Whats wrong with Kelowna transit?

[sophiexfox]

I have never had a single pleasurable experience with Kelowna Transit....is it just me?

If I don't get to my stop at least 10-15 minutes earlier then the stop time I usually miss that bus as it seems to always come earlier (or maybe very very very late?) Whats the point of having a stop time if the drivers aren't checking?

Now I'm not expecting white glove service, but once I do catch the bus it would be nice if the driver smiled....or acknowledged my existence...

If you met me in real life you'd never guess I'm such a nasty troll online. I really am a sweet girl and always say hello, thank you, good bye, have a great day. And rarely do i even get a grunt in response from the drivers.

Last night for example the driver didn't even look over at me.... I got on the bus said "Hi there, just let me grab my ticket." and he slams the door behind me and starting speeding away before I even have a chance to get my bearings. (Not late that time, earlier in fact) I put my ticket in, thank him...still no eye contact. When leaving the bus i thanked him again, and wished him a good night. Slams the doors behind me.

I also remember one night getting on a bus stop along the highway. The bus pulls up with the sign stating it was out of service. Luckily I got up and asked because he had no intention of wasting his time to tell us waiting in the cold that he was actually in service. I asked what bus number he was and he said "only one that stops here"
So I apologized and told him I've never taken this bus before, and I asked if it went down town. "Obviously" was his response...

If ya'll hate people and hate your job....why continue to work in a service position?


I just don't get it!
Why is Kelowna transit always a miserable experience?

[nkalmak]

There's really nothing wrong with transit. I take the bus several times a day, I have ridden nearly every route in the city (save for Black Mountain, Lake Country, and the newly added Quail Ridge). The very odd time you will get a driver who doesn't speak. Really not a big deal, people like that exist in every service. 75% of the time I have a friendly bus driver. 50% of the time they will say 'have a good day' or something similar as I hop off. The demographic that rides transit can also be difficult, there are many mentally ill riders that the bus driver sometimes does not have the skills to understand or handle appropriately. You really cannot expect every driver to be happy and outgoing when they see hundreds of people a day in a (sometimes) high stress environment.

As for being early/late, I agree that some drivers seem to not understand timing stops. Again this is a minority of drivers and except if it's late at night, they almost always don't miss stops by more than 3 minutes either way. I don't often ride the low use routes, so perhaps it's different on those. But for the 1, 8, 10, 11, 97, etc, they are always reasonable and on time, even with a full bus. I suggest getting to your stop 5 minutes early to be safe, this is what I try to do and I literally have no problems.

There seems to be a culture of complaining when it comes to transit in this city. I've had nothing but good experiences with transit, I am curious to know how often you ride and what routes you take.

[Fixer 166]

Say hi to me Pop, garentee he'll say hi back.

[Libelle]

I have never had a single pleasurable experience with Kelowna Transit....is it just me?

If I don't get to my stop at least 10-15 minutes earlier then the stop time I usually miss that bus as it seems to always come earlier (or maybe very very very late?) Whats the point of having a stop time if the drivers aren't checking?

Now I'm not expecting white glove service, but once I do catch the bus it would be nice if the driver smiled....or acknowledged my existence...

If you met me in real life you'd never guess I'm such a nasty troll online. I really am a sweet girl and always say hello, thank you, good bye, have a great day. And rarely do i even get a grunt in response from the drivers.

Last night for example the driver didn't even look over at me.... I got on the bus said "Hi there, just let me grab my ticket." and he slams the door behind me and starting speeding away before I even have a chance to get my bearings. (Not late that time, earlier in fact) I put my ticket in, thank him...still no eye contact. When leaving the bus i thanked him again, and wished him a good night. Slams the doors behind me.

I also remember one night getting on a bus stop along the highway. The bus pulls up with the sign stating it was out of service. Luckily I got up and asked because he had no intention of wasting his time to tell us waiting in the cold that he was actually in service. I asked what bus number he was and he said "only one that stops here"
So I apologized and told him I've never taken this bus before, and I asked if it went down town. "Obviously" was his response...

If ya'll hate people and hate your job....why continue to work in a service position?


I just don't get it!
Why is Kelowna transit always a miserable experience?

The bus schedule is an estimate of approximately what time the bus will arrive/depart from a location. If the bus is early or late ask the driver why. If you are spoken to in a rude manner call into the office with the bus number, route number and time. Just so we are clear the bus driver can not slam the doors of the bus shut, it is all electronic. But slamming of doors is more dramatic than closing. Not every bus driver will be your BFF greeting you with hugs and kisses, the same is true for all types of jobs. If you ask your driver to please wait until you are seated he or she will gladly do so. So if you encounter any more transgressions regarding Kelowna transit please make them aware of it first then castanet forums.

