Well, I e-mailed my complaint to DART yesterday, regarding the issue I posted about yesterday. I've recently seen drivers pulling out from Rodney Square before the scheduled departure time. I soon got a robo-email back saying they had received it. I don't submit complaints frequently, but in the past I've sometimes gotten a second follow-up e-mail telling me that they had forwarded my complaint on to a supervisor. Other times, I've never heard anything further.
You, too, can e-mail in comments, compliments, or complaints HERE. (form shown to the left.) Unfortunately, their form seems to work only on a computer. I tried once to send a comment on my Blackberry and was unable to get it to go through, although I send e-mail on my phone all the time. Oh, well, another issue for my DART wish list. If anyone else has had better luck e-mailing DART on another type of smartphone, I'd be interested in hearing it about it in the comments.
I think DART's response may depend on the type of complaint. I think I've gotten follow-ups mainly on very specific complaints, ones that include date, time, location, bus or route number. Once I even got an answer, telling me that no, I did not need to stand out in the street in order to be picked up by the route 6 bus. A driver had told me that, one Saturday morning when she flew by the stop well above the 25 mph posted speed limit and overshot the stop by half a block. She said the parked cars blocked her vision and so I should stand "way out," presumably so she didn't have to slow down. Per DART's response to my e-mailed complaint, passengers are not supposed to stand in the street at all.
I talk to a lot of other riders, and most of them have things to complain about re DART's service. But most never complain at all. If they do, it's mostly to make a frustrated phone call when a bus does not show up. Clearly there is not a lot of supervision of drivers. I think if more riders would send in specific complaints for the more egregious stuff (not every little thing), DART would be better able to sort out the bad behavior. And I think an e-mailed complaint, or even a letter, is the best way to go. A paper trail (even an electronic one) then exists, which would look very bad if the referenced situation really went south. Nobody wants that, so my guess is that action may more likely be taken for e-mail or letters.
The great majority of DART drivers are wonderful. We need to be sending in complements, too. It's just the minority of drivers who are idiots and make things bad for everybody. I wish they could all be like the wonderful, professional guys who drive route 54 in the mornings. They are so good. Over and over, I've seen them go above and beyond to help their passengers. Including me, over a year ago when I lost my cellphone on the bus... and thanks to one of these drivers got it back right away.
I think DART's response may depend on the type of complaint. I think I've gotten follow-ups mainly on very specific complaints, ones that include date, time, location, bus or route number. Once I even got an answer, telling me that no, I did not need to stand out in the street in order to be picked up by the route 6 bus. A driver had told me that, one Saturday morning when she flew by the stop well above the 25 mph posted speed limit and overshot the stop by half a block. She said the parked cars blocked her vision and so I should stand "way out," presumably so she didn't have to slow down. Per DART's response to my e-mailed complaint, passengers are not supposed to stand in the street at all.
I talk to a lot of other riders, and most of them have things to complain about re DART's service. But most never complain at all. If they do, it's mostly to make a frustrated phone call when a bus does not show up. Clearly there is not a lot of supervision of drivers. I think if more riders would send in specific complaints for the more egregious stuff (not every little thing), DART would be better able to sort out the bad behavior. And I think an e-mailed complaint, or even a letter, is the best way to go. A paper trail (even an electronic one) then exists, which would look very bad if the referenced situation really went south. Nobody wants that, so my guess is that action may more likely be taken for e-mail or letters.
The great majority of DART drivers are wonderful. We need to be sending in complements, too. It's just the minority of drivers who are idiots and make things bad for everybody. I wish they could all be like the wonderful, professional guys who drive route 54 in the mornings. They are so good. Over and over, I've seen them go above and beyond to help their passengers. Including me, over a year ago when I lost my cellphone on the bus... and thanks to one of these drivers got it back right away.
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