Is there a Light at the End of the Escalator?

First, the dark. From YK:

I took the Green Line from College Park toward Branch Ave. around 2:30 p.m. on May 6.

After a few stops, a uniformed Metro worker got on and sat at the very end of the car.

Two stops later, another uniformed Metro worker got on and, after seeing the first worker, sat next to him.

My guess is they were escalator repair men.

They started their loud conversation by comparing their supervisors. From there, it escalated (tee hee) into a very loud and rather coarse conversation about how they can come to work and leave work as early or as late as they want, since no one is actually watching.

This may explain why the escalator repairs takes so long.

We asked Metro about accountability among escalator repairmen. Usually, they're alone or in pairs, so no one is directly watching them. Also, since deadlines for the repair of escalators seem ... well ... flexible, how is a repairman's performance measured? What happens if they fail to repair an escalator on time?

Metro's response was interesting.

"The supervision of the escalator/elevator repair teams is currently changing to increase accountability, and they are creating rapid response teams as well."

Metro would provide no further details.

More Metro brake smoke and mirrors or a real change? While more accountability sounds good, Metro is also hiring escalator consultants.

We'll follow up at the blogger round table Monday.

Speaking of the round table, if you have questions you'd like Unsuck to ask interim GM Sarles, email them.