Posted May 16, 11:27 a.m.

As you know, I love a good rider letter.  That's why I had to immediately post this rant I received this morning from a rider named Brandie Renae.  She absolutely went off on the CTA today after some serious mass transit miscommunication.  Check out what she has to say, and let me know if you've ever had a similar experience. Ready, set, vent!

"WHAT.THE.HELL!!??!  I walk all the way up to the Lunt entrance of the Morse stop....scan my card (PAY) at 6:15am ...  go up to the platform and walk to where I normally catch the train, and wait....and watch .... as an *EMPTY* Redline train - zooms by on the OUT-SIDE-TRACK!!... EMPTY .... it was.... EMPTY!!!  I have to be TO WORK at 7:30am (not later than).  I say, out loud "what the HELL?!!?" a gentleman waiting on the other side of the platform answers me.  "The trains aren't stopping here today - we have to ride to Howard and then catch the train downtown"  Funny -- nothing was posted on the website -- there are no signs on the UN-MANNED entrance of the station, there were no "oh yeah by the way -- you need alternate plans" notices posted anywhere -- even in the Red Eye; god forbid it be mentioned on the "commuting" segment of the Morning TV news.........I reply "how do you know?"  "oh, they announced it a little bit ago over the sound system".....  Yet - the entire time it took me to walk from the Lunt entrance to the opposite end of the platform - I heard the "mic cuing" noise - but no announcement. I've gone to the Howard station before -- that station is the largest mishmash of disorganization I have ever encountered in trying to get *anywhere*.  Workers standing in clusters chatting, laughing...doing nothing...I rarely see any actual - REAL work being done by anyone NOT wearing a hard hat. It LITERALLY takes me 45 MINUTES....to get from MORSE....to SOUTH BOULEVARD!!!  Anyway, I quickly do the math, based on personal past experience and realize that, if I want to get to work -- ON TIME -- I have to run back up to Sheridan Road, and catch.....A CAB to downtown (a $25 ride) !! (this, on TOP of ... paying $2 to get INTO the Morse Stop)  Furious, much?  yes.  I can honestly say I am livid. I know this letter is tantamount to screaming in a hurricane....there's already so much ignored 'noise' it's not going to affect anything to make any change; it'll just be added to the other screaming going on.  Lily Tomlin did a character back in the 70's ... it was a spoof of the Phone Company in those days - Large, bloated, ineffective - but; "the only game in town" ... the painfully true comment I remember most? "We're the Phone Company - we don't care ...We don't have to" ..."We're the CTA ... We don't care, We don't have to"....hm...  somehow - it fits."

It is quite predictable that when buses are re-routed for a special event, there will be no announcement of that, no signs, nothing. The folks, for instance, who ride the #6 with their kids and paraphernalia, expecting to get off at 11th & Columbus for a short walk to the Museum Campus, will find themselves at Roosevelt and Michigan instead. People can stand at a bus stop on State Street, wondering where the heck the bus is at, and they'll be standing there still unless the equivalent of Brandie's guy across the platform comes by and says, "oh, it's over on Michigan".

Why can't the CTA communicate?

Speaking of CTA miscommunication, copied below are just SOME of the communications I have had with the CTA so-called help center since January concerning the 59th St. Bus reroute at its eastern end. It documents how we lowly riders are completely ignored while CTA schedulers whimsically reroute this bus, causing riders hours of inconvenience.

Michael Brown, 53
Edgewater

Thank you CTA. My 20 minute bus ride yesterday took 1 hour and 30 minutes because AGAIN you rerouted the 59th St. bus at its eastern end WITHOUT informing your riders. Yesterday morning the reroute is over. Yesterday afternoon the reroute is back. As the messages copied below indicate, the problem has persisted since January and NOTHING has been done to correct it. Your online web site is WRONG. Your information hotline is WRONG. Your bus drivers do not now where to go. Your super duper supervisors with their clipboards are USELESS. WHERE DO I GET CORRECT, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS REROUTE???????
At least 10 times since January, the reroute has been canceled & then reinstated. Your schedulers don't care. Your bus drivers don't care. Your supervisors don't care. Your management doesn't care. Only your riders are left to GUESS where the bus is running at the moment - PLAYING HIDE & SEEK WITH THE CTA IS NO FUN AND RESULTS IN HOURS OF WASTED COMMUTING TIME. Who cares???? Not the CTA!!!!! Go right ahead and reroute that bus again, screw the riders.
Here's a very simple solution: DO NOT REROUTE THE BUS UNTIL THE 61st ST. CONSTRUCTION IS ABSOLUTELY, UNCONTESTEDLY, BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT FINISHED. How hard is this to understand and implement????? Forward this to your supervisor of that route, PLEASE. Simple solution. No more playing hide & seek with your riders, no more misinformed web site and hotline, no more misinformed, confused bus drivers. Again, here is the solution:

DO NOT REROUTE THE BUS UNTIL THE 61st ST. CONSTRUCTION IS ABSOLUTELY, UNCONTESTEDLY, BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT FINISHED.

