THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A COMPLAINT I FILED WITH OUR LOCAL PUBLIC BUS COMPANY TODAY:
I am only 4 feet 11 inches tall and in my mid-50's. I often ride the bus because I have problems with my legs and feet. I am writing this because I am tired of always having difficulty getting on and off buses despite the fact that the buses are equipped to allow drivers to lower the step for me. If the step comes up to my waistline you would think that a driver would have enough common sense to know that I cannot step up easily.
Today I had a very small shopping cart with me when I boarded both buses. In the first instance on the XH bus I lifted my cart onto the bus and held onto the door handles waiting for the driver to lower the step. She asked me to take my hands off the handles, remove my cart and step back. Then she lowered the step. When I got off the bus she automatically lowered the step with me standing there and without my saying a thing as if it were easy.
On my return from shopping I attempted to board the 65 bus. I stood outside with my cart and waited for the driver to lower the step for me. After a minute or so when he didn't lower the step I didn't want to be chastized by yet another driver and so placed my cart onto the bus and with much effort pulled myself up holding onto the door handles. Apparently this was not correct either as the 65 bus driver chastized me when I said " It would have been nice if you would have lowered the step for me, thank you." The DRIVER's response to me was " so you can use your mouth now and you gettin' smart now."
I turned around and asked him if his mother were standing there whether it would be necessary for HER to ask for such a consideration or to expect it. When I got to Germantown and Chelten Avenue he did lower the step automatically as folks exited the back door.
WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT DRIVERS BE A BIT MORE automatically COURTEOUS WHEN it comes to the Elderly and Disabled? Thank you.
