Comments on: Metro bus and their incompetencies

By: DCMovieGirl

DCMovieGirl — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:06:37 +0000

@Lizzo,

No, it doesn’t. The poster does take responsibility in what she didn’t do.

Nonetheless, the only element we ultimately have control over is ourselves.

The world would be a better place if more of us realized this.

By: Velvet

Velvet — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:20:18 +0000

Yikes guys. I’m not sure what she was supposed to do. If she was trained as a nurse or doctor and sat there, fine, then run her through the ringer. But she’s not. She said she figured that the bus driver would be a little more in charge and he/she wasn’t, and that’s the source of her concern.

If anyone, bus driver included, started administering CPR or other medical tricks on someone without the proper training, guess what happens if that person dies? Lawwwwwsuit. And in this litigious town? Fuck that. I’ll call 911.

I lived in Atlanta near a house what was used by squatters and the homeless. I knew of several men living there, and one day one of them croaked while climbing the stairs to the front door. I didn’t get out of my car. I didn’t try to ask him if he was alive. I called 911. That’s all you can do. Get off her back.

By: Lizzo!

Lizzo! — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:31:06 +0000

@DCMovieGirl:

Just because someone freezes in a situation does not mean she does not have the right to re-evaluate the situation and where a system that is being revealed as fundamentally flawed could be amended or fixed.

By: DCMovieGirl

DCMovieGirl — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:13:20 +0000

I’m right there with “Oh, please”.

Don’t blame the other person if you DID NOTHING.

By: WMATA responds…ish « The True Tales of a Caffeine Addict

WMATA responds…ish « The True Tales of a Caffeine Addict — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:56:33 +0000

[...] January 7, 2008 · No Comments So as we planned, boyfriend and I both got in touch with WMATA this morning to comment about our experiences Saturday night that I wrote about here. [...]

By: Arjewtino

Arjewtino — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:50:57 +0000

I read your excerpt in the Express this morning and wondered why you thought the bus driver “should” do something? I understand your reluctance to do anything (Social Psychology 101) and I don’t blame you since I wasn’t there. But don’t expect the bus driver to act on your behalf because he’s wearing a uniform. Do you know if they are trained for this? Do you know if WMATA has give them instructions on this? I don’t know myself, but i didn’t write the post. You should try to find that out first.

I’m not saying this as a put-down, just as a way of making people think rather than blaming someone else for their inaction.

By: Velvet

Velvet — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:30:23 +0000

I’m not sure why you (or anyone) would defer to the bus driver to direct you in any sort of crisis. I thought & hoped people this learned during Sept 11th. Remember how the $9/hour security guards in Tower 2 told people after the first plane hit Tower 1 that it was okay and they should go back to their desks? Well, that directive resulted in many people losing their lives for trusting a person in a “position of authority.” Just because someone is in a seeming position of authority, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are. This bus driver included.

You learned a good lesson here. Never ever defer your safety or good judgment to anyone else – bus driver, security guard, even cop. It’s up to you to make your own decisions about those things. Someone called the cops and EMT for this guy, that’s the best you could have done. Now, remember that if it happens again, except this time it’s your boyfriend who passes out cold – don’t take anything a bus driver says as gospel. Make your own decisions on what’s best.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:24:24 +0000

Did you take the time to fill out the form at http://www.wmata.com/riding/ridercomment.cfm ?

Don’t laugh — I complain when something big happens and they have always been very responsive. WMATA isn’t going to know that this driver asked “what do you think i should do” unless you tell them. This is a big issue and although the driver ultimatley did the right thing by calling EMS, his initial steps should have been quicker and not put the passengers in that position.

By: oh, please

oh, please — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:14:29 +0000

I love these “I didn’t do anything, but shame on that other person” posts.

After reading the first 6 paragraphs, I wasn’t expecting the 7th to start with “Boyfriend and I sulked off the bus,” but maybe I should have.

You’re featured in the express this morning for this post (p. 28).

By: TheGreenMiles

TheGreenMiles — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:35:16 +0000

I don’t really think of bus drivers as People of Action. I think of them as people who’ve accepted a really boring job in exchange for good benefits, not having to sit behind a desk, and probably never getting fired. You really expect them to be first responders in a crisis situation?