(Posting this on the very slight chance that a public display of pique will make me feel better.)
John B. Catoe, Jr.
General Manager, WMATA
600 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Mr. Catoe,
I am writing to inquire about the code of etiquette, if any, to request that the last T2 bus of night actually stop at the T2 bus stop on River and Goldsboro Rds.
At 10:30 this evening (after I had waited approximately a half-hour), the bus drove past my stop in the center lane; clearly, in advance of his arrival, he had determined that he had no intention of stopping. As I was waiting at the stop using a laptop computer, I presume I was reasonably well-lit. Therefore I deduce that simply being at the stop, with my own point-source of personal illumination, at the scheduled time of arrival, is not enough to actually request a Metrobus to stop.
What did I neglect to bring? An airhorn? Magnesium flares? Perhaps a system of radio communication to trigger some sort of “please stop” alarm near the driver’s seat? (I have Bluetooth and Wifi, if that helps.)
Having missed the bus, and being woefully unprepared by not charging my cell phone prior to using Metro, I was unable to call for a cab and proceeded to walk approximately three miles home. (More precisely, according to Google, 2 miles and 4,394 feet.) Personally, I’m in decent shape and enjoy a long walk of over an hour on a nice night (70 °F and partly cloudy, thank you for asking), although I suspect that not all of your customers can say the same.
The unfortunate part is that the first 1 mile, 253 feet of that walk was along River Road; which, as you may know, is an unlit highway with no pedestrian sidewalks, multiple blind curves, and a great deal of traffic. As it happened, there were plenty of oncoming vehicles moving at high speeds to illuminate my path, but perhaps you understand why I saw this as a mixed blessing. I have made a mental note to carry with me, the next time I plan on using Metrobus, an orange reflective safety jacket in the event I should similarly displease your drivers, or otherwise fail to signal my intention to make use of your services.
Your advice on this matter is greatly appreciated. I am very embarrassed by my faux pas.
Sincerely,
Jeff Porten
cc: Elizabeth M. Hewlett
Chair, Maryland, WMATA Board of Directors
1101 Mercantile Lane, Suite 240
Largo, MD 20774
Jim Graham
Second Vice Chairman, Washington DC, Board of Directors
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 105
Washington, DC 20004
Ron Shaffer, “Dr. Gridlock”
The Washington Post
1150 15 St. NW
Washington, DC 20071
Excellent! Love it.
Jeff. You do it!, Baby, tell ’em. I “feel your pain”. I live off route 210. I am at nearly the end of the line of the bus route. Oh my God. When I am the last person on the bus and they have to go through the entire route and not short-cut it like they sometimes do, they lose their minds. The driver runs through the route at top speed and peeps back at me (very visibly frustrated) as if he can make me magically disappear off the bus. A number of times they have shot right by my stop and I had to walk back to a stop that is already six blocks from my house; usually in the dark.