Unsuck DC Metro: What's the Kindest Act you've Seen on Metro?

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

What's the Kindest Act you've Seen on Metro?

Metro seems to bring out the worst in a lot of people. One reader once commented that Metro is "thunderdome between the faregates." That's often true, so it's nice to hear stories like this.

From Lindsay:

The other morning on the Orange Line, I saw a blind woman standing in the middle of a car on a super packed train.

As we approached Foggy Bottom, where the morning Orange crush is most crowded, I noticed the woman begin to look as if she was going to get off the train there. I wondered how she was going to make it through the crowd.

When we pulled in, she wasn't making much progress through the crowd. I'm not sure if it was indifference by the people or that people didn't think there was any place to move, but when the doors opened, there was no way she was going to get out in time at the pace she was going.

Just then, this guy leapt out of one of the inside seats and in a stern voice, said "let the blind woman out of the train."

He then made his way up to her, asked her something and then began to politely but sternly clear the people out of the way as she held his arm.

They made it out, and he had just enough time to hop back on before the doors closed.

What's the kindest act you've seen on Metro?

Other items:
Metro's new alert system (WAMTA)
Va. can't block union labor on Dulles rail (Examiner)

Comments (28)

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+9 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 686 weeks ago

I saw one guy give another guy a tic-tac once. Sorry, that's all I've got.

+4 Vote up Vote down

@schrammalot · 686 weeks ago

Someone gave up their seat.... but that's about it. My ride is mostly filled with angry homeless people getting on at PG Plaza and bitching how we don't give them money or a job.

+3 Vote up Vote down

@Arthur_Adams · 686 weeks ago

Not quite as nice as yours, but a group of people helping to lift person in a wheelchair out of a train.

+48 Vote up Vote down

Giy incog · 686 weeks ago

I saw a Metro employee say "to hell with you" to a passenger instead of "f#ck you." It was heartwarming.

1 reply · active 685 weeks ago

-1 Vote up Vote down

WMATA'sGripOnEnglish · 685 weeks ago

I don't believe this because of the sentence structure.
"Go to hell" I'd believe.

+12 Vote up Vote down

RedLineRider · 686 weeks ago

on a read line train about a year or so ago, there was an elderly woman who spoke little-to-no english. it was clear she was lost and disoriented. she kept asking for help in (i believe) spanish, but none of us spoke the language and couldnt understand her -- our best efforts to help her were dashed by the language barrier.
thankfully, at kind young woman fluent in spanish got on the train at the next stop and not only spoke with the woman to figure out where she was going, but realizing the woman has missed her stop, the young lady got off the train with her and boarded a train back in the other direction to accompany her and ensure she got to where she was going.
now THATS something wonderful that i had never before seen on Metro.

+32 Vote up Vote down

MKE · 686 weeks ago

Two lesbians were being harassed by some kid who appeared to be about 19-20 years old (asking them how often they make out and other more inappropriate questions). They were visibly upset. The car was mostly empty, but a man (of imposing size) walked up and physically stood between the kid and the women, asked the ladies if they were alright and then remained standing there for the rest of his ride as a barrier from this @sshole.

2 replies · active 686 weeks ago

+41 Vote up Vote down

Roma · 686 weeks ago

Perhaps the kid was just flirting...not harassing. Ask Dan.

+13 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 686 weeks ago

It probably was Dan....

+16 Vote up Vote down

Good Samaritan · 686 weeks ago

Come on people! People are some times nice on Metro--you may just not see it. This is tooting my own horn, but it wouldn't have been witnessed by anyone other than the grateful person who I helped. But not trusting Metro's lost and found system (wisely), I took it upon myself to find a woman who I watched get off a train and leave her purse behind. There was no one else who saw what happened, so I grabbed the purse, bypassed telling Metro when I exited, and tried to hunt her down based on the contents of the purse (everything was in there-wallet, phone, work ID). It took an hour, but I was able to locate her (and her son) based on her IDs and cell phone inside to let them know I had it, intended to get it back to her, and all contents were safe/secure so she didn't have to go through the headache of calling every credit card company and cancelling or worrying about it. She took a taxi to me on borrowed money and she had it back in an hour or so. Made my week! Not all Metro riders are jackwads (just many or most), but random acts of kindness do happen.

