(This is a follow-up to this post.)
First answer from the public bus company arrived today, popping up more questions.
Quote: “Some of the buses do already have some of the suggested markings, but we did not observe them to show the desired success.” My question: How did you communicate the purpose of the markings? How did you measure their effectiveness? And: How did you define “success”?
Now for the most symptomatic part, this is just another example. Quote: “We’re sorry, but we cannot but resign in the face of this problem, which explains the occasional frustration of our driving personnel. Unfortunately, some passengers do show ignorant behavior by not reacting to the request to stand away from the doorway. We are convinced that an additional sign will have no effect on this. We may remind you about the Fare-ness Campaign [note: It wasn’t the term they used, but something of similar… wit.], which also took up the door blocking issue.”
You could look at it from the funny side if the topic wasn’t so annoying. First off, one good piece of advice: Never ever blame the customer. Not everyone will eat that frog, and it’s quite possible that the situation may tip. Number two: Frustrated staff is a no-no. Especially the kind that vents their emotions over a PA. Third, never assume anything. Assuming that one more sign won’t help is just as wrong as assuming that only because I happened to have moved to this city, I know of everything that’s been going on there last year. Hint: I don’t. And even if I knew, maybe I don’t care. It might not have affected me back then. (After doing some online search, I found out they posted this campaign one year ago, but I still have to figure if there were any posters or flyers — anyway, first impression: This could have been done way better.)
So now I’m wrapping up the last paragraph as a bunch of questions to ask for details. Update will follow shortly.
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