This morning I got a call which my caller ID identified as Broward County EOC which I believe is the Emergency Operations Center that deals with public emergencies and FEMA etc.
The call was pertaining to a complaint I made on October 31 to Broward County Transit!! Big questions: why is the EOC calling me about that? Second, she had absolutely no information about the complaint, so why did she call me in the first place? To issue platitudes to keep me happy?…as if that were possible on Broward County Transit. Third, really? It takes over a month to get called about an issue?? If Broward County Transit was privately owned, that would NEVER happen.
I told the young woman that I am waiting for replies on several different complaints to BCT, that I write a blog about this very subject, and that I would certainly be writing about this issue. As I couldn't access my information about complaints when she called, I asked her to give me her name, which she failed to do, and that she should call me back when she was informed about the complaint and what will be done about it. I shake my head even now wondering why she even bothered to call me. She took my contact information and said her supervisor…what, at EOC??…would call me back in nine or ten days. Of course, common sense forces me to wonder why she needed my information again; she called me and asked for me by name. How ridiculous are these people and these organizations? Taxpayers pay for this ineptitude. What a waste of money! How many ineffective calls do these people make each day? What problems are they part of solving? It's hard to imagine that they help solve any problems when they don't even know why they are calling.
I finally received a reply from Timothy Garling that answered none of my questions directly. It was all government-ese and frankly, I intend to compare what he wrote to what I actually asked him on this site. That's a bigger job than I have time for right now.
Until then, I remain
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Updates on Broward County Transit Response,
Here's a vague email I received recently from Dwann Jackson at Broward County Transit.
From: CService <cservice@broward.org>
To: '--------aol.com>
Subject: RE: Broward County Transit Comment
Good Afternoon. Thank you for contacting Broward County Transit. I apologize for the issues that you have encountered. I will forward your complaint to the appropriate office so they can address your issue. If you need further assistance you can contact our customer service department at 954-357-8400.
Dwann Jackson, Transit Operations Senior Agent
Customer Relations and Communications
Broward County Transit Division
1 North University Drive
Plantation, Fl. 33324
Office: 954-357-8400 Fax: 954-357-8446
Trip Planning: www.google.com/transit
Website: www.broward.org/bct
Hey, Dwann, which complaint?? Could this be more cookie-cutter? There's no mention of the nature of the complaint, what will be done, or to which department my complaint was sent. I'm guessing that's because he/she does not intend to do ANYTHING about ANYTHING and my complaint was sent to the circular file.
So, I tried to reach Dwann by telephone today; he did say in his email to call. I was actually transferred to Operations of which he is a Senior Agent, but the rude dude who answered said there is no one by that name in that department just before he pretended to transfer me but actually hung up on me. The second time I called the person who answered told me Dwann was out of the office and would "try" to transfer me to his voicemail. At least this guy thought he'd heard of Dwann. He was eventually successful at transferring the call..WooHoo! I left a message and am looking forward to the speediest of replies. Yeah, right...
I've also written to Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca regarding his lack of advocacy. Here's that email:
From: CService <cservice@broward.org>
To: '--------aol.com>
Subject: RE: Broward County Transit Comment
Good Afternoon. Thank you for contacting Broward County Transit. I apologize for the issues that you have encountered. I will forward your complaint to the appropriate office so they can address your issue. If you need further assistance you can contact our customer service department at 954-357-8400.
Dwann Jackson, Transit Operations Senior Agent
Customer Relations and Communications
Broward County Transit Division
1 North University Drive
Plantation, Fl. 33324
Office: 954-357-8400 Fax: 954-357-8446
Trip Planning: www.google.com/transit
Website: www.broward.org/bct
Hey, Dwann, which complaint?? Could this be more cookie-cutter? There's no mention of the nature of the complaint, what will be done, or to which department my complaint was sent. I'm guessing that's because he/she does not intend to do ANYTHING about ANYTHING and my complaint was sent to the circular file.
So, I tried to reach Dwann by telephone today; he did say in his email to call. I was actually transferred to Operations of which he is a Senior Agent, but the rude dude who answered said there is no one by that name in that department just before he pretended to transfer me but actually hung up on me. The second time I called the person who answered told me Dwann was out of the office and would "try" to transfer me to his voicemail. At least this guy thought he'd heard of Dwann. He was eventually successful at transferring the call..WooHoo! I left a message and am looking forward to the speediest of replies. Yeah, right...
