Stupid tram driver
Was invited to a BBQ over at the Yarra Bank Reserve at Hawthorn on Saturday, before midday so we left the city around 11 or something. Sorry no pics. We got on tram 75, which is what I take to go to campus almost everyday and as the tram rolls along, we noticed that it was running faster than usual, as if the driver was in a rush to get to the restroom or something, which doesn't make sense because he would've had time for it since we had to wait for a while before it left the terminus at Flinders Street West.
Anyway, Bridge road was pretty packed with traffic and while I find it a bit odd, I guess it makes sense being the weekend and Bridge Road is full of shops and stores so people would flock there more on a Saturday than on a weekday, which is what I'm used to. As soon as the tram cleared the traffic, it went like a bat out of hell ignoring most of the stops it's meant to stop at. Some were empty but a few had people waiting for it, I bet they were more than peeved since the next one would've been another 20-30 minutes wait given the weekend timetable and the traffic.
So we were meant to get off at stop 23, which is right next to the Reserve and as soon as we passed stop 22, I pulled the overhead cord to tell the driver to stop at the next stop. Once you pull the cord, it rings a bell that's loud enough that everyone in the entire tram can hear. There's also a display that lets the driver know what stop number he's coming to and whether a passenger has pulled the cord or presses a stop button. As we approached stop 23, the driver didn't slow down, instead, it kept barreling towards stops 24 and then 25 before it finally stopped after passing stop 25 with a loud screech as he hit the brake. Goddamn muthafuckin' driver. What the hell was he thinking?? I was about ready to get off two stops before and there he was taking the tram for a joyride. It got me thinking whether it was that 15 year old kid who stole a tram from the terminal and picked up a few passengers along the way to Kew two weeks ago.
When you pull the cord, the bell won't ring again until the tram stops, which resets the bell so no matter how many times you pull it, it will only ring once. This is one of the older trams from the late 70's. The new trams beep every time someone presses the button regardless. So anyway, after passing 23, another passenger was about to get off at 24 and he could only watch his stop flew by as we zoomed past it. I had just about enough of this crap so I half ran towards the driver as we approached 25 at high speed when he suddenly hit the brake. I pretty much got flung towards the front of the tram and was lucky to manage to grab a hold of a handle so I didn't get slammed.
At this point, I wanted nothing more than to get off the frickin' tram so I mouthed off quite a few proverbial at the driver whom I didn't bother to look at as I jumped out of the tram. Sav got off from the rear doors along with that other passenger who also missed his stop. Half the tram was at the stop while the other half was in the middle of the open road.
I'm pretty sure the driver was trying to make up for lost time after the heavy traffic but I couldn't give a shit about what he wants, his job is to pick up and drop off passengers at trams stops, not to zoom 30 miles an hour in a 2 ton steel contraption.
We had to walk back quite a long way to get to the Reserve, at least it wasn't a hot day.
Anyway, Bridge road was pretty packed with traffic and while I find it a bit odd, I guess it makes sense being the weekend and Bridge Road is full of shops and stores so people would flock there more on a Saturday than on a weekday, which is what I'm used to. As soon as the tram cleared the traffic, it went like a bat out of hell ignoring most of the stops it's meant to stop at. Some were empty but a few had people waiting for it, I bet they were more than peeved since the next one would've been another 20-30 minutes wait given the weekend timetable and the traffic.
So we were meant to get off at stop 23, which is right next to the Reserve and as soon as we passed stop 22, I pulled the overhead cord to tell the driver to stop at the next stop. Once you pull the cord, it rings a bell that's loud enough that everyone in the entire tram can hear. There's also a display that lets the driver know what stop number he's coming to and whether a passenger has pulled the cord or presses a stop button. As we approached stop 23, the driver didn't slow down, instead, it kept barreling towards stops 24 and then 25 before it finally stopped after passing stop 25 with a loud screech as he hit the brake. Goddamn muthafuckin' driver. What the hell was he thinking?? I was about ready to get off two stops before and there he was taking the tram for a joyride. It got me thinking whether it was that 15 year old kid who stole a tram from the terminal and picked up a few passengers along the way to Kew two weeks ago.
When you pull the cord, the bell won't ring again until the tram stops, which resets the bell so no matter how many times you pull it, it will only ring once. This is one of the older trams from the late 70's. The new trams beep every time someone presses the button regardless. So anyway, after passing 23, another passenger was about to get off at 24 and he could only watch his stop flew by as we zoomed past it. I had just about enough of this crap so I half ran towards the driver as we approached 25 at high speed when he suddenly hit the brake. I pretty much got flung towards the front of the tram and was lucky to manage to grab a hold of a handle so I didn't get slammed.
At this point, I wanted nothing more than to get off the frickin' tram so I mouthed off quite a few proverbial at the driver whom I didn't bother to look at as I jumped out of the tram. Sav got off from the rear doors along with that other passenger who also missed his stop. Half the tram was at the stop while the other half was in the middle of the open road.
I'm pretty sure the driver was trying to make up for lost time after the heavy traffic but I couldn't give a shit about what he wants, his job is to pick up and drop off passengers at trams stops, not to zoom 30 miles an hour in a 2 ton steel contraption.
We had to walk back quite a long way to get to the Reserve, at least it wasn't a hot day.
This entry was posted
on Monday, May 02, 2005 at 1:47 PM.
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On Tuesday, May 03, 2005 4:36:00 AM,Gawd..... That tram driver must be retarted.
I miss the good old friendly tram driver on line 86 (or was it 96?) and the funny and friendly announcer on the City Circle. You know the one with thick bushy mustache.
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=^^=
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