MUNI Drivers Are Rude to Anyone After All!
Editor's Note: Don't forget to attend the MUNI Town Hall tonight!
This morning I read an interesting missive in the SF Chronicle about Yet Another Rude MUNI Driver - only this time it was not you or I , the average MUNI rider - it seems now MUNI MUNI drivers are taking public time to use their PA system for partisan politics.
As reported, a MUNI driver decided to attack Supervisor Chris Daly for the "crime" of riding the F-Line, and singled him out for ridicule to the other passengers. Now, whatever one feels about Mr. Daly, the fact is he is as entitled to a rudeness-free ride as the rest of us.
Thus, a MUNI driver making rude, false statements, for the entire car to hear, was simply uncalled for. It's stupid, unprofessional, and wrong. It'd be stupid, unprofessional and wrong if the (well paid) MUNI driver did the same to any rider, be they Mayor Newsom, you, I or any other taxpayer/rider on the MUNI system. Is it too much to ask these folks to act like the professionals they claim to be? I guess so!
Supervisor Daly is lucky that he has the means to hold this bozo accountable. I just wish we as riders could get the same kind of service addressing rude, stupid, or incompetent MUNI employees as well. I don't think it's too much to ask well-paid public employees with large pensions to act in a civilized manner to all passengers, regardless of partisanship, race, sexual orientation, ZIP code, and the like.
I'm not holding my breath on this one though. Something tells me the some of the MUNI drivers these days don't really care anymore, because, well they really don't have to -and let's face it, it's not like the buses they have to drive are in the best of shape anymore.
This is too bad, because when you get great service from a pro operator, you realize how simple it is for people to act like a pro and everyone wins. Unfortunately the "bad apples" seem to be multiplying, as I hear similar stories from riders around the city every day.
Mr. Ford, are you listening? Unions, how about you? "Union labor" is supposed to mean the best quality workers with the highest standards. I use union businesses all the time and they seem to get it. Show us you're better than this, gang!
Comments
If this was a private sector employee, he or she would probably get fired if Daly complained.
Unfortunately, I have been experiencing a rash of this kind of in appropriate behavior lately.
When I flew couple of weeks ago, as I was checking my luggage the agent helping the man at the adjacent counter commented on the fact that he smelled like cigarette smoke. I think the comment was "someone just had a cigarette", accompanied by a wave of her hand. Although he did smell strongly like smoke, it seemed completely inappropriate to make such a comment about a customer.
Meanwhile, MY agent didn't hear my flight number correctly and said to me "I don't think we can help you, you've missed your flight!" I beg to differ, my flight doesn't leave for 2 hours. And if I had missed my flight, is this the kind of treatment I would receive as an elite status customer of this airline?
The last time I shopped at Trader Joe's, the checkout clerk commented that I bought "a lot." What is that supposed to mean? Whether I am feeding just me or a family of 8, her job is to scan my items, not comment on the quantity.
Small talk is fine, but commenting on a customer's appearance, purchases or whatever is in appropriate.
Posted by: Mike | November 1, 2006 05:39 PM