Yesterday, on my CTA ride home a lady hops on and asks me hurriedly, “this is the Purple Line, right?” I advised her it was; she smiled gratefully and thanked me.
It really made me realize how rare it is to encounter someone with notable people skills on the El. I don’t know if it’s just because interaction among riders isn’t really necessary. Or if it is, it’s when things aren’t going according to plan (delays, mechanical issues, etc.).
I’d go as far as saying they can be genuinely unkind. This isn’t really a bold or shocking statement but it makes me wonder, why?
Are people bitter because they’re on mass transit? Not everyone can afford the CTA, so I was thankful to have that option when I moved to the city. Others take it for granted or just choose to only look at the negatives.
CTA Riders Are Generally Heartless
Sometimes, I can even sense disdain directed towards people who take the CTA that are perceived as more well off. Like they don’t belong on the train or the bus. Why is it that people are unnecessarily unkind, even when unprovoked? That question draws me away from my initial point but is nonetheless a good thought to ponder alongside.
Just be sure you stay humble, and realize it can be worse than commuting to work on the CTA.
My point is that people on the CTA are rarely spotted being good Samaritans and it’s incredibly sad. One day I hear “chivalry isn’t dead,” then later that week I see a guy hurrying to snatch a seat from me. To be fair, common courtesy seems more prevalent on the buses, but the trains are a lawless, heartless land.
The Story That Made Me Write This Article
The worst example I’ve seen firsthand included someone getting stuck in the train door as it was closing. The girl was hopping on last second and her bag got caught in the doors as they closed.
I was holding a railing near the door, with a girl leaning against the glass between me and the door, playing on her phone. No headphones, just electing to ignore the passenger in distress. The first girl, who was clearly stuck in the door and struggling to get unstuck, was panicked. So, I reached over to help pull her bag out of the door and bumped the oblivious/ignorant girl in the process, and her phone dropped.
As I’m trying to help the stuck girl onto the train, ignorant girl picks up her phone and lets out a big sigh of relief that her phone is okay. She wasn’t concerned that a human being was stuck in a moving train’s doors, but god forbid her phone was harmed. Of course, I apologized to the girl for bumping her phone out of her hands, but she still made no mention of the poor girl who was almost caught riding half outside of the train.
This is where the CTA ridership morale is at right now: iPhone > passengers. It’s pathetic.
Speak Up on the CTA
To be fair, the girl stuck in the door didn’t ask for help. However, isn’t it just human decency to look up from your cell phone for long enough to help someone out in need?
What can the CTA do to increase morale of their ridership? Is it even the CTA’s fault the riders are so angry and closed off? More people need to speak up about what is causing misery in their commutes because if the CTA is even a semi-reputable company they’d be willing to listen and consider their customer’s concerns.
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions because I, myself am at a loss.
