Question: I’m admittedly not very car-free yet, but I’m definitely working on being less dependent on it. I mostly take the bus, train or bike around where I live in the Valley on the weekends.
The problem is where I try to commute around the city with a bike on the Metro bus. At least half the time when I put my bicycle on the front rack I get an impatient and angry driver. Even though I swear it’s not taking me longer than maybe 30 seconds or so to put the bike on there.
The last driver yelled at me, and was so rude that I reported him to Metro using their online complaint form. I have not received a response yet, but I feel so uncomfortable with the situation that I’m thinking of not doing the whole bicycle/bus combination anymore. Any advice? Thanks, Nancy
Answer: Because I’ve never done the bike / bus combo myself, I sought the expertise of Angelenos who have. The general advice: Take the high road. Says Don:
I found that being efficient in putting the bike on/off the rack combined with ignoring rudeness was the best combo. Regardless of how obnoxious the driver is, I always try to smile and greet them as I board the bus and to say thank you when I get off. I don’t always succeed at this, but that, at least, is what I aspire to.
Mischa concurs:
I’d say kill ‘em with kindness…. Bus drivers have a pretty tough job…
It definitely can be scary and nerve-wracking getting your bike on/off the racks, especially if you’re not familiar with the equipment. Once you do it enough to be quick about it and comfortable with it, it should be hassle-free.
The bottom line is that Metro should be happy bike commuters are using their service – intermodal transit is the only way it’ll work in LA.
The majority of my interactions with them have been positive. I just try to give them a smile and be as quick as I can. Usually you’ll get a smile back.
Of course, when the bus driver’s really unreasonably rude, I do think it’s a good idea to make a report — like you did, Nancy.
One other thought that comes to mind for me: The proportion of negative experiences you report do seem to be rather on the high side, compared to those of other bus / bike combiners I know — and compared to what I’ve seen as a bus rider. If anything, what I’ve seen is that bicyclers tend to have MORE cameraderie with bus drivers — simply because more interaction’s needed between them. I generally see bike riders thank drivers when they get on with the driver greeting them in return — with a second friendly exchange happening at the end of the trip, since the bicyclists need to give the drivers a heads up about taking the bike off the rack.
I’m wondering if there may be little things that you’re doing or not doing — things that you had no idea mattered to the bus driver but for some reason do — that may be creating unintended and unintentional friction between you and the driver. For ex, I think it’s customary for the bicyclist to fold up the rack when taking their bike off, assuming no other bikes are on the rack — something that newbies may not know to do, but could potentially anger a tired bus driver by not doing.
I’m not implying that your current bike / bus combo technique’s “wrong” or that it’s ok for bus drivers to yell at people; I just mean that there may be little things you may be able to do to push more of the interactions to the positive side. To that end, can other readers who do the bike / bus combo point out any tips or tricks to make trips as pleasant as possible? Or maybe even just little tips for speeding up the bike-loading process slightly?
Another possibility’s that you’ve just got a few mean drivers on your usual routes — in which case you might consider keeping track of these instances and compiling a bigger case to take to Metro or reporting it on BikeX. If you find out that it’s just a couple individual meanies — as opposed to all of Metro’s drivers being out to get you — you may also just feel better about public transit and humanity as a whole….
One last thought: I often tend to focus too much on negative events, while “forgetting” about positive things that have happened — something that, obviously, is not happiness-inducing and is a habit I’m trying to work on. I wonder if maybe we’re alike. One thing to try may be keeping a lil post-it in your bike helmet, marking down every bike / bus boarding under a “positive” or “negative” category — to see if the majority of trips indeed are negative. It may be possible that stress-free, positive experiences far outweigh the negative ones — but that you tend to devote a lot more time thinking about the latter. Or it may be that I’m simply projecting –
Photo by Fire Monkey Fish
I’ve had issues with bus drivers and the bicycle rack a couple times. The trick is developing a thick skin and just doing your thing. Too bad for the driver – the driver is the one getting PAID here. So if you mistakenly didn’t fold the rack or if you took too long because you are new, SO WHAT. The bus driver will have to get over it and learn to be patient. He/she is working on the job getting paid with your own tax money. And by all means. Report every rude driver.
