What was your most memorable moment as a MTA driver/conductor/dispatcher/employee?

[ArticExpress]

What is one of your most memorable moments of your career?

One of mine is when a dentist from Lima Peru got on my bus lost, confused, and couldnt speak a word of english. How did I find out he could speak english? He presented to me his cupped hands filled with american coins and told me "take" in a very heavy latin accent. I started to speak spanish and a wave of relief came all over his face. He explained to me he had been taken for $50. in a yellow cab that still did not take him to his convention destination. I got him around 42nd st., He needed to go to Lincoln center -not far but if you dont know where you are going it's another world away. On our trip to Lincoln we discussed the city's architecture, history and people. He was extremely learned on our city and country, infact I learned alot from him! He thanked me profusely and got off. We had exchanged addresses, which I NEVER do with any passengers , but for some reason I did with him. No I was not hitting on him nor him me. It was merely a friendly exchange between two strangers that had helped one another. How did he help me? He renewed my faith and opinions in my fellow man. A month later I recieved a letter from Lima Peru from him and his family thanking me for helping their father, and husband and that if I should ever vacation in Peru there was a room in their home for me!!! That touched my heart each and every time I tell it. I still have that letter in a box filled with my MTA memorabilia and take it out anytime people question the truthfullness of my story.. So now what is your memorable moment..... good or bad:)(NYCT)

[metsfan]

That is really cool.

 

- Andy

[DOB2RTO]

We had exchanged addresses, which I NEVER do with any passengers , but for some reason I did with him. No I was not hitting on him nor him me. It was merely a friendly exchange between two strangers that had helped one another.

 

If you didn't put you were not hitting on one another, I would of had jokes for days on you. I'm one of those type of drivers (making jokes, especially controversial and uneasy ones). I have been told I'm going ho hell by my co-workers, so don't mind me.

 

My most memorable moments, involved two drunks on two different occasions. First one was on the Bx2, which some drunk lady (I think she had downs syndrome also) got on at 165 st. She had a huge bottle of alcohol (not beer). She reaked of alcohol. When she exited the bus at 148 st, she fell onto the ground, shattering her bottle. Myself and one other customer was on the bus. We got out, helped her up, I told her to be careful crossing the street (she wanted the Bx21), and I took off. Second time was on the M100 (this pick). This was a drunk male. He did the same exact thing. My motto is as long as both their feet are off the bus, I ain't calling control for nothing.

[Pelham Bay Dave]

I could write a book but here are some

As a Conductor:

 

A fight broke out on my train at Sterling Street Northbound with one guy getting stabbed and had to wait for Police and EMS which took 45 Minutes. The guy was lucky to have a nurse on board help him. After he was removed me and T/O had to isolate the car because of the blood.

 

Working the someone sitting behind my cab had a seizure at St Lawance Southbound. I tought it was a Fight because he was doing a lot of kicking and punching and told Control it was such people were screaming and running out of the car. Then after a minute or two people claimed down then I found out what really happen I changed the call from a Fight in progress to a sick customer.

 

Then there is the guy on the Line who decided he was going to try to get on top of the train between cars as the train is in motion between 14 St and Grand Central. I had the train stop and got him down then thrown his butt off the train at Grand Central.

 

AS A Train Operator:

 

Not as interesting just a guy dressed in black standing on the tracks half way in the station at Fordham looking to be early morning snack for the rats. Luckly I seen something wasn't right and believe it or not what it was I noticed that the shine on the rail from the platfrom lights seem to have a gap so I applied my brakes thinking it could be something or nothing and sure enough I seen the guy and was able to stop about 15 Feet from him. When I stopped he decided to jump on the platform and run away. Since I had to place the trains Brakes In Emergency as per School car I had to notify Rail Control of the incident. They had me proceed in service and picked up a TSS to check me out for fitness for duty which happens anytime you involied in a incident or near miss incident.

[Pelham Bay Dave]

Oh I forgot another one from my C/R days this was funny. I'm on a downtown and my T/O tells me on the IC he has a rat running around in his operating car and wants me to call control because his radio is dead. This happen at 59 St. at 10:30 AM on a Thurs. So I call control tell them my T/O got a rat running around the first car of the train. The radio was dead silant. After repeating it I was told to hold at Times SQ. So now I notice people running off the train in the first car at TQ. My T/O tells me we can proceed so I tell Control we on the move the rat is off the train and they say very good we can go regular with the service. Now I am around Canal St Control is calling me. They telling me they going to have assisance waiting for me at Chambers to isolate the car. I reply we don't need it the rat is off the train. RCC " C/R we got a Several reports of blood in your T/O operating car". Now I get on the IC "T/O what happen at 42 with the rat!?" "OH yeah a customer killed it with a baseball bat its dead but still on the train!" Me "You can't make this ** up"! So a Platfrom C/R , Dispatcher and TSS waiting at the 10 car marker to take care of the problem.

[R1Toasty]

Pelham Bay Dave, you make me look forward to the good times ahead of me, I can hardly wait for that next CR test B)

[Pelham Bay Dave]

Always something going on in the Middle I have a lot more stories but if I was to tell all of them Harry would have to give me my own Discussion Forum called "Pelham Bay Dave's was stories":D

Take the Test and see the world and have an experance you never forget!

[ArticExpress]

Always something going on in the Middle I have a lot more stories but if I was to tell all of them Harry would have to give me my own Discussion Forum called "Pelham Bay Dave's was stories":D

Take the Test and see the world and have an experance you never forget!

That's right, join MTA and see the world like you've never seen it before!!!