I've also written to Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca regarding his lack of advocacy. Here's that email:
Commissioner,
What is the status of my response from Timothy Garling to my letter dated September 22? That was over two months ago!! What has your office done to get me the answers I requested from him? If you've done anything, why hasn't he responded? Is this level of disrespect for the Broward County Commission acceptable? Or is this just disrespect for the riders of Broward County Transit by both Broward County Transit and the office of Chip LaMarca?
Condemned to Broward County Transit
In addition, I resubmitted the original letter which was posted on this site in September It would nice to hear back from LaMarca or someone from his staff, but judging by what's been done or not done, I'm not too hopeful.
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Friday, November 15, 2013
Broward County Transit's Thorough Disregard for Schedules
Yesterday, I had a meeting which required me to take the incredibly horrible route 10. I left early to make sure that connections were not an issue and that I might have a chance to arrive at the meeting without being furious or stressed from having to deal with Broward County Buses. The 10 bus was due at the stop at 1:47. At 1:57 customer "service," after telling me the north bound 10 bus was across the street…ya know…heading south …(duh!)" hung up on me while trying to locate the north bound bus. I spotted the replacement driver and asked what she knew. She said, "The bus is only 10 minutes late." ONLY??? REALLY??? What blatant disregard for getting people where they need to be WHEN they need to be there!
The attitude with regard to the respect for riders' schedules is appalling and is a strong part of the culture at Broward County Transit which is under the supervision of the Broward County Commission which is apparently helpless to get control over the behemoth beast that is Broward County Transit. (To give the replacement driver credit, she did make up time on the route.)
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
The attitude with regard to the respect for riders' schedules is appalling and is a strong part of the culture at Broward County Transit which is under the supervision of the Broward County Commission which is apparently helpless to get control over the behemoth beast that is Broward County Transit. (To give the replacement driver credit, she did make up time on the route.)
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Bus 55 Unhelpful Driver
A Broward County Transit driver has again demonstrated Broward County Transit's dedication to good "service". A war vet and firefighter of 29 years tried to ask the driver of the departing 12:35 55 bus at NE 41st a simple question, but the driver refused even to acknowledge him. Nice!
I will grant that the man was loud and a bit repetitive, but a "service" organization should be all about providing "service". Drivers of Broward County Transit should have an adequate knowledge of routes and connections to provide all riders and potential riders with the information they require. However, that's not really the point; the driver wouldn't even ACKNOWLEDGE the gentleman. Was he deaf? If so, are deaf people allowed to drive public buses? I suspect he was just an arrogant, SOB who couldn't be bothered.
Drivers are the on-the-ground representatives of Broward County Transit, but many of them act like they're doing the riders a favor just for showing up. I guess the culture at Broward County Transit is less about "A job worth doing is worth doing well" and more about, "Hey, I'm just here for a paycheck so leave me alone."
Drivers are the on-the-ground representatives of Broward County Transit, but many of them act like they're doing the riders a favor just for showing up. I guess the culture at Broward County Transit is less about "A job worth doing is worth doing well" and more about, "Hey, I'm just here for a paycheck so leave me alone."
Well, any year now, I may actually hear back from Timmy or Chip with some answers, but I'm not putting any money on it.
I remain,
Condemned to Broward Transit.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Broward County Transit's Bus 55
This morning I needed to catch the normally reliable 55 bus in order to make a connection. The bus was late and nowhere in sight. When the 11 pulled up, I made the scary decision to take the 11 and hoped I would get my connection on that route and at the right time. It was a good decision. On the way two people at the back of the bus were going back and forth about how unreliable the 55 has been. The man stated that he was stuck waiting for his bus for over an hour and a half. The woman said she was at her stop for the 5:25 the previous evening, but a bus didn't arrive until 6:40.
The man went on to say that he's going to have to get up at 4;00am just to get to his job on time. The woman said that she had worked two shifts yesterday and just wanted to get home. She suggested that Broward County Transit was changing drivers on the routes.
Why would that be a problem? Is this the first time drivers have changed routes? Is there no procedure in place to assure buses will be on time to get people to and from work or school even with different drivers???!!