Comment by rhode bloch — April 19, 2009 @ 11:56 am
I’d have to echo what others have mentioned about just sticking to what you are doing and being nice to the driver. The first time I tried to take my bike on the bus I couldn’t get my bike on the rack and I ended up with grease all over my pants. I also forgot to put the rack back up when I left, so the driver honked at me a few times after I started biking away and I had to figure out what his gestures were trying to tell me. During subsequent trips, I’ve had less trouble as well as extremely helpful and friendly drivers that honked at me to point out where I was messing up on getting my bike onto the rack. Also try to be prepared with your bike when the bus pulls up (take your bags, basket contents and anything else that might fly away off of the bike, have your fare/pass ready in your pocket). I also try to stand approximately where the front of the bus will be when it pulls up, not that I have to move through a group of people trying to get on or off the bus. When I get on the bus, I try to stay up front so I can keep an eye on things and so the driver knows I am still there. Always say thank you even if the driver is being a jerk.
Comment by M — April 19, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Agree with M up above. Bikes take awhile for drivers who are obliged to stick with a schedule, which stresses out a lot of them in rush hour traffic. Do it quickly and effectively and be polite to a fault. If they chew you out, even if you think they’re wrong, just say “Thank you” and move on. But if the same driver is at it over and over again, definitely make a report. They can’t respond to people individually except to say that the report has been received and is under investigation, but they do look into them and will act on them to the extent permitted by the contract. Metro is a desirable agency to work at, among LA transit agencies, and they correctly figure that they can get new drivers easily if they have to fire bad apples.
Comment by Aaron — April 19, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
If you’re putting your bike on the bus, be sure to keep an eye on it. While it is rare, it is possible for people to steal your bike off the front.
This happened recently to Katie at the http://squeakynishiki.blogspot.com/ blog.
I have never had a problem with drivers, even though once i took about 2 minutes to get an extremely heavy vintage cruiser on a broken front rack.
I just smile and thank the drivers as if they are doing me a big favor, even though as another commenter said, it is their job.
bike girl’s last blog post..Bike Girl Has No Basket
Comment by bike girl — April 20, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
Id you aren’t riding/biking too far then a foot scooter is another alternative. Unfortunately occasionally I often leave my scooter behind and looking for a scooter and other stuff at the lost and found sounds like an ordeal.
Comment by philpalm — April 21, 2009 @ 10:53 am
Good points about the legitimate constraints and stresses the bus drivers are under — especially about having to keep on schedule, since people really really get mad when buses are late (and also, it discourages ridership). Thanks for the tips, everyone.
Comment by Siel — April 21, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
Thanks for the feedback! I’m actually in Oahu right now, and love taking The Bus here.
One interesting thing they do in Hawaii is a periodic Employee-Of-the-Month type program where they fly the winning driver to Vegas. And I gotta say, the bus drivers here have all been really nice.
I actually do only take a few routes, so I could just not have the best odds out there. I’d have to say female drivers are at a 100% success rate in regards to customer service. I’m also going to switch to a much lighter road bike on the rack, and see if that helps. Sometimes I’m afraid I come off as like that yuppie who’s choosing mass transit (vs those who cannot) and that the bad vibe I get is a result of that. Then again, maybe I read too much into those things…
Comment by Nancy — April 21, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
Even though it is the bus drivers job to put up with you, they are human beings not machines. I think that’s kind of bad attitude towards any service industry type worker (or just any human being in general.) I think it is the opposite of green. I think it is the opposite of eco. No one is put on this earth to serve you and to put up with you wasting 50 other people’s time.
People can feel when you are genuinely thankful and when you’re just going through the motions.
If putting a bike on the rack is hard or its your first time, tell the driver “its my first time and apologize for the time.” And keep in mind you are not just apologizing for the driver, but to the other passengers.
Way back in the day when I was in Catholic school, when we did things that wasted people’s time, even accidentally we would have to get up not only tell the Sister sorry, but we would also have to tell the class, “Excuse me Sister, excuse me class for being inconsiderate of your time.”
