Why is it that when this Capital City hosts thousands of our nation's tourists for holiday weekends like Memorial Day weekend, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) seems to recruit its worst for customer service representatives. I hate how rude our own WMATA employees can be when tourists are standing around metro stations looking for help. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to stop tourists from inserting 20 dollar bills into the ticket machines. I hate when I walk by and see the gleeful look of a tourist turn to shock and awe when they realize that they are receiving 15 plus dollars in change, all in quarters.
And why is it that the station managers or assistant station managers will not help you in buying the correct ticket, but they will stop you when you try to hand over your ticket to another visitor who might not have enough on their ticket. The other day a relative of mine had this happen, where she knew she was not going to be leaving the next morning to return to the West coast. She still had over 15 dollars of metro fare on her card, but she knew she would not be back any time soon to use it. So, when someone was passing by and had trouble with the card, she simply offered it to them as she exited, explaining she was leaving the city. Just then, a station manager came running out and screamed at her, making a scene, scolding her for trying to trade fare cards. No explanation was given. Now, you and I fellow Washingtonians know the rules, but innocent tourists do not. So, why not politely explain the rules to them instead of yelling at them in a very public manner. This leaves a lasting impression, and a very negative one at that.
That leaves you and me to undo the damage. So, next time you see a tourist about to insert that Andrew Jackson into that ticket machine, take an extra minute of your time - and perhaps miss that train you were running for - and assist them in buying metro tickets. The good karma will come back five fold.
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I hate Metro. As a native Washingtonian, I have watched this system go from bad to worse to absolutely horrible. I have stopped riding it almost completely, instead cycling to and from work. Even riding in the rain at the risk of getting hit by some huge SUV is less painful than riding Metro or its buses. My main complaint is the totally unruly youth that ride this system. They curse, scream, drop food on the floor, fight, carry weapons, you name it! Several times I have been on the E2/E4 bus line and watched one young person assault another with a weapon. One kid flashed a gun at another. The kids push riders to the ground, throw food everywhere, and scream at the top of their lungs. And what do the bus drivers do? NOTHING! During one incident involving a kid wielding a knife, numerous passangers were not allowed to get off because we weren't at a stop (we were begging the driver to let us off, as we were legitimately scared for our lives). WMATA cannot manage its system. It will not get a dime from me until it can make my ride quiet and uneventful.
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