Ceres Magazine Issue 2 - Winter 2016 | Page 106

What we

have learned

As we near the end of our journey, we look back on what we have learned? Buses, trains and light rail are a necessity! This much has been established! But who are the people behind that network of public vehicles? These are the questions that I hope, by now, we have answered as we interviewed operators, conductors, engineers and even some of the executives behind the transportation operations. Women, in particular, have gotten our attention, as in general they still get a bad rep for working as bus/train drivers or conductors in an industry, which not so long ago, used to be mainly all male.

The first thing that strikes us as odd is that, of all of those women, and even the men we have interviewed, not one is doing this job without a perfect understanding of how they are valued, regarded, and treated by the public. And, they still love their job! It takes an incredible acceptance of human nature and all its flaws, in order to do what they do. Yes, there may be public transit workers that hate their job, but those usually move on to another occupation as soon as they have an opportunity. For those who last, they have established themselves into something that brings them joy and pride even amid the worst days and the worst passengers.

They know they help millions of people to get to work, to go from Point A to Point B, and back home. Male or female operators/conductors/engineers, they love what they do because they love people, they love being around them, they love helping, as they feel themselves, in a sense, a part of the community, too. For some, it’s empowering being able to move thousands of people around at once, for others, they love driving and being out and about. And each smile, each thank you they get from their passengers becomes a validation, in their own

way, of a job well done. Though, it is pretty obvious that a lot of operators, mainly bus drivers, are still the target of moody or angry people, as it becomes often too easy for those passengers to disrespect, mistreat, and verbally abuse bus drivers, blaming them for all the predicaments they are in.

Yes, buses or trains will always encounter delays and mechanical issues, unless our buses and trains learn how to fly—and they may someday, (wink, wink) and why not into space, as we tried to imagine it in Genae Jefferson's "Fantastic Voyage" (p. 102). Still, it would not be guaranteed that they would not encounter issues in the sky either. But for now, they are well anchored on mother earth's ground, rolling and gliding all wheels ahead toward their destinations. So, we're stuck! And, yes, those issues will always happen when you are in a hurry, have an appointment, or something special to attend. These are the laws of oddities! Yes, some drivers are slower than others. Yes, sometimes there are too many wheelchairs chipping away chunks of the already tight schedules, road construction or accidents slowing traffic to a crawl, or trouble passengers causing drama and grating on other passengers’ nerves. Since, it is human nature that we don't get along, and with so many people in close proximity, in each other's face, outbursts ought to happen, and bam, delays!

Downtown LA Photo by Lands of Void

106 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016