-----Original Message-----
From: cta help [mailto:ctahelp@transitchicago.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:34 PM
To: Michael Douglas Brown
Subject: RE: 59th St. Bus re-route

Thank you for your complaint, but please tell us the basis of your statement that the reroute has ended.

--CTA Customer Service
The basis of my statement is that, for the past 2 mornings, my 59th St. bus driver has returned to the original route and dropped me off at 61st St., not the rerouted 60th St. This bus driver explained to us regular riders that it was announced to them that the reroute was over and they were to use the regular route again.
However, I just saw another 59th St. bus still using the reroute on 60th St.
All I want to know is, WHERE DO I BOARD THE 59TH ST. BUS between STONY ISLAND AND COTTAGE GROVE????? It seems in the morning there is the original route, but in the afternoon drivers are using the reroute.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO SOMETHING AND CORRECT THIS. I AM WAY TIRED OF PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH THE CTA ON THE 59TH ST BUS ROUTE!!!!!!!

Michael D. Brown

________________________________________
From: Michael Douglas Brown [mdb6@uchicago.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:15 PM
To: cta help
Subject: 59th St. Bus re-route

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Douglas Brown
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 12:53 PM
To: 'ctahelp'
Cc: Michael Douglas Brown
Subject: 59th St. Bus re-route

Apparently the 59th St. bus re-route (at its eastern end) has ended.
COULD YOU PLEASE INFORM THE 59th ST. BUS DRIVERS??????????????????????
Yesterday I waited for 45 minutes at 61st ST. and Woodlawn to get the 59th St. bus on its regular route. Finally I noticed the buses were still running on the re-routed 60th St.
THE REROUTE IS OVER. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE INFORM YOUR BUS DRIVERS TO TAKE THE REGULAR ROUTE.
DOES ANYONE AT CTA COMMUNICATE WITH THE BUS DRIVERS?
If I miss the bus again today after work, I will be complaining EVERY DAY for a month to the CTA REDEYE blog and copying every other media outlet I know.
Now, don't just thank me for this complaint and apologize for the lack
of service. DO SOMETHING!!!! Tell the Bus drivers, THE 59TH ST.
REROUTE IS OVER.

Michael D. Brown

Tnank you for your complaint and we apologize for any confusion. We will have the supervisors of the route look into the matter and take any needed corrective action.

--CTA Customer Service

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Douglas Brown [mailto:mdb6@uchicago.edu]
Sent: Tue 1/8/2008 8:10 AM
To: ctahelp
Cc: Michael Brown
Subject: 59th St. Bus re-route


Attachments:
View As Web Page

There is considerable confusion about the 59th St. Bus re-route. Here is the information you have posted:

Effective 6 a.m., Monday, November 26 through 3 p.m., Monday, January 7, 2007

Due to construction, Dorchester between 60th and 61st will be temporarily closed and #59 59th/61st buses will be temporarily rerouted eastbound via to 61st, Cottage, 60th, Dorchester, Midway Plaisance, Stony Island to 60th.

Westbound buses will operate via 60th, Dorchester, Cottage Grove then return to 61st and resume the regular route.

I called 1 888 YOURCTA yesterday to see where I should board the 59th St. bus for my commute home. The representative quoted the above information, so I waited on 61st St. After 45 minutes, I noticed the buses were running a block away on 60th St., not on 61st as I had been informed. Needless to say, I did not appreciate the misinformation you are giving.

Today, the bus driver said it is impossible for them to navigate certain turns on 61st St. and will continue the re-route on 60th. What is going on?????

I will roll the dice and attempt to board on 60th Street this afternoon. If you are truly interested in customer service, please clarify the reroute information on your website and do not keep giving out misinformation.

If you are REALLY committed to customer service, I would appreciate an email informing me when the 59th St. bus reroute is over and back to its regular route. I resent that my commute is delayed because no one seems to know what the status of this reroute is. DOES ANYONE THERE HAVE DEFINITIVE ANSWERS????

In addition, it would be helpful to inform the bus drivers on this route. No one seems to know.

Michael D. Brown

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