Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Technology and Idiots

RANT

I don't normally ride the bus, but if it's too hot and I didn't bike to the T, I'll hop on one if it happens to be there when I get off the train.
So last night I get to the station, and there's a bus pulling in. There are 2 bus routes that go near my house, one of which terminates at the Reading depot.
It's one of those newer buses with the GPS announcements, so the driver just has to drive. We pull out, and we're driving along, and periodically, the bus announces where it will terminate, which, as I said before, is Reading depot. For those of you not from the Boston area, the town is pronounced 'Redding', not 'Reeding'. The T would check this before they put very expensive, technologically advanced buses in service, wouldn't they?
I guess they wouldn't.
The bus announces, proudly, 'Route 136, REEDING depot'.
REEDING.
Isn't there any quality control at the MBTA?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

that would be funny if it didn't make you feel so embarrassed for them.
ok, i lied, it's funny anyway.

Anonymous said...

It used to be worse: The bus announcements would read a route number, say 455, the Salem bus, as "FOUR-HUNDRED-FIFTY-FIVE", instead of the way most of us say it, "Four Fifty Five". I have been in a few buses now that say the route number the "right" way.

However, it's not even close to perfection on the lines: Many buses have voice announcements turned off. Many of even newer buses have nonfunctioning signs.

Management gets paid anyway. They don't care.