Thank you!

Posted by Christian in TriMet on Aug 11th, 2009 | 8 comments

Dear Trimet and the Powers That Be–

This is Mrs. Trimetiquette speaking.  Officially.  I’ve been behind the scenes mostly, calmly and unconditionally supporting my husband in his quest for decency, courtesy, and common sense when it comes to public transportation here in Portland.  But I’ve had enough of Christian taking all my ideas and posting them as “new” blog posts.  It’s my turn.  And I would like to personally, publicly, and officially thank you, Trimet, for finally stepping up to the plate and enforcing your very own rules.  I ride Max two days a week to and from work, and I don’t remember the last time my fare WASN’T checked.  Like clockwork.  You all are out there, sporting your crisp navy blue and white uniforms, checking fare DAILY.  Now, before, a fare inspector was a rare sight.  So rare that I used to have panic attacks when I saw one of you because I was afraid the ink on my newly stamped All-Zone ticket has smeared from holding it firmly between my anxious and sweaty fingers.  Or I would have day-mares that I would mix up my current pass with one from the week before that I had inadvertently thrown into my bag.  But now, you are predictable.  And I thank you for that.  Thank you for so diligently inspecting EVERYONE’s fare, for kicking off the low-lifes who try to cheat, and for thanking those of us who don’t.  Thank you for freeing up seats for paying customers.  I only hope that it’s not “just a phase” that you all will grow out of.  Truthfully, when people see you all stepping onto the train, they behave (most of the time).  And the ones who don’t, well…thank you for kindly escorting them off, because more often than not, the misbehaving ones don’t pay fare.  Just please keep it up.  Don’t get lazy.  I know I’m not the only one when I say that I actually enjoying riding Max much more now that I know you all are out there.  For us.

Be well,

Mrs. Trimetiquette, Jess Bullock



8 Responses to “ “Thank you!”

  1. Marissa says:
    August 11, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Forty-seven-million thumbs up. Great post.

    Reply
  2. Christian says:
    August 12, 2009 at 8:19 am

    Nice post :)

    Reply
  3. Adam Bullock says:
    August 12, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
  4. C. Johnson says:
    August 13, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    HalleluYah, they are really checking the fares! On which MAX?

    Reply
  5. Christian says:
    August 17, 2009 at 8:06 am

    The Blue line. Around 82nd.

    Reply
  6. Eva says:
    August 18, 2009 at 9:27 pm

    …and on the Red Line at 82nd, and the Blue line at 162nd… And the Blue line at Willow Creek – all the time… And at 122nd Avenue on Burnside…

    And at Sunset TC, especially westbound. Also at BTC.

    And everywhere in between. Know nothing about the Yellow line…

    One funny thing I notice when fare inspectors/rail supervisors/police officers come on my train is this: sometimes one or two people will bolt off the train, at the speed of light.

    And, if they board a train and suddenly see inspectors already on the train, they get off at the speed of light. One time I saw a person trying to board the back car; he changed his mind because of inspectors there. He then ran up to the front car, quickly determined it was “safe” and got on. At every platform his head popped out to make sure he was still safe.

    It is good entertainment for a light rail operator to see these things. Makes me smile every time! :-)

    Some people just play the system – chances are that sooner or later they will be nabbed with the frequency of inspections we now have.

    I hope the inspections are kept up. It has made MAX much safer; although I have seen no statistics about it, I believe crime at and near some MAX platforms is down.

    Nice post by Mrs. TriMetiquette! Post more! :-)

    Reply
  7. Kevin says:
    August 19, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    You must have gotten lucky. I ride the Max and bus regularly and have not had my fare checked in ages, perhaps 7 months. I’ve seen fare inspectors at the 82nd stop maybe once this year at most.

    Reply
  8. C. Johnson says:
    August 27, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Yeah, I forgot (yes, really, I swear!) to pay for fare on a MAX once since I am so used to having a bus pass and doing nothing and I thought “Well, either I just head on back or I pay and be honest about it.” I paid. 5 Minutes later, the max comes and a lady checks my fare (Unsurprisingly, around New Jack City-E 148th Ave) and throws off another person without it. Honesty pays off. I never got my fare checked before or after that.

    Reply

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