June,
a dial-a-ride bus driver for those who cannot walk to the bus stop, or stand
and wait for a bus because of physical or mental disabilities, always seems to
have troubles. If it isn’t the
passenger not being ready, to garbage trucks blocking the area for the next
pickup, to the computer system failing, to dispatch not answering their phone
when there is a need for EMT to assist a passenger—it happens to June. This
was all in one day.
I
ride the Dart bus to my Bible Study Fellowship class as I do not drive on the
freeway, and there is no other way to get to the class. There is a different driver for my
route every week, but it is always June who has the delays. This last Thursday the computer system for
the bus company, was down, so I did not get my five-minute call that the bus was
arriving. Finally, after June
waited fifteen minutes, she got through to dispatch, and they were able to call
me in spite of extreme static on the line.
The
next person to be picked up was in a wheel chair in which she had never ridden. She had a broken leg and was being
cared for in a convalescent center.
Penny and I had a nice conversation about where I was going and about my
study in Revelation. After a big
bump in the road she suddenly yelled out—“I’m falling and I can’t get up.” She had slid to the edge of her chair
and was about to fall on the floor. June, while she was driving, tried to
assess the situation. Penny
screamed again. Finally June was
able to pull over. She could not
get Penny back into her wheelchair and could not get dispatch on the emergency
line. Finally she was able to get
through, and the EMT’s were dispatched.
I
said, “Penny, I’m praying.” Penny said,
“I’m praying too!” Within five
minutes the EMT’s arrived and were able to lift her back into the chair and to
strap her in securely. We noticed,
as we passed, that the firehouse, from where the EMTs were dispatched, was
five minutes away from where we had pulled over.
I
said, "That was an answer to prayer.”
I
missed most of my class, but I was able to talk about the Bible and prayer with
Penny, while June listened, as a result.
Only God knows if our conversation made a difference. Sometimes God directs our paths where
we hadn’t planned to go!
Yup, that sounds like bus travel. It is an interesting way to get around. Is the communication problem for the system because you guys are at the outer fringe of their service area so radio isn't reliable? If so, drivers should have a cell phone provided by CT.
ReplyDeleteThe driver had 2 cell phones. One was hers and the other one was the companies to be used for emergencies. She couldn't get dispatch to answer either phone. I asked the next driver what she should have done. He said they have a red button to push that will put a flashing screen on the computer at headquarters. I said what if the computer is down? He said there isn't anything else they can do. I hope there is never an earthquake when they are driving. Maybe they need ham sets.
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