You list your bus as arriving at 7:31 PM then arrive 10 min early and expect people to be there for it. Fucking assholes be on god damn time. #18 is by far the worst. What shitty service for something so simple. Its not like its high traffic on a Sunday night. Let alone that it runs once a hour. This type of bullshit just adds to the list of negitives that public transit consists of. Its not that goddamn complicated.
I was there 5 min early and on my walk to the stop I didn't see or hear the bus so I would assume it was before it was within my eyesight or hearing range... or they had employed silent small buses on the one route. I waited for 20min after when it was suppose to arrive with the hopes of it just being late and it was enough time to see it returning on the opposite side of quinpool
12 years ago the 18 was a piece of shit as well. The driver always stopped at Mumford for a smoke and coffee with another driver.
One of my regular bus drivers was famous for this this summer. He almost always picked me up from Robie and Inglis 5 mins early, never waited at the stops and then when we got to Portland Hills, he would meet one of his bus driver buddies and have a 10 min smoke break because he was early. After almost an hour on the bus, I just wanted to be home so this was frustrating!
No but that's usually when you see them park their busses and go for a smoke or take their little lunch bag with them,
I had the trip from hell to work this morning too.. Despite being very tempted to sleep in since I had a horrible sleep, I stumbled to the bus stop, and waited there for 15 minutes for the bus to come (it should have technically gone by when I got there, but there was 3 other people waiting so I knew I didn't miss it). I take another bus to Lacewood. I wait for the #2 to show up.. its a no show aswell... after standing outside for another 10 minutes, I take a 52 to mumford.. then have to wait outside AGAIN to catch a bus that goes to Scotia square... My toes and fingers are still numb, an hour later.
Yep and I have no issue with that. But when you get there 6 minutes early but leave 10-15 mins late, it screws all the passengers up who are trying to connect with other buses. But of course you knew all these details before making your comment
I don't know all the details obviously but people do get breaks even if they aren't convenient for everyone.
Which is why I think that they should have to finish their route before getting a break. I don't know what public transit is like in other cities but I know it's not that great here especially when you have to connect. It takes my roommate an hour to get from MSVU to Bayers lake because of transferring.
Since some people who don't have vehicles are forced to use and and students are forced to pay for it, it would be nice to be able to catch our connections.
I agree. The system is greatly flawed. The only point I was trying to make is that drivers are entitled to breaks even if the schedule is off. I know it is a piss off to be sitting on an idle bus hoping you make your connection while the driver smoke/has a coffee/calls their family etc but it is a job and they deserve a break like any other job.
Wirelessly posted (HTC_Touch_Viva_T2223 Opera/9.50 (Windows NT 5.1; U; en)) about 200 ft away from the listed stop, and in eye sight
I understand your point but if you work in retail and you're in the middle of ringing people on, you're not going to stop to go have a smoke break or call your family unless someone else can take over. I'm pretty sure the rules for Metro Transit must be similar, you can't just pull the bus over and have a smoke and from what I can tell, they are supposed to wait at the schedule marked stops until the scheduled time. In this case, if it happens to be a slow day and you're not stopping at every stop, then you might have extra time to have a smoke break or make a personal phone call.
I went from Cole Harbour to SMU every day all summer and it was only a little over an hour. I guess it depends on which bus you take.
I took the bus for a year from Clayton Park to SMU. In my experience, busses in rush hour aren't that bad because there are always lots on the go, and it doesn't take any longer to get anywhere because of traffic. Busses during off-peak times suck. Waiting an hour to catch a bus blows, and no traffic means you end up sitting at stops just waiting for time to pass. I'm glad I have a car now.
You do not lie... I live 30 seconds away from the stop on Cunard... I can see the stop as I'm walking to it... I leave 5 minutes early... no bus... came... I froze... said to hell with class and went back to bed. Right at the beginning of the school year I was on campus, had a few other things to do around the South End, so I wait at the stop right before Tower Rd. The 10 comes along, stops, lets some people off. The 18 comes by, stops at the lights, I'm standing there waiting, I look at him like, wtf? and he shook his head, put hands up in the air and drove off. The bus stop sign wasn't there because there had been some roadwork going on... but it was still a bus stop, had been for the last 4 years I've gone to SMU, people still got on and off... I caught the 18 a week or so later... the driver stopped and let some people on... I filed a complaint, left my number for a Metro Transit supervisor to call me back... think they did? Nope...
Breaks? Most drivers are lucky to get a break unlike everyone else you are get with in your schedule 15 mins break, then a 30 min lunch then another 15 mins. Bus drivers can end up working 10 hours straight with no break what so ever. Before you rant maybe try doing that job for just ONE WEEK.
It's kind of a crappy job... Think about some of the people they have to put up with guys... They also have to deal with road conditions and traffic. I agree the bus system here sucks but that's because of the city, not the drivers.
