|
|||||||||||||
 Spring
2005Chicken Soup for the City It’s time to thank the thankless, appreciate the unappreciated, and praise the praise-starved. At a recent dinner with the girls, I began, as I usually do, discussing transportation, and more specifically buses and bus drivers. (I bet you wish you were a fly on the wall at these dinners; the conversation is so enticing!) I was singing the praises of my favorite group (more to follow), and inquired as to the girls’ opinions. Personally, I always say “Thank you” when getting off the bus, but, I wondered, should I go farther? Alison raved about bus drivers she encountered daily but admitted that she rarely said more than “Hello” or “Thank you”, Stacey pled ignorance, as she rarely rides the bus, and Erika was indifferent, not noticing good, bad, or otherwise. This last opinion further confirmed what I had already suspected—that our devoted transportation professionals were probably overlooked and under loved on a regular basis. Their disposition can set our entire day off on the right or wrong foot, they brave the rush-hour traffic so we don’t have to, yet how many of us ever give them more than a backwards glance or a hasty “Thank you”? I figured I’d better start by setting a good example myself, hence this column in praise of my own personal set of transit superstars, the Georgetown Metro Connection staff. At least 5 days a week, these faithful, friendly drivers ferry others and me to and from Rosslyn and Dupont Circle. Their demeanor is always cheerful, answering even the most transit-ignorant questions (and often unrelated ones like “Which stop is closest to Banana Republic?”) with a smile. Looking back (way back), I remember when I was a Connector novice (hard to believe, I know), wondering where to get on, how to pay, where to sit, etc., etc. My favorite driver (then only another face in the crowd) patiently walked me through the steps and even pointed out the different stops along the route in case I ever found occasion to be in Georgetown wanting to catch the bus. All in a day’s work or above and beyond? Certainly some amount of courtesy and knowledge of the routes is to be expected, even demanded, by some customers. But when it comes to shopping information, knowledge of other unrelated routes, and restaurant recommendations, aren’t our drivers providing extra invaluable services? And doesn’t providing these services with a smile, a laugh, and good-natured enthusiasm far exceed the price of admission? Running the risk of sounding preachy (or a little too Chicken Soup for the Soul), I would like to encourage each and every one of you to take a minute each day to say a hearty “I appreciate all you do” to your favorite bus driver, whether it be on Metrobus, ART, the Georgetown Metro Connection, or any other shuttle, small or large, operating in the Washington, D.C. region. After all, aren’t these people the reason your ride to work (or the mall or happy hour) is a smooth, carefree trip? Don’t they often play concierge and tour guide and teacher? And to all the drivers out there, for making our journeys, wherever the destinations, roads paved in gold, thank you! |
Copyright
2005 Arlington County Commuter Services | Privacy
Policy |