This is not the first year this "service" has been in operation. How are these routine changes able to bring so much pain to the people it supposedly "serves"??? It's disgusting.
Broward County Transit and everyone who works in any sort of management position should be shamefaced when discussing this "service" or even admitting that they work there.
Also, where's the "advocacy" of Chip LaMarca?? So far, I'm not seeing it as I have not heard from him nor his office staff, AND I still have not received a response from Timothy Garling regarding my letters that I sent to him well over a month ago.
Until next time, I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
This is not the first year this "service" has been in operation. How are these routine changes able to bring so much pain to the people it supposedly "serves"??? It's disgusting.
Broward County Transit and everyone who works in any sort of management position should be shamefaced when discussing this "service" or even admitting that they work there.
Also, where's the "advocacy" of Chip LaMarca?? So far, I'm not seeing it as I have not heard from him nor his office staff, AND I still have not received a response from Timothy Garling regarding my letters that I sent to him well over a month ago.
Until next time, I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Friday, November 1, 2013
The Poorly Run Broward County Transit
Yesterday, I got to Bayview and Sunrise at 2:45 which left plenty of time before the 2:58 was due to arrive. In fact, that bus never arrived. It turns out that someone on that bus relieved him/herself inside the bus. That's not Broward County Transit's fault. Patiently I waited for the 3:18 which never showed up which is the fault of Broward County Transit and its lack of sufficient contingency planning. The 3:31 arrived at 3:35. I filed a complaint with a call-back request for the driver of the 3:18, but the complaint I wanted to file for the supervisor of operations had to be done online. Why? Anyway, I filed the complaint online and wondered if I would ever get a reply. I did. They sent me my complaint with no response…just my original complaint. Amazon, Apple, and every other venue that has a comment section sends a confirmation of an order, comment, or complaint. Not Broward County Transit, they send you your original complaint. What is that?? Here's what they sent me:
A lot of issues do fall at the feet of Broward County Transit's operations…even this pathetic "response." Why wasn't there a contingency plan in place to get people picked up? Someone peeing on a bus is not an anomaly. Why is nothing in place when problems arise? Why do the consumers of this "service" have to bear the brunt of common issues? I was late for an appointment as a result of the failure of operations at Broward County Transit.
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit.
-----Original Message-----
From: DoNotReply <DoNotReply@broward.org>
Sent: Thu, Oct 31, 2013 4:27 pm
Subject: Broward County Transit Commen
I want to file a complaint against the Department of Operations. When there is an issue on the routes, there are no contingency plans in place to make sure people get to where they need to be. I want to be contacted about this situation!
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
New Missive from Chip LaMarca Regarding Broward County Transit
Regarding a follow up email I sent to him, Commissioner LaMarca sent me this:
Thank you for contacting me on this important transit issue. I am working with my district director, (name deleted) to get some answers to your questions and find solutions to your concerns.
Best regards,
Chip LaMarca
Broward County Commissioner
115 South Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
T: 954.357.7004 | F: 954.357.7798
So I responded:
With all due respect, perhaps you should compel Mr. Garling to respond to my letters. I've received nothing from him. On a separate matter, Supervisor of Operations, "Frank's" voicemail promised me a phone response to my iPhone concern, but I haven't heard from him either. None of that would be acceptable in a privately owned operation. Why is it accepted from a taxpayer-funded organization?
I'll post any new information.
I'll post any new information.
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Still Waiting for Responses from Broward County Transit and Chip LaMarca
So the days just keep passing without any responses from Broward County Transit, and even though I heard from Chip LaMarca initially, I haven't heard back since he claimed ignorance of the letters I sent to his office through the US Mail.
Both Garling's and "Frank's" galling lack of response to my messages continue to make Garling's quote to the Broward County Commission even more laughable.
“...but the strength of Broward County Transit has been and
always will be its employees. We are all here to get you
there.” T. Garling
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
PS I'm wondering how Broward County Transit intends to deal with the increased traffic that will take place on A1A during the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. I don't see any alerts or extended "service" on their site. They never plan ahead; why would this be different?
Both Garling's and "Frank's" galling lack of response to my messages continue to make Garling's quote to the Broward County Commission even more laughable.
