Posted May 6, 11:41 a.m.

Top of the morning, public transit peepz.  I hope you made it to work, school or wherever you needed to go without getting CTA super soaked.  Even if you did get drenched, I think I have a commuter story that might make you feel a bit better.

Check out this sweet tale from Enjolee, who e-mailed me at goingpublic@tribune.com about a bus driver who went above and beyond the call of duty:

Not all of cta employees are bad, one day I was riding the 87th St. bus and it was around 12 a.m. and outside it was raining kittens and puppies, I knew the bus wasn't going past Western (I lived on 92nd and Kedzie) anyway, I was talking to the driver and told him i lived on Kedzie and for some reason i didn't bring an umbrella, anyway the bus makes it to Western and I get off and start walking as fast as i can because i had a looooong and wet walk ahead of me, so i start walking and get about a half of a block, when a hear a horn the cta driver turned that bus around and dropped me off the 14 blocks to Kedzie (I still had to walk to 92nd) but that was more than going above and beyond the call of duty. So to that driver thanks it's people like you that give the cta a ray of sunshine amidst all the clouds.

Your turn: Got a positive or positively awful story to share?

I got on the southbound Red Line at around 8:20 am this morning at the Lawrence stop. I was on the first car, No. 2699 and sitting close to the train operator’s cabin. As soon as I got on I noticed that three people were screaming! They were having a conversation about religion and tithing and were SCREAMING in this very packed car of commuters. They were clearly disturbing everyone and people were moving away from them, causing the rest of the car to be even more packed. Between Wilson and Sheridan a woman got up from the other end of the car and went over to him. She politely asked them to please lower their voices, that they were disturbing everyone on the car and that we were all tired and on the train early with them. They proceeded to get very belligerent with her and said that they could talk as loud as they wanted, that they didn’t have to sit in the back of the bus anymore (they were two black woman and a black man, the woman that went up to them was white) and just generally continuing to scream and tell her that they didn’t have to be quiet. She told them that she was asking them politely and she went back to her seat. People thanked her for saying something on her way back. The three individuals continued to yell and scream their conversation and pepper it with insults about the woman. She got up again right before Addison and said that this was “Warning No. 2” (I don’t condone her saying that.) and that if they didn’t lower their voices that she would call the train operator. They said to do it, that they didn’t have to lower their voices and asked her, “What is he going to do?” She said that he might kick them off the train. One of the women then said that if she got thrown off the train that she was going to take her (the complainant) with her. Please note: These three people were sitting right on the other side of the train operator’s booth!! He had to hear this entire conversation and their screaming previously. The complaining woman said that if they were threatening her then she was going to call the police. The other yelling woman said that if she called the police that she would put the woman through the glass window. This was around 8:40 am right before the Addison stop. The complaining woman pushed the call button and asked the train operator to please come out.

When we get to Addison the train operator comes out. He immediately says that the people don’t have to lower their voices. “That’s why we have 8 cars and you can go to another car if they are being too loud for you.” The woman protested that they should not be allowed to yell and scream and asked everyone to raise his/her hand if they had been disturbed. I raised my hand along with several others. The train operator again said that they didn’t have to be quiet. Then the woman said that she had been threatened and that she was going to call the police because one of the women had said that she was going to throw her through the window. The train operator’s response was that if she called the CPD that the train would be stalled for 15 minutes, obviously intimidating her from calling. I couldn’t believe that the man said there was NOTHING WRONG with these people screaming on the train. You can’t scream on a bus and disturb the driver so what is the difference? Your not supposed to play your music loudly “as to disturb other customers” so why is yelling okay? I come from an extensive train background, both of my Grandfathers retired from railroads with over 40 years of service (as a Conductor and Train Master) and my Father is a Train Director for Amtrak and has worked for Illinois Central and Amtrak for over 38 years. The train operator’s response that these three people had unbridled license to disturb everyone else on the car and that if we didn’t like it we should all change cars is ridiculous! With the three-track system, as you know, every train car is full. Why in the world should these three people essentially get their own car because they are RUDE!

The woman understandably got very angry with this response and asked for his badge number. She also poked him with her finger which I do NOT condone. The train operator got VERY angry and told her not to put her hands on him. Although not excusable, please be advised this woman couldn’t have weighed more than 100 lbs whereas your train operator was a very tall, strong man.