[Woodenhead]

The bus schedule is an estimate of approximately what time the bus will arrive/depart from a location.

haha that's fine by me - my boss sets an approximate time that I can show up for work ;)

[ZaftigBoy]

i frequently ride the bus both for shopping and for pleasure

yes the bus can be a great way to see your city and to meet people your fellow townspeople and engage in light hearted
and amusing banter or sometimes in very serious discussions

i find the bus drivers are very courteous except for when they are in a bad mood but everyone has bad days

most of the time they will give you a smile and say something nice when you good naturedly speak to them

[Dizzy1]

The bus schedule is an estimate of approximately what time the bus will arrive/depart from a location.

Actually its not an approximate time, the timing points are the times the bus is supposed to depart that specific stop from (unless its an arrival timing point), anything outside of that timing point printed in the riders guide or paddle is either late or early.

Just so we are clear the bus driver can not slam the doors of the bus shut, it is all electronic. But slamming of doors is more dramatic than closing.

Most bus doors are air powered, but close enough ;) Some buses will actually slam the doors shut if there is enough air pressure built up in the system, on the other hand, sometimes the air pressure will be low and the door delays in opening/closing. But I get your point, its not the driver who slamed the door shut

[Libelle]

haha that's fine by me - my boss sets an approximate time that I can show up for work ;)

Take an earlier bus. Employers like when their staff is early vs late. Does your employer know you take the bus to work? Whip out that handy transit schedule and show your boss what bus you catch and when it drops you off to go to work. If you have a decent boss (and you are not a lacky) your boss will understand and appreciate you being proactive.

[ZaftigBoy]

you can discuss your transit needs with the bus drivers
the more friendlier ones will take some time and help you if they are a few minutes ahead of schedule

of course if they are behind then they get a bit upset if you are wanting to talk but even then they tell you to go sit down in a fairly courteious manner

[Woodenhead]

haha that's fine by me - my boss sets an approximate time that I can show up for work ;)

Take an earlier bus. Employers like when their staff is early vs late. Does your employer know you take the bus to work? Whip out that handy transit schedule and show your boss what bus you catch and when it drops you off to go to work. If you have a decent boss (and you are not a lacky) your boss will understand and appreciate you being proactive.

Libelle - I'm joking around, just so you know. I don't take the bus. (last I checked, they don't run out to Joe rich) Relax a bit, there, gunner.

[ZaftigBoy]

yes this is a good attitude to have

if you are kind to the bus driver they will be helpful

by the way you have a picture of a movie murderer
that was a very good film

[Andy S]

by the way you have a picture of a movie murderer
that was a very good film :skippingsheep:

A good movie indeed! My avitar spits out flowers rather than bullets The ~honey / vinegar / wasp thing~ ;-)

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

The odd bus being early got old real quick, i used to walk to the bus 5 min, the bus stop was 2kms from downtown.. So being 7-10 min early added 15 minutes od standing in the cold,,

I solved that by riding a motorcycle all winter.. the 4 miles I had to travel, were not any colder in Minus 10 than heading to the bus 10 minutes early, then waiting often 10 min past schedule time for when they usually came..
To their credit though, a few drivers stopped at midpoint in Glenmore..watched the clock, then proceeded to maintain schedule..

[ZaftigBoy]

they were watching the clock to see when to go again
i think that is courteous


i have seen them slow down

very slow
to stay on schedule

i enjoy the ride to downtown and then to orchard park to go shopping

riding a motorcycle in the winter is very dangerous i would think 50 years do you find it stressful
or is it uplifting perhaps you like the fresh air
you do have a rugged look to you if that is you in the little picture i would think it is

we dont want to tangle with 50 years thats for sure

[1life2live]

For the record, the drivers have no control of front or rear door speed. the control is a simple on/off switch that actuates an electric over air solenoid in some cases or sets a computer program into motion in other cases depending on the type of bus.
Secondly, the timing points are just that, an attempt to give the riders a reasonable estimate of the arrival times along the routes between the timing points. The timing points are listed in the riders guide. The problem is that that the runs are built so tight by the operator of Kelowna transit to maximize it's profits that the drivers do not get any built in washroom or rest breaks all day except for what they build themselves by arriving at their timing points as early as possible. The riding public must also understand that if a route has lets say 10 stops between timing points and the driver has pickups and drop offs at every stop the time between timing points will be very different than if the bus has no pickups or drop off between timing points therefore when the public is planning it's trips they must assume there will be no pickups or drop offs between timing points to assure they do not miss the bus. The drivers of Kelowna Transit do the best they can to work within the system, they do not run the system. That is the reponsibility of the private partner in our Triple P system. It does us no good to complain to the private partner as the are the bottom of the corporate food chain. The complaints must go up the chain to BC Transit and Kelowna city counsel as thay are the Masters of Kelowna Transit and the only ones that the private partner will listen to as this is where their Contract and Funding come from.