Case of the Mondays

Something happened on Monday that had never happened before: I missed the bus. OK, it happened once since we moved to our new home, but this was more dramatic. When I opened the front door at 7:39 on Monday morning, I saw the bus at the bus stop. This was unusual since the bus isn’t supposed to arrive until 7:40 and usually doesn’t get there until closer to 7:45. I frantically raced towards the bus, but I was too late as the bus started pulling away. I was too far away for the driver or anyone on the bus to see me, but for 5 seconds, I thought that perhaps I could keep up with the bus until the next stop less than a 1/2 mile away. Unfortunately, I am not Usain Bolt. Plus, I was wearing shoes that would not allow me to run a 4.2, 40.

I had to think quickly. I couldn’t wait 30 minutes until the next bus arrived, but could I catch up to the bus? I raced back inside the house, where Ziggy was surprised and pleased to see me home so soon. I should also mention that Ziggy was partially to blame for me missing the bus in the first place. He decided to be cute before I left home and rolled on his back so that I could rub his stomach. Anyway, I brushed off Ziggy, went to the garage and got into my car. I caught up to the bus three stops later, but by the time I would have parked, the bus would have been off again.

I passed the bus and drove two stops ahead where I may or may not have run a red light. I parked in a shopping center and made it to the stop about 20 seconds before the bus arrived. When I got on the bus, I realized what went wrong. There was a new bus driver. How dare a new bus driver get to the stop on time or even a minute early? I walked to my seat, said hello to a fellow passenger who was shocked to see me at the new stop, and made it to work on time. Unfortunately, I left my cell phone at home.

Yesterday, the regular driver was back and the bus arrived at 7:44. I told the bus driver that I missed him on Monday, and he replied that it was nice to be missed. He has no idea.

Cheers to the Fairfax Connector

When I have had problems with certain companies, I have been quick to write about my experiences (ex. Saturn, The Washington Post and Metro). Therefore, I want to give some credit to a company that provided excellent customer service. Surprisingly, I’m giving credit to the Fairfax Connector bus system.

Last month, I got on the wrong bus. No, this is not another entry of the “I am an Idiot” series. You see, the front of the bus which shows the bus number was not working. Therefore, I got on the bus and asked the driver the number. I thought that he said 557, which is one of the busses I can take. When I paid with my SmarTrip, I noticed that the cost was $3, $2 more than it should be. When I questioned the driver he said that I was on the 597, which is not one of the busses I can take. Even though he gave me a transfer slip, I was still out $2.

Although $2 really wasn’t that big of a deal, I decided to call the main Fairfax Connector office to explain the situation. They were extremely helpful and did not mock me, which is always a plus in the customer service field. Fairfax Connector also mailed me three $1 bus passes along with several bus schedules. So this message is simply to give credit to the Fairfax Connector.

I’m sure that I’ll criticize someone else again very soon.