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Editorial
Editorial Archives
Friday, February 25, 2005; Page 20
Accountability: A Priority for Metro
Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (Metro) workers recently held a rally in front of Metro headquarters at 600 Fifth Street, N.W. where they chanted, “Safety and transit go hand in hand, that’s what we demand!”
According to the Metro Washington (DC) Council AFL-CIO, “citing increased incidents of violence on buses and in the subway, Metro workers and their union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, are demanding increased security measures to protect workers and riders. The local plans to increase pressure on the WMATA Board of Directors to provide video security cameras on buses, an increased Transit Police presence and increased funding for transit security and safety.”
While Metro workers galvanize to bring attention to their concerns about safety, many Metro riders continue to complain that it is Metrobus and rail drivers themselves that are the cause of concern.
In 2004 the issue made national headlines as a station manager waved a broom at a pregnant woman inquiring about a broken escalator, a 12-year-old was arrested for eating French fries on a train and Metro’s complaints nearly doubled in a month’s span, but many alarming incidents take place on a daily basis that go unnoticed or unreported.
While it is common for customers to complain of rude bus drivers, one male Metrobus driver was recently heard engaging in a back-and-forth verbal match with a female rider in which offensive and derogatory language was used by both individuals. One passenger reported that she had to sit and wait on a Metrobus that was double parked in the street as the driver ran into a liquor store to grab a soda and chips. The most common complaint is of drivers that talk on their cell phones while driving, without using a handset.
Metro Board Chairman T. Dana Kauffman, recognizing the need to provide better service for customers, identified accountability as a top priority in 2005. Kauffman seeks to improve upon this by establishing Metro’s first ever Riders Advisory Committee, holding three town hall meeting in 2005 and making information more accessible, along with other plans. Visit www.wmata.com for more information. |
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