Eden from Sweden makes a plea: save Steve! You remember Steve - the TriMet bus driver who helped the bus route 15 riders be a bit more cheery by saying jokes over the speaker.
Personally, I’m all for TriMet bus drivers cracking some jokes so it makes the ride a bit more happy, upbeat & enjoyable…
5 comments ↓
The problem is humor is of course subjective, overhead speakers are not easily blocked out by passengers, and not everyone can tune it out when they want to.
I appreciate what Steve has done and I witnessed it first hand. But I also can imagine a situation where he tells an offcolor joke that might really piss a lot of people off and what good would that do?
A better bet would for him to submit his jokes on paper (at his expense and time,) let people grab a sheet if they wish to read, and then people can make their own decision without being forcefully made to listen to it. Also, is his attention 100% on the road when he is telling a joke? My safety should never be compromised.
Because if he can use the loudspeaker, then you set a precedent where a MAX driver could start it up and you have 400+ passengers now listening.
Some of us LIKE silence. LIKE the rumble of the bus or train as it pulls us forward.
No to Steve, yes to his freedom of speech in another format.
Please stop the madness, TriMet. Let Steve be an individual. I mean, a little laughter is good for the soul, and even if all his jokes don’t hit just right for all people, they add something beautiful to the community.
Or maybe TriMet should ban all talking on board its buses and trains? I mean, come on. If I have to listen to everyone else’s cell phone conversations, let Steve offer us something better.
Please.
Bring the jokes back!
I’ve encountered a driver on another line who keeps up a running patter–describing the passing scenery and points-of-interest, “to your left you can see…”–as if he were an airline pilot. No I won’t tell which line! I hope he isn’t also told to be “more professional” i.e. less human.
The bus lines in question are almost always noisy–much of it generated by riders on their cellphones–due to heavy crowds (even at times other than rush hour).
If TriMet wants to do something constructive, they might add a few more runs to these lines, giving us more room to breathe. As a disabled rider I can attest that being on a crowded bus is physically exhausting, especially during those times when there are more Honored Citizen passengers than seats in the reserved section.
(MAX is another story. No one gives up their seats for seniors and the disabled, not on MAX. Except on the rare occasions when an authority figure is visible.)
If you want something akin to peace and quiet, your best solution is to get a pair of noise-canceling headphones and listen to something quiet and neutral such as meditation CDs, new-age or white-noise drones. (It can be tremendously helpful, especially for those who don’t like crowds. Others prefer to listen and/or talk with fellow riders.)
When a bus is crowded, it will never be quiet: not under any circumstances. Anyone expecting silence on a rush-hour bus stuck in downtown traffic has unrealistic expectations.
[…] reader Craig sent TriMet an email about the Steve situation. Here was TriMet’s response: “Dear […]
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