Recent Bad TTC Publicity...My Take.

Okay in light off all the bad publicity the TTC is getting right now I thought I would give you my take on some of the things I am hearing and reading.

I am relatively new to the TTC. I am only going into my first year. So with that and my training and my Customer Service background, I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. How wrong was I.

Now normally I am a patient, forgiving, water off a ducks back type of person. If you snark at me and I don't know you from Adam, it doesn't affect me, but if I do know you whether it's a friend, family or co-worker, it will affect me and sometimes deeply.

Now when I first began driving and picking up passengers, I said "Thank You" to each and every passenger that boarded, every day, five days a week for my 8 to 9 hours of driving.
Now imagine the number of people that is.....can you? Perhaps on a busy night it ranges into the high thousands, on a not so busy night or day, it might hit the low thousands. Depending as well on the Route. Some are more busy than others.

So then one day I was reading the local TabROID paper and someone commented that TTC Drivers never thank the riders. WRONG! This person obviously has never been on my Bus. I was a bit annoyed by that comment.

Their reasoning for a TTC Driver to thank them was that they are paying for a service and when paying for something, like in a store or restuarant, then the person servicing them should always say "Thank You"

True, yes true. But here is my arguement. Those people in the store or restuarant are not saying "thank you" to thousands upon thousands of people a day. They are not being met with angry glares, furrowed brows, sucking teeth, people looking at their watches and blaming the driver for being late when there was an accident or some other hold up beyond the drivers control. Getting sighs of discontent at being stuffed in like sardines, again not the drivers issue. Being told off because people are steppping on them, or not exiting by the rear doors. When giving the please move back annoucement, being told off by those in the back.

Now, I say how long could YOU still keep up the "Thank You's"? Well, with all that I still do BUT this past month I ran my own little experiement.

For one week I said thank you to every passenger that got on. I counted via my little writing pad, how many actually thanked me back or said have a nice day/night or where even pleasant with their looks.

Total of that whole week.

105 people actually thanked me back or said something nice back.

105 out of a possible 10's of thousands!!!!

So this week I decided not to say anything and just NOD. Well the numbers did go down to a sickening 8 people who said have a nice day/night.

So why should we thank you? Is my question to you.... Yes, You bought a pass or paid a fare, but its a service YOU want and you DEMAND the City provide and WE the drivers are just doing our job that YOU the public DEMAND. That job is driving you from point A to point B and getting you there SAFELY.

According to the number of accidents, we are doing just that. We are getting you to your destination SAFELY.

THAT in itself, is something we should be thanked for!

Now I know that sometimes things go wrong and Busses are late or Subways are down but again that is NOT the drivers fault or error. Why are you taking that out on us?

Yes, I know that when I pull up and I have a SHORT TURN sign it annoys you, or if I get short turned once you are on, that can be so frustrating, but again that is NOT MY FAULT or the fault of ANY Driver.

So with that and even after being assaulted once, my bus being shot at once, people kicking my bus making me jump outta my skin thinking I hit someone, people telling me I am an uneducated idiot and reading all the negativity about us TTC Drivers,,,,,,,I still say thank you….BUT that might not last too much longer.

And I ask you this, can you now understand WHY, that might end…..

You as a rider play a big part in our emotional state. You as a rider play an integral role in how you get treated as well.

You expect us to thank you no matter how our day/night is going, how about you still thank us no matter how YOUR day/night is going or has gone.

More later but I would like to thank you all for reading this and maybe the few that “get it” will see things a bit differently.

And as an added. YES the TTC has slackers, just as YOUR job and any job out there has them, BUT don't paint us ALL with the same brush. It is unfair and makes for a difficult working situation.

Again more later......off to get ready for another thank less night....well maybe tonight will be better. One can HOPE.

Also added.

When you see me or another driver stopping at a Tim Hortons or Coffee Shop it is most likely we have to go to the Washroom. As you may have noticed there are NO toilets on TTC Busses and that is a GOOD THING I assure you. It also might be because we are ahead of schedule and stopping for a few minutes to get a coffee after a stressful 5 hours of sitting in a seat driving to ensure we DON'T zoom by YOUR stop 5 mintues early.

I and others of this profession are afforded a workplace that insures DIGNITY.

I will NOT annouce to a bus load of people, nor do I even have to tell my Supervisor that I have to go take a PISS.

THAT IS NOT DIGNIFIED!!!!!!

AND I ask you, how many of YOU have to tell your Boss or your customers when you are going to take a PISS?

Diana Out!