“...but the strength of Broward County Transit has been and
always will be its employees. We are all here to get you
there.” T. Garling
I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
PS I'm wondering how Broward County Transit intends to deal with the increased traffic that will take place on A1A during the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. I don't see any alerts or extended "service" on their site. They never plan ahead; why would this be different?
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Broward County Transit's Supervisor of Operations (Frank)
Yesterday I called yet again regarding the iPhone service on the Maps and Schedules page. I asked the "service" rep to transfer me to the IT department, and she told me she couldn't do that. Why? She couldn't help with the problem.
I told her I've been fighting this problem for several weeks on many different levels and through various venues. I told her that although "Freddie" from IT can access the bus schedules at the Broward County Transit offices, those of us waiting for buses can't and that he was unwilling to address the problem. She then put me on hold and transferred me to a guy named Frank, Supervisor of Operations at Broward County Transit. I got his voice mail and was promised a call back. (I didn't catch his last name because it went so quickly.) I left my number several times, so I'm expecting a call back within 24 hours as most service industries demand of their employees. I'll keep you posted.
For now I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
I told her I've been fighting this problem for several weeks on many different levels and through various venues. I told her that although "Freddie" from IT can access the bus schedules at the Broward County Transit offices, those of us waiting for buses can't and that he was unwilling to address the problem. She then put me on hold and transferred me to a guy named Frank, Supervisor of Operations at Broward County Transit. I got his voice mail and was promised a call back. (I didn't catch his last name because it went so quickly.) I left my number several times, so I'm expecting a call back within 24 hours as most service industries demand of their employees. I'll keep you posted.
For now I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Monday, October 28, 2013
Still Waiting for a Response from Broward County Transit's Tim Garling
It is Day 20 in the wait for a response from Timothy Garling at Broward County Transit. I sent the following email earlier today to Commissioner Chip LaMarca:
October 28, 2013
Commissioner:
I found the following quote in the online version of the Sun-Sentinel:
Chip LaMarca is a lifelong resident of Broward’s Fourth District
who has earned a reputation for being a citizen’s advocate and a
respected voice for the taxpayers that he is honored to represent.
Because I have heard back from neither you nor Mr. Garling regarding my two letters asking for answers to legitimate questions, this quote is just not ringing true.
At what point will I receive some advocacy? Is it acceptable that twenty days have elapsed since I sent my first letter with no response? I haven’t even received a “we’re looking into your issues...” response. Nothing.
If you are the “advocate” you are being portrayed as being, please let me know what actions you are taking to ensure that Mr. Garling responds to my questions. He is at least accountable to the Broward County Commission, right?
He sent me the following response soon after:
I appreciate your email, but this is the first email that I have received and this is the first of the issue that I am aware of. Please resend your email or letter to our office of call us at 954.357.7004. I am more than willing to assist, but I will need you to fill me in on the issue.
Best regards,
Chip LaMarca
Broward County Commissioner
115 South Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
October 28, 2013
Commissioner:
I found the following quote in the online version of the Sun-Sentinel:
Chip LaMarca is a lifelong resident of Broward’s Fourth District
who has earned a reputation for being a citizen’s advocate and a
respected voice for the taxpayers that he is honored to represent.
Because I have heard back from neither you nor Mr. Garling regarding my two letters asking for answers to legitimate questions, this quote is just not ringing true.
At what point will I receive some advocacy? Is it acceptable that twenty days have elapsed since I sent my first letter with no response? I haven’t even received a “we’re looking into your issues...” response. Nothing.
If you are the “advocate” you are being portrayed as being, please let me know what actions you are taking to ensure that Mr. Garling responds to my questions. He is at least accountable to the Broward County Commission, right?
He sent me the following response soon after:
I appreciate your email, but this is the first email that I have received and this is the first of the issue that I am aware of. Please resend your email or letter to our office of call us at 954.357.7004. I am more than willing to assist, but I will need you to fill me in on the issue.
Best regards,
Chip LaMarca
Broward County Commissioner
115 South Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
My response:
Commissioner,
I sent both letters through the US Mail to your downtown office as listed on your website. I am attaching both to this email. In addition, both letters are on my blog which I linked to my email earlier today.
Also, you are not authorized to disclose my email address to Timothy Garling or anyone else at Broward County Transit.
I guess it remains to be seen whether or not I receive some advocacy.
