Job in USA after high school, questions for you.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

(And I'm one of those regulars who chats with transit drivers, Harpa. It pays benefits!)

Oooh, really? What do they tell you? What benefits?

[kehills 217]

Oooh, really? What do they tell you? What benefits?

Well, you generally get all the gossip on drivers, which is useful. If you make friends with a union rep, you get inside information on if there's going to be a strike and when; you also learn the best ways to effectively complain to get things changed to benefit you.

But you also get perks like getting dropped off as close as they can to where you need to go; for example, my evening route passed by my house, but the bus stop proper is about 6 houses (and crossing a street) away. Since they go down the road, though, if it's raining, or dark, they'll give me curbside delivery. In the morning, one of the drivers is really nice about dropping me off on the opposite side of the street from the official stop, since that's where my connection is. He also makes sure he's a bit early to that stop, so I have time to make my connection. I've had train drivers hold the train for a minute to give me time to connect over, if they see me headed their way; the regular driver for the corporate loop stops at each building a person works in (without being asked), just as a courtesy.

They also go to bat for you if there are creepy riders, problematic drivers, etc.

Basically, if you're nice and make things pleasant for them, they'll return the favour. It's a small effort (especially before coffee), but it goes a really long way.

(And I should note that around here, transit is often much faster than driving, not to mention cheaper. So, it literally pays in multiple ways!)

Edited August 2, 2014 by kehills