this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2024
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Perhaps the real question is, are we ready for a world without bus drivers? I think they're a net positive in the daily commute.
Took the bus a lot as a kid/young adult. Some bus drivers were nice, but most were rude or basically had no impact on my commute. I've had a driver hit on me and then miss my stop multiple times after I declined. At least where I am, busses don't stop at all stops unless there's someone that needs to be picked up or dropped off and will regularly just skip stops if they're running behind, regardless of how packed the bus or stop is. Have a bike, or need wheelchair access? The bus driver is going to give you attitude the whole time, if they stop for you at all. Some bus drivers were nice and would remember you and say hi, or help people who had questions, but it was a minority in my experience.
I'm not saying we're ready to move to AI, but I can't imagine what kind of positive they're adding to your life that it is seen as a valid reason to keep them if they're not actually needed. Like if they're actually nice people, I would love to make sure they're working jobs that need to be done and could use the injection of positivity you're describing.
It really depends on the location I guess. I ride the bus a lot in my city. And the bus drivers here do a lot more than just drive the bus. Their most important secondary duty is helping users of wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The buses have wheelchair ramps that fold down, which the drivers manually operate. Then once on the bus, a front section of seats will fold up, and there is a system to strap a wheelchair down securely. It is the bus driver that does this.
Now, one area automated buses could really help would be expanding the pool of potential drivers. Our system has a hard time recruiting new drivers, as a CDL (commercial drivers license) is required. And people with such a license can usually make better money driving trucks for for-profit businesses. So it's really hard to get, train, and retain bus drivers, as few people are actually qualified to drive a bus.
So in our city, we would still need an employee onboard to help with these secondary duties. However, with an automated bus, they could be done by anyone. Instead of a driver with a CDL, we could hire some college kids to ride around the city in the auto buses. They could offer assistance when needed, but spend the majority of their time just working on their studies. As such, they could be hired at a very affordable cost to the city.
Yea, public transit differs wildly depending on area. Like I mentioned above, most drivers I saw actively resented this part of their job. To my recollection, the ramp was automated, but other than that the drivers would basically require you to ask for assistance and then huff and puff the whole time. Not all drivers, but a disproportionately large percentage. Would love to see that part of the job occupied by someone with more compassion, but you're correct that with the current system someone would need to be there for that. I was figuring that if the vehicle was automated they'd have ADA compliant automated safety features as well.
Ugh, sorry to hear about your experiences. Yeah, I'm not going to bat for all bus drivers. I'm speaking in favour of having a human onboard, because the passengers aren't necessarily an ideal crowd either...
The role of being a proxy authority figure can definitely turn some asshole drivers further to the dark side... I don't want to come off as defending those.
Totally understandable to want to have a kind of "responsible party" there. Public transit has a relatively high proportion of vulnerable populations, so you make a good point.
You didn't come off as defending anyone. I think it was just one of the first times I've heard someone talking about having mostly positive experiences on public transit (in the US). For what it's worth, it's nice to know it happens lol. Hope they continue to be positive!