Until there's more, I remain…
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Commissioner,
I sent both letters through the US Mail to your downtown office as listed on your website. I am attaching both to this email. In addition, both letters are on my blog which I linked to my email earlier today.
Also, you are not authorized to disclose my email address to Timothy Garling or anyone else at Broward County Transit.
I guess it remains to be seen whether or not I receive some advocacy.
Until there's more, I remain…
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Thursday, October 24, 2013
iPhone FAIL and Broward County Transit
First of all, it is October 24, and I am still waiting for Timothy Garling's response to my letter sent to him on October 8th. So this is Day 16 of the Garling Watch. (This is a great example of the saying about feces flowing down.)
No one I know with an iPhone can scroll down to the bottom of the bus schedule page. I asked people with different versions, 4, 5c, 3, 4s, 5s to attempt to access the bottom of the schedule. Everyone can access down to the 11, but everything after that is inaccessible. How does this help riders?? I need to know schedules for buses such as the 36, 72, and 83. Now what? This is ridiculous!!
While I'm thrilled that "Freddie", sitting in the Broward County Transit offices, can access the schedule, I will be calling and filing a complaint from every stop I need information about but can't access online from the stop. To call Broward County Transit a "service" is a bad joke.
If you are having this problem, please post a comment below. I'll include the stats in my next letter to the oh-so-responsive Timothy Garling....or maybe my next letter will be copied to the Sun-Sentinel. The riders of Broward County Transit need some attention!!!
Sadly, I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
No one I know with an iPhone can scroll down to the bottom of the bus schedule page. I asked people with different versions, 4, 5c, 3, 4s, 5s to attempt to access the bottom of the schedule. Everyone can access down to the 11, but everything after that is inaccessible. How does this help riders?? I need to know schedules for buses such as the 36, 72, and 83. Now what? This is ridiculous!!
While I'm thrilled that "Freddie", sitting in the Broward County Transit offices, can access the schedule, I will be calling and filing a complaint from every stop I need information about but can't access online from the stop. To call Broward County Transit a "service" is a bad joke.
If you are having this problem, please post a comment below. I'll include the stats in my next letter to the oh-so-responsive Timothy Garling....or maybe my next letter will be copied to the Sun-Sentinel. The riders of Broward County Transit need some attention!!!
Sadly, I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Broward County Transit and iPhone Users and Another Missive to Tim Garling
So after several weeks trying to figure out why I can't scroll down to the specific bus routes and schedules I need, I called Broward County Transit and spoke with "Tina" and asked to speak with someone at IT. Of course, I never once believed I would be transferred to IT, but a gal can try, right? On both occasions, "Tina" the customer "service" operator asked what the problem was, put me on hold, came back on and said the problem is just with my phone. The second time I called was after I had been to the Apple Store where employees could not scroll down on their phones either. I guess that the only place this works, as if anything actually does work at Broward County Transit, is at their HQ. How convenient for them but without a care for the riders. Nothing new there. So, here's the letter I'm sending to Tim Garling, from whom I still haven't heard regarding my first letter sent to him on October 8. Again, what else is new? If you've been having trouble with getting schedules, call Broward County Transit and complain, or write to Tim Garling. Here's the new missive:
Mr. Timothy Garling
Transit Director
Broward County Transit
1 N. University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324
October 22, 2013
Mr. Garling:
I sent my last correspondence to you on October 8th and haven’t yet heard from you. If you “lost” it, please feel free to reference it at condemnedtobrowardcountytransit.blogspot.com. I posted it two days after I sent it, so you’d have a chance to read it before it was posted.
I have something else I’d like answered. For several weeks, I have been unable to scroll down on your site in order to see when buses could possibly be expected. On my iPhone, however, I can’t scroll down to the buses I need. So this morning I called in and spoke with “Tina” and asked to speak with someone in IT. Well, we all know that wasn’t going to happen, but she said that “Freddie” (sp) ...no last name available, says it works. Really? I was at the Apple Store today where multiple people tried it on all varieties of iPhones and NO ONE could scroll down to get information on routes like 36 or 72. How do you account for that???
