Vancouver: Drivers are tolerant and an illegal dog just attracts grins.
On its westbound route, Vancouver's Number 10 Hastings bus trundles by the shabby storefronts of the Downtown Eastside and past Shaughnessy mansions.
During a recent morning rush hour, a man got on the bus on its way downtown, patted his pockets for change and shrugged. He didn't have the fare.
"Whatever, buddy," the driver said, pulling away from the curb.
In the space of the next six blocks, two other people boarded the bus without sufficient fare.
Those trips, and the driver's accommodating reaction, may not be official policy at TransLink, the agency responsible for transit service in Metro Vancouver. The no-fare pickups occurred in a neighbourhood where many residents are poor.
But, based on my days riding city buses and SkyTrain - to see whether the system measures up to its Olympics-earned image of efficiency and friendliness - it seems fair to say that TransLink drivers are a tolerant lot.
FARE PLAY
On three other buses, all leaving from downtown the same day, I step on board as a drivers' headache: with an expired transfer, with insufficient change ($1.75 for a $2.50 fare) and with apparently no clue where I'm going. Each time, I am either waved aboard or patiently directed to the correct route.
PEOPLE SKILLS
Drivers do what they can to avoid and defuse confrontations, veteran driver Bob Glowa said as he plied the Number 10 route.
"You have to be able to deal with things that are out of the ordinary. You have to have a thick skin," said Mr. Glowa.
In training, drivers are told not to risk their safety for the sake of a fare. In 2009, there were nearly 150 assaults on drivers in metro Vancouver.
I ask them what it would take to get kicked off the bus. A lot, they respond. And would they let me on with my dog? Maybe, if it was in a cage.
I tell them about a man I've seen on the bus with a ferret tucked inside his coat.
Maybe it was an assistance ferret, Mr. Strachan quips.
RIDING WITH MY DOG
TransLink allows trained and certified assistance animals on its transit services, provided they are equipped with a proper harness and that their owners carry proof of the animals' certification.
I don't have a certificate, but I do have a dog.
He's a cocker-lab cross: knee-high, golden-haired, with brown eyes fringed with lavish lashes. He often attracts smiles and attention. On SkyTrain, which we board without buying a ticket, he's a star. A young man cuts short his cellphone conversation to pet him.
If people ask, I tell them he's in training to be an assistance dog. When they ask what for, I say job-related anxiety and that he's already pretty good at it.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimated TransLink fare evasion of $6.4-million, or 2.1 per cent of 2006 fare revenues totalling $309-million. The highest fare evasion rate, of 5.4 per cent, was on SkyTrain, according to the same report. The report found that there is a less than 1 per cent chance of fare evasion resulting in a ticket.
In connection with this story, Wendy Stueck donated several rides worth of bus fare to the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society.
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Toronto: Staff give useful advice and people help with strollers
You think you're so great, don't you, Vancouver? You just hosted the Olympics. You've got gorgeous scenery, mild winters and plenty of good vibes. And apparently your transit system likes to pat itself on the back for all-around great customer service. Sure, the Toronto Transit Commission has been taking it on the chin lately (getting caught sleeping on the job will do that), but is it really so bad?
