I had an incident today with a streetcar driver. This incident included being yelled at and refusal of service.
Most TTC employees are great, except for the ones who drive the streetcars. I witness at least a payement incident once every 2 days.
So here's what happened to me. I pay my fare and hop onto a streetcar going north and I get a transfer. Once I get off at my stop, I quickly cross the street and drop off my library book in the slot (Now, I know I'm not supposed to "stop-over", but most people do anyhow). And cross the street again to catch a streecar going westbound. This all took me less than a minute. A transfer expires after 1/2 an hour.
The driver must have seen me crossing the street or something cuz I showed my transfer clearly, and he stopped me. I showed him my transfer again, and told him he could have it, since I didn't need it anymore. Then he mumbled something I couldn't hear, so I figured it was all good and sat my ass down in a seat.
Then he wavers his finger at me and I come up again, asking what's wrong. I tell him the transfer is valid and I crossed the wrong street. Yes, I lied.
So he yells at me to get off. Again, I reiterate that the transfer is valid. I start to take out my wallet (to pay a new fare) and he shouts, "I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY! I DON'T CARE IF YOU GIVE IT TO THE GUY BEHIND ME (meaning the next streetcar driver)!". I ask if I can have my transfer back, now prominently displayed on his board of controls. He shouts, "NO!" I say, "Fine!" and get off.
Now I'm not one to get mad easily. But this guy ticked me off. He didn't have to be rude, nor did he have to yell. I mean really...Is this some public transport scheme to gauge riders for all they have?
However I do understand that they have to put up with the public everyday and encounter some unfriendly characters.
Perhaps he misunderstood me, and thought I went east then decided to go west? Who knows.
After I got off his streetcar, he drove away so fast that I couldn't even take his car number down!
My questions are, can a driver refuse service? I offered to pay a new fare. Can he take away a transfer on the "suspicion" that I stopped-over?
*sigh*
I've seen this happen alot, one of the worst times was when a guy showed his metropass. And one of the letters of his initials on his metropass did not "resemble" that of his I.D. The driver called the "control centre" and made him stand beside him, all while not moving the streecar one inch.
A old man even offered to pay the guy's fare so we could all get moving, and the streetcar driver refused his offer, telling him to "mind his own business".
I recently read that TTC drivers get paid on a per minute basis. The more experience they have the more they get paid per minute.
Maybe they have alot of pressure from their superiors to weed out bad riders? Hell, I dunno.
But this is happening more and more often and frankly I'm getting tired of it. Relax! And stop being so anal!
P.S. Not all streetcar drivers are bad! I love the guy who drives the Gerard/College streetcar who sings and makes funny comments!
Sorry to make it so long. I don't usually do this.
Most TTC employees are great, except for the ones who drive the streetcars. I witness at least a payement incident once every 2 days.
So here's what happened to me. I pay my fare and hop onto a streetcar going north and I get a transfer. Once I get off at my stop, I quickly cross the street and drop off my library book in the slot (Now, I know I'm not supposed to "stop-over", but most people do anyhow). And cross the street again to catch a streecar going westbound. This all took me less than a minute. A transfer expires after 1/2 an hour.
The driver must have seen me crossing the street or something cuz I showed my transfer clearly, and he stopped me. I showed him my transfer again, and told him he could have it, since I didn't need it anymore. Then he mumbled something I couldn't hear, so I figured it was all good and sat my ass down in a seat.
Then he wavers his finger at me and I come up again, asking what's wrong. I tell him the transfer is valid and I crossed the wrong street. Yes, I lied.
So he yells at me to get off. Again, I reiterate that the transfer is valid. I start to take out my wallet (to pay a new fare) and he shouts, "I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY! I DON'T CARE IF YOU GIVE IT TO THE GUY BEHIND ME (meaning the next streetcar driver)!". I ask if I can have my transfer back, now prominently displayed on his board of controls. He shouts, "NO!" I say, "Fine!" and get off.
Now I'm not one to get mad easily. But this guy ticked me off. He didn't have to be rude, nor did he have to yell. I mean really...Is this some public transport scheme to gauge riders for all they have?
However I do understand that they have to put up with the public everyday and encounter some unfriendly characters.
Perhaps he misunderstood me, and thought I went east then decided to go west? Who knows.
After I got off his streetcar, he drove away so fast that I couldn't even take his car number down!
My questions are, can a driver refuse service? I offered to pay a new fare. Can he take away a transfer on the "suspicion" that I stopped-over?
*sigh*
I've seen this happen alot, one of the worst times was when a guy showed his metropass. And one of the letters of his initials on his metropass did not "resemble" that of his I.D. The driver called the "control centre" and made him stand beside him, all while not moving the streecar one inch.
A old man even offered to pay the guy's fare so we could all get moving, and the streetcar driver refused his offer, telling him to "mind his own business".
I recently read that TTC drivers get paid on a per minute basis. The more experience they have the more they get paid per minute.
Maybe they have alot of pressure from their superiors to weed out bad riders? Hell, I dunno.
But this is happening more and more often and frankly I'm getting tired of it.
Relax! And stop being so anal! P.S. Not all streetcar drivers are bad! I love the guy who drives the Gerard/College streetcar who sings and makes funny comments!
Sorry to make it so long. I don't usually do this.
