Whats wrong with Kelowna transit?

[Cpeters_]

Nathan Peters is my brother. Hes a sh** head yes hes made mistakes inthroughout his youth and is growing up and trying to move on. He is known to hang around downtown thus why posted early someone said he takes a early bus out and the last bus in.
He does not have a licence and takes the transit being denyed bus rides effects his life majorly. Rules for living under our roof is he is out in the morning when we leave for work (To that person posted hes downtown all day) and doesnt return till we come home. but knowing my brother I know when something is serious and when hes not joking around. This problem has gone way to far.

1. The man fired for talking on the phone. This is not the first time hes been introulble for it and or other things hes got caught doing which cannont be mentioned.

2. I have listened to every single recording he has mad. He is never points them at the driver. Its hidden to his side and its just voice recored. So absolutly no threat to the video going somewhere viral. Most of them start off by him walking on the bus and he doesn't do anything the driver says "not this time." he asks what he did (this is what i find the drivers are saying he is instagating and getting them to say stuff to record them) but infact trying to get them to give a legit reason for kicking him off and refusing him a ride.

3.Giving the video over of the driver on the phone he was told complete confidentiality would be held with his name and nobody would know it was him. Well it got out over the radio and that rule was broken by the union.

4.It has not stopped I got a phone call from my brother 2 nights ago at 1130 at night the bus driver had kicked him off for sitting in the front area of the bus and refused to move to the back for no reason. he does not sit there harrassing the bus driver he is just trying to get around. This is not the old days. We dont sit in specific spots on the bus as rules. So he kicked him off in the middle of the night at a random bus stop. sadly I couldn't get him he had to taxi home it was the last bus.

5.to whom said they talked to the driver and was told he was actually starting everything and making problems. BS of course the stupid drivers are gonna say that anything to make it seem like they are doing nothing wrong now that they know its a public problem after being on castanet.

6. Honnestly wished more poeple if you see it happening say something. Dont be that persont that sits there doing nothing about it. You know whats going on. you know what my brother looks like now. He does get embarassed who wouldn't if they were getting told to get off the bus every single time they got on.

7.Posted earlier. If it was somebody else other than my brother who the bus drivers know of course this wouldn't be happening. They were all friends with the bus driver who got fired and he was not known as a nice guy. when I took transit i had a bad few incounters sometimes. A young girl maybe 14 got on the bus sort 50 cents and put it in and the driver (the terminated one) started getting mad at her almsot to the point of yelling but not quite. Refused to give her a transfer so I walked up threw an extra 50 cents into the thing and told him to give her a transfer.

so really to everybody who is commenting bad, or good there are both sides to the story. not saying you gotta believe it from me but being apart of the family im not gonna sit here making up lies about it. Thanks

[theyeti]

r the drivers really this petty ? i havnt taken a bus in ages thank god . service used to be terrible but the drivers were friendly .

[dcipher]

REALLY ! I can tell you he has been on my bus and at no time has he provoked anything. If a Driver gives him free rides money cig thats up to them, How does that justify the treatment he is getting? does that mean a I can do anything when he is on my bus because I think I paid him off ? Come on smarty pants put the blame where it lies.

I know for a fact there were no issues prior to the video. The radical few drivers are just trying to discredit the young man. As for the last issue, I checked it, That was a unrelated personal rental issue and the driver is trying to bring that to light through this. Not Related. Best to stay with the facts.

Dont shoot the messanger, the fact is a driver was caught and in the wrong, Nathan happen to record it and forwarded the safety concern on. Period ! He should get an award, you never know he may have just saved your life ! .

As a Driver, I know what I can and can not do, I am professional, and I know the result if caught. I also know that if this was caught on camera by someone unknown this whole Circus wouldnt be going on. And If your a Rider, like you say, you would agree. And if your a rider and you recorded it, you wouldn't put up with the crap thats coming on Nathan. It doesnt matter if he is or isnt a troubled person, its not about him. He didnt make the driver do what he did.

It is certainly nice to hear from a driver who is thinking and acting like an adult and a professional. The other drivers who posted earlier certainly did your entire group a disservice.

[dcipher]

I talked with a driver this morning and this kid is challenging the drivers trying to provoke a incident! He is not this poor abused kid. The drivers have in the past tried to help him with free rides, money, and even cigarettes . One of the drivers even before this had a police file for harassment on this young man.

Interesting, this post is strongly "reminiscent" of some posts I exchanged with an individual yesterday.

