To the poor sod who lost his student ID and bus pass on the #61 this morning, was allowed to reboard the bus to look for it, but came up empty and was then refused a transfer to get to class – please know that not all Haligonians are without compassion for the Average Joe having a “day”. Had I had my usual pocketful of bus tickets or some cash to offer, you would have had it. I was gobsmacked that the driver wouldn’t give you a transfer and that nobody on the bus offered to help you out either. You’ll be on my mind all day. Hope yours improved. —Concerned Commuter
This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2012.
Oh what a sin! Students really do get treated like crap in this city a lot.
🙁
I would’ve helped out too!
“Unlimited douchefuckery with students” is one of those status quo concessions that A.T.U. just refuses to budge on.
This is just brutal, the metro transit union is complaining about what drivers have to endure as one of the reasons for a strike are they not? How about you treat others how you want to be treated yourself. If you let him on the bus in the first place he obviously is entitled to a transfer.
i actually carry around change ncase i see something like this happen. my brother lost his wallet on a bus and a highschool could searched and messaged him on facebook to return his wallet. there is some good people still out there
It’s all about the bottom line.
I thought the ID WAS the bus pass…
don’t all students get free transit with tuition?
Did I miss a memo?
still.. that sucks…
I know a thing or two about the bus… and it sucking.
i thought the ID was the bus pass too.. unless your an nscc student
makes it tough to rape your info from the webz cause your name is the same as that architect dude from Halifax, Mass…
was he a relative?
Losing a bus pass is great news. It’s a sign not to use that shit service.
some people are good, and some are just assholes, you found a goldmine of them today.
“If you let him on the bus in the first place he obviously is entitled to a transfer.”
I agree, but the rule is you have to get one when you board, because if not you could board with a transfer, ride the bus for 10 or an hour minutes and then go get another transfer, thus getting a free ride.
I say if someone is broke and desperate enough to do that, give em a fuckin transfer, or at least offer one to everyone when they get on, or put up a sign. I can understand in rush hour every spot on the bus is in demand, but for Christ’s sake, when the buses are all empty and it’s late at night, they should give the customer the benefit of the doubt.
Had a bus driver damn near have a fatal heart attack in my face one time cuz I tried to take one, because he wouldn’t give me one. Threatened to have me arrested. That really is not an exaggeration, I would not have been the least bit surprised if he had keeled over and died right then and there. Ape-shit does not describe how this guy was acting, he was going King-Kong-on-crack-and-meth shit. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve seen lots of people lose their shit. You’d think I had defiled his mother’s corpse while eating his newborn baby’s brain or something.
I had used a ticket to get on less than 10 minutes earlier, on bus with less than 10 people on it. It was like 11:30 at night, this fuckin guy couldn’t give me a god damn transfer, then freaks out when I try to take a worthless piece of paper that was going to be tossed in the trash 20 minutes later, so that I could get on an empty bus that has to get where it’s going regardless of whether or not I’m on it. I had no other choice but to walk in the cold and rain through the north end, or take the transfer. I was broke.
Why didn’t I get one when I got on the bus you might ask? I received a phone call mid-ride and had to make a change of plans. My original plan didn’t involve transferring.
I should have filed assault charges, and let them try to charge me for the “theft” of a goddamn piece of paper. I was genuinely worried I was going to have to fight this guy. He put his hands on me, he was in my face, spitting and screaming and shit. Over a transfer! Wonder how this guy reacts if you step on his foot or spill something on him. And he didn’t get fired, nor did I get so much as a sorry from MT when I called and escalated and complained. Who the fuck else gets to keep their job after treating a paying customer like that? Monopolies, I tell ya. I don’t care if I tried to “steal”. That guy’s lucky I didn’t kill him, some people would have for much less. I felt seriously threatened and violated. There happened to be a MT controller at the bridge terminal and he told buddy to chill the fuck out and let me on my bus.
