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Question: A similiar question to fare evaders-- what are you told to do about crazy/angry people and what is the reality?
Please allow me to preface this.
MUNI is the busiest transit agency in the entire Bay Area. Along with the world-class city status comes the huge crime problem with no answer anytime soon.
Bus drivers have to wear many hats to get through the day. One has to be part captain of his ship, part counselor, part psychologist, part diplomat, part drill sergeant, part info / customer service rep, part good guy, part bad guy, part ambassador of the City, part multi-tasker, part trouble shooter, part emergency response civil service personnel, part day care mommy / daddy, part juvenile hall mentor, part pseudo probation officer, part psychic, part clairvoyant, part bartender without the drinks, part specialist on handling folks with mobility issues or disability. One must have incredibly thick skin and not be allergic to toxic behavior, scorn, ridicule, indignation, disapproval, or rejection from the public. You wouldn't know it by how some of us act...
One has to be always alert. There cannot be any lasp in attention to everything inside and around the bus. One mistake could cost a life or multiple fatalities. Not to mention his job... And the TV newscrew to follow.
Having said all of that, we are just bus drivers. We are not certified or trained in police duties and responsibility. We are not paramedics. But we are to contact the Central Dispatch for Police, Ambulance or Fire situations.
We are human beings just like you. We have family to come safety home to. We are entrusted to not put ourselves, the passengers, the public and the bus in danger. We are to de-escalate the situation if possible. We are to let the professionals in their field do their job.
On top of that, if we intervene, there is a real pandora's box of liability. Claims of liability may come from the victim, the assailant, or MUNI. We can be reprimanded, given days off without pay, or dismissed for getting out of the driver's seat. Getting out of the seat is seen by MUNI as escalating a situation, which is forbidden.
If the out-of-control person creates a SAFETY/SECURITY/MEDICAL situation, then the PRIORITY LINE to the Central Dispatch will be used. We also have an emergency "panic button" for imminent life and death situations. Once applied, all communications are frozen. The bus is shut down at the current location. Dispatch calls the police to intercept the bus in distress.
As far as angry people, some drivers decide stay mute. This is a defense mechanism. What one says can be used against him when the voice recorder and the security cameras are reviewed. The tapes can also be used to show what REALLY happened. Invaluable for a driver in formal complaints lodged against him. Anyway, by not saying anything and ignoring the angry folks, the driver is playing it smart. What happens is when the operator says one word, he gets 5 more poisonous words back. This gives more ammunition to the angry folks, and they get angrier and things escalate. This is a no-win situation for the driver. But the tape will reveal that he didn't respond or even say anything. This tried-and-true technique has been used by longtime operators for years. This is one way operators can cope with their job.
Let it be known that spitting or even touching a MUNI operator is an... assault that carries the weight of a F-E-L-O-N-Y! It's the law. If an operator presses charges, the felony charge goes to court and the City Legal Dept goes to work.
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> Along with the world-class city status comes the huge crime problem
This is hardly the case! New York is experiencing an all time crime low, even as the population slowly increases!
Also, Wikipedia lists San Francisco as a Beta City, along with Toronto.
Beta world cities
* San Francisco
* Sydney
* Toronto
* Zurich
Toronto has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and shares the same "world class beta status" as San Francisco.
However, Toronto, with 2.6 million people in the city proper, sees fewer murders numerically (not even proportionally) than San Francisco proper with slightly more than 700,000.
YAY! Kevin found a nit to pick. Go Kevin! Go Kevin!
yeah, if you love Toronto so much why don't you marry it???
Good explanation from MUNI Driver about why drivers don't respond to pissed off passengers.
And there should be a 24hr cable channel with MUNI security camera highlights! That would rule.
Hey, why do so many MUNI busses run red lights?
Muni rocks. I really appreciate not having to drive in this city, full of awful drivers.