Still waiting to hear from you,
cc. Chip LaMarca - Broward County Commission
condemnedtobrowardcountytransit.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Broward County Transit - Letter to Tim Garling BCT Transit Director
Below is the letter I sent to Tim Garling at Broward County Transit. In looking at it, I realize I asked for the name of the supervisor of Customer "service" two different times. It was a mistake, but maybe it's because customer "service" typically infuriates me. Also, I kind of wish I'd mentioned that I have been called back maybe two or three times about issues, but that is an infinitesimal number compared to how many complaints I've filed for a call back. I'll let you know when or IF I receive a reply. I'm thinking about distributing this letter on some of the bus routes. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.
So for now,I remain,
Condemned to Broward County Transit
Mr. Timothy Garling
Transit Director
Broward County Transit
1 N. University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324
October 8, 2013
Mr. Garling:
I am a frequent rider of Broward County Transit. I am educated yet disabled. Because of my issue, I am condemned to use Broward County Transit, and am extremely unhappy with the “service” from top to bottom. The last time I contacted you, I was pawned off to (name removed), and when I tried to reach him on the number he gave me, I was told he does not work for Broward County Transit. This time I want to hear from you in writing.
- If we have two traffic seasons here in Broward County, how do you suppose buses that can’t meet the schedules routinely during slow season can possibly meet their schedules during “the” season??? What will you do about this? See my blog post at condemnedtobrowardcountytransit@blogspot.com dated September 17, 2012.
- The 2010 COA Study highlighted specific problems. Two of the most outstanding to me were the fact that over 70% of the ridership is looking to get to work and school. The other was that 43% of bus trips are not on time. What is being done about this right now??? People get fired for being late. Are you aware of this?? Please see my blog post dated November 23, 2012.
- Why is it so difficult to get names of employees of BCT? You are a publicly owned facility, but when I ask for names so I can address my complaints appropriately, I’m dealt with rudely which makes this quote of yours laughable: “...but the strength of Broward County Transit has been and always will be its employees. We are all here to get you there.” What a joke!! Your employees are often arrogant, hostile, and they lie routinely. These people represent your “service” See my blog dated October 3, 2012.
- Who is in charge of scheduling? What is the name of the person(s) in charge of customer “service”? Why can’t I get transferred to these people’s extensions? BCT is not part of national security; why all the secrecy? Just so you know, I once asked for you by name, and the customer “service” person said no one by that name works at BCT. How do you account for that?
- Why don’t I get called back as promised by customer “service” when I file a complaint? Are my complaints typed in or written down ... then promptly placed in the trash...? If you say no, how would you know? Why don’t you have an electronic means of filing complaints where there might have to be some compliance?
- Recently the yellow line rule went into effect. Why weren’t the schedules adjusted to allow for all of the riders, even some who ride everyday, paying for their four dollar bus pass with nickels and dimes??? This tells me that no one at BCT actually rides the buses. This decision was clearly made to protect the county from their own drivers who don’t have the appropriate judgement skills, but the riders were never considered.
- Why is driver training taking place during traditional commutation hours (6-9am)? To follow up with that, last week the “trainer” was oblivious to the schedule and had no idea they were fifteen minutes late. See my blog post dated September 19, 2013.
- I attended the meeting at the community center by A1A and saw where you are intending to use more of those absolutely ridiculously small bus shelters. Why??? Those things are a joke. Take a bus on a rainy day; wait in one of those useless things, and try to arrive to your job looking professional. I can’t. You told the county commission, “New customer comforts and conveniences are on the horizon. A $23 million construction program calls for an additional 680 new bus shelters by 2014, bringing the total to 1,177 countywide.” Get our taxpayer money back and cancel all future orders. These things are awful.What are you going to do about this? Where is the comfort? Where is the convenience?
- Where’s the accountability? To whom do the drivers report? To whom do the customer “service” representatives report? How can they be contacted?
- At the end of your “Green” YouTube video you said we should join you on the bus. Do you rely on the buses to get you where you are expected to be? If not, why not? I suggest that everyone at BCT and the county commissioners be required to depend solely on the buses for one consecutive week each year especially when making decisions about our ‘comfort’ and ‘convenience’.
I look forward to receiving your answers to these questions.
Chip LaMarca - Broward County Commissioner
Thursday, September 19, 2013
I haven't been taking Broward County Transit routinely for a while. Recently, though, I found that I had to go into my office. True to form, Broward County Transit delivered the usual poor service. Much of which leads me to ask why Broward County Transit has no discernible contingency plan for when things go wrong.
