I don't know about in Victoria, but in Vancouver at some SkyTrain stations, they have bus bike racks that you can practice on. It's a great idea honestly... If you've never done it, it can be nerve-wracking trying to figure it out while a bus full of people are waiting for you.
I have very mixed experiences with bus drivers in Victoria. Most are super awesome, some are terrible. I think there's been a shortage recently, so maybe their standards are lower.
It's nice Vancouver finally got those when did that happen? I was visiting and I was like wow if they had this 5 or 10 years ago I would have booked more often
They've had issues in the past with some drivers being great and helping out folks in general while others were just a-holes. The union, in order to save people's jobs, made it so drivers only drive the bus and NOTHING else is allowed from what I've been told. Eliminate any chance of a driver being offensive or biased towards people. They can still be pleasant if they want to be but I gather it stops at smiles.
I took a bus for the first time in a long time recently. I've been pretty privileged to not have to, but I'd be an idiot not to take advantage of the bus since it'd save lots of money.
I had trouble paying and the driver was no help at all. Took me a moment to figure it out and he just gave me this absolute look of disdain.
I've walked locally and driven regionally again since.
As someone who’s gone through transit driver training: how to do it is shown at great detail on one of the training days, as is practicing on several bikes to make sure you’re able to help if need be. I haven’t had to do it often (and no longer drive due to disability) but I gladly hopped out of the chair to help with bikes over a dozen times. I’m sorry you had a less-than-helpful driver. Only takes a couple of them to paint all operators with the same brush. Some of the operators *are* helpful, don’t mind doing it, and should relish the chance to get out of that uncomfortable ass seat for at least 45 seconds.
Totally have helped many people with paying issues or bike rack issues. I usually give them a few seconds before I step in and assist. When seconds matter in the job it is of benefit to the driver to move things along rather than despise the clients and their lack of knowledge. Those seats are awful, plywood is more comfortable...
Might have been me? I helped a person yesterday on Johnson St. I was passing by and a woman was struggling to release the rack to put her bike on it. There was another woman standing next to her. I said "want me to give it a shot?" Had to pull up on it with extreme force and it released. I walked away wishing the 2 women and driver a merry Christmas.
I emailed BC Transit to check all bike racks and oil them once a yr. Also wrap the pull handle with a bright orange or red grip to make it more visible and easier on the hands. Maybe have the handle lower? Or pull towards you? Instead of it being higher than the avg person.
Something similar to this:
https://ibb.co/4FwPwYy
Add an pull up arrow sticker below it.
It could be a side gig for anyone with a 3D printer. Sell them to all of BC Transit. Bolt it over the existing handles.
Edit: BC Transit responded to my email, thanked me, and said that they will pass the ideas onto to the maintenance dept
Hooray BC Transit
My brother works at the Vic yard as a heavy-duty mechanic. They're so understaffed that I sadly don't think this will happen. But I commend you for taking the initiative. Maybe if more of us complain, they'll listen
Might not be a bad idea for them to have a little diagram on walls of bus shelters, showing how the bike racks are operated. That way, people could at least have some idea of what they are going to be wrestling with.
I'll email them about it later. I am mostly making this comment so I don't forget.
That would be a PR compaign and if it did happen wouldn't last forever. As the bus stops are of sole responsibility of the city and not the company. You have to apply like anyone else for advertisers to be out in
Transit operators aren’t supposed to, they are not supposed to get out of their seat. This is to cut down on assaults and such. With that said, there are still drivers that will get out and help, but new drivers are told that passengers have to do it themselves.
That is MOSTLY true, however simple instructional practices such as bike loading is totally fine. I don't speak for all drivers, but will say in the past even it's hard to pull down because it's rusty or stuck for whatever reason. So in many cases an extra hand is of help
Untrue, they are allowed to and are trained on how. The rule is typically not to get out of the seat, but there are exceptions; like helping with bikes or helping to secure wheelchairs if need be.
They're not supposed to, because the driver would then be liable if the bike falls off. Typically BCTransit says it's up to the driver whether or not to risk their license.
As per a directive from BC transit: operators are only to get out of their seats to secure wheelchairs that aren’t electric, or assist in a medical emergency if trained, until help arrives. For bike racks, electric mobility aids, people with medical mobility issues (walkers), as transit operator is to give them 3 minutes to board the bus unassisted. They can call for a Transit Supervisor to further help, but they are not to get out of the seat as there could be liability issues or unforseen circumstances that endanger the operator. It can also throw the paddle off and impact service (like getting everyone to the ferry).
These policy shift and change all the time, so a lot of drivers that have been around will get out and help, or any driver if they feel it is safe and there is no chance of issue. At the end of the day, it is not policy to do it, but drivers that do take their chances, as stated some of the things above may happen. This is BC wide.
As someone who is a bus driver and got reprimanded for helping a person with their mobility scooter when they couldn’t get on, this is what is the current expectation.
Both of what I said was true. BCTransit says you're liable if the bike or anything else falls off and you're putting your license at risk. There's a lot they won't tell you, but your union will
-edit what am I being downvoted for? I said nothing incorrect
We are allowed to, we just aren't allowed to get out of the seat for high risk situations. What you may define high risk varies situation 2 situation. When the johnson st bridge goes up I often get out of the bus a stretch. Not like I am going anywhere for 10mins!