At Belmont I exited the car and was harassed by the three people for having raised my hand. I spoke to the train operator as he leaned out the window and said that it wasn’t right that those three people had been screaming and yelling and disturbing everyone else on the car. He told me that it wasn’t right for that woman to lay her hands on him. He then told me that I could have changed cars. I said why should they get their own car just because they want to yell and scream. Please be advised, I am not talking about loud talking, I am talking about YELLING AND SCREAMING! He just put up the window and took off. I spoke to the supervisor (I’m assuming because she was the lady standing at the far south end of the platform next to the train operator’s window and wearing an official CTA uniform.) She told me to contact the general CTA Help Line.

Because I was so unhappy about this incident and frankly as a supporter of public transportation, partially due to my background, I didn’t like seeing the CTA handle this so poorly, I got off my train at Fullerton and decided to speak to that supervisor (the uniformed man at the far south end of the platform). He patiently listened to me and was extremely helpful, getting me a card with the CTA Controller’s Office on it. He told me to ask for the manager and agreed that this incident should be reported. He was most disturbed about the threat but said that the people should not have been allowed to scream. I really appreciate his help and customer service. I’m sorry that I did not get his name.

So this morning I called the Controller’s Office at 9:30 am and was given the Red Line contact. She put me on hold 5+ times in 5 minutes. I asked her if I should call back and she said no but then put me on hold again. I could barely get a sentence out between being put on hold. I hung up and called back at 11 am and asked for the Manager. I was given to a gentleman who asked if I was a civilian. I said yes and he said one moment and then forwarded me to a general contact. He didn’t tell me that he was going to forward me or even ask what I was calling about. When I complained to the person that I was forwarded to, she said, “Was it the Manager Mr. Hernandez?” I don’t know if that was him but that was extremely rude by whoever the gentleman was.

Finally, I just want to say that I have lived in the city for 8 years without a car. I have used various CTA trains and buses to get me to work and events. I support public transportation and all that the CTA is doing to make it better. That said the incident this morning was appalling in how it was handled. Three people were allowed to yell and scream, verbally and physically intimidate other riders and the train operator said that it was their right to do so. The only thing he did was to motion with his hands for them to lower their voices. Since when are people allowed in full earshot (again, they were right behind the glass of the train operator) to SCREAM on the train? How can a train operator do NOTHING about a woman being threatened that she was going to be thrown through the train window? It was insulting and irresponsible in how the train operator handled the situation and wrong to discourage that woman from calling the police after she was threatened. I also don’t appreciate having not one but two people in the Controller’s Office not willing to listen to for five minutes.

I get on the EL @ the Granville Station every morning, the station attendant there is a very nice gentleman. He's often there in the evenings as well when I return & he opens the handicapped gate to allow all the exiting passengers bypass the bottleneck at the 2 turnstiles (thus permitting people to enter as well). A small gesture, but nonetheless a very nice one & he always wishes you a good day.

Now if only the morning doorman in my condo building was as nice.

After a CUBs game I was almost killed by an CTA bus. I think it was intentional. When I confronted the driver, the reply was "I was in the street!" I see this often near Wrigley Field. This is where the bus speeds to the stop as close to the curb as possible even thought there are many people unaware the bus is coming.
My incident started at Waveland and Halsted. I missed the first southbound Halsted bus by minutes. I figured the next bus would not leave for 10 to 15 minutes. The next bus came in five minutes. It rounded the turn at Broadway and Waveland quickly. I ran for the stop holding my CTA Plus card in the air as I watched the bus driver from the front. The bus did not stop at the busstop on Waveland as I approached. I tried to get the driver to let me on as he waited at the Waveland traffic light at Halsted. He would not open the door even though the traffic was very heavy after the CUBs game. I walked to the next stop at Waveland to Addison as I could walk faster than this bus in traffic. As I approached the Halsted bus stop at Addison, I ran around the crowd waiting at the light to cross to to get to the stop. The bus made the red light when I did not expect it to. The bus missed me by less than an inch. It was going very fast. Because of the previous incidents, I told the bus driver he almost hit me. His reply was "You were in the street!"
The bus driver was very hurried. His accelerating and brakeing tossed passengers around. Many agreed as another passenger said this bus driver is crazy and nothing can be done. We passed the earlier bus at Webster - just 15 blocks from the Waveland turnaround. It was heavy traffic after the CUBs game.
This is not the first time busses leave the turnaround as fast as they get there with no regard to schedules.
Many drivers are very helpful on the Halsted #8 route. Some are dangerous.
This happened on Saturday at 6:05PM after the 2:40 CUB's game.

Post a comment