I too have a rat story! When I first started we still had buses with no power steering. I was able to get a shifting trick for on or two nights at the old west farms before it was torn down. This place was a rat infested haven. Rookie that i was I had no idea how bad the problem was. Well anyway all goes well and here comes this no power steering dinosaur of a bus. To shift it into the depot we had to trun the bus around a tight corner to get it into the garage for fueling. Well this senior guy call me over. Says he wants me to get some "experience" with these type of buses. He gets up I take over. I'm not that big and turning that wheel was really really hard. He turns the wheel for me and tells me to hold it in place while he opens the garage doors for me. I was struggling to keep that wheel tight! As many of you may know it is much easier to turn the wheel while bus is in motion, however, we had to do this while the bus was at a dead stop. He gets off, and i start hearing noises, rustling noises. "what the...." is that. I'm looking around but it's dark so i can't SEE anything but i sure can FEEL. That dirty, grime disease infested rat tried to climb my leg!!! You never seen me scream so loud and move so fast,,, i was a streak of lightning out that bus.... Now this old timer must've known what was going on,,,, he yells to me didnt i tell you to hold that wheel!??? I dont normally curse but i called him every name in the book including rat bast***!!! He was laughing so hard he turned a beat red... He did come afterwards and appoligize and we became very good friends after that....B) That was my initiation to the MTA family!!

[Pelham Bay Dave]

My Initaition to Transit was my 3rd day out of School car. My second trip uptown on the someone tried to spit in my face after missing the train at 23 Street. He missed because I had a bad feeling and closed my window. Then my 5th day out had a door problem Times SQ PM Rush Hour last car southbound on the . The 6th day my first sick Customer on the at 3 Ave/149 St. Talk about pressure do to track work we had NO service and trains where single tracking from North of 3 AV to North of Grand Concourse. So my train stopped all Uptown and Downtown service between E 180 St and 149 Grand Concourse.

So things just came at me fast as a New Employee.

[ArticExpress]

that was being thrown into the fire initiation:). but look at it this way imagine the stories you can tell your grandchildren!!!! lol:D

[DOB2RTO]

that was being thrown into the fire initiation:). but look at it this way imagine the stories you can tell your grandchildren!!!! lol:D

 

Do you miss the roaches crawling all over your paddle??????? I remember when i worked the Bx6, and customers in the rear of the orion VII CNG I had complained, about the roaches in the back. I told them "I could put it out of service, but I'm not, due to the fact it's your garbage on the buses that cause this"...........All I heard was feet stomping roaches. Usually when you are moving they hide, but it was a Yankees game and we sat on the 155st Bridge for 30 min. Myself and my leader.......

[ArticExpress]

AAhhh, the good ol' days! I almost forgot about the roaches, i used to drive with my light on at night to try and keep them at bay. I remember a couple of times getting on a bus sitting next to the driver and watching the little darlings climbing on their shoes....:eek: Lovely. When I got home at night I always left my bags in the car and shook myself off just in case. Dont mind lil cute bugs, but roaches are just plain nasty:mad:

[DOB2RTO]

AAhhh, the good ol' days! I almost forgot about the roaches, i used to drive with my light on at night to try and keep them at bay. I remember a couple of times getting on a bus sitting next to the driver and watching the little darlings climbing on their shoes....:eek: Lovely. When I got home at night I always left my bags in the car and shook myself off just in case. Dont mind lil cute bugs, but roaches are just plain nasty:mad:

 

I would shake myself off after leaving the bus, before getting in the car. I had a bus that was so bad on the M100 (at KBG), that I called control, and took it OOS. Went from 126st/2nd Ave to KB. This was in 2006. Next day they had the bus on the side, bombing it...............

[SubwayGuy]

Oh I forgot another one from my C/R days this was funny. I'm on a downtown and my T/O tells me on the IC he has a rat running around in his operating car and wants me to call control because his radio is dead. This happen at 59 St. at 10:30 AM on a Thurs. So I call control tell them my T/O got a rat running around the first car of the train. The radio was dead silant. After repeating it I was told to hold at Times SQ. So now I notice people running off the train in the first car at TQ. My T/O tells me we can proceed so I tell Control we on the move the rat is off the train and they say very good we can go regular with the service. Now I am around Canal St Control is calling me. They telling me they going to have assisance waiting for me at Chambers to isolate the car. I reply we don't need it the rat is off the train. RCC " C/R we got a Several reports of blood in your T/O operating car". Now I get on the IC "T/O what happen at 42 with the rat!?" "OH yeah a customer killed it with a baseball bat its dead but still on the train!" Me "You can't make this ** up"! So a Platfrom C/R , Dispatcher and TSS waiting at the 10 car marker to take care of the problem.

 

Haha no kidding. Bet once they isolated first car your partner was probably pretty relieved of the passengers screaming "OMG A RAT!!!" every time the doors opened as he tried to operate

 

Lucky that guy tried to climb that train somewhere you could see him. Otherwise he'd probably be a splat in a tunnel somewhere and you and your partner would've been in G2 hell. Never understood why people did that. Never been tempted to myself obviously but it's OBVIOUS that there's no "survival space" up there...

 

And wow, that's scary stuff on the almost 12-9. Had no idea it was THAT difficult to see if someone's on the track. Since most are suicides or accidents I guess I just assumed that most involve people jumping or falling right in front of the train with no time to stop. I can remember one "Crisis averted" going back maybe a decade maybe more...guy dropped his wallet in the N/B track at 53/Lex (which is a Fast station N/B btw) and went in after it thinking he had time...luckily the T/O saw him from well outside the station and stopped about 20 feet away...he was probably only about 3-4 car lengths into the station too, so he was lucky like I said its a Fast station. He stuck around long enough having gotten his wallet and finding it difficult to climb out so they (rightfully) arrested him on the spot.