Yes, riding para transit can be difficult at times, but for the most part I don't have a problem with the drivers. The vast majority of them are polite, helpful, conversational, and drive safely.
I don't know what was up with my driver this morning. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she was stressed. Maybe she had not had enough coffee. I don't know. I can only speculate because the one thing she seemed upset about was the fact that I wouldn't open the van door for myself.
When I came out of my apartment, I walked up to the van and waited, like I do every morning. The van doors are very difficult for me to open, and I don't want to risk injuring my back or arm. Plus, I don't think the drivers want us to be opening the doors and getting in before they open the door for us.
She was doing paperwork, so I waited patiently. When she saw me, she unlocked the doors, but kept doing her paperwork. So I continued to wait. Then she looked up and said rather impatiently, "The door is open." I said, "I have a lot of trouble opening these doors." With a huff, she got out, came around, and opened the door for me.
I thought that would be the end of the story.
We picked up my co-worker again. She didn't seem to expect him to open the door for himself.
When we got to the library, she opened his door and waited while he exited the van. I actually tried to open my door, but I couldn't do it. She came around to my side, and pulled open my door with more force than she needed to, and it opened with a bang. Was that really necessary? Maybe she didn't mean to do that, but it seemed she was still upset that I wouldn't (couldn't) open the door for myself.
This is a van service with people with disabilities. We don't all have the same abilities. Some people who ride can open those doors by themselves; some can't. I'm not sure why my inability made her so apparently frustrated. If she is a new driver, she will need to very quickly adjust to the fact that some passengers will need more assistance than others. Some riders are very slow in walking to the vehicle. Some take a long time to enter the van. Some need a step stool. Others need help with their seat belt. It is part of the driver's job to assist with entering and exiting the vehicle, and not make the passenger feel bad or guilty for requesting help.
I felt like she thought I was refusing to open my door, and making her act like a chauffeur, even when I told her it was something that was difficult for me to do. I was honest with her, and her response was to act like I was making her do extra work unnecessarily.
A great beginning to the day.
But I'm not going to contact Metro. Because this was my perception. I don't know for sure what she was thinking or why she seemed mad. If she had refused to help me, or said something that made me know she was questioning my ability, then I would have made a complaint about her.
librarianintx
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