Having had experience with transit systems in other cities, I am rather disappointed in the…read moreinadequate and inconsistent service provided by St. Catherine's Transit Commission. While some bus drivers and call center agents are very helpful and personable, others are apathetic or rude. They balk at going beyond the bare minimum of service to assist you. For example, asking them to let you know when you have reached a stop/address you are not familiar with. I've been told on more than one occasion that the automated system calls it out/displays it on the screen. I am hard of hearing and often have trouble understanding the announcements, which are delayed if a stop is requested (it just says stop requested then just before the bus stops, it finally tells you the street). The display monitor is often not in use, so I can't read the approaching stops. On a recent occasion, I was looking for a particular business and couldn't find it. I boarded the bus at the Pen Center to return home, then saw the place as the driver approached the main road. I rang the bell, and he got very irritated, complained that I just got on, did I want to get off again, and shook his head and rolled his eyes. I had no issue proceeding to the next official stop, but he was all bent out of shape. I told him I just found the business in I was looking for, so he said he'd let me off just up the street from it. Meanwhile, when I boarded the bus, he was standing right in front of the vehicle smoking away, and it was going down my throat. I had to wait until he got on before I could get a transfer, and he was irritated with that request.
Despite nonsmoking policies, the prevalence of passengers and personnel violating this bylaw at the downtown terminal despite the presence of a security guard, as well as at other transfer points/staff breaks, is problematic.
Being new to the city and having visual perceptual/spatial challenges, the layout of the city and bus routes can be confusing for me. Many bus stops are attached to a pole or stop sign, and very hard to spot. The advice that buses are every half hour so be at the stop 5 minutes before hand is not helpful at all, because they arrive at different times even though they are a half hour apart depending on which direction you are going. There is no online "real time" system depicting when a bus will arrive at a certain stop - you need a cell phone to key in the stop number at the location, which is no good to me because I don't have a cell phone.
No doubt, dealing with patrons in a service oriented environment such as public transit can be stressful and frustrating at times; however, professionalism needs to be maintained.
