Busted Driving While Calling
Over the last few weeks I have noticed many bus drivers either talking on a mobile phone or with music player earbuds in their ears while driving me, and my thirty or so fellow passengers, around town. To see what Translink had to say about this I sent a note to their complaints department to see what they thought. This was about a week ago. Before writing this entry I wanted to give them the chance to let me know what their thoughts were on this kind of behaviour by their employees. Well, a week has come and gone and, being an impatient sort, I tired of waiting. I can only assume that they either are overwhelmed by complaints, that they are understaffed, or simply don't care what their customers are saying.
I doubt I need to explain the dangers of driving a bus with one hand. The massive steering wheel must not be very easy to turn with one hand. In fact it would appear that even with two available hands it is still an effort. The drivers seem to have to lean forward and put elbow grease into the effort. More and more jurisdictions in Canada and the United States have banned the use of cell phones while driving. Sensible people agree that full attention is required to drive a vehicle. For that reason I would think that a (sensible?) organization whose service is to drive people around town, whose sole purpose is the safe transportation of people around town, would heed the studies and warnings and be quite eager to uphold safety. That they would respond to a customer's complaint quickly to show how seriously they take this. But they do not. Maybe it is because British Columbia has not yet passed such a law banning the use of mobile phones while driving? If the government doesn't act Translink may not feel a need for being proactive. Who knows.
In addition to the obvious safety issue there are other reasons why Translink might want to take a strong stance on the issue. Drivers no longer greet riders as they board. They are too busy blabbing away with their friends. Drivers aren't available to answer questions from riders. They are too busy arguing with their spouses. Drivers barely check fares. They are too engaged in flirtatious talk with their lovers. I have seen drivers miss stops completely. They are being told off by their children.
Listen....these are professional drivers. They are paid to drive. We, the customers, expect safe transit and courteous service. Like I stated earlier, they are either swamped with complaints or don't care. Their lack of response can only mean this.
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