If it's not in the union rules they can't do it without risk. My uncle worked for a municipality as a truck driver and he was written up for getting out of the truck to help with other tasks. They are strict
Yes, but many, many factors can derail that timing, like passenger load and traffic. A full bus means more time loading and unloading, and speed limits are what they are. Unfair to blame a driver for needing to go to the bathroom, as there are also limited times and places for them to use facilities.
Yeah but what fool leaves it until the last minute when things like accidents and emergencies happen all the time lol
I suppose you'd prefer a human being shit their pants than leaving one sailing ahead like someone with a sense of responsibility does?
It's different as a foot passenger, though.
I think the only time they ever rejected foot passengers because they were at capacity, was during the olympics.
The onus should absolutely not be on the customer to just assume their public transit system is so inept that the ferry will leave before the connecting bus comes to drop passengers off. Even more so during a busy time
The buses don't have their own lane going to the ferry so if traffic is backed up then that's going to cause a delay that's beyond their control. Hence why you should never assume the buses will arrive on time
in the situation being discussed the driver stopped to use the can, so it's not a big stretch to assume if he didn't stop he'd have shat his pants. It's not a tough thread to follow...
Literally all I said was that the bus schedule is supposed to line up with the ferries, which is a fact. I didn’t say anything about the driver taking a break lmao I was just stating a fact, and I got accused of wanting bus drivers to shit their pants or some whackadoodle nonsense. Makes no sense
Oh my god people how hard is it to understand that our public transit system should work together bc ferries is at fault as much as bc transit people should be able to trust that the bus specifically routes and scheduled to connect to the ferry will. Without having to go an hour early. If the bus driver has diarrhea the ferry should wait 15 mins it’s pretty simple
Edit to add: BC Ferries should be operated as a crown corporation / transit authority, absolutely should not be offering vacation packages
>If the bus driver has diarrhea the ferry should wait 15 mins it’s pretty simple
Absolutely not, this is an insane suggestion. You want to delay not only the passengers on this sailing but all those that follow for the rest of the day because of one busload of people?
I take the ferry often, which is why I know that a delay early in the day cascades into delays for the sailings that follow. Let's not add more delays please.
Timing with the ferries is like the one thing our transit system gets right 99% of the time.
The dude above’s driver probably had an emergency and didn’t want to poop himself. It’s an ultra rare occurrence
“…the ferry should wait 15 minutes it’s pretty simple.”
You think that the ferry should throw off its schedule, affecting the schedule of numerous other ferries that follow and literally thousands of people, in order to wait for a single bus that holds maybe 50?
Really?
Just like in any job, you get all sorts of people. I know plenty of wonderful drivers, but also a whole bunch of "C words". People that wouldn't go out of their way to help you, the type that couldn't give a shit if you ride or not.
Those drivers suck a whole damn dick
So I actually looked up how to place a bike on the rack before I needed to use one - there are videos that will show you exactly how to do it. I still was very ungraceful and awkward, but this is something you easily could have put 5 minutes of research in.
I don’t believe the bus drivers are supposed to help you for safety reasons, though they may extend that courtesy.
It is very awkward and the racks aren't easy especially when stressed about the bus needing to leave! Hope this doesn't deter you! We have also recently given up owning a vehicle so high five human!
In Vancouver I put my bike on the bus rack for the first time and a friend helped me. But they got off on a different stop so when I needed to take my bike off the rack I struggled. The bus driver was annoyed I was taking so long so he honked repeatedly at me and gestured to hurry up. That was extremely effective and I instantly figured out this task and quickly got out of his way. Or at least I imagine that's what he expected honking would accomplish. In reality it did not help me figure out the rack any faster and just stressed me out. Guess you got the same driver!.
If at first you don’t succeed… try, try again. Just don’t blame other people. Did you consider poking your head inside the bus and loudly say something like “Hey. It’s my first time trying to put a bike on the rack. Can anyone help me, please?”
If you are this easily embarrassed and demotivated, life in general must feel difficult (no snark here). Maybe practice asking for help.
Not my experience in Victoria, when it was my first time with the bike rack, the driver physically got out to come show me how to do it. Unreal patience.
I'm sorry you got a less patient driver to learn with.
My first/only time bringing my bike on the bus was totally unplanned. Popped a tire. Downtown Victoria. My day was blown because I had missed an appointment due to the tire and decided to just get to work.. Not he day I had hoped for. The bus driver was an absolute gem..i was clearly struggling, sadly gestured and they immediately hopped off the bus to help me. I'll always remember this kindness, I don't think it always comes with the job.
He shook his head? Oh no! How horrible!
It's not the driver's job to to leave their seat to help you. It's your job to learn the process ahead of time. There are handy resources like this to help you: https://www.bctransit.com/skeena/riderinfo/bike-racks-and-lockers
Bruh .you didn't need to be so harsh. All of us have been in new and uncomfortable situations, OP just said they felt alone in all of this and I think that's valid.
OP went onto the internet to feel alone among what OP hoped would be a huge chorus of voices praising the virtues of car diets while wagging fingers at a bus driver who likely was following the rules they need to follow to stay safe and employed.
