Have you thanked your bus or train operator lately?
Operators have to keep a schedule, give directions, announce stops, remember stop requests, all while safely maneuvering an extra-large vehicle through unpredictable traffic, adverse weather conditions and some really tight spaces. It’s not an easy job…but it is easy to show your appreciation for the hard-working men and women who help you get around!
You can:
- Smile and wave when you board the bus or train, and say “thank you” when you leave.
- Print out and personalize a thank-you card to show your appreciation in person.
- Submit an official commendation for a job well done at metro.net/appreciation so your operators can be formally recognized for their efforts.
You can also share your appreciation with us via social media on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Let us know which operators have made your travels better!
Categories: Go Metro
As a cyclist and bus rider, I am really pleased by the training and attitude of Metro bus drivers toward cyclists. The drivers are patient and careful while doing a tough and stressful job, day in and day out. I am glad to share the road with them.
[…] Is Transit Driver Appreciation Day (The Source, […]
[…] The Source kindly informs us that March 17 is Transit Driver Appreciation Day, a day devoted to letting Metro operators know their hard work is not going unnoticed. […]
When I get off the Blue Line, on the way home from a concert, museum visit, or whatever, I’m all but invariably parked at the south end of the Wardlow station, making it very convenient for me to wave to the motorman/motorwoman on my way off the platform, and so I all but invariably do so. And since the train generally leaves the platform before I make it to the bottom of the south ramp, I also normally answer the horn with an “after you” gesture.
At 7th/Metro, I usually try to at least give the Metro personnel there a friendly nod. Ditto when I encounter any who are either boarding or detraining at the yard stop, or otherwise riding with the passengers. And when one has to leave the cab to reset an emergency door release, he or she gets a sympathetic smile from me.
And after that incident some years ago, with the disgruntled sous-chef, I most definitely thanked the motorman who probably saved my life.
Vacationing in San Francisco, and staying at the Columbus Motor Inn, only a short walk from the Bay & Taylor Turntable, I’m almost always returning to my hotel on a Mason Car, and I almost invariably wish the crew a good night, as I step down at Taylor & Francisco.
Your website has a bad email address, sorry to say.
About the Mason St cable car. I live outside SF & often ride SF Muni. It’s much cheaper ($2.50 rather than $7) if you take a parallel bus line. See the SF Muni Ry website, and look for the route map.
One thing I noticed when I moved to the LA area is that people do greet their bus drivers more often and thank them before getting off. Train operators here sit in isolated control rooms, without contact from passengers… so THANKS, PEOPLE! Maybe I’ll have to start waving as an arriving train approaches the platform.