| Lately, the worst bus routes are the ones that go downtown around 6th and 7th Avenues. Why are they so terrible? Usually they’re not, except that the routes are always changing due to construction and other summer activities, and of course the robot-lady on Calgary Transit’s Teleride doesn’t mention these detours when you call in.
Instead, bus riders find a yellow sign stapled to the post where they normally catch their bus. The sign informs the riders where the temporary stop is, and often it’s a few blocks away. The rider then sprints to the temporary stop, cursing along the way because there’s a good chance they’ve missed the bus. (The cursing is exceptionally colourful on weekends, because missing the bus can mean spending 45 minutes in a downtown where very little is open and there’s not much to do.)
If the rider is lucky, the yellow sign gave the correct address for the temporary stop. But sometimes the good folks at Calgary Transit get their streets and avenues mixed up. And when transit users realize this, they are likely to fume or come completely unglued.
(Yes, this has happened to me, and I am still angry about it.) |
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