You actually might not want to send that commendation; I think it's against the rules to let people on with stuff that could fall and hit other passengers.
Cool that he let you on though
StuMcCandles might have more input
2011-01-06 15:43:46
8
Good things port authority drivers...and riders do
This morning my regular bus, the 500, arrived without a rack. I saw it and was a bit dejectedm, but not too much as this is only the first time this has happened in a few months. so as the bus stopped and the driver opened the door I was prepared to say "o, you dont have a rack, its ok" but before I could even get the words out he said that he didnt have a rack and I could put the bike on the bus by the back doors.
Excellent, now that services have been cut, if I dont catch this bus I have a small chance of pedaling another half mile to catch another bus if it hasnt already left.
Thank you driver! I will have to get his info and send a commodation in to PAT.
Another shout out to the other riders. I have had my bike on the bus a few times before in various situations, but always get dirty looks from the other passengers, but everyone seemed cool with it today!
A good start to the day. Also, my stood up bike fits perfectly in the back door area and I was able to sit in the seat right beside it and read and not have to worry about it falling over.
2011-01-06 15:40:04
ya, I was planning more on a general commendation stating that the driver is overall a friendly and polite driver, etc.. but not mention the bike.
2011-01-06 15:48:48
A few weeks age a driver that I had last summer during my afternoon ride, showed up in one of the G31 greyhound style busses on my morning ride out to Bridgeville and told me to bring my bike on, he said to take it to the back. There's not much room (width wise) to move a bike in the aisle on those busses, but if you roll the bike up, so its just rolling on the back wheel, you can roll them thru easily. Oh, I was the only one on the buss too. Also I noticed there didn't seem to be any wheel chair accomodation on those busses, so I don't know how that's allowed ?
2011-01-06 16:11:49
The first time I road with my bike on the trolley I had 3 or 4 different passengers help me to figure out my stop, plus inform me that I shouldn't have paid to get on (oops...I just shoved my ticket into the machine unwittingly).
Then the attendant at the stop when I got off was understanding when I mentioned that it was my first time using the trolley by myself and I wasn't aware of the process.
2011-01-06 21:59:54
"No good deed goes unpunished." Yeah, don't mention the bike.
@Boazo - The 1900s are wheelchair capable. You really don't want to be on one when they board one on a winter day. It takes upwards of two minutes and the opening is big enough to land an airplane in.
@beast - No service cuts yet, just a fare hike so far. The 500 is pretty much unchanged since early 2008, just a couple of tweaks.
@gimpPAC - Yes, pleading ignorance often gains you much. Actually not knowing often costs you.
Let's just hope all the new racks get here while we still have buses to ride!
2011-01-07 02:16:48
I remember one time a driver let me bring my bike on the last 54C of the night when he showed up sans-rack. He told me to keep a good grip on my bike, which turned out to be sage advice because some (probably drunk) driver turned down the wrong side of Main @ Liberty, on a head-on collision path with the bus. The driver slammed on the brakes and the bus screeched to a halt faster than I would have expected possible.
The ironic part is, I think my bike would have been destroyed if it were on the rack - it was that close. And if I weren't holding on to it, it would have taken a riderless trip up the aisle.
2011-01-07 06:37:50
Salty - great story. File under "It's Funny the Way Things Work Out Sometimes"
2011-01-07 14:08:07