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| - You probably don't need me to tell you that when it comes to public transit, Phoenix's is a joke compared to the rest of the country.
I remember when I first moved to Arizona in the mid 80s, there seemed to be a lot more pride in the bus system - there was that great ad touting the benefits that ended with a surprised bus rider discovering he had sat next to Governor Rose Mofford. Yet steadily, the buses are considered an afterthought if not an outright joke. I'm sure it would be nice to pretend that lots of people ride the bus out of a sense of altruism - helping cut down on pollution and traffic - but let's face it; the way our buses are, the only people that ride them are those who have no other choice! The financially disadvantaged and those without transportation. Those who ride the bus DEPEND on it and Valley Metro could care less about those who out and out need it. They continually reduce routes (plus cut places a route goes to) and raise fares.
The main problem though is the bus drivers. Once upon a time they were generally great! But over the last several years, the good bus driver has become the exception. The drivers have held the city hostage a couple times by going on strike...and yet after they've done so the service provided by the bus drivers hasn't gotten better but WORSE. On a regular basis they don't stop for passengers who are transferring from one route at an intersection to another - they seem to take an almost sadistic delight in not picking them up like it's some big game to them. I've even seen several instances where they don't even pick up someone who's already right there at the stop ...which means one of two things: (1) either the driver was being purposefully malicious or (2) they truly didn't see them which calls into question whether such a driver who misses major things like that should be entrusted with driving huge vehicles carrying a large number of passengers?
This type of behavior happens daily and frequently. Yet if you submit a complaint, you'll receive a patronizing and mostly generic response indicating that no one cares that the drivers aren't doing the thing they're hired to do - and if manageent doesn't care when people complain, this gives the drivers carte blanche to misbehave more often because they know they can get away with it. Most infuriating is the fact that drivers act up so regularly AFTER having gone on strike - they received what they wanted and are now overpaid (the cost of which is passed on to the consumer in increased fares) to do a job that they're doing LESS than before they went on strike.
Yet it's likely they will soon be striking again. Seriously? The drivers have yet to demonstrate that the last raises were deserved - the way the drivers act actually should be rewarded with their last pay raises revoked until they can prove that they are capable of doing the job they're supposed to be doing. Until they can do that, then no raise for you!
The sad part is that of course there is the occasional good bus driver that does pick up each and every passenger and greets them with a smile, is never rude, etc. But this type is so rare these days that they're overlooked because they're not the norm. Such a driver should be furious with the others that are ruining their reputation and goodwill. If Phoenix bus drivers are going to hold the city hostage with their strikes and insistence of being overpaid (as they're put in a position where those who are underpaid and/or financially disadvantaged are DEPENDENT on them), then they need to prove they've earned their pay by at least doing the minimum required of them and if they can not then they need to be held accountable and taken off the street if they fail to do their basic job,
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