Several weeks ago, the Oakland Park Blvd. drawbridge got stuck in the up position. The bus I was on was sitting before the turn to go under the bridge in order to go back where the bus could have gone up Bayview and over to A1A over the Commercial Blvd. bridge. The driver called his supervisor who told him to wait. When I suggested going under the bridge, he called the supervisor back who again told him to wait where he was. Why? Very close to an hour later, the supervisor came in his little supervisor car, talked to the police officer for less than a minute, came back to tell the driver....guess what?!?...go under the bridge to go back the other way!!! REALLLY??????? As a person who is condemned to Broward County Transit, how much of a day is it necessary to donate to their inefficiency, lack of forethought, and lack of contingency plans. Why aren't there contingency plans? I think back to the nonsense that was going on after Tropical Storm Sandy. There was no plan in place for getting commuters to work which should be a priority in this economic time. Why not have extra buses to go out during business rush hours? Or maybe starting the routes earlier to assure people got to work or school on time? No. There was nothing done to accommodate the riders trying to be on time to work or school. There was a detoured route, but that seemed to add time to the route without any compensation in the schedule. For up to six weeks, buses were extremely late, and employers were extremely impatient with these issues. Broward County Transit is deficient, defective, and ineffectual.
Last week, another lack of contingency issue took place. Apparently, an 83 bus was stuck on Copans Road/Royal Palm. So the bus I needed to get to work never showed up and I was with three other people who also needed to get to work. Two "Not in Service" buses went by us, but neither stopped to get us out of the situation their organization put us in. A third "Not in Service" bus pulled up to drop off people who were stranded on the stuck bus, but he would NOT take us to where we needed to be, which was en route to our workplaces. WHY NOT?????? Empty buses were driving around but weren't getting stranded riders to work! Appalling. When I called "customer service" they told me that the next bus would be there at it's scheduled time. No accommodations were offered, nothing done to right a wrong...just the usual "too bad for you" attitude. I filed a complaint...still waiting to hear from someone. The next bus that was due arrived fifteen minutes after the time it was supposed to have left from our location. Thanks for the "service." Almost an hour late to work. People get fired for things like that.
This morning was a prize! My 7:55am bus where I'd connect to the 8:30am 83 Bus was fifteen minutes late. When I stepped on, I asked the driver what my chances were of actually making that all important connection? He said, "Ask the trainer." Brilliant move, Broward County Transit; train drivers during prime commuting time. So I sat right across from the trainer and this was our conversation:
Me: What are my chances of making my 8:30 connection at Copans?
Trainer: Good.
Me: Really? This bus is running 15 minutes late!
Trainer : No, we're not that late.
Me: This bus was due to my stop at 7:55, and it's 8:10.
Trainer: What time is the connection again?
Me: 8:30 (He knows nothing about this route)
(After checking some of his stuff...)
Trainer: Well, you can always get the 48.
Me: It's not the 48; it's the 42 and since we're nowhere near it, that will also be gone by the
time we get there.
Trainer: Really?
Me: Do you or anyone at Broward County Transit realize that people need to get to work on
time and that people get fired for routinely being late? Do you realize this or care?
Trainer: We care.
Me: No you don't.
Trainer: Maybe we can get you to where you can run down Copans to catch the 83.
I'm thinking, "Yeah, that's what I should do- run down Copans road to make up for Broward
County Transit's failures."
(Meanwhile, the driver made two stops that were in error. The first one, he stopped to let someone off in front of a thick hedge that could not be negotiated and had to wait to get back into traffic to get to a place where the woman could actually exit the bus, and then he stopped when no one requested a stop and no one boarded the bus. Two waste's of time for a bus running 15 minutes late.
Me: Why don't you take over and drive? Maybe we can make up some time?
Trainer: No. He's doing a fine job.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
At some point he went on to say that driving buses is like being a cop; you only hear about the bad ones. I promise, when I experience a good bus driver, I'll write about it. Don't hold your breath, though; they are few and far between.
So, the trainer is oblivious to schedules; to me that doesn't bode well for the "trained." It looks like the idiocracy, which is my new word...sort of like an autocracy only with idiots, at Broward County Transit will continue with its new recruits. Hey, what are the standards for recruits, anyway?
