Unsuck DC Metro: The New Face of Metro Customer Service

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The New Face of Metro Customer Service

From Patricia:

The other morning at Eastern Ave and Randolph St., NE, I waited for 75 minutes for the G8 to Farragut Square.

Two buses in a row didn't show. One broke down, the other simply vanished. The G8 often vanishes.

I called Metro to report it, as did others waiting there with me.

When a real, working bus finally showed up, people were very angry and taking it out on the poor driver.

One of the other passengers called Metro while we were on the bus, and the woman on the other end of the line accused him of lying because the system showed a bus came through 30 minutes earlier.

He handed his phone to other passengers so they could vouch for his story, and the Metro employee hung up after telling the man again that he was wrong.

One particularly outraged older lady was yelling to passengers as they got on, "Don't pay! You waited too long already! Don't give them any more money! This ain't no way to run Metro!"

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Comments (23)

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+17 Vote up Vote down

ShartingExcellence · 715 weeks ago

Nothing will ever change. They don't care.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

-3 Vote up Vote down

mike · 715 weeks ago

Start outsourcing some of the bus operations and they may begin to care.
It is funny that Dash, Arlington, Fairfax and the others can operate their bus lines at a profit while the MetroMorons can't.
If the bus lines were given back to the suburbs, then the rail line would pay for itself and we might be able to get some qualified help. Doubtful I know, but at least it might help.

+11 Vote up Vote down

MLD · 715 weeks ago

Dash, Arlington, and Fairfax operate their buses at a profit? Nope.

Fairfax Connector: 7% covered by fares: http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profile...
City of Fairfax CUE: 29% covered by fares: http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profile...
Arlington Transit: 15%: http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profile...
Dash: 19%: http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profile...
WMATA Metrobus: 21%: http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profile...

This is a example of bad customer service but at least do the basic research before you spout things that are patently false.

+15 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 715 weeks ago

When will you get it. Metro is a Social program and it is not designed for Customer Service.

Metro was designed to pay employees bloated salaries and drain the government of tax dollars . The debt has increased because of the funding to theses salaries.

+25 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 715 weeks ago

There was no Redline crash. Our trains have built in proximity detectors. I don't believe you that trains collided between Ft. Totten and Takoma. I'm hanging up now.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+14 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 715 weeks ago

These are not the droids you're looking for.

+6 Vote up Vote down

anon · 715 weeks ago

I would have LOVED to see the screaming woman. I can almost hear it. Poor driver caught in the middle.

+34 Vote up Vote down

Kat · 715 weeks ago

In this weather, it's more than an inconvenience. For elderly or otherwise fragile passengers, it's a health risk to be standing out in this weather. That customer service woman should think about how she would feel if it were her grandmother standing out there. Oh, wait, that would require empathy.

+9 Vote up Vote down

The More You Know... · 715 weeks ago

I feel bad for the poor driver, but honestly I'm a little shocked he didn't have some crazy meltdown, I thought that was SOP for metro when things get stressful. Well, good job to him - remember folks: focus your anger at those that deserve it, like the GM and pretty much anyone at 600 F Street.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 715 weeks ago

Or.....

600 5th Street. A bit off.

+4 Vote up Vote down

HurricaneDC 76p · 715 weeks ago

That older lady is a champion of humanity. I have always wanted to tell that after waiting 40 minutes for a bus.

+10 Vote up Vote down

dcn8v · 715 weeks ago

I waited for the 11Y for an hour once because they'd rerouted the buses courtesy of President Obama's incoming helicopter. I realize that incident wasn't Metro's fault, but it seems there should be a real-time information site where I could have found this information and find where I could have caught the next bus. Or have the information automatically texted to me! What would it take to create such a site? Could it be user-driven?

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

-10 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 715 weeks ago

He should be impeached!

+3 Vote up Vote down

guest · 715 weeks ago

I used to try to catch the G8 ... only the drivers for some reason didn't like the stop that was most convenient for me (H Street at Madison Place, Lafayette Square) and so would go past without stopping.

The last time I caught a G8, the driver decided he needed a bathroom break and went off-route, skipped a bunch of stops, and then finally stopped at the end of the route, leaving me about two blocks from where I wanted to be.

+5 Vote up Vote down

G8Rider · 715 weeks ago

I ride the G8 regularly and am familiar with many of the bus drivers. Most are pretty good folks who genuinely care and show them in tangible ways. Some have been hardened from years of abuse from passengers. But nevertheless, the ones I've met have been professional. Too bad for that driver to be caught in the middle.

+5 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 715 weeks ago

I wonder what would happen if bus loads of people literally refused to pay on a pre-arranged day.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

-1 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 715 weeks ago

They'd just claim that the fare boxes were broken....

+3 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 715 weeks ago

Taking frustration out on Metro is probably one of the most frustrating things about Metro. It isn't the fault of that driver. It isn't the fault of the call center people. It's the entire organization. How does one get their point across without placing blame on the poor schmucks that are the only one's there to complain too?

And, a non-related note, on the Orange line during rush hour this morning I spotted an actual congressman riding to work.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Adam · 715 weeks ago

who was it?

+5 Vote up Vote down

null · 715 weeks ago

"This ain't no way to run Metro!"

AMEN sister!

0 Vote up Vote down

Ketchupyfingers · 715 weeks ago

I love it! Way to band together!

0 Vote up Vote down

NPGMBR · 714 weeks ago

I experienced this same scenario today: I saw my bus with only a few passengers on it, early 7:30am when it should have been leaving at 7:34.

The next bus would be packed but I should be able to get on. Murphy's Law was in full effect and the next bus (7:41) never arrived. The next bus (7:49) would be full, and it was. The next bus (7:57) also never arrived.

We were not abel to get on a bus till 8:24 and of course two of them arrived then.

There is absolutely no GOOD reason why the 16Y in Arlington should be this tardy. The line begins just a mile and a half from my stop and I know darn well there is no heavy traffic on Columbia Pike that time of morning so whats the problem? Why does it seem so many busses seem to fall into black holes?

Thanks to Metro's outstanding servie I was late to work 55 minutes.

This is exactly the reason why I would never EVER give up my car to be totally dependen on Meto for transportation.