[nagdu] Sun Tran Bus Co.

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,    The day before my meeting with the bus company, I had a run
in with a bus driver who refused to let me get on the bus and a passenger
who was urged by said driver to remove my dog from the bus.  I was waiting
at the bus stop, alone and them a woman came up just before the bus pulled
up.  The driver opened the door and proceeded to tell me there was no room
for me,as the woman got on the bus. She was not turned away.I asked him how
many wheelchairs he had on and he said there were none. Nala jumped up on
the bus and sat down. I should have moved her off, but I did not. This was a
mistake. The bus driver refused to let me on even though there were 2 wheel
chair bays unoccupied. He refused to ask the people to move from those
seats. Those seats have a sign saying that they are reserved for the
handicapped. If there was no room for me, there was no room for the woman
who got on the bus,but the driver allowed her to get on. This driver was
very nasty to me and told me he was already running late. I surmise this is
the reason he refused me as he did not want to take the time to board a
wheelchair. I told him that I knew there was room for a wheelchair and I did
not want to be late for my appointment. There was a woman who offered to
move so he could put me on the bus, but he kept refusing me. He said I was
holding him up. I told him that he was the one holding up the bus by not
allowing me to get on. He could have let me on and been on his way, but he
continued to argue with me. He proceeded to tell the passengers that, while
he could not touch my dog, if any one wanted to remove my dog from the bus
to go ahead and do it. I decided to move Nala off the bus as the driver
closed the door on the leash and my cane. A passenger came forward and
ripped the leash out of my hand and the driver opened the door and the
passenger kicked Nala and pushed her off the bus.Luckily, she just came and
sat next to me. As the passenger was doing this I hit him with my cane,
trying to protect my dog. If the driver had not closed the door on her I
would have removed her but he did not give me a chance to. I am sure he did
that on purpose so he could have the passenger forcefully remove her, to
teach me a lesson. I did not put my dog on the bus intentionally, she just
thought we were getting on so she automatically jumped on. I should have
gotten her off but the driver and I were arguing and I did not think about
it at the time. I will not make that mistake again. Poor Nala was kicked and
pushed off the bus. If that had been a young trainee, the dog might have
been scared and run into traffic and been killed. The driver could have left
, but he didn't. He threatened to call the police and I told him to go
ahead. Instead he called his supervisor.  The supervisor arrived and spoke
to us both. The driver lied and told him that he did not have to take me,
but the supervisor told him that there was room for a wheel chair and if he
felt that the bus was too crowded, he should not have allowed the other
woman on either. The driver said he had dealt with me in the pass and that I
have a bad attitude and should be barred from riding the bus. By this time
another bus pulled up and the Supervisor told me to get on that bus and he
would handle the problem. I proceeded to go to the other bus and it was a
short lift. I can not fit on that lift with my dog, so I asked if the driver
would take the dog up first.She grumbled that the dog could jump up. This
was a much higher bus that the other one and I tried to explain that my dog
could not jump that high due to her age and slight arthritis. The supervisor
asked if he could take her on the back steps. He picked up the harness
handle and pulled Nala away from me. I was getting very angry by this time
and told him to not touch the handle. He said how am I going to lead her up
the steps. He was already holding the leash,and I told him ,by the leash
like you would any other dog, and under my breath I added ,you moron, which
he did not hear. I finally got on the bus and was 1hour late for my
appointment.   The next day I had my meeting with company CEO. He just kept
telling me that the driver did not have to let me on the bus if he felt that
it was too crowded. I asked about the woman he let on. Well she could stand
so she could ride if she wanted. He told me that the driver can't make
people move out of the seat in the wheelchair bay. I asked him why then do
the have a sign saying that those seat are reserved for the handicapped, if
indeed they can't ride there? If that were the case, the wheelchair users
would never get to ride the bus. I also informed him that the new buses only
have 2 wheelchair bays, and the old buses have 3. Not only have they cut
down on how many wheelchairs can get on the bus , they don't give them the
chance to ride if they don't feel like dealing with the chair. I told him I
thought it was discrimination and that driver had no right to invite a
passenger to remove my dog the way he did. I told him I was not given the
chance to take her off my self. He just said that he would have to review
the tape. They have cameras in all the buses, but every time I have a
confrontation,the cameras don't seem to be working. I also asked about the
braille and raised letters and numbers being removed and he said he knew
nothing about that. he said he would look in to it. I also told him I was
holding him and his driver responsible for removing my dog like that from
the bus and that I was going to file a complaint with the DOJ. I left the
meeting more frustrated then when I went in. I do feel that I should not
have let my dog stay on the bus and should have gotten her off right away.
But I never thought that the driver would have asked the passengers to
remove her. I will not make that mistake again.I do not think he had a right
to touch my dog, and he closed the door so I could not get her off my
self.   I think I need some help with this bus company. I have been trying
to do it my self for years now and I am getting no where. It just keeps
getting worse. I just want to be able to ride the bus and get where I need
to go, just like every one else, and I am always late for my appointments,
no matter how early I leave the house.  Please , if some one has any ideas,
let me know.       Mardi