I leave you now,
Still Condemned to Broward County Transit
Several weeks ago, the Oakland Park Blvd. drawbridge got stuck in the up position. The bus I was on was sitting before the turn to go under the bridge in order to go back where the bus could have gone up Bayview and over to A1A over the Commercial Blvd. bridge. The driver called his supervisor who told him to wait. When I suggested going under the bridge, he called the supervisor back who again told him to wait where he was. Why? Very close to an hour later, the supervisor came in his little supervisor car, talked to the police officer for less than a minute, came back to tell the driver....guess what?!?...go under the bridge to go back the other way!!! REALLLY??????? As a person who is condemned to Broward County Transit, how much of a day is it necessary to donate to their inefficiency, lack of forethought, and lack of contingency plans. Why aren't there contingency plans? I think back to the nonsense that was going on after Tropical Storm Sandy. There was no plan in place for getting commuters to work which should be a priority in this economic time. Why not have extra buses to go out during business rush hours? Or maybe starting the routes earlier to assure people got to work or school on time? No. There was nothing done to accommodate the riders trying to be on time to work or school. There was a detoured route, but that seemed to add time to the route without any compensation in the schedule. For up to six weeks, buses were extremely late, and employers were extremely impatient with these issues. Broward County Transit is deficient, defective, and ineffectual.
Last week, another lack of contingency issue took place. Apparently, an 83 bus was stuck on Copans Road/Royal Palm. So the bus I needed to get to work never showed up and I was with three other people who also needed to get to work. Two "Not in Service" buses went by us, but neither stopped to get us out of the situation their organization put us in. A third "Not in Service" bus pulled up to drop off people who were stranded on the stuck bus, but he would NOT take us to where we needed to be, which was en route to our workplaces. WHY NOT?????? Empty buses were driving around but weren't getting stranded riders to work! Appalling. When I called "customer service" they told me that the next bus would be there at it's scheduled time. No accommodations were offered, nothing done to right a wrong...just the usual "too bad for you" attitude. I filed a complaint...still waiting to hear from someone. The next bus that was due arrived fifteen minutes after the time it was supposed to have left from our location. Thanks for the "service." Almost an hour late to work. People get fired for things like that.
This morning was a prize! My 7:55am bus where I'd connect to the 8:30am 83 Bus was fifteen minutes late. When I stepped on, I asked the driver what my chances were of actually making that all important connection? He said, "Ask the trainer." Brilliant move, Broward County Transit; train drivers during prime commuting time. So I sat right across from the trainer and this was our conversation:
Me: What are my chances of making my 8:30 connection at Copans?
Trainer: Good.
Me: Really? This bus is running 15 minutes late!
Trainer : No, we're not that late.
Me: This bus was due to my stop at 7:55, and it's 8:10.
Trainer: What time is the connection again?
Me: 8:30 (He knows nothing about this route)
(After checking some of his stuff...)
Trainer: Well, you can always get the 48.
Me: It's not the 48; it's the 42 and since we're nowhere near it, that will also be gone by the
time we get there.
Trainer: Really?
Me: Do you or anyone at Broward County Transit realize that people need to get to work on
time and that people get fired for routinely being late? Do you realize this or care?
Trainer: We care.
Me: No you don't.
Trainer: Maybe we can get you to where you can run down Copans to catch the 83.
I'm thinking, "Yeah, that's what I should do- run down Copans road to make up for Broward
County Transit's failures."
(Meanwhile, the driver made two stops that were in error. The first one, he stopped to let someone off in front of a thick hedge that could not be negotiated and had to wait to get back into traffic to get to a place where the woman could actually exit the bus, and then he stopped when no one requested a stop and no one boarded the bus. Two waste's of time for a bus running 15 minutes late.
Me: Why don't you take over and drive? Maybe we can make up some time?
Trainer: No. He's doing a fine job.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
At some point he went on to say that driving buses is like being a cop; you only hear about the bad ones. I promise, when I experience a good bus driver, I'll write about it. Don't hold your breath, though; they are few and far between.
So, the trainer is oblivious to schedules; to me that doesn't bode well for the "trained." It looks like the idiocracy, which is my new word...sort of like an autocracy only with idiots, at Broward County Transit will continue with its new recruits. Hey, what are the standards for recruits, anyway?
I leave you now,
Still Condemned to Broward County Transit
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