Bus strike! ... or maybe not (Part II)

Disrupting my thoughts came the bus driver's shouting, "Everybody off!"
Well, here it was: the Bus Strike! What would happen? How would I get home? While I debated whether to call Craig for a ride or to brave the walk home, I walked off the bus amongst a group of confused passengers.

Another bus pulled up behind ours. The two drivers walked over to each other and discussed what I assumed to be bus-strike planning. Then our driver walked away and onto the second bus. "Everybody on! Have your bus passes ready!" He blared. Still confused, I showed my pass and went on the second bus. I don't know why the drivers decided to exchange buses, but from there, the trip went as usual. Phew! Bus strike averted!

Eventually, talk of a bus strike faded into the background and bus-life continued as usual. Months went by before I heard the news. I have a coworker who gets smart phone updates for just about everything. Since I rarely watch or read the news, he came to share the information with me that a bus strike would begin the following Monday. I didn't believe the buses would actually follow through, but I was glad to be in-the-know instead of risking a morning of wondering when my ride would arrive.

I kept an eye on the bus website for the weekend, which share potential plans for the strike. Hoping to avoid the chaos, I chose to ride my bike to work on Monday. My typical bus route covers the shortest possible distance, which is not bike-friendly. For my bike trip, I followed a bike-friendly bus route, giving me the opportunity to spread the word, minuteman style: "The buses aren't coming!"

I continued to watch the progress of the bus strike throughout the day. I learned that the bus contract requires the company to provide a certain percentage of service in the event of a strike. While the company made attempts, they did not meet this percentage. On top of that, the service they did provide was only useful to people who had the luxury to spend a large portion of their day at a bus stop. While a typical bus schedule will list the estimated times a bus will arrive at designated stops, the only information we had was this:

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City of Phoenix
Overview of Bus Route Status as of 8:20 a.m., March 12, 2012

Bus Route Frequency Schedule
Frequency is varying on routes throughout the day. Veolia-operated routes are operating 14 percent of normal service.
  
Route                             Estimated Frequency
Central Avenue                       40 Min
Washington Street                   None
7th Street                                 60 Min
7th Avenue                              None
Roosevelt/Grant                      None
12th Street                               None
15th Avenue                            120 Min
16th Street                               None
19th Avenue                           120 Min
27th Avenue                           180 Min
35th Avenue                           240 Min
40th Street                              120 Min
44th Street/Tatum Blvd           None
Camelback Road                    180 Min
Roeser Road                           60 Min
Bethany Home Road               60 Min
Glendale Avenue/24th St       120 Min
Northern Avenue                     60 Min
Dunlap Avenue/Cave Creek   180 Min
Peoria Avenue/Shea Blvd      240 Min
Cactus Road/39th Ave            None
Thunderbird                            None
Greenway Road                      None

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Therefore, even if my bus happened to come at a time convenient for me, I wouldn't know it. My only option would be to wait outside for anywhere between 1 and 240 minutes in hopes that it would eventually arrive.

On Tuesday, I rode my bike again and broke the bad news to those waiting at the bus stops. One high school student said he knew about the strike, but the bus had come yesterday. He followed that information with the statement that he was only 1 hour late to school. Great tardiness excuse for a high school student, not so much for me.

On Wednesday and Thursday I drove my car, evoking surprise in many of my coworkers that I even owned a car. On Friday I opted for another bike ride. I loyally followed the updates on the bus website. The service percentage changed erratically, teasing me with percentages of 30% and then tumbling down to 8% a few hours later.

By early next week, the companies had reached an agreement on the new contract and bus service went back to normal. I imagine that a majority of local residents didn't have any idea that a bus strike was going on at all. Even for me, it ended up being a minor (albeit blog-worthy) blip in my life. For many, the strike made for an extremely difficult week. There are those who live far from work and don't have a car, those who have to fulfill their sentence at "tent city" after having their licence revoked. While the public transportation system of Phoenix is quite unpopular, I'm glad we have it. I support the workers who went on this strike, because I believe employees should take a stand when they are being mistreated. I don't know if the strike made a permanent difference in anyone's life. If nothing else, it gave me a new experience. And that is the tale of the bus strike.