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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. The following letter from a Metro-North rider spells out his complaints and suggestions for improving service.
Dear Governor Malloy, LT Governor Wyman, Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, Main Street Connect, and Fellow Commuters,
Let's talk about Metro-North from the perspective of a monthly ticket holder. First of all, in case it wasn't known, a train isn't considered late unless it arrives (or is it departs?) greater than 5 minutes and 59 seconds after its scheduled time. This is insane! How many other things in life that pertain to timing and a schedule do you know of that apply a rationale like this? AND they base their dependency statistics on that rationale. So if the New Haven line is 97.76% on time for the month, what's that percentage when you lower the 6 minute window to, say 2 minutes? More like 80%-85% I would guess--and that's probably even high. Enough said on that.
The trains are dirty. Yes, they do pick up the papers, cups, bottles, cans, etc. that lazy riders leave behind--come on people, clean up after yourself; it's what separates us from the quadrupeds (the animals)! I'm talking about the dirty seats, gunked up headrests, disgusting, nasty, grimy windows, sticky floors, deplorable bathrooms, and other items with which we come into contact. It's easy to kick a bottle or can away from your feet, but if there's a dirty seat on a crowded train--you're standing!
Next is crowded trains. I see the people at Grand Central with the little clickers that count people as we get off the trains from time to time. This tells me that they know some peak trains are overcrowded. THEY KNOW! Yet, they don't do anything about it. There's nothing worse than getting on at the last stop before GCT and there are already people standing in the vestibules. Or, waiting for a train and when it finally does arrive (within 5 minutes, 59 seconds, of course), you see the fewer windows that so painfully inform you that a bar car has landed in front of you. Here's a couple of suggestions-- just shooting from the hip here. Add a car or two! Duh! OR, ensure there is no bar car on a morning peak train (or, maybe, put someone in there selling coffee and rolls or something to close the so-called "deficit." Outsource if you have to, but don't put a "closed for business" bar car on a train of people who want to sit and read or take a nap or whatever--it just builds resentment and it's not good logistical planning). It's just a waste of space in the morning.
On to space, which is already limited as it is. Some conductors are quite rude when chasing you from the double seat located by the sliding window across from their little cubbyhole. Seriously? Come on! Make those seats available. Ask the customer--who is always right--to get up when you have to poke your head out the window for those 27 seconds instead of taking away two seats for the ENTIRE commute. I know I' wouldnt mind getting up if asked politely. I'd probably even do it if you weren't polite because it's better than standing for the whole ride.
Let's not even bring up what happened this past winter with the reduced schedule. My back is still sore from the standing, leaning and squatting that I was forced to do.
Let's recap... late trains, dirty trains, crowded trains... I'm doing some math real quick here and, no matter how I add it up, it just does not equate to a fare hike. And I carried the one and brought down the zero. The announced apologies just don't cut it. There must be some things that can be done to make us commuters feel good, or even just a little bit better, about being forced to endure these horrible conditions as you reach further into our wallets.
Here are a few... I'm not sure, but I'm confident that some people would pay a little extra--on top of fares--for Internet access. My background is in finance. I realize there are costs associated with installing/upgrading trains to accommodate Internet access. So it doesn't make financial sense to do it with all of the trains that are being taken out of commission when the "Most technologically advanced trains in the nation" replace them. But there are a couple of new ones out now and, though there are plugs--yea!--why didn't Internet capability come along for the ride? Maybe there wasn't a seat?
As I mentioned earlier, have the bar car stocked and staffed in the morning. That's just leaving money on the table when it isn't. If not, get it off the train and let us sit.
Regarding that little flyer that periodically shows up on the seats that tells us how accurate you've been over the past month and year-to-date... Stop printing it! Save the paper, toner and hourly rate paid to the person passing it out. Put it on your Website instead. It ends up on the floor anyway or it gets glued to a stained dirty seat so that it can be sat in--beats standing though. Seriously, that is money being wasted.
Did you know there is technology that allows the use of smart phones now for a lot more than just playing games, reading news and texting. Did you know that you can use them to pay for coffee at certain overpriced coffee retailers? Or that you can use them to print boarding passes or tickets from a kiosk for other modes of mass transit? The point here is that you should consider making use of this technology so that you can cut your ticket printing, paper, postage and other costs associated with paper tickets.
Side note--does the conductor really need to print a receipt for EVERY ticket sold on board? Ask if they want it. They usually don't and it usually ends up on the floor and that would save more money for you.
That's what it's all about here, people. It's easy to just raise our fares and let us close the gap. What's more difficult, but what will help ensure that this doesn't have to happen again in six years, is to force yourself to be more efficient with the budget that you have. Because really, what's changed about your service in the past six years that warrants a fare hike? (Don't offer up the new trains because normal wear and tear and depreciation warrant the replacing of old equipment.) Not much, or nothing rather, at least where the consumer is concerned and can see and feel it. Focus on projects that eliminate wasteful processes now (like ALL the money associated with paper tickets and that silly quarterly flyer) but will, down the road, prevent the need to raise fares again or by as much.
Focus on making the customer less grossed out by your product, less stressed out about having to use your product and less frustrated by the manner in which you manage your product. If you can do that, can make the ride more enjoyable with an operating snack bar in the morning--yeah right--a clean seat, and a reliable Internet connection--again, yeah right--we might not be so quick to call a fare hike ridiculous. We might even think you earned one.
Thank you,
Rob Zatto
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