A Ride To Hell

Front-n-back a ride-to-hell

Left-to-right like-a Swinging Bell

A sure death-knell if you don't spell

That was the ¹©MaiKu ringing in my ears while a bus took me for a ride. 

Last couple of occasions while returning from Dahej, taxi that I booked couldn't reach to pick me up at Borivali station due to traffic jams. While I resorted to BEST buses as an alternative mode between 9-10.30 pm I experienced hell-like driving by the drivers.

1/ At curves it was really dangerous particularly at blind-corners while at times the driver tried to negotiate brushing passes at the dividers. He was driving as if he was in a race.

Like a pendulum the passengers were literally made to swing 60-to-90 degree. Imagine the plight of senior citizens with ailments such as backache or vertigo etc. as also that of standing passengers.

In case of travel on the 7th, a few passengers including me did try to suggest to the driver to drive safely with reduced speeds. But the conductor advised me "not to advise the driver" and that "they have that expertise".

This is a typical case of not being proactive  to prevent fatal accidents. I later wrote to the authorities about accidents due to similar causes in past on the same road. One can see the logical linkage of Cause-n-Effect relationship of accidents due to unsafe practices in general and unsafe driving (behavior) in particular.

2/ In case of travel on the 21st, I had a heavy bag with me. I was sitting near rear door. I told the conductor that I want to get down at Luis-wadi stop. Conductor kept telling me to walk to the front door in running bus. I expressed my inability to do so with a heavy bag in hand. I had requested him for a 'Stop-Bell' so that driver takes a patient 'stop'. The conductor kept telling me that driver won't stop unless he 'sees' me near the front door. That was a funny behavior particularly when I wasn't able to walk in a speedily 'jolt-fully' running bus.

Finally driver did what he wanted to do ignoring justified patient-stop request of the customer. I had a 'good swing' between the two doors and a 'jolt' between the front door and the road while finally 'managing to negotiate' to get down.

What Next?

1/ I requested the authorities to escalate this matter for appropriate action.

2/ Also as a commitment to the SAFETY-cause, I offered to help them to systematically bring in change in such unsafe and reactive behavior of their staff and managers. Merely 'telling' them to 'drive safely' or 'slow down at turns' or 'don't exceed speed limits', etc. with corresponding 'signboards' won't be of much use. 

What's the learning

You get what you deserve if you don't play your role to bring about change.

Staying indifferent is like supporting the undesired. I registered a suggestion-cum-grievance rather than merely a customer complaint to both the deliverer of service on-the-spot as well as to their management with a probable solution. I also made an offer of my help to make a difference.

I didn't bother about success or failure of their buy-in while making the offer. Now it's their choice.

Footnote:1. ¹©MaiKu Is My-Haiku

Freely ideate it's poetic rhymes

Any objective topic it chimes