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Having to go down to the MBTA Pass Office is always a surreal experience, and yesterday was no different.
Background: I have a reduced-fare pass, which is registered and tracked in the system so it can be replaced if you lose it. The office which administers the passes as well as all senior/disabled fare programs is in a train station downtown. The room is about 1/4 the size it needs to be (I suspect they retrofitted an old employee lounge or coatroom) with no air conditioning or even fans.
I had a small stack of full-fare paper tickets and plastic cards with a little $ left on each and my goal was to get it all transferred to my pass. Which was successful (although I had to convince the clerk that I did not want a monthly pass, stored value makes more sense for me and the monthly passes have been prone to problems), but not without this sighting...
The way it works is, you stand in line for your initial business at the window and then you sit down until your name is called. Signs all over the place describing this (maybe they need pictures or a number system?) Most people get the concept except this "lady" (who was the owner of a moose-knuckle that I did NOT need to see at 10 AM
).
Each time someone walked in and stood at the window (which had its own line) she flipped out, basically cussing out everyone in the room. Two or three times she cut in line to...voice her displeasure that people were cutting in line
Was asked her name and told that she would be called when they were ready. I counted about 4 instances of this, even the poor clerk was getting ticked off.
Finally after shoving a few people she said (not very quietly and dead serious) "Next time someone cuts me I'ma gonna cut them." and starts fooling with her bag. Pin-drop time; everyone glanced over. She could have meant "cut them in line", but...
After she continues with this line of thinking, one of the clerks (C) comes out from behind the glass. Followed quickly by a uniformed transit cop (TC) who I didn't notice before.
C: Excuse me, I'm going to need to ask you to leave.
SC: Why? I just sittin' here mindin my own bidness an' everyone's in front of me!
C: No they're not, you were told to sit down until you hear your name. Nobody took your spot. We're working as fast as we can and you'll get called when you get called.
TC: Everyone here heard what could have been a threat. Sounded like one to me, and what you're doing now does nothing to contradict that. *asks clerk what her business was, is handed something*
After a few more minutes of blustering, SC is escorted out (possibly to complete her 'bidness' in the transit police box) When she is out of earshot:
C: She would have been next. This is why we wait our turn.
Background: I have a reduced-fare pass, which is registered and tracked in the system so it can be replaced if you lose it. The office which administers the passes as well as all senior/disabled fare programs is in a train station downtown. The room is about 1/4 the size it needs to be (I suspect they retrofitted an old employee lounge or coatroom) with no air conditioning or even fans.
I had a small stack of full-fare paper tickets and plastic cards with a little $ left on each and my goal was to get it all transferred to my pass. Which was successful (although I had to convince the clerk that I did not want a monthly pass, stored value makes more sense for me and the monthly passes have been prone to problems), but not without this sighting...
The way it works is, you stand in line for your initial business at the window and then you sit down until your name is called. Signs all over the place describing this (maybe they need pictures or a number system?) Most people get the concept except this "lady" (who was the owner of a moose-knuckle that I did NOT need to see at 10 AM
).Each time someone walked in and stood at the window (which had its own line) she flipped out, basically cussing out everyone in the room. Two or three times she cut in line to...voice her displeasure that people were cutting in line
Was asked her name and told that she would be called when they were ready. I counted about 4 instances of this, even the poor clerk was getting ticked off.Finally after shoving a few people she said (not very quietly and dead serious) "Next time someone cuts me I'ma gonna cut them." and starts fooling with her bag. Pin-drop time; everyone glanced over. She could have meant "cut them in line", but...
After she continues with this line of thinking, one of the clerks (C) comes out from behind the glass. Followed quickly by a uniformed transit cop (TC) who I didn't notice before.
C: Excuse me, I'm going to need to ask you to leave.
SC: Why? I just sittin' here mindin my own bidness an' everyone's in front of me!
C: No they're not, you were told to sit down until you hear your name. Nobody took your spot. We're working as fast as we can and you'll get called when you get called.
TC: Everyone here heard what could have been a threat. Sounded like one to me, and what you're doing now does nothing to contradict that. *asks clerk what her business was, is handed something*
After a few more minutes of blustering, SC is escorted out (possibly to complete her 'bidness' in the transit police box) When she is out of earshot:
C: She would have been next. This is why we wait our turn.
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