Sometimes we get people who are really sneaky like this one time in particular...This lady who was handicapped made a reservation for wheelchair access and was supposed to be boarding at this particular station, when we arrived there we had about 10 people with luggage standing on the platform instead of the 1 that was on the manifest...not a problem as it was in the dead of the winter with very few riders on board we had the space, anyway this lady declined the wheelchair lift and we boarded her, then the other 9 people on the ground said this was "her" luggage and they wanted to put it on board....whoooooa no way this luggage can be for 1 person I said, she had hockey player styled duffle bags that weighed about 100 lbs. each and their were at least 6 of them plus 3 unsecured oxygen containers and she claimed that they all contained life support items that she could not be without. I then proceeded to tell her that we were unable to give her the care and type transportation that she needed and asked her to leave but she refused to get off, we then called the local PD and asked them to remove her for obvious reasons, when they arrived they also refused to remove her due to the fact that they knew her and that it would take at least 4 of them to pick her up....they left, now..... I compromised with her that she could travel with minimum bags and we could get on our way, after about 10 min's of sorting thru her bags 3 of us loaded 1 bag that weighed about 100 lbs and we got under way and then.... about 2 miles out of the station she said she forgot her breathing machine in one of her bags. I walked back 24 cars thru the knee high snow and backed up to the station and got her breathing machine.
Total time with this one psgr took a 58 min. delay in a normal 3 min stop, 61 min's total time.
I laugh about it now but when it was happening it was a delay nightmare.
If I learned anything from this its to check how many bags a person has before letting them get on board the train. like I said we thought there were 10 people boarding not 1.
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rr conductor; Hey my friend. Sit back and take a deep breath and chill a little. I am also a Amtrak Conductor and I personally know what you are talking about but you don't have to take it out on these guys. None of their remarks were directed at you until you started disrespecting them. They have a right to speek their mind. To be perfectly honest with you they have a lot of respect for Amtrak and our fellow crew members. At least they did. I'm not too sure now.
The guys on this forum give a lot of constructive criticism which can and has been helpful.
It sounds like to me you have a lot of anger built up inside of you and are saying these things to the guys on this forum just because you can't say them to their faces while working on the train. You need to remember none of these people have ever (most likely)been on board your train or mine either.
These are the people who will give you their name and phone number as a witness when you do have that unruley passenger who says he/she is going to write a letter to your boss and have your job. You are going to need someone to back you up when the bad guy writes a letter to your supervisor complaining about what a A/H you were to him. These are the people we depend on a lot of the time to get us out of hot water because they heard the whole conversation and will tell your supervisor you did nothing wrong and that the bad guy was a real A/H to you and they think you should have thrown the bad guy off the train but you were nice enough to let him ride on to his destination.
You and I both know how passengers with a bad attitude can get out of hand real quick. We have a lot of responsibility out there. All 300 passengers lives are in our hands and we can't afford to make a mistake like missing a meet or a turnout or a gang. We don't have time to spend 30 minutes trying to explain to one persistant passenger why the train is 2 hours late. We do although have to TRY and explain as quickly as possible so we can get back to our train business.
There is a reason they nicknamed me "The Sheriff". I don't put up with a whole lot while I am working as a Conductor. I have taken a lot of people of the train with and without handcuffs. Sometimes it has to be done so the rest of the passengers can have an enjoyable trip. No family with their 5 and 6 year old childern want to listen to a couple of teenagers or drunk adults curse to the top of their lungs and their kids are forced to lister to it. On my train they get one warning and that's it. This is public transportation and the families have just as much rights as anyone else if not more. I don't and want stand for it. Once again these are the passengers who will stand behind you and thank you for a job well done. So please do me a favor and lighten up on the foamers a little. Their really not all that bad. Their a pretty good bunch of guys.
posted
Your right, I did think I was being somewhat nasty to a couple and I was hoping it would just be forgotten and go away. They didn't deserve my remarks and I am sorry to all that were offended, I think it was like telling a psgr off when they couldn't see you name tag, you know how badly you some times want to do that, but in any case I am sorry for blowing my steam off in this bulletin board... maybe I need a vacation before I have to attend charm school....lol Thanks Ken
[This message has been edited by rr_conductor (edited 02-11-2004).]
posted
In my line of work, I often have to deal with the "not so nice Public", and it surely can be a nightmare- especially when you're really pressed for time, running late, have loads of tasks to do, and people are being beligerant towards you when they have no clue what's going on and you haven't the time to explain.
Although I'm new to traveling with Amtrak, I must say that all of the staff were very cordial, responsive, and considerate. Luckily, I didn't see any other passengers acting like an ass either.
Anyway, going back to my least favorite thing about Amtrak travel- I guess it would be the bathroom cleanliness.
posted
rr_conductor, I accept your apology, and I'm ready to be friends. I understand the frustrations of dealing with the general public.
It's not a problem that is limited to Amtrak. I spent many years managing movie theaters, and we got all kinds. One of the most frequent problems we had was from parents who would drop off kids to R rated movies then take off expecting we would let them in and to their baby sitting for them. (We were among those rare theaters that actually enforced the R-rating rules). We'd also get kids who would buy a ticket then try to get their friends in through the back exit. Some people thought they were better than everyone else and didn't need to wait in line. I had one guy who always inttroduced himself by saying "Hi, I'm from K*** news" then ask for some personal (and highly unusual) favor. Not unlike situations you deal with.
Anyway, I'm sure you can teach us all a lot, and perhaps you can learn a thing or two from us. Just keep it civil and you will be most welcome here.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
posted
Nicely said Mr. Toy. Rr-conductor, please don't take our reaction as meaning you can't come here and vent. Doubtless you could use a place to blow off steam (knee slap). I managed auto parts stores for 10 years, so like the Toy man, I understnad the public also.
Posts: 106 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
To Sheriff, Mr. Toy, and RR-Conductor -- thank you for your comments!! Welcome to this forum, RR-Conductor!! I am sure we can all learn a lot from you, and as has been said, I think everyone here understands your perspective and frustration, and we are all trying to makes things better on AMTRAK for everyone!! Welcome again!
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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