1 reply · active 686 weeks ago

+4 Vote up Vote down

Daily Rider · 686 weeks ago

Good for you. Likewise, last week I spent some time tracking down the owner of a phone dropped beneath a bus stop bench. I recently carried bags for a WWII veteran out to his waiting relatives' car. I ask tourists if they need help finding their way. I ask wide-eyed kids to guess when we're "right under the big river." It's depressing, though, how grateful people are for these little courtesies. It shows how little friendliness people expect from one another.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 686 weeks ago

At L'Enfant Plaza last month, I saw a man in a wheel chair get the front wheels of the chair stuck between the train and the platform while trying to board. As the people closest to him (about 5 other riders) rushed over to free his chair so he could get on, two Metro Police officers were less than 15 feet away just watching. One was busy on her cell phone, the other was just gawking. I wasn't close enough to get to him in time, but those officers were and didn't bother to help or to acknowledge that anything had happened.

+7 Vote up Vote down

Metro Ryder · 686 weeks ago

I saw a guy in a boot cast get up out of the handicap seating for a guy on crutches. I think other people would have offered boot-cast guy a seat if they could see the cast. I only noticed the cast on the escalator leaving the station.

I'm also happy to report that though I don't see many random acts of kindness, I don't often see asshats either. My commute is happily quiet and non-eventful as far as passengers go. Metro itself is a whole other story.

+14 Vote up Vote down

jimlcunningham 80p · 686 weeks ago

THE BEST was on Obama's Inauguration Day. The trains were PACKED, yet each time the train stopped and the doors opened everyone tried as a team to let more people on, chanting, "Yes we can! Yes we can!" the whole time. I'll never forget that.

1 reply · active 685 weeks ago

-1 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 685 weeks ago

That would have made me puke! So glad I had time off and got out of town during that horrible weekend.

+16 Vote up Vote down

Daily Rider · 686 weeks ago

A few months back while sitting in the lead car of an Orange Line train between Ballston and EFC, I heard a panicked woman's voice on the intercom to the operator: "A customer's collapsed in our car. He's either had a stroke or a heart attack." The operator asked for the car number, said he'd radio ahead for paramedics. When the train pulled in to EFC, the operator sprinted the length of the platform to assist the customer, as did the station manager bounding up the escalator. Falls Church fire and rescue was on the scene and running into the station moments later. Very impressive.

1 reply · active 686 weeks ago

+19 Vote up Vote down

guest · 686 weeks ago

That's more a random act of competence.

+5 Vote up Vote down

DC Denizen · 686 weeks ago

My friend lost her wallet on Metro, only to have a woman call her to tell her that she'd found it (the woman got my friend's number off one of her business cards). My friend got her wallet back, contents intact!

In an interesting twist of fate, the same friend found a woman's purse on the Metro a few weeks later. She was able to get the purse back to the owner. What comes around really does go around.

-7 Vote up Vote down

dezlboy · 686 weeks ago

An act of kindness I'd like to see is the removal of the "go to hell Obama" ad at Clarendon station. Unsuck can you cover this. See arlnow.com

+2 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 686 weeks ago

From Silver Spring heading to SG, a guy who just gotten out of jail asked to borrow a kids cell phone to call his friend for a ride. Kid let him use it. If he hadn't, I would have.

1 reply · active 686 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Kevin · 686 weeks ago

I once did only to have the borrower run away and steal it. Never again.

I suppose a reasonable response would be to ask for the number and make the call yourself for someone.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Katie · 686 weeks ago

This kid in his late teens offered me his seat when there was standing room only on a Green Line train. It was a nice surprise because normally I'm used to being harassed and shoved on that train. He was genuinely nice and didn't try to use it as a ploy of some kind.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 686 weeks ago

Some of these stories give me hope that the backpack (full of electronics) my mom left on the metro yesterday afternoon may be returned to her... #agirlcandream.

+12 Vote up Vote down

No B.S. · 686 weeks ago

I tackled one of those SOB teenage rapscallions that made off with some dude's ipod. The little sh*t threatened to "sue me." I made sure to "fall" on his rib.

1 reply · active 686 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

jimlcunningham 80p · 686 weeks ago

Nice! You're a hero! Let us know how that lawsuit goes. ; )

+6 Vote up Vote down

Considerate · 686 weeks ago

Yes, tooting my own horn. A couple weeks back a young girl ran to get off a mostly empty metro car at Union Station just as the doors were about to close, dropping her purse on the floor in the process. My cat-like reflexes kicked in and I jumped out of my seat with enough time to do an "indiana jones"-style toss of the purse through the closing doors. The purse landed safely on the platform for the much appreciative young lady. (props to me?)

-2 Vote up Vote down

Jack · 685 weeks ago

I once found a wallet left on the train. Tracked down the owner and found out it was a teacher. Little concerned that there was a gay escort calling card in wallet. Mailed back wallet at my own expense.

-5 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 684 weeks ago

I gave up my seat once to an elderly women. Full Disclosure: I was traveling with a very cute co-worker for whom I had a crush & wanted to impress - but I think I would have given up my seat either way.