Again, these points are irrational. First, I am glad you heard stories from a driver. That is only hearsay, and I suggest we stick to the video, as well as the statements by both sides. The fact that this driver apparently repeated the gossip about the supervisor to you - the same allegations posted here- yet apparently refuse to tell the whole story, is certainly troubling indeed, both legally and professionally. As to the "police file for harassment", that is exactly what I suggested earlier, and if Nathan has broken the law, the bus driver should press charges, that is however, irrelevant to the video, and the harassment by other drivers. Furthermore, if a particular driver has filed charges against Nathan, then he should present that as the reason why that particular driver may be refusing rides, but oddly enough, that was NOT the excuse presented either to the media, or on this forum, by drivers. Which certainly suggests that this may well be yet another unsubstantiated ad homimem attack on Nathan by the drivers: the list is certainly getting lengthy.

[Trunk-Monkey]

Well, I can tell you I'll be videotaping every time I board a bus from now on. I don't see what problem the driver has if he/she isn't doing anything wrong. You sure as hell shouldn't be watching me taping you.

If the problem is that you have to watch someone tape you, that means that YOU are the one that is compromising the safety of the public. This whole thing is asinine anyways. Let the kid on the bus, as long as he pays and doesn't disrupt anything, what is the problem?

What is asinine is that some people feel the need to video tape anyone driving a bus. The fact that a driver is being distracted by being video taped is enough for me. The person doing the video taping is putting the rest of the people on the bus and the on the road if he/she is knowingly distracting the driver....why do it...serves no purpose other than to be stubborn. If the driver is being distracted by being taped then he/she has the right to have the person removed from the bus for the safety of the others.

[crookedmember]

What is asinine is that some people feel the need to video tape anyone driving a bus.

It's more than asinine, it's rude, it's pervy, it's voyeurism. It's no different than videotaping Erin Andrews through a hotel door reverse peephole (except the bus driver doesn't look like Erin Andrews).

It's just creepy. It's bad manners.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

I think the kid should get on the bus with someone credible, ie teacher, lawyer, clergy, etc.
Not saying the kid is not credible, just saying, have a second party witness around to see what unfolds.

To the bus drivers, some of you could have better people skills, and try to avoid being 5 minutes or more early.. When I only 2. Or 3 kms from the bus loop..not saying allthe drivers are like that but I have seen it done several times..

[gordon_as]

4.It has not stopped I got a phone call from my brother 2 nights ago at 1130 at night the bus driver had kicked him off for sitting in the front area of the bus and refused to move to the back for no reason. he does not sit there harrassing the bus driver he is just trying to get around. )

Why didn't he move to the back ? He knows full well why the driver didn't want him up front , and he should not have been surprised to have gotten the boot. Given the situation , I don't think it was unreasonable for the driver to have asked him to not sit up front.

[dcipher]

Why didn't he move to the back ? He knows full well why the driver didn't want him up front , and he should not have been surprised to have gotten the boot. Given the situation , I don't think it was unreasonable for the driver to have asked him to not sit up front.

Ah...Castanet Forum posters. Yes, why not just have the bus driver dictate where people can sit based on personal attributes. Coloureds and Nathan to the back, or off the bus you go! Quite reasonable indeed.

[Omnitheo]

I think it's silly to paint all bus drivers the same. Like any other occupation (except postal workers) you will find some who are good at their job, nice and pleasant, and others who just aren't (see postal workers).

I've been riding the Kelowna buses for 12 years. I've spent considerable amounts of time on multiple routes, and I've developed a bit of a love hate relationship with them. At some points in time I even had to take up to 6 buses in a day.

that said, I have had more unpleasant experiences with the buses than any other single thing I can think of (except maybe trying to receive mail and packages). I have experienced dozens of downright unpleasant experiences with simply the drivers attitude alone. I can understand sometimes that drivers can have a bad day, but it's the same people everytime, until one day they're finally gone. I've worked in customer service for 9 years, yeah it sucks to deal with people, but don't treat them like *bleep* because of it. A lot of us are just trying to get home after dealing with our own stuff.

I've had drivers stop and smoke even when they're already running late. Worse though is the drivers who go early so that they can get to the next time point with enough time leftover so they can smoke. The early bus drivers are the worst problem we have in kelowna, and far worse than the late ones.

Here's how it works. Bus driver leaves first time point -> Bus driver passes midway time point early -> Bus driver arrives at mall or other major stop even earlier, now gets extra long break to smoke and get coffee.