I think the difference between bus culture (and bus and bike) culture and car culture is that you have to be really mindful and understand that it’s not just you. It’s you and everyone else. That’s part of being environmentally friendly. Not driving is one small part, the big part is realizing you’re not driving because you are saving the planet for the future, you’re not driving, because you’re being considerate of other human beings and that goes along with the journey. On the bus you have to be more considerate of other people.
If you don’t know how to put your bike up. Try it out first with a friend who does on a Saturday morning or a Sunday morning when you will inconvenience the fewest people. Don’t try it for the first time at 5pm on Friday, because that kind of thing really will piss people off. While it may seem like the driver getting mad at you, it’s also the other passengers who are getting very angry with you. The driver is simply expressing what everyone else on the bus is thinking.
But once you figure it out. It won’t be that hard.
Being nervous is good, that means you realize other people exist, but don’t let that stop you on your path. Find the way to cause the least amount of headache for everyone else while you are learning.
Browne
browne’s last blog post..The Little Stuff.
Comment by browne — April 21, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
M and Browne had some great advice above (especially the practicing part — that is also a good time to learn about what drivers like from riders). Here are some other tips from my experience, and advice from drivers themselves:
1. Make eye contact and smile at the driver as they pull up. If they don’t see you before you’re loading the bike, it can give them a little scare, and that can quickly translate to anger (think about the last time someone appeared unexpectedly while you were driving or riding).
2. Have everything (this includes helmet, bags, etc.) out of your hands (backpacks are handy) and off the bike before the bus pulls up.
3. Make sure your kickstand is up before you put the bike on the rack.
4. Load your bike to the back of the rack if you’re the first one on.
5. Let your bus driver know which stop you’re getting off at when you board.
6. Remind them at least one stop before your stop, and thank the bus driver when you leave.
7. If you’re the last one with a bike, put the rack up again (M said this, but it bears repeating).
8. When you’re done unloading your bike and back on the sidewalk, wave to the driver before riding off into the sunset, so that they know it is safe for them to leave.
It gets easier really fast, and there are a lot of helpful drivers out there.
Cassandra’s last blog post..Tap That Pass
Comment by Cassandra — April 22, 2009 @ 10:06 am
Alex Thompson of Westside Bikeside had this advice:
“Take down the bus #, line #, time of day and operator’s name if you can, take notes and complain. Always complain. The union regs prevent us from getting an inside peak at specific instances of the disciplinary process, but I know that the operators can get suspended pretty easily. There needs to be a collective consciousness amongst operators that bike riders are whiny complainers who will snitch on them, so that they have incentive to be gentle . . . unfortunately we can only provide negative incentives right now.
AT”
Comment by Siel — April 22, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Nancy et. al.,
Bus drivers all over the world have a tough job but unfortunately bus drivers in LA get a training in rudeness and attitude, and they are trained to honk at cyclists because cyclists are categorized as “road hazards.” I’m not making it up, it’s in their manual.
My husband and I are on the Metro/Cyclists committee, where we are working on establishing a better relationship between Metro drivers and cyclists. It’s a long process. We are viewed as an interruption as opposed to customer and revenue. (the metro gets funding for their bike projects, so they should love us for every penny that they get for bike projects)
We are visiting the Metro board on Thursday the 28th at 9:30am to speak about driver training and behavior towards cyclists amongst a few other issues.
Ride is posted on http://midnightridazz.com/viewStory.php?storyId=2972 and there is also a discussion at http://midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=9696
The board meeting is at 9:30am and we will speak during the public comment, which might be a couple hours after the meeting starts, depending on how long their agenda and discussions are.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 @ 9:30 A.M.
One Gateway Plaza
3rd Floor Board Room
Hope to see you there.
Comment by Enci — May 26, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Sorry I wasn’t able to make it Enci — I’m lucky if I make it to the bike events in Santa Monica. But I hope it went well!
Comment by Siel — May 28, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
The worst feeling in the world is the helplessness of not being in control of your circumstances, no? ,
Comment by Miss67 — October 13, 2009 @ 2:49 am
“Take down the bus #, line #, time of day and operator’s name if you can, take notes and complain. Always complain.”
Also take down the bus #, line #, time of day and operator’s number & give kudos to good drivers. If you don’t, how will Metro know to keep the good ones around?
Comment by Stefany — June 25, 2010 @ 7:58 am