Facing the Disdain of a Philadelphia Bus Driver

Is a little courtesy on a city bus too much to ask for? It seems so…

I was heading across town in Philadelphia one day, and I decided to take the bus. I take the bus periodically, but I am in no way a “Philadelphia bus frequenter.” My lack of Philly bus savvy was about to cost me.

The bus arrived and I got on, token in hand, ready to feed it into the “token taker machine thingee” (that’s a technical term). However, the “token taker machine thingee” was covered with a plastic bag. I had never seen this before, so I was confused.

I hold the token out, look at the driver and say, “do I just give this to you?”

He gives me a look that is a combination of disdain and exasperation, and says, “no, it’s broke.”

Um, ok. Clearly it’s broke. You don’t normally cover machines that are working perfectly well with plastic bags. I was still given no clear indication of how I was supposed to pay for the services I was about to receive (my bus transport).

Still holding out my token, I say, “ok, so what do I do with this?”

He maintains his look of disdain and says, “nothing, it’s broke.”

Ok…I understand the thingee is not working. That factoid has been sufficiently established. I would just like some indication of my next step.

He repeats, “it’s broke.”

I stare at him for a moment completely baffled by this situation. Finally he gives one simple hand wave onto the bus (clearly, using more words than “it’s broke” would have been too much effort).

So it appears that when the “token taker machine thingee” is broken, passengers ride free – Yipee.

As I took my seat on the bus I heard a woman near the front joke with the driver about how absurd it was that I was trying to give him my token. The driver finally broke his Rain Mainesque pattern and did not in fact say, “it’s broke,” but rather laughed along.

I’m sorry, but having never been in that situation before, and living in a world where people pay for what they get, and living in a city that faced a major budget crisis, I didn’t realize that was how it worked. Dumbass.

In any case, the point isn’t whether I should have paid or not. The point is the sheer and utter lack of communication skills and politeness displayed. That kind of pissed me off.

Perhaps I’m insane for expecting someone to be nice on a Philadelphia city bus. But I don’t think so; I’ve had some perfectly lovely bus drivers, and for the most part they have been neutral at worst. This guy just sucked.

Here are four customer service lessons you can take away from this story:

If The Customer (Or Anyone You Are Communicating With) Doesn’t Understand You, Say Something Different

Repeating the same thing is just stupid. It’s like something out of a ridiculous Simpsons episode: “It’s broke.” “I see that, what do I do now?” “It’s broke.” “I see that, what do I do now?” “It’s broke.” “I see that, what do I do now?” Ad infinitum…

Saying the same non-working thing, or repeating the same non-working strategy, is just plain dumb.

A Little Politeness Is Not That Much To Ask For

Is it really that hard to simply smile and speak politely? No, no it is not, because I see people do it all the time. Say what you will about bad days and bad moods, but in my opinion, if you can’t muster up some simple courtesy it’s because on some level you have made the choice to just not care. If that works for you, fine, but good luck getting ahead in life.

You don’t have to be super positive all the time, but at worst, your attitude should be no lower than “neutral.”

Realize That What’s Familiar To You May Be New To Someone Else

Perhaps the “bag on the token taker machine thingee” is common place, and most people know what it means (of course if the “token taker machine thingee” is so frequently broken, that may explain Philly’s budget crisis – it’s the little things people…) But it wasn’t to me.

When you interact with customers, some of them may have ridiculous and annoying issues. But many of them will simply have issues that just seem annoying to you because you are so familiar with the situation that the solution seems obvious. Learn to distinguish between the two. Or better yet, just treat everyone well; then you don’t have to think about it.

Don’t Make Your Customer Feel Stupid

If I have to explain this point to you, then you are beyond hope. Stop reading my blog now.

In the end, I learned a valuable lesson about the city of Philadelphia’s transit system and about customer service, so it wasn’t a total loss. But next time I may very well just carry my own damn bag on the bus and when the driver looks at me I’ll put the bag over the “token taker machine thingee,” look at the driver, say “it’s broke,” and take my seat. That’ll learn ’em. That’ll learn ’em real good.

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By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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