Meanwhile, everyone arrives at their bus stop, people arriving at a stop ~3 minutes early or so wait for the bus...and keep waiting (kind of like for a package that's supposed to be delivered), not knowing that it already drove by earlier than it was supposed to be at the stop 2 blocks sooner than you. This means that when the next bus comes by to pick people up, it's picking up extra passengers that should have been picked up by the last bus. This means that this bus is now late. That's why my watch is 3 minutes faster than my phone. I call this transit time, but sometimes the buses are still even earlier. This is even worse when it's the last bus of the night, and it goes by 6 minutes early!! Not once, but on at least 5 separate occasions. Number 8 at Birch and Springfield, you know what I'm talking about.

I have transit's number memorized, because I've had to call it dozens of times over the years. I remember multiple bus drivers who I've had to report. I don't take pleasure in spending my own time having to call the transit line. Especially since people seldom actually answer the phone (like calling the post office). Honestly though, I've had a bad experience, and if I can endure a little more pain by calling and reporting it, then it might make a difference in the long run....right?

One of the most memorable transit experiences was last September ('011). I've been walking home, but taking the buses in the mornings most days. It's not worth it for a month pass, so i'm just using sheets of tickets. So anyways, it's my Birthday! and I'm on my way to work. The bus stops, and it's the grumpy old guy. I'm gonna call him Gog. I know there are a few people this could be, but anyone who takes the bus enough knows exactly who I'm talking about. Gog's been there for years. He's been giving me rides for years too. I assume reluctantly though because he's always so unpleasant. Anyways, I step on the bus, reach into my pockets, and oh no, I've lost my ticket. Perhaps it fell out when i lifted my phone out earlier, either way, he tells me to get off the bus. "You see me every morning, i'll use 2 tomorrow" "Nope". "But it's my birthday!" "Not my problem". I was furious. I understand that i didn't have my ticket, but this guy knows i've been taking the bus for years. I tried to call the transit office (for over an hour), but nobody answered. I don't often lose my tickets or bus fare, but over the dozen years i've been taking the bus it has certainly happened a number of times. Luckily most bus drivers were kind enough to make an exception, or knew that i wasn't a frequent offender. And tbh i've probably put at least a couple grand into the transit system over the years. Funny enough, I remember about 4 years ago. I was leaving the dentist, believe me it was not a pleasant visit either. My face was completely frozen, my mouth swollen and bleeding, and I had one hell of a migraine. to make matters worse, I had lost my bus ticket. To my luck, the driver who pulled up was Gog. Like the Gog of the future, this one did not care either, and refused to offer a ride. Next bus not for half an hour, I walked all the way to my house. At least if Gog ever gets too old to drive, there'll be a job open for him at the post office.

Honestly, I could talk about bad drivers all day, about the people who "didn't see me" standing at the stop.The guy who refused to let me go out the front door, and instead forced me to go out the back where people I was trying to avoid were waiting to spit at me. The guy who refused to let a guy on the bus because he was holding a KFC bucket and bags of fries (trying to bring the food home to his family). The ones who didn't let me off at my stop, and wouldn't let me off until the next stop, which happened to be an extra 10 minute walk (including the time I was on crutches...) Or better yet, the driver who locked me in the bus at Queensway, and then got mad and threatened to call the police on me when he saw me inside when he came back from his coffee break. I Realize I could have used any one of the numerous emergency exits, but I didn't want to cause any damage, and I didn't realize he was going to be gone for 15 minutes.

My current gripe with the buses, is routes and scheduling. So right now, The mission has 1 main bus route, but they've added a few smaller ones in to service other areas. Either way, this bus runs as often as every 15 minutes through the majority of the day. Rutland has at least 3 full bus routes, servicing the majority of the area, and each one operating roughly every 15 minutes. Glenmore has 1 bus route. Most of the time buses are half an hour apart. Sundays there is a one and a half hour gap in the middle of the day. And apparently nobody needs to get home to Glenmore after 8:30 on a weeknight. What's the logic? these buses are always packed full of people, so much so that they are virtually always late. I understand Glenmore is a nice neighborhood, and there are probably a lot fewer poor car-less bums than say Rutland, but there are thousands of people living here! It's a 15 minute walk just to get to my stop, and then if my bus doesn't come, i have to wait an extra half hour (or just start walking into town). I don't even live in the boonies either, I'm in a developed neighbourhood with traffic lights! Either way, If i'm off later than 8 PM, I need to walk over an hour uphill (through the snow) to get home. Sundays I get to walk both ways because I don't need to arrive at work 2 hours early. I guess they assume people don't leave their house on sundays. This would be true, but we have no reason to wait around at home all day sunday because we don't have to camp out for the delivery truck to bring a package.

