The one and only destination
I ride an express bus. There are 10 or so stops as the bus picks up commuters on the way out of town, rolling down Marquette, turning on 11th to pick up the Targetrons, finally hitting 394 west bound, out to the one and only destination, the park and ride. Let me repeat that last bit: there is one stop once we leave downtown. And no one ever gets off the bus until we reach the park and ride. It’s very simple. Get on the bus. When the bus stops, get off.
Here’s what confuses, confounds and fails to delight me… Someone invaribly pulls the cord. You know, the “Please stop at the next stop” bell. What could possibly be the motivation? Is someone under the impression that if we don’t alert the drive to stop, he or she will simply keep driving? Do they wonder where they might end up? “I got on the bus, and no one told the driver to stop, and so we kept going, and now I’m in Albert Lea!”
The very idea that the driver wouldn’t stop at the park and ride has never crossed my mind. It’s an easy route. The drivers probably don’t even need a license or any MTC training.
“Drive the bus, pick up any one that wants to get on, go to P&R, and let ‘em all out.” Not “pick up some people and if no one pulls the cord, then drive back downtown and tell the commuters it’s their own fault” and “Maybe they should read the instructions on the schedule.”
Mar 26th, 2007 at 11:29 am
My beef with the unneccesary cord pulling spans continents. While studying abroad (not a broad) in Germany, those wacky Hildesheimers always, ALWAYS pulled the cord for the end of the line, which was… the BUS STATION. Will Herr Driverr decide to not stop at the bus station at the end of the line today? No. No he will not…because…it’s the BUS STATION.
The other place this happens where mein butt get horribly chapped is the Uptown Transit Station. There’s always some crazy cell phone chatterer freaking out that the bus isn’t going to stop and they make a mad scramble to ding the bell. Unnecessary.
Death by Bus Bell Dinger Cord Strangulation should not be a crime.
Mar 26th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
This IS ANNOYING! People will pull the cord before I’m even off the freeway! Just onetime, I’d love to pull over onto the shoulder, and open the door, and announce something to the effect of “First stop! Mile marker 17! If only I could get away w/ it!
Mar 26th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Yea, people do this on the express routes to the University in the morning. There’s no need to pull the cord, most assuredly, the bus will stop at Coffman Union, calm down. Makes me so angry.