Wednesday’s RedEye cover story put readers in the driver’s seat for a fresh look at customer service along CTA’s bus routes (“Bus drivers tell all”). But not all passengers are ready to see things from the drivers’ perspective. Here’s what some of you had to say.
The golden rule
Bus drivers and passengers are a pretty good reflection of the population: There are a lot of nice people out there and a good amount of jerks. If a bus driver is friendly to me, I’m friendly back. If a bus driver is rude to me, I’m rude back. It’s all about common decency and respect.
Sarah Hellstrom, Elmhurst
Public enemy
I commend the men and women who drive the buses. They do catch hell from all sides. I can tell you some stories of drivers dealing with unruly passengers and some rude drivers I’ve seen also.
I’ll give you just one example, of a drunk passenger who was repeatedly asked by the driver to stop using profane language. In the end, the driver pulled over and literally threw the man off the bus. I know it wasn’t right for the driver to do that, but I assumed he felt it would be too time consuming to call the police and wait.
Those are some of the things the drivers have to play “judge” about.
People forget sometimes that drivers are human too. I feel bad because the drivers are on eggshells all the time. A passenger can be having a bad day and the driver can do one thing and get reported. They can’t be too early or too late or the supervisor is standing there writing on that clipboard. They are providing you a service. Give them a break.
Kellee Bluitt, 30, South Chicago
All (not) aboard
I’m a Pace rider and I do appreciate the awesome job most of the drivers are doing both for Pace and the CTA. However, I was surprised when one of the drivers said they are supposed to pick everyone up.
More than once, I’ve been standing right there at a bus stop holding out my transit pass only to have a bus pass right by with the driver hunched forward over the wheel, not seeing anything except the street ahead. I know driving takes a lot of concentration, but there’s no use running buses if they are not going to stop at the bus stops when people are there.
Anne Brown, Oak Park
Hold that bus
I agree that drivers shouldn’t have to hold up an entire bus so someone can run two blocks to catch it, but many times I have been 8 feet from the bus, running to catch it. The driver sees me running and screaming, and he still won’t stop for me. That is inexcusable, and that’s a legitimate reason to be pissed off at drivers.
Cyril Blair, 37, Hyde Park
Bunch of complaints
I can sympathize with the drivers. I am frequently annoyed by other riders myself, and I am only on the bus for a few minutes. But waiting a long time for a bus, only for one to show up jam-packed is aggravating, especially since it happens so often. Some riders take out their frustrations on drivers because there isn’t anyone else around to blame. It’s not fair, but it is understandable.
Josh Varga, Lincoln Park
Distractions pose risk
Judging from your story, “Bus vs. them,” CTA buses should immediately discontinue operating. They are unsafe for the driver, riders, others in traffic and pedestrians. Of course, I know this is unreasonable and won’t happen, but anyone in their right mind should agree that they are dangerous.
We worry about drivers on cell phones? They’re nothing compared to a CTA bus! One of the obvious solutions would be to have an extra CTA employee on the bus to make sure fares are collected and riders are orderly, so the driver just concentrates on driving. But that won’t happen because [CTA President Frank] Kruesi and his upper-level management won’t make the money they want to.
But shouldn’t there be a law made to make sure the bus driver just drives the bus and is not responsible for anything else beside navigating traffic?
Phil Wlosinski, 50, Brighton ParK
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