont" is not the same as "Belmont-Halsted."

However, it seems like the signs are becoming more accurate, while certain passengers are consistently jerks. If the CD is making the proper announcements, then it certainly isn't the driver's fault.

When I was in the "to Belmont" situation, I just asked the driver "you aren't going to Halsted?" and then used the CLASS to exit the bus. I sure wasn't going to cuss him out over it.

There may also now be the issue that since bus transfers aren't issued, the inattentive are p.o.ed about having to pay another fare. For that matter, I'm a bit surprised that the feds haven't mandated that the announcements be in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean, although I do understand some Korean words, such as Fahster (as in Fahster Bank, next to the NP terminal). Apparently, your woman had an understanding of certain English words.

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BTW, you can use the Delete button to delete the duplicate over there. I was wondering why you were replying to a year old post.

[artthouwill]

I previously mentioned that, as a passenger, one runs the risk that signs are inaccurate, or that something like "to Belmont" is not the same as "Belmont-Halsted."

However, it seems like the signs are becoming more accurate, while certain passengers are consistently jerks. If the CD is making the proper announcements, then it certainly isn't the driver's fault.

When I was in the "to Belmont" situation, I just asked the driver "you aren't going to Halsted?" and then used the CLASS to exit the bus. I sure wasn't going to cuss him out over it.

There may also now be the issue that since bus transfers aren't issued, the inattentive are p.o.ed about having to pay another fare. For that matter, I'm a bit surprised that the feds haven't mandated that the announcements be in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean, although I do understand some Korean words, such as Fahster (as in Fahster Bank, next to the NP terminal). Apparently, your woman had an understanding of certain English words.

__________

BTW, you can use the Delete button to delete the duplicate over there. I was wondering why you were replying to a year old post.

Sometimes the signs are incorrect, i.e I have seen Red Line trains bound for Howard with the 95th sign and vice versa. If you are a regular you know what is what. But a visitor or newcomer may never know.

Note this little sublety I noticed today. Two buses, a 9 and and X9. The local sign said 9 Ashland (flip) to Irving Park. The X9 said X9 Ashland Exp (flip) to Irving Park (flip) Red Line. It would be easy to miss the second flip o the X and assume both buses terminate at the same place. Side note, there is not an Irving Park Red Line station (it is actually Sheridan).

[Chicago49xxx]

I must agree this is one of the biggest issues i have on the bus especially on the 53 and the 20. The sign and the bus tells them pulaski to erie or madison to pulaski. I mean do they expect us to hold there hand and tell them every little thing??? It only takes 5 seconds to read the sign and if in doubt simply ask. Another thing that gets me is just becasue i operate a bus im reponsible for knowing all the streets and adresses in the city. I cant count how many times someone has given me a specific address and when i tell them i dont know they look at me all crazy. The last thing the really gets me is when people get on ask me to let them know when we get to such and such stop on a packed bus. Im doing 100 other things the last thing i am thinking about is your stop. I agree that people need to do there share and stop blaming operators. Lastly id like to hear your opinion on when your at a stop light and the bus stop is across the street but passengers want to get off on that side do you let them out on that side or the side the bus stop is on. Personally i only let them out at the bus stop but that hasnt stopped people from pulling the cherry to get off on that side. I'm not real sure on how to stop people from doing that...

[sht6131]

I must agree this is one of the biggest issues i have on the bus especially on the 53 and the 20. The sign and the bus tells them pulaski to erie or madison to pulaski. I mean do they expect us to hold there hand and tell them every little thing??? It only takes 5 seconds to read the sign and if in doubt simply ask. Another thing that gets me is just becasue i operate a bus im reponsible for knowing all the streets and adresses in the city. I cant count how many times someone has given me a specific address and when i tell them i dont know they look at me all crazy. The last thing the really gets me is when people get on ask me to let them know when we get to such and such stop on a packed bus. Im doing 100 other things the last thing i am thinking about is your stop. I agree that people need to do there share and stop blaming operators. Lastly id like to hear your opinion on when your at a stop light and the bus stop is across the street but passengers want to get off on that side do you let them out on that side or the side the bus stop is on. Personally i only let them out at the bus stop but that hasnt stopped people from pulling the cherry to get off on that side. I'm not real sure on how to stop people from doing that...

Maybe a sign near the cherry stating- THIS BUS STOPS AT AUTHORIZED STOPS ONLY.

[Busjack]

Maybe a sign near the cherry stating- THIS BUS STOPS AT AUTHORIZED STOPS ONLY.

There is a long tradition of misusing the cherry, going back to a Freddie Prinze movie. If the people are going to be jerks, a sign will not deter them. Maybe an alarm on the cherry would. If there is in fact a fire, the alarm would be a good thing.