8/31/11: Oops, my mistake...

I've decided that the D Line is now my train of preference, given that it seems to come the most frequently and have the most seats open.  So I watched an E, then a B, then a C...

I decided to pass on the C-Line, figuring a D would be next.  Another E.  Yankees/Red Sox traffic was starting to accumulate, so when the next train was a C, I hopped on.  Normally, I'm on the first of consecutive C trains and am forced to get off at Coolidge Corner and switch.  Nothing doing today, as I had smooth sailing back home. 

I'm finally starting to work the system.

8/30/11: Revenue Management

Will wonders never cease?  I actually watched a drive make the announcement about coming up the front and swiping cards.  And then she went to the back and grabbed two teenagers who didn't swipe their cards and made them come pay.  I don't know if she picked them out because they were teens or because they were the only ones she saw, but it was nice to see her do something about the situation.  I'd gladly handle the delays if we used the time to "educate" the public that the T, while public transportation, is not free public transportation.

8/29/11: Better service through announcements

Here's how to tell whether a T driver thinks they're carrying the customers who pay their salaries or cattle: Are useful announcements made along the way.

Any Bostonian knows that the place to get off for Fenway Park is not, in fact, Fenway stop, but rather, Kenmore.  Your average non-Bostonian, however, is unaware of these facts.  So when I ran into a confused family on the T, I pointed them to Kenmore.  But here's the bigger question: Why doesn't the drive make an announcement, "Get off here for Fenway Park?"  Why should the tourists, particularly those who get on at a stop without signs for Fenway, not get a little extra info?

To be fair, there are the helpful drivers who just miss their cues.  As we got back to street level, the driver announced that those who boarded need to come up front and pay their fare.  Now, this is a genuine attempt at revenue collection, although it is usually futile, as most passengers just ignore it.  The problem is, the driver was making the announcement as we pulled into the station, before the passengers had even gotten off.  It doesn't do much good to tell your departing passengers to pay their fares.

This morning, we took a nice five minute pause underground.  We sat, and sat and sat.  Announcements?  None.  Would an announcement have gotten us out any sooner?  Of course not.  But would some rationale for the delay been nice to have.  Of course.

8/25/11: How could something so good go so bad?

It looked like luck was with me yesterday.  The rain started just as I was entering Government Center and there were no lines at the turnstile.  I raced down the stairs and saw a C-Line train waiting.  The doors were closing just as I approached the train, so I prepared myself to catch the next one, but the woman boarding the train got her backpack stuck in the door.  Success!  The driver was forced to open the door to let her get her backpack free.

Only to slam it in my face as I got to the train.  And then the train sat there.  And waited.  And waited.  And the driver refused to open the door, no matter how much knocking or pleading I did.  It taunted me for a good two minutes before taking off.  No wonder T drivers have such a great reputation in Boston.  The German tourist standing next to me said, "I was here 35 years ago and it was exactly the same."  Probably the same driver, too.

Note to passengers: If you have access to the facilities, please bathe sometime in the 72 hours before you get on the train.  The woman sitting next to me, well, she smelled.  Pretty bad.  There really wasn't anyplace to go, but I moved as soon as possible.

At least today is Friday.

8/24/11: It was an odd day...

I left work early yesterday and caught a train mid-afternoon.  Despite the fact that trains don't run as frequently in the early afternoon, I got an empty C Train after a few minutes.

A note about the Dunkin Donuts at Government Center.  I know the heat slows everyone down, but I'm constantly amazed by exactly how slowly these guys move.  One would think that they'd want to get as much traffic through the kiosk as fast as possible, given that people there are also waiting for their trains.  Yesterday hit a new low, however, when the kiosk ground to a halt as the woman in front of me got the wrong change.  It took both of the employees to sort it out.  The same thing happened to me, immediately afterward.  Seriously?  The number shows up on the cash register in front of you.  This is at least the second time that I've gotten shortchanged (never gotten too much change), and I'm starting to think that it is not unintentional.

I saw a young woman on the train with a hand piercing.  Ouch.  I've seen a lot of piercings in my time, but have no idea what could cause somebody to get their hand pierced.  No wager is worth that kind of money.

And finally, I noticed in the Metro today that the T has raised $55,000 from the sale of goods in its store, including $650 for a vintage map, which I think would actually be kind of cool to have.  So let's see, if the T is $100m in the hole, that 55K is .055% of the way there.  That's not 5%.  That's 1/20 of one percent.  Probably gotta do better than that.

8/24: The Breakthrough

After months of futility, I finally got the T-Pass to swipe and open the gates at Government Center.  Now listen carefully, because I'm going to share some secret information with you: To get the gates to open on the first try, you have to hold your pass flat against the reader.  No tapping, no swiping.  Just flat.  Of course, since half the readers are broken, it may not make a difference, but it's a good note for future reference.

Shocker of the day: I got no disruption from the afternoon earthquake.  Not that I'm cynical or anything, but it would have been a good excuse to give the trains an afternoon off.

8/22/11: A normal ride home

It's so nice when everything runs as it should.  By "as it should," of course, I mean convenient for me.  A D-Line train was waiting for me at Government Center, there were few unexplained stops along the way and I made it home on time.

I still don't understand the concept of drivers barking into the microphones like drill sergeants.  Seriously, does he think yelling at passengers makes anyone board any faster or squeeze in any tighter when there is no room left to squeeze?  Particularly on this train, which was half empty.