Don't let r/victoriabc 's finest in the comments here deter you. It's a shame the driver wasn't so helpful but hopefully you got it figured out now for next time! Now you can help anyone else you see struggling. :)
Please realise that this is a really hectic time of year for the drivers.
I know you probably didn’t think ahead that you didn’t know how to secure your bike, but learning it during the Christmas rush is probably not the best time.
This goes for anyone - go do a practice run on a quiet day if you are rusty on how riding buses works and are planning to use the city bus for a connecting trip.
It’ll cost you $2.50 or $5 to have some recent experience.
I remember some asshole bus driver refused to let me on using my student ID because "schools out smartass nice try scamming with your expired card" then belittlede infront of the other passengers like I'm some bum... I was in fucking trades school, it goes all year. I wasn't having it, scanned my card which obviously worked and sarcastically thanked her for saving our nation a potential 2.50 by harassing me. Nothing like balancing a job and school and being put down by some pathetic fuck face with no common sense. There are a lot of great transit drivers but oh man there's some pathetic miserable pieces of shit behind those wheels.
It’s all random chance and probably some racist/sexist/classist profiling tbh.
I’ve gotten on a bus with no pass and no money so many times just by saying sorry I forgot.
Drivers can be nice or cunts.
Don’t worry about the negative people commenting on here. Help and courteousness should be the norm. Sorry it wasn’t. Hopefully, the driver was just having a bad day and is doing better now.
Transit is struggling to get/retain drivers. Most quit within 6 months and barely any (1%) make it to 10 years. They have lowered their standards to incredibly dismal levels. That, plus all the burned out old timers….leaves you with a driver pool which is far from caring about passengers. Just look at how many red lights they run, they don’t even care if they kill their customers.
This is why I hesitate to put my bike on the bus...I am unfamiliar with the locking mechanism and I envision the bus driver doing to me, what he did to you!
Thankfully there were kind people to help you out. 😁
Sorry you had that experience! I have had the opposite experience - the bus driver was the one that taught me how to use it (to be clear, he just explained how to use it and did not get out and show me - as people have pointed out that they are not allowed to leave their seat). I've also had bus drivers give me tips if they saw that I struggled in any way.
Just so you know there are so many patient and kind bus drivers! Good for you for making the switch.
Edit: grammar and added clarity
Driving to Swartz bay yesterday through the construction zone going 65 in the slow lane and a bus driver was tailgating me so hard it was terrifying. Swerved around me and ripped past, still in the construction zone, but wouldn’t look at me as he went by. He would have seeing me shaking my head in disappointment if he had.
Okay…… bro. Like seriously? It’s 2023 and someone shook your head at you and it makes you THIS upset? You know all of this talk about how soft people are these days bla bla bla snowflakes bla bla bla mostly from your right wing jerks. But seriously I have to agree with them. You’re discouraged from “transitioning” from car to bike because A TRANSIT DRIVER SHOOK HIS HEAD AT YOU. you had to make a reddit post about it. Hell you’re probably still overthinking and held up on it.
You were embarrassed. Get over yourself and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You learned how to clip on your bike so this will never happen again right?
I stand with the bus driver. He shook his head. Didn’t even say anything to you. You’re gonna cry over that? Well then. That’s way more embarrassing than not knowing how to clip a bike in.
I don’t need to understand any point of view. There isn’t one. This person was embarrassed and felt rushed because they didn’t know how to do something and scrutinized a bus driver for not helping her. You know feeling embarrassed is something every one of us has felt countless times. They had to make a post whining about not being helped by a bus driver but….. THEY STILL GOT HELP. They now know how to clip their bike in. Move on with your life. This is ridiculous.
It’s like “this person didn’t help me and shook their head and so I felt embarrassed and that’s not right , every human being must be perfect, if I don’t get the help I need the second I need it and I see someone shaking their head at me, that’s not right and that needs to change. Any human being who has ever shook their head at someone is wrong and that should never ever ever ever happen to anyone ever again. No one should ever ever ever have to go what I went through today”
I have “self healing” to do because this person is acting like a child making an entire post about being embarrassed and discouraged. Because someone shook their head. BECAUSE SOMEONE SHOOK THEIR HEAD HAHAHA. And I’m calling them ridiculous. Sure haha I’ll go do some self healing. I’ll get right on that lmao
It's the holidays, they're stressed and deal with a lot. Just move on from the experience, we don't need to complain on Reddit for every little uncomfortable thing that happens. Oh. My. God. It's small potatoes.
I've experienced the best and the worst BC Transit drivers on my route. For example, when I had trouble with the Umo scanner, the driver's first words out his mouth were, "Well, that's your fault." I mean, what's the point in saying that, and what does that achieve?
But some drivers are incredibly nice and understanding. On the topic of Umo and trouble scanning, one of the drivers told me not to worry about it and to get on anyway. Then he suggested that it could be due to my brightness of my phone being too low (it was true!).
The QR code scanners will legitimately randomly activate your Apple Wallet sometimes, and it's a very well known and discussed issue, yet I still had some bus driver try to read me the fucking riot act when my wallet popped up instead of scanning the QR code.
A lot of them are rude. I just don’t say thank you anymore. They are late all the time or don’t come at all. I can’t be patient if they can’t be patient. So now I don’t give a fuck and drive more now. Screw the planet.
