Join "Going Public" in its ongoing online mission to shed light on the troubles and triumphs of the CTA. Spy on the CTA! Click here to find out all the details.
KYRA'S HOT LINKS
Join Going Public's Facebook group
R.O.C.K. on the C.T.A.
CTA Rider Blog
CTA Tattler
CTA Web site
CTA Mystery Shopper
Hey, CTA!
Going Public
CTA Central
Saw something wacky on the CTA or just took a great pic of you and your pals on the Red Line? Share it with the rest of the class. Upload your pictures right here.
• Best. Bus Operator. Ever.
• New Meaning to "Pay Your Fare"
• The Heat is On...Can You Turn It Off?
• Operator, please hold
• CTA's Sexy Site Makeover
• St. Paulina Stop?
• Longer Red Line Time?
• Extra Credit
• Big Ideas
• Adver-traveling
• Bus-ted: Bad Bus Tales
• Chat with Kyra
• Column
• CTA Art
• CTA Crime Watchers
• CTA Gazette
• CTA Lost & Found
• CTA Mysteries
• CTA news
• CTA rants
• CTA Spying
• Doomsday news
• Employees Strike Back
• Feedback
• GOING PUBLIC COLUMN
• Hey, CTA!
• Innovation Station
• Judge "Going Public"
• Kyra's posts
• Lost and found
• Mass Transit Manners
• My commute
• Off Track
• Product Placement
• Reader Letter of the Day
• Reader Letter of the Day - Yay!
• The Rules
• Train Wrecks
• Under Construction
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
Subscribe to this blog's feed
|
Posted March 20 - 2:15 p.m
Okay, let me start by saying that I do not believe all bus operators are evil and to subscribe to that is to insult hardworking men and women who take a lot of grief -- and even a punch or two -- on the job. That said, there is no excuse for what a RedEye colleague witnessed last night while waiting for a bus in Wrigleyville.
To summarize, a bus operator refused to move a bus up a few feet in order to allow a wheelchair-bound rider to get onboard, this after passing her up at the bus shelter and almost penning her in. The rider -- who refused assistance from my colleague -- then had to get out of her wheelchair and slowly push the chair up to where the bus stopped. Thankfully, this incident -- and the operator-- was reported to ctahelp@transitchicago.com.
But that still doesn't address the issue: Why on earth would anyone be so cruel, or at best, clueless? I've spoken to the CTA in the past about the plight of physically disabled riders and believe me, rudeness is not confined to operators, though this is the second such story of operator outrageousness that I've heard about in the last month.
Let's turn the topic to riders who need a clue. I''ve been on a bus where riders refused to get out of the priority area in order to let someone in a wheelchair onboard. It is within your riders' rights, according to the CTA, which can only suggest -- not order-- consideration for the physically disabled.
I know we all value our CTA space, but come on? Are people really this heartless? Have you seen bus/rail operators or other public transit patrons disrespecting or ignoring the needs of the so-called "priority" riders? Maybe they need a ticket, like the blockheads who park in designated handicapped spaces.
in CTA rants | Permalink
Comments
Let's just say I have all the bus depot numbers if any bus operator gets out of hand to where it is totally unprofessional!
"GOING PUBLIC" SAYS: That's a good idea and great advice. I spoke with a bus garage manager who said, though the 1-888-number is great, they appreciate hearing from the public for more immediate fixes.
Posted by: April | Apr 3, 2008 2:11:12 PM