How about we scrap that number 9 bus that only 3 seniors use (and which I've never seen occupied since it was supposed to be cancelled) and devote the extra resources to a little Glenmore Love. You gave the mission boonies who are practically outside city limits an extra route, I think you can squeeze in some better service up this way too.

Now, I said I had a love hate relationship with the buses, and everything above indicated mostly hate. There is a lot of love too though. I've had some great drivers over the years. Drivers who I've had great conversations with, drivers I've created business relations with. Drivers who simply put in the effort to smile and welcome you aboard.

Growing up, going to school, going to work, going home. Basically any place I was going was unpleasant. That said, the journey on my way there was my break between it. It was my chance to sit down, relax. Listen to music, read a book, play a gameboy, or put my arm around a sweet girl (hopefully one I met before the bus trip ). Sometimes I didn't want to get off the bus, there were a couple times I took buses just to see where they went, and got off where I got on in the first place. Most people take the buses to get to the destination, but some of my fondest memories are of the journey.

So that's it for my transit rant. In terms of the situation regarding the kid videotaping the bus driver, well first of all I agree with his brother that the kid's a sh*thead but I respect him for videotaping the driver, and opening awareness of this issue. Kelowna drivers are terrible, and people always talk on their phones. It's not ok for them, and it shouldn't be ok for people with dozens of lives riding behind them expecting the driver's attention to be on their safety. Not all the drivers are bad eggs, but the rotten ones certainly do need to be removed. Lest you end up with a situation where the entire department looks bad because of it. Come on Kelowna Transit, you're better than the post office, lets try and act like it.

[dcipher]

I think the kid should get on the bus with someone credible, ie teacher, lawyer, clergy, etc.
Not saying the kid is not credible, just saying, have a second party witness around to see what unfolds.
.

It wouldn't hurt, but to what end? Nathan has provided video of at least 2 incidents, and they were, exactly as he claimed. Nor have the bus drivers and/or administration denied any of it! The bus drivers in the article were defending their actions (obviously, hard to deny, with the video), and the bus drivers on the forum, are throwing a variety of ad hominem attacks against Nathan.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

To what end..if a 40 year old presented their version of the treatment this allowed to ride person, keeps getting.. Then the situation may get resolved..
Honestly some drivers act as if they don't even realize that they are there to transport people waiting at bus stops..

But if a driver is 4 or more minutes early by the time they cross Richter on the Glenmore run, they should be getting fines.
Kudos to the good drivers though, that do their job and try to help people...

[Bsuds]

Kudos to the good drivers though, that do their job and try to help people...

Yes but from what we are hearing there are not too many of those. Why does it seem to be so difficult to do a job and be pleasant in the process.

[Mtn Biker]

What is asinine is that some people feel the need to video tape anyone driving a bus. The fact that a driver is being distracted by being video taped is enough for me. The person doing the video taping is putting the rest of the people on the bus and the on the road if he/she is knowingly distracting the driver....why do it...serves no purpose other than to be stubborn. If the driver is being distracted by being taped then he/she has the right to have the person removed from the bus for the safety of the others.

What is asinine is that a professional driver can be distracted so easily. Seriously should not the driver pull over, stop the bus and deal with the distraction if it’s that egregious? So your point makes no sense to me. They deal with distractions as part of their job.

I've rode the bus enough to know there are good drivers and some not so much. A while back I broke my back and it was difficult to walk and move about. I used the bus to get around and each time I boarded I asked the driver to wait until I was seated before pulling away. Most would, but some just didn't care. One completely disregarded my request and it caused some serious pain as I was lurched into my seat. Yup, I stopped by him on my way off and used several profane words to express my pain and anger. He had no excuse and continued to be an AH as we argued. It may be the same driver we're all talking about here. This is a public service business and one needs to have some basic people skills, like actually liking people in general should be a priority. There are too many in that outfit who clearly hate their jobs and people in general based on their scowls and prissy attitudes.

[Piecemaker]

Omnitheo, you gave me the best laugh I've had all week! Thanks.
In fact, your post was so good I'm going to grab the next bus and ride it to the nearest postal outlet and mail you a cheque!

I think Mr. Peters needs to wave a white flag and just chill for a bit. He's made his point. (And it probably wouldn't hurt if he got a job or found something more productive to do than hang out downtown and fret about bus drivers. Something's not right when he's not allowed to be at his own home during the day.)