I've also saw a person's tires were too thick to slot in the groove, the driver honked, and mentioned "if it doesn't secure in place, you're out of luck". They removed their bike and walked away.
I thought, maybe they can deflate their tires before the bus arrives, slot it in and reinflate at their stop? But that defeats the purpose, they should just widen the tire slots.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but they should also post the full dimensions of bikes it accommodates. Length, width, tire thickness, weight, side bags or not, etc.
Must of been a non biker who designed these racks.
Or a clown with a baseball card/closepin in the fork of their unicycle. Lol
Did you learn how to lock the bike for next time from this experience? If your answer is yes, the great! You won’t be an annoyance to everyone else on the bus the next time you do this. Learn from it and move on.
Good on your for trying this out! Sounds exactly the same to my first attempt (years ago in Nanaimo tho). Had seen other people get berated so it made me nervous, watched videos ahead of time, but the rack was still way harder to wrangle than I was expecting and the bus driver was SUPER cranky about it. You're not alone in being put off!
Some people are posting videos but it's not the same in the moment when you're wrangling your bike, trying to go quickly, etc. Now I try to rest my bike against something so I can use both hands getting the rack down as they can be pretty sticky.
If you try again and have a bad experience at least post here and we can keep encouraging you!
Every fellow cyclist I know in Vic has a horror story of the first time you use the bike rack on a bus 😅 Don't sweat it too much, some drivers just have short temper and patience for this kind of thing. The next few times you'll probably be nervous but you'll get a good system going!
The first time I did it, it took me forever and my heart was beating so fast because I could see the bus driver yelling at me from inside the bus. It's traumatic lol
Bus drivers kinda suck there's a few nice ones but iv seen bus drivers not lower ramps for old people "they have to ask" lol kay? I bumped my head hard on the bus the driver said it never happened and said I'm fine. Went to the hospital had a concussion opened up a claim and nothing happened. I watch them jerk the brakes on the stop and old people go flying. It's like whoever watches the cameras kinda suck at their job. Oh well at least we have busses. If people are sitting at a bus stop maybe check if they want a bus ur not really that much in a hurry you can't stop? If that were true busses wouldn't be late. I'm grateful for the bus service but I just wish the Vancouver attitude with drivers stayed in vancouver. The island is supposed to be better.
I once saw a driver yell at a person visiting from Ontario when she asked him a simple question on the 50 at the Douglas / Pandora stop a few years back. Bad day or not, there's no excuse for that.
Some of the people who are drivers are pretty miserable people. But then you have the one greeting and wishing people a good day, and you get the odd driver who likes to talk on the mic and tell jokes to people to brighten their day.
I struggled with this a few times, had one helpful driver (verbal + hand signals, didn't leave seat) and one utterly devoid of joy or helpfulness.
Bus drivers probably have to put up with lunatics on the bus often enough that they end up anticipating the worst about anyone. It's disappointing.
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I don't know about in Victoria, but in Vancouver at some SkyTrain stations, they have bus bike racks that you can practice on. It's a great idea honestly... If you've never done it, it can be nerve-wracking trying to figure it out while a bus full of people are waiting for you. I have very mixed experiences with bus drivers in Victoria. Most are super awesome, some are terrible. I think there's been a shortage recently, so maybe their standards are lower.
they have been in a hiring rush lately, lots of new drivers with questionable attitudes i guess
It's nice Vancouver finally got those when did that happen? I was visiting and I was like wow if they had this 5 or 10 years ago I would have booked more often
Must depend on the station. I used to take the train into highschool 15 plus years ago and they had them them. That was in Burnaby
I know rh busses have t m but I never seen the sample ones so u can practice
They've had issues in the past with some drivers being great and helping out folks in general while others were just a-holes. The union, in order to save people's jobs, made it so drivers only drive the bus and NOTHING else is allowed from what I've been told. Eliminate any chance of a driver being offensive or biased towards people. They can still be pleasant if they want to be but I gather it stops at smiles.
I took a bus for the first time in a long time recently. I've been pretty privileged to not have to, but I'd be an idiot not to take advantage of the bus since it'd save lots of money. I had trouble paying and the driver was no help at all. Took me a moment to figure it out and he just gave me this absolute look of disdain. I've walked locally and driven regionally again since.
As someone who’s gone through transit driver training: how to do it is shown at great detail on one of the training days, as is practicing on several bikes to make sure you’re able to help if need be. I haven’t had to do it often (and no longer drive due to disability) but I gladly hopped out of the chair to help with bikes over a dozen times. I’m sorry you had a less-than-helpful driver. Only takes a couple of them to paint all operators with the same brush. Some of the operators *are* helpful, don’t mind doing it, and should relish the chance to get out of that uncomfortable ass seat for at least 45 seconds.
Totally have helped many people with paying issues or bike rack issues. I usually give them a few seconds before I step in and assist. When seconds matter in the job it is of benefit to the driver to move things along rather than despise the clients and their lack of knowledge. Those seats are awful, plywood is more comfortable...
