Hit the green line for a quick trip downtown last night. After a 10-15 minute wait, a single car green train pulled up. Given the fact that it was half-full, the T seems to have assessed demand pretty well. Despite the pouring rain, the driver only opened the front door. I was in the seat across from the driver.
As we approached Coolidge Corner, one of the passengers made the not-so-ridiculous request that the driver open the back doors. It was raining, so nobody wanted to wait in line to board. And it was a single car, so fare evasion was less likely. The driver grunted as she walked by and uttered to a colleague standing outside, "Lazy fucking people."
Wow. I always knew they had it in them, but I was pretty sure they would manage to hold back.
As you know, I believe there is a fine line between preventing fare evasion and treating customers as, well, customers. Let's look at the situation. It was a single car, so the chance of fare evasion goes down, as the driver can see everyone. It's also only taking a few people per stop. Enough to cause a back-up while boarding, but not enough to be a mob. And it's pouring. Any driver with any common sense should open the back door. And upon request, should not swear about the passengers.
Just another day.
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