To the Editor:
On Wednesday, Jan. 16, I visited the Island to obtain new documents at the Registry of Motor Vehicles for a recently purchased vehicle. Usually, I look forward to these appointments less than I would a root canal procedure at the dentist.
But what a delightful experience it was, and I wanted to give a well-deserved public round of applause to the excellent Islanders I encountered who showed how to operate government bureaucracies properly.
Here is my story: I arrived by ferry from Woods Hole at 11:30 am and took a taxi to the RMV located in the office park near the airport, arriving at 10 minutes before noon, when the office closes for lunch for one hour. There was no line, and I was greeted with a smile and friendly chitchat while the nice woman processed my new car registration and title. I helped myself to a free Tootsie Pop while I waited. She then handed me new license plates and car registration. This took less than 10 minutes — no hassle, no line, no grumpy bureaucrats. It was still before noon. I inquired if there was any public bus service back to Vineyard Haven, and I was directed immediately next door to the main office of the Vineyard Transit Authority. There I inquired about bus service back to the ferry. The nice woman, Patty, said, “Hold on a minute,” and walked over to a microphone on a desk and called a bus driver on his route. “Could you swing by base?” she asked. “I’ve got one passenger who needs to go to the roundabout in Edgartown and pick up a No. 1 bus to the ferry.”
Within two minutes, a VTA bus pulled up, and I was greeted with a smile by yet someone else, a friendly driver of the No. 87 bus, Roland. I inquired as to how much the fare was, and was told $2.25 with a transfer to the other bus. I only had a $20 bill, and began to insert it into the machine when he stopped me. “Don’t worry. I won’t charge you for this leg. When you get on the No. 1, just give him the transfer pass and $1.25. We don’t give change, but you will get a pass with credit for the amount you can use for up to a year.”
The driver then got on the radio and called the driver for the No. 1 bus to tell him he has one passenger for transfer, and inquires as to when the No. 1 bus will arrive at the roundabout. “I’ll be there in 2 minutes. I’ll wait for him,” was the reply.
When we pulled up at the roundabout, the driver of the No. 87 bus stopped me as I was exiting, and handed me five quarters he had taken from his own pocket. “Here,” he said. “I don’t know when you’ll be back on-Island and you might not be able to use the ticket if you pay with that $20 bill. I wouldn’t want you to be stuck with having paid 20 bucks.” I both protested and thanked him and he, in turn, insisted. Roland handed me a transfer pass with 25 cents on it, and his five quarters. “Just use this on the No. 1. That’ll get you to Vineyard Haven.”
I wasn’t broke. The bus driver was just being kind to a stranger. He didn’t want me inconvenienced with a fare card with an amount he didn’t think I would have the opportunity to use. So he paid my fare.
Since when do bus drivers pull out change from their own pocket and pay the fare of passengers, as Roland did? And since when do workers at government-run mass transit systems get on the radio and detour buses to pick up a passenger, as Patty did? And since when can one get a new car registration and title at a Massachusetts RMV office in less than 10 minutes, as I did on the Island on Wednesday?
I even made it back to the ferry for the 1:15 back to Woods Hole, with time to spare for an excellent bowl of corn chowder and a BLT at the Waterside Market in Vineyard Haven (they were nice there, too).
Together, these nice folks all added to my smile, which only got wider each time I encountered anyone on the Island on Wednesday. These kind gestures deserve to be recognized, and that is why I am writing today: to thank everyone for just being nice to a stranger. It made my day.
Nate Thayer
Woods Hole
Roland is an experienced and fantastic driver. As most drivers working for the VTA he’ll do anything to make the riders trip the best it can be. Unfortunately drivers like Roland are disappearing because the VTA is in a war with their drivers in a dispute about wages. VTA drivers are much more than bus drivers, they are tour guides as well as an arm of the chamber of commerce. They have 50 or 60 riders per trip constantly asking questions as the driver navigates the crowded streets of the island. Yet they are paid less than a dishwasher or housekeepers in our local inns. They are randomly tested for drugs and alcohol and must past scheduled physicals, all demands we don’t place on other municipal employees including teachers. The VTA refuses to pay a decent wage and have been working some of their drivers over 60 hours a week, a federal offense.
I’m happy for Nate that he had a good experience with a compassionate VTA driver. My experience was much different. On a cold day this past November I dropped my car off at MV Auto in Vineyard Haven for service. MV Auto has a courtesy van and dropped me at The YMCA where I go 3 days a week for cardio workouts to rehab from open heart surgery. After my workout I went to the bus stop by the Y and the high School. Mistakenly I had only 2 single dollar bills, a quarter and a twenty. It has been a while since I have been on a VTA bus so my anticipation of a dollar per town bus ride was out of date. The fare is $2.50, exact change. I fished into my pockets and came out with $2.25 or a twenty dollar bill. The driver repeated its $2,50 exact change or no ride. So the driver got the satisfaction of kicking a 72 year old man of the bus on a cold day. Instead of waiting for a half hour for the next bus I stuck out my thumb and hitched a ride as I used to do from childhood all over the island. Within 5 minutes a nice young man in a pick up truck picked me up and took me right to MV Auto. Hitching was a lot better than dealing with a surly VTA driver.