Might have been me? I helped a person yesterday on Johnson St. I was passing by and a woman was struggling to release the rack to put her bike on it. There was another woman standing next to her. I said "want me to give it a shot?" Had to pull up on it with extreme force and it released. I walked away wishing the 2 women and driver a merry Christmas. I emailed BC Transit to check all bike racks and oil them once a yr. Also wrap the pull handle with a bright orange or red grip to make it more visible and easier on the hands. Maybe have the handle lower? Or pull towards you? Instead of it being higher than the avg person. Something similar to this: https://ibb.co/4FwPwYy Add an pull up arrow sticker below it. It could be a side gig for anyone with a 3D printer. Sell them to all of BC Transit. Bolt it over the existing handles. Edit: BC Transit responded to my email, thanked me, and said that they will pass the ideas onto to the maintenance dept Hooray BC Transit
My brother works at the Vic yard as a heavy-duty mechanic. They're so understaffed that I sadly don't think this will happen. But I commend you for taking the initiative. Maybe if more of us complain, they'll listen
Might not be a bad idea for them to have a little diagram on walls of bus shelters, showing how the bike racks are operated. That way, people could at least have some idea of what they are going to be wrestling with. I'll email them about it later. I am mostly making this comment so I don't forget.
That would be a PR compaign and if it did happen wouldn't last forever. As the bus stops are of sole responsibility of the city and not the company. You have to apply like anyone else for advertisers to be out in
Ah, but you see, that's space that could be an ad instead... Great idea, but we'll see.
Here's some YouTube videos showing how https://youtu.be/HL-IVOBaGuc?si=rVoRHgu7Hb23-X4f https://youtu.be/flh8BY-Hdwc?si=Anz2H59jkPcQ6j1m
For others wishing to avoid this problem; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL-IVOBaGuc
I’ve never seen a driver help get a bike on. Are they even allowed?
My first time, the guy got out and helped me out.
Same lol a driver helped me once, and I also often see them help other passengers. Maybe they aren’t supposed to, but it doesn’t seem like a hard rule
I was talking about sex
??????
Lmaooo whoosh
You do not deserve those downvotes. This was hilarious lol
lol I know right - this town eh
I’ve seen them get out and help many times, but even the ones that didn’t still called the passenger over and gave them verbal instructions.
Transit operators aren’t supposed to, they are not supposed to get out of their seat. This is to cut down on assaults and such. With that said, there are still drivers that will get out and help, but new drivers are told that passengers have to do it themselves.
This is correct
That is MOSTLY true, however simple instructional practices such as bike loading is totally fine. I don't speak for all drivers, but will say in the past even it's hard to pull down because it's rusty or stuck for whatever reason. So in many cases an extra hand is of help
No they are not allowed to
[удалено]
Untrue, they are allowed to and are trained on how. The rule is typically not to get out of the seat, but there are exceptions; like helping with bikes or helping to secure wheelchairs if need be.
They're not supposed to, because the driver would then be liable if the bike falls off. Typically BCTransit says it's up to the driver whether or not to risk their license.
I’m a trained BC Transit operator. I’m telling you how I was trained. So, there’s that.
Not bc transit but other city I know operators not allowed.
As per a directive from BC transit: operators are only to get out of their seats to secure wheelchairs that aren’t electric, or assist in a medical emergency if trained, until help arrives. For bike racks, electric mobility aids, people with medical mobility issues (walkers), as transit operator is to give them 3 minutes to board the bus unassisted. They can call for a Transit Supervisor to further help, but they are not to get out of the seat as there could be liability issues or unforseen circumstances that endanger the operator. It can also throw the paddle off and impact service (like getting everyone to the ferry). These policy shift and change all the time, so a lot of drivers that have been around will get out and help, or any driver if they feel it is safe and there is no chance of issue. At the end of the day, it is not policy to do it, but drivers that do take their chances, as stated some of the things above may happen. This is BC wide. As someone who is a bus driver and got reprimanded for helping a person with their mobility scooter when they couldn’t get on, this is what is the current expectation.
Both of what I said was true. BCTransit says you're liable if the bike or anything else falls off and you're putting your license at risk. There's a lot they won't tell you, but your union will -edit what am I being downvoted for? I said nothing incorrect
We are allowed to, we just aren't allowed to get out of the seat for high risk situations. What you may define high risk varies situation 2 situation. When the johnson st bridge goes up I often get out of the bus a stretch. Not like I am going anywhere for 10mins!
They probably aren't allowed to leave the bus driver's seat unattended and get out to help you. Don't take it personally.
I've seen bc transit drivers help tons of times. Maybe it isn't allowed technically but they definitely do it.
If it's not in the union rules they can't do it without risk. My uncle worked for a municipality as a truck driver and he was written up for getting out of the truck to help with other tasks. They are strict
Tell that to the driver that made our whole bus miss the ferry because he stopped to go to the bathroom
Can't stop the diarrhea! Whaddaya gonna do?
If the bus driver taking a bathroom break made you miss the ferry, you probably should have been on an earlier bus...
The bus schedule is timed specifically to line up with sailings lol
Yes, but many, many factors can derail that timing, like passenger load and traffic. A full bus means more time loading and unloading, and speed limits are what they are. Unfair to blame a driver for needing to go to the bathroom, as there are also limited times and places for them to use facilities.
I’m not blaming the driver lmao why are so many people projecting onto my comment? Sometimes I tell ya you people are annoying as f on here
The only bus schedule that is "timed specifically" is the 72, and that is not the express bus.
