Unsuck DC Metro: Rider who Peed Foiled by Rider Good Deed

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Rider who Peed Foiled by Rider Good Deed

From Tyler: I was visiting DC for my college orientation, and on the way home, we found this. Oh, and the smell verified the note.

We asked Metro how much they spent in seat cushion repair, and this is what they said:

Metro seat cushions are repaired by an outside contractor. In calendar year 2009, Metro repaired approximately 19,000 seat cushions (seats and backs). Due to the competitive bidding process required to obtain these contracts, we are not able to provide a dollar amount.

That Metro won't reveal a price tag is telling. A rough calculation would say that there are about 150,000 ~~wee pads~~ cushions in the system. Multiply that by what you think it would cost to repair one (remember, this is Metro), and you come up with a pretty large number no matter what.

Please, please do NOT put cloth seats in the new cars, Metro.

Other items:
MetroAccess driver accused of sexual assault (Examiner)
Once vaunted German rails sounding more like Metro (Spiegel)

Comments (22)

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anonymous · 767 weeks ago

Which came first bad riders or bad Metro?

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Anonymous · 767 weeks ago

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anonymous · 767 weeks ago

Please put steel seats without padding or cloth in the new cars and end this classified contract.

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anon · 767 weeks ago

novel idea: plastic seats that can be wiped or just hosed down! hallelujah!

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Anon · 767 weeks ago

How about electrified seats? Nothing happens unless you pee! Then the rest of us get a great chuckle at your learning experience.

Wow. Wha' happan'd to da blog? All these fancy buttons an' clickin thangs...

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@perkinsms · 767 weeks ago

The contract amount should not be secret once it's approved. Generally the puchase cost of items is held from public view until the final vendor is selected. Now that they're purchasing cushions it should be public.

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unsuckdcmetro 92p · 767 weeks ago

[youtube Vyq9MMcLsv4&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyq9MMcLsv4&feature=youtu.be youtube]

A classic. Thanks

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Chris · 767 weeks ago

As someone who works for a company that acts a subcontractor for the gov't, it's anything BUT competitive. It's just a way of getting your friends' companies some money. Usually best price doesn't win. It amounts to an amazing amount of wasteful spending.

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anonymous · 767 weeks ago

"During a meeting on cost-cutting last year, Mitchell, who is African American, told her bosses they should axe her position and replace her with a contractor -- Mitchell's Meetings and Events, the company she runs out of a home office in Arlington with her husband, La Mont.Her old firm is now one of her main clients."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti...

If this is the kind of "competitive contracting" Metro is doing, we're doomed.

Fire me and hire my company at three times my salary!

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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anonymous · 766 weeks ago

That article isn't even about Metro...

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@poptdc · 767 weeks ago

Maybe more appropriate Seinfeld reference...

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@Saschakeet · 767 weeks ago

I'm familiar with The Urinator. He regularly uses the Van Ness UDC street elevator.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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anonymous · 766 weeks ago

...And apparently he also frequently visits the pedestrian walkway at Rockville.

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anonymous · 767 weeks ago

You have to click the comment button in order to see comments. I'm not liking this new feature.

2 replies · active 767 weeks ago

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unsuckdcmetro 92p · 767 weeks ago

Giving it a test drive. There are certainly trade offs.

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@kara_h · 766 weeks ago

I was wondering why there were no comments lately ...

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Anonymous · 766 weeks ago

Wow, at least the time I saw a guy pee himself on the train, he was standing near the doors and not sitting on the seats. Kind of scary, yet funny at the same time because you don't expect to just be chillin' out on your way home and seeing a dude just start peeing right there in front of everyone!

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Anonymous · 766 weeks ago

Love the "Like/Dislike" icons, but otherwise the new setup sucks. Sorry.

1 reply · active 766 weeks ago

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unsuckdcmetro 92p · 766 weeks ago

There are certainly some drawbacks to this new comment setup, but for now at least, the pluses outweigh the negatives.

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asdfasdf · 766 weeks ago

Poor kid comes to his college orientation and realizes he's gonna be stuck with the Metro for four years. Poor kid. You might want to reconsider your college choice.