The MATAplus Ride from Hell

Know about the service before you complain about it

By Bobbie Fields
Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wish you had just stayed in bed? That’s how I feel after my MATAplus ride this morning. 

As usual my bus arrived late which, quite naturally made me late to work. After getting on the bus I found out that three other riders had been added to driver’s manifest to be picked before my drop off.  

The first person got on the bus asking if she was the first to be dropped off, she started to complain when she learned she was not. She started ranting and bugging the driver about being late for her appointments. 

She scheduled an 8:30 am pickup for a 9:15 doctor’s appointment, I explained to her the importance of scheduling her ride earlier and taking into consideration the 30 minute pickup window and the fact this is a shared ride service.
 
The second rider, considering the fact that he has a visual impairment should’ve have requested to be called when the bus arrives. Riders who cannot see the bus have the same responsibility to meet the vehicle when it arrives and people who are blind may ask for a reasonable accommodation to be notified when the bus comes. Today however, we had to wait to wait 15 minutes before the second rider finally boarded the bus. 

The final rider we picked up seemed to think that she had a private car service because she wanted to bring the family along. They took forever to board the bus. 

All three of these people could have made this trip go much smoother simply by being prepared. The first one should have scheduled her ride at least an hour and a half before her scheduled appointment. The next person should have added to his profile a courtesy call request when making reservations.  The third person could have made sure that all those accompanying her were ready. Each MATAplus rider should consider the other people who ride the bus and the limited space. 

I would suggest if you want your own car service and you don’t need the accessibility of MATAplus, to consider Uber or one of the other transportation providers.  Each rider must consider the certain factors that come along with using a ride share. Know what MATAplus provides before you use and complain about the service.