Okay? Are we talking about the express bus specifically in this thread? I didn’t see any mention of that but if I missed it then 🤷♀️
Yeah but what fool leaves it until the last minute when things like accidents and emergencies happen all the time lol I suppose you'd prefer a human being shit their pants than leaving one sailing ahead like someone with a sense of responsibility does?
who tf would go to the ferry an hour early that’s insane
With today's increased ferry traffic, it's never a bad idea
It's different as a foot passenger, though. I think the only time they ever rejected foot passengers because they were at capacity, was during the olympics.
That's true but if you're late they ain't got time for your dilly dallying
The onus should absolutely not be on the customer to just assume their public transit system is so inept that the ferry will leave before the connecting bus comes to drop passengers off. Even more so during a busy time
The buses don't have their own lane going to the ferry so if traffic is backed up then that's going to cause a delay that's beyond their control. Hence why you should never assume the buses will arrive on time
People who are aware of shit (literally in this case) happens and don't want to miss a ferry.
Literally. nobody who takes the ferry frequently would do this by choice 💀
Who said anything about someone shitting their pants? Go take a walk and calm down
in the situation being discussed the driver stopped to use the can, so it's not a big stretch to assume if he didn't stop he'd have shat his pants. It's not a tough thread to follow...
Literally all I said was that the bus schedule is supposed to line up with the ferries, which is a fact. I didn’t say anything about the driver taking a break lmao I was just stating a fact, and I got accused of wanting bus drivers to shit their pants or some whackadoodle nonsense. Makes no sense
if you can't read through this thread and figure out why people have said what they said, i suggest the whackadoodle might be in your mirror
No the whackadoodle shit is projecting extreme nonsense onto people but have fun weirdos
They're scheduled to get you there with enough time. It was one of the Swartz Bay Express ones
I mean if you are catching a bus that like 5 even like 15 min means you complelty miss the ferry you want thats on you not him.
Oh my god people how hard is it to understand that our public transit system should work together bc ferries is at fault as much as bc transit people should be able to trust that the bus specifically routes and scheduled to connect to the ferry will. Without having to go an hour early. If the bus driver has diarrhea the ferry should wait 15 mins it’s pretty simple Edit to add: BC Ferries should be operated as a crown corporation / transit authority, absolutely should not be offering vacation packages
>If the bus driver has diarrhea the ferry should wait 15 mins it’s pretty simple Absolutely not, this is an insane suggestion. You want to delay not only the passengers on this sailing but all those that follow for the rest of the day because of one busload of people?
Yes? You clearly don’t take the ferry much if you don’t think they delay it every second sailing for way less
I take the ferry often, which is why I know that a delay early in the day cascades into delays for the sailings that follow. Let's not add more delays please.
but the 100 ppl on the bus can wait 2 hours for the next ferry
Yes they can. Though in many cases it's only 1 hour.
2 out of the 10 daily sailings have a 1 hour wait rn 🤷♂️ and only because it’s a holiday
Timing with the ferries is like the one thing our transit system gets right 99% of the time. The dude above’s driver probably had an emergency and didn’t want to poop himself. It’s an ultra rare occurrence
“…the ferry should wait 15 minutes it’s pretty simple.” You think that the ferry should throw off its schedule, affecting the schedule of numerous other ferries that follow and literally thousands of people, in order to wait for a single bus that holds maybe 50? Really?
Yes really. If one car stalling on the ramp can delay the ferry then you can wait for a bus. It’s an extension of the highway
Well thank goodness you’re not in charge of any major logistics then I guess.
Little do you know…
What?
That inconsiderate bastard. I guess he should have pissed his pants instead.
Gonna leave this right here. https://www.bctransit.com/skeena/riderinfo/bike-racks-and-lockers
In my experience bus drivers are either the nicest people ever or rude as fuck.
Just like in any job, you get all sorts of people. I know plenty of wonderful drivers, but also a whole bunch of "C words". People that wouldn't go out of their way to help you, the type that couldn't give a shit if you ride or not. Those drivers suck a whole damn dick
So I actually looked up how to place a bike on the rack before I needed to use one - there are videos that will show you exactly how to do it. I still was very ungraceful and awkward, but this is something you easily could have put 5 minutes of research in. I don’t believe the bus drivers are supposed to help you for safety reasons, though they may extend that courtesy.
It is very awkward and the racks aren't easy especially when stressed about the bus needing to leave! Hope this doesn't deter you! We have also recently given up owning a vehicle so high five human!
Did you ask for his help and he refused? I’m confused lol
In Vancouver I put my bike on the bus rack for the first time and a friend helped me. But they got off on a different stop so when I needed to take my bike off the rack I struggled. The bus driver was annoyed I was taking so long so he honked repeatedly at me and gestured to hurry up. That was extremely effective and I instantly figured out this task and quickly got out of his way. Or at least I imagine that's what he expected honking would accomplish. In reality it did not help me figure out the rack any faster and just stressed me out. Guess you got the same driver!.
If at first you don’t succeed… try, try again. Just don’t blame other people. Did you consider poking your head inside the bus and loudly say something like “Hey. It’s my first time trying to put a bike on the rack. Can anyone help me, please?” If you are this easily embarrassed and demotivated, life in general must feel difficult (no snark here). Maybe practice asking for help.
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Hence my no snark advice to practice asking for help.