I think that might have been the first bitch I ever submitted, long before I started commenting or even reading this board regularly.
So yeah,
To make a really long story short, you’re only “entitled” to the transfer at the time you board. Ridiculous.
✖✔
you will always be ate cookie to me, you is so cute,oooooooh.
actually tj, you can use that transfer for i believe 2 hours from time stamped on it. you can ride 50 buses if you want to. i used to go to dart. early in a.m., pay fare, get transfer, pick up grand child, use transfer to come to day care, drop her off, and use aain to come home to halisux.total, 4 rides for price of one.
god only knows zed
i have quite a large family.
and thanks LIFE SUCKS 🙂
Were they all the same direction Sucks? Doesn’t sound like it. Pretty sure that’s not technically allowed. I think you being an older guy has a lot to do with that, I’d never get away with that. I just seem to have a look that bus drivers don’t like. Another time, and this was a long time ago now, I was gettin on the last bus from DT Dartmouth to the bridge terminal and the driver let the people in front of me on and slammed the door in my face! The only conclusion I can draw is that he just didn’t like the look of me, or felt like being an asshole. Then he even had the nerve to pull up to a stop light 10 feet away and wait there, laughing and pointing at me! I brushed that off, just flipeed him the bird. Looking back I don’t know why I didn’t just stand in front of the bus daring him to run me over. It was the last bus and it was raining and I had just finished my minimum wage shift at Subway. Had to walk up that big fucking hill in the cold wind and rain. I still vividly remember that fat fucker’s face too, and have been keeping an eye out for him ever since.
You guys might be starting to see where my deep seeded hate for Metro Transit is comes from. There have been other just plain fucked up incidents too.
you can use the transfer as many times as you want in the time given. i will use like 4 or 5 buses. yesterday i got on the 2 went downtown. than got on the 1. 20 minutes later i got back on the 1 got off at Scotia Square and got back on the 2. there’s no amount of use as long as it is in the proper time period
I was on that bus when this happened too. Broke me heart as well.
Not sure how I’d deal with this. When it happens, I’ll let you know. Still, always carry around a fare/ticket in case this happens. Judging by how many IDs sit in lost & found, I’d say it happens often.
So sucks,
You mean to tell me I can pay once, get on a bus, get a transfer, and use the same transfer to get back to my point of origin?
I’ve tried to do this before and was denied. Did the rules change?
I think you have 2 hours to use a transfer. It did work for a round trip on the ferry.
Yes, the rules have changed. now they don’t punch which route you’re on and you just use your transfer until it expires. You’re supposed to get like 90 minutes or something, but I always get between two and three hours.
In ottawa the transfers are printed on a computer. You put your ticket/fare in (no one uses change in ottawa — it’s all tickets or a pass) and the driver presses a button and your transfer is printed out and you take it.
You get 90 minutes to the second. Seems to work well up there. *shrug*
I mean on one hand that’s great, but on the other hand if a bunch of people can suddenly get the same thing that used to cost them twice the price, how much is that costing the taxpayer?
Would have been nice if that would have been in effect while I was a transit user. Having to take the bus to get a haircut or grab groceries and pay to get on the same bus back 20 mins later was a drag.
I really wish this city would get with it and get the Magstripe metro cards like other cities have… You could buy a year pass, or a single ride, or a week if you wanted to – good for Metro Transit coffers and easier for the people who use it (and much easier for income tax credits to buy the year I’d say).
They wouldn’t have to print tickets or passes or transfers, they wouldn’t need to look at paper transfers to see if someone is scamming them or something lol – this would save time hassle and increase convenience for bus drivers, customers and administration alike – just swipe as you get on the bus, all is good.
Lose your card? No problem, get another one and assign it to your credit card and your balance is still there. Transfers are all handled through the card too, your rides are date-stamped. Unless you have an unlimited pass and then you are good to go.
This is of course dependent on whether there is a service to use.
Why are we perpetually stuck in the dark ages here ??