Help me write a letter to NJ Transit re AH bus driver

[Opti]

YM loves drama and to solve problems, so here's your chance.

Yesterday I barely made it out in time to make a bus. It is the first stop I believe. So it shouldn't be early, nor should it be marking itself delayed when it is not.

This particular bus especially on Friday's is erratic timewise especially since the longtime driver left this route for a shorter easier run. I use the app to track bus arrivals and this one is roughly 8 minutes out from the end of the run. Often the time will cycle over and over again saying 7 or 8 minutes when the bus has not left the terminal stop yet. In other words, I watch the app a lot especially when traveling home.

For at least the third time, the same bus driver intentionally and with malice did not pick me up. Convention is if you are not at the stop, they can pass you by. However, should they become stopped at a light and you run to where they are convention says they are to open the door and let you in. Not duck down and pretend you aren't there and then floor the bus to make your escape. This is not the regular driver at this time but covers too often it seems. The bus arrived at least two minutes before the scheduled time and never slowed down.

[raeoflyte]

Stick to dates, times, and brief unemotional facts.

On this date and time, bus was x minutes late and driver failed to stop for pick up.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.

Ym loves drama but complaint emails are more likely to be heard if they are concise and actionable.

[Opti]

Jan 20, 2024 8:49:07 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Stick to dates, times, and brief unemotional facts.

On this date and time, bus was x minutes late and driver failed to stop for pick up.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.

Ym loves drama but complaint emails are more likely to be heard if they are concise and actionable.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.


This would be the one. Is it OK to add no other driver that has had this route has ever done the same behavior?
That no other driver on any other bus trip I have taken has acted this way?

[Opti]

TY Rae. 

[raeoflyte]

Jan 20, 2024 8:52:06 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jan 20, 2024 8:49:07 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Stick to dates, times, and brief unemotional facts.

On this date and time, bus was x minutes late and driver failed to stop for pick up.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.

Ym loves drama but complaint emails are more likely to be heard if they are concise and actionable.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.


This would be the one. Is it OK to add no other driver that has had this route has ever done the same behavior?
That no other driver on any other bus trip I have taken has acted this way?

Yes, I think that's fine and it establishes a different behavior.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I only know about working in public education in the state I live, but letters that go to way higher-ups just get sent to the direct supervisor for the person about whom the complaint is written. Have you gone or written to the current supervisor? Is there a complaint process to follow?

[TheOtherMe]

intentionally and with malice     

Seriously?  

[obelisk]

Jan 20, 2024 8:27:47 GMT -5 Opti said:

YM loves drama and to solve problems, so here's your chance.

Yesterday I barely made it out in time to make a bus. It is the first stop I believe. So it shouldn't be early, nor should it be marking itself delayed when it is not.

This particular bus especially on Friday's is erratic timewise especially since the longtime driver left this route for a shorter easier run. I use the app to track bus arrivals and this one is roughly 8 minutes out from the end of the run. Often the time will cycle over and over again saying 7 or 8 minutes when the bus has not left the terminal stop yet. In other words, I watch the app a lot especially when traveling home.

For at least the third time, the same bus driver intentionally and with malice did not pick me up. Convention is if you are not at the stop, they can pass you by. However, should they become stopped at a light and you run to where they are convention says they are to open the door and let you in. Not duck down and pretend you aren't there and then floor the bus to make your escape. This is not the regular driver at this time but covers too often it seems. The bus arrived at least two minutes before the scheduled time and never slowed down.

Opti, are you able to make ingress with your old car process or are you bashing the bus drivers for not scheduling your intentions.

[Bonny]

Jan 20, 2024 8:49:07 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Stick to dates, times, and brief unemotional facts.

On this date and time, bus was x minutes late and driver failed to stop for pick up.

On this date and time bus was x minutes early and driver refused to let me board at red light.

Ym loves drama but complaint emails are more likely to be heard if they are concise and actionable.

This is good advice. And I used to work for a transit agency. Chances are that if this is regular behavior by the bus driver there will be other complaints and the supervisor would have heard about them.

And as TheOtherMe indicates, leave out the hyperbole. It won't help your case. Make sure you aren't creating the drama here. 

[gs11rmb]

The driver may not be allowed to let passengers on and off at a red light but only at designated stops.  I'd concentrate on his being too early.

[TheOtherMe]

I have seen many people shaking their fists because a bus did not stop at a red light because the driver was not allowed to do this.  

The bus trip from hell that took 9 hours in a blizzard only ended because when the driver couldn't get enough traction to turn in to the designated spot, he asked the passengers to go to the back of the bus and jump up and down.  He couldn't let us out in the street.  The stomping worked and we were able to exit the bus.

[daisylu]

I grew up using mass transit in the 80s & 90s, but have not used it in the last almost 30 years. We rarely knew what times the buses were supposed to come and just went to the bus stop and waited. This was in a busy area in the city, so there was one roughly every 6 minutes. 

I do not know if the rules around allowing riders to enter at stop lights anymore, but being 2 minutes early is not something that I would complain to administration about. With traffic and other contingencies I would not expect a strict schedule. Instead I would be making sure that my butt was parked at the bus stop AT LEAST 5 minutes early.

[CCL]

I don't know. It seems kinda dangerous to be chasing after a bus and trying to board at a stoplight.

I just allow extra time and plan to be 15-20 mins early for everything.

[raeoflyte]

I've never had to rely on public transportation but I don't know how my job would have faired if I had to leave on time to catch a bus.

I really tried to do public transit for environmental reasons but when a bus only comes every 30 minutes, the commute is 2x as long as driving and now we're saying you should get there 20 minutes early just in case the bus is early too, in the dead of winter...it's a lot. I definitely have empathy for those who don't have a choice.