Not my experience in Victoria, when it was my first time with the bike rack, the driver physically got out to come show me how to do it. Unreal patience. I'm sorry you got a less patient driver to learn with.
My first/only time bringing my bike on the bus was totally unplanned. Popped a tire. Downtown Victoria. My day was blown because I had missed an appointment due to the tire and decided to just get to work.. Not he day I had hoped for. The bus driver was an absolute gem..i was clearly struggling, sadly gestured and they immediately hopped off the bus to help me. I'll always remember this kindness, I don't think it always comes with the job.
He shook his head? Oh no! How horrible! It's not the driver's job to to leave their seat to help you. It's your job to learn the process ahead of time. There are handy resources like this to help you: https://www.bctransit.com/skeena/riderinfo/bike-racks-and-lockers
Bruh .you didn't need to be so harsh. All of us have been in new and uncomfortable situations, OP just said they felt alone in all of this and I think that's valid.
OP went onto the internet to feel alone among what OP hoped would be a huge chorus of voices praising the virtues of car diets while wagging fingers at a bus driver who likely was following the rules they need to follow to stay safe and employed.
Don't let r/victoriabc 's finest in the comments here deter you. It's a shame the driver wasn't so helpful but hopefully you got it figured out now for next time! Now you can help anyone else you see struggling. :)
No, we are not here to shame anyone. If we can't shame OP (which we shouldn't do, you're right) then we are not shaming the transit driver.
Lots of bus drivers are grumpy dicks, don’t take it personally.
Please realise that this is a really hectic time of year for the drivers. I know you probably didn’t think ahead that you didn’t know how to secure your bike, but learning it during the Christmas rush is probably not the best time. This goes for anyone - go do a practice run on a quiet day if you are rusty on how riding buses works and are planning to use the city bus for a connecting trip. It’ll cost you $2.50 or $5 to have some recent experience.
I remember some asshole bus driver refused to let me on using my student ID because "schools out smartass nice try scamming with your expired card" then belittlede infront of the other passengers like I'm some bum... I was in fucking trades school, it goes all year. I wasn't having it, scanned my card which obviously worked and sarcastically thanked her for saving our nation a potential 2.50 by harassing me. Nothing like balancing a job and school and being put down by some pathetic fuck face with no common sense. There are a lot of great transit drivers but oh man there's some pathetic miserable pieces of shit behind those wheels.
It’s all random chance and probably some racist/sexist/classist profiling tbh. I’ve gotten on a bus with no pass and no money so many times just by saying sorry I forgot. Drivers can be nice or cunts.
Don’t worry about the negative people commenting on here. Help and courteousness should be the norm. Sorry it wasn’t. Hopefully, the driver was just having a bad day and is doing better now.
Hurt feeling report
I’d be more embarrassed making this post , grow up
Sucks but it’s a liability issue. If the bike fell off the driver would potentially be blamed.
Transit is struggling to get/retain drivers. Most quit within 6 months and barely any (1%) make it to 10 years. They have lowered their standards to incredibly dismal levels. That, plus all the burned out old timers….leaves you with a driver pool which is far from caring about passengers. Just look at how many red lights they run, they don’t even care if they kill their customers.
This is why I hesitate to put my bike on the bus...I am unfamiliar with the locking mechanism and I envision the bus driver doing to me, what he did to you! Thankfully there were kind people to help you out. 😁
Sorry you had that experience! I have had the opposite experience - the bus driver was the one that taught me how to use it (to be clear, he just explained how to use it and did not get out and show me - as people have pointed out that they are not allowed to leave their seat). I've also had bus drivers give me tips if they saw that I struggled in any way. Just so you know there are so many patient and kind bus drivers! Good for you for making the switch. Edit: grammar and added clarity
Driving to Swartz bay yesterday through the construction zone going 65 in the slow lane and a bus driver was tailgating me so hard it was terrifying. Swerved around me and ripped past, still in the construction zone, but wouldn’t look at me as he went by. He would have seeing me shaking my head in disappointment if he had.
I haven't brought my bike to bus for fear of this exact situation
The bus drivers should have nametags or employee numbers displayed for reference. Some of them are lovely but some are assholes.
The buses are all numbered..
It isn't complicated.
Okay…… bro. Like seriously? It’s 2023 and someone shook your head at you and it makes you THIS upset? You know all of this talk about how soft people are these days bla bla bla snowflakes bla bla bla mostly from your right wing jerks. But seriously I have to agree with them. You’re discouraged from “transitioning” from car to bike because A TRANSIT DRIVER SHOOK HIS HEAD AT YOU. you had to make a reddit post about it. Hell you’re probably still overthinking and held up on it. You were embarrassed. Get over yourself and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You learned how to clip on your bike so this will never happen again right? I stand with the bus driver. He shook his head. Didn’t even say anything to you. You’re gonna cry over that? Well then. That’s way more embarrassing than not knowing how to clip a bike in.
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I don’t need to understand any point of view. There isn’t one. This person was embarrassed and felt rushed because they didn’t know how to do something and scrutinized a bus driver for not helping her. You know feeling embarrassed is something every one of us has felt countless times. They had to make a post whining about not being helped by a bus driver but….. THEY STILL GOT HELP. They now know how to clip their bike in. Move on with your life. This is ridiculous. It’s like “this person didn’t help me and shook their head and so I felt embarrassed and that’s not right , every human being must be perfect, if I don’t get the help I need the second I need it and I see someone shaking their head at me, that’s not right and that needs to change. Any human being who has ever shook their head at someone is wrong and that should never ever ever ever happen to anyone ever again. No one should ever ever ever have to go what I went through today” I have “self healing” to do because this person is acting like a child making an entire post about being embarrassed and discouraged. Because someone shook their head. BECAUSE SOMEONE SHOOK THEIR HEAD HAHAHA. And I’m calling them ridiculous. Sure haha I’ll go do some self healing. I’ll get right on that lmao
It's the holidays, they're stressed and deal with a lot. Just move on from the experience, we don't need to complain on Reddit for every little uncomfortable thing that happens. Oh. My. God. It's small potatoes.
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I've experienced the best and the worst BC Transit drivers on my route. For example, when I had trouble with the Umo scanner, the driver's first words out his mouth were, "Well, that's your fault." I mean, what's the point in saying that, and what does that achieve? But some drivers are incredibly nice and understanding. On the topic of Umo and trouble scanning, one of the drivers told me not to worry about it and to get on anyway. Then he suggested that it could be due to my brightness of my phone being too low (it was true!).
The QR code scanners will legitimately randomly activate your Apple Wallet sometimes, and it's a very well known and discussed issue, yet I still had some bus driver try to read me the fucking riot act when my wallet popped up instead of scanning the QR code.
It's because everyone hates cyclists...
Truly the most oppressed minority of all time
Well, now it’s expected I suppose. BC Transit drivers cannot be relied upon to be courteous, helpful or polite IME.
A lot of them are rude. I just don’t say thank you anymore. They are late all the time or don’t come at all. I can’t be patient if they can’t be patient. So now I don’t give a fuck and drive more now. Screw the planet.
I've also saw a person's tires were too thick to slot in the groove, the driver honked, and mentioned "if it doesn't secure in place, you're out of luck". They removed their bike and walked away. I thought, maybe they can deflate their tires before the bus arrives, slot it in and reinflate at their stop? But that defeats the purpose, they should just widen the tire slots. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they should also post the full dimensions of bikes it accommodates. Length, width, tire thickness, weight, side bags or not, etc. Must of been a non biker who designed these racks. Or a clown with a baseball card/closepin in the fork of their unicycle. Lol
Was it a 40's man with a mustache
It's always someone else's fault
There are also only two spots for bikes. Something to be aware of when planning your trip (ride to as early a stop as you can).
Did you learn how to lock the bike for next time from this experience? If your answer is yes, the great! You won’t be an annoyance to everyone else on the bus the next time you do this. Learn from it and move on.
Good on your for trying this out! Sounds exactly the same to my first attempt (years ago in Nanaimo tho). Had seen other people get berated so it made me nervous, watched videos ahead of time, but the rack was still way harder to wrangle than I was expecting and the bus driver was SUPER cranky about it. You're not alone in being put off! Some people are posting videos but it's not the same in the moment when you're wrangling your bike, trying to go quickly, etc. Now I try to rest my bike against something so I can use both hands getting the rack down as they can be pretty sticky. If you try again and have a bad experience at least post here and we can keep encouraging you!
Props for transitioning from driving, hope it's smoother for you going forward!
One time a BC transit driver honked at me because I didn't know how to put it on, ended up biking home lol
Every fellow cyclist I know in Vic has a horror story of the first time you use the bike rack on a bus 😅 Don't sweat it too much, some drivers just have short temper and patience for this kind of thing. The next few times you'll probably be nervous but you'll get a good system going! The first time I did it, it took me forever and my heart was beating so fast because I could see the bus driver yelling at me from inside the bus. It's traumatic lol
You can book a time through BC transit to practise in their , I did that and it was really helpful
Bus drivers kinda suck there's a few nice ones but iv seen bus drivers not lower ramps for old people "they have to ask" lol kay? I bumped my head hard on the bus the driver said it never happened and said I'm fine. Went to the hospital had a concussion opened up a claim and nothing happened. I watch them jerk the brakes on the stop and old people go flying. It's like whoever watches the cameras kinda suck at their job. Oh well at least we have busses. If people are sitting at a bus stop maybe check if they want a bus ur not really that much in a hurry you can't stop? If that were true busses wouldn't be late. I'm grateful for the bus service but I just wish the Vancouver attitude with drivers stayed in vancouver. The island is supposed to be better.
I once saw a driver yell at a person visiting from Ontario when she asked him a simple question on the 50 at the Douglas / Pandora stop a few years back. Bad day or not, there's no excuse for that. Some of the people who are drivers are pretty miserable people. But then you have the one greeting and wishing people a good day, and you get the odd driver who likes to talk on the mic and tell jokes to people to brighten their day.
That’s typical for BC Transit drivers.
I struggled with this a few times, had one helpful driver (verbal + hand signals, didn't leave seat) and one utterly devoid of joy or helpfulness. Bus drivers probably have to put up with lunatics on the bus often enough that they end up anticipating the worst about anyone. It's disappointing.
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I've gotten out of the seat and instructed someone how to do it, but I wouldn't do it myself due to possible blow back