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Ng3me t1_jc08bnp wrote

Bus does not fuck around. People do not smoke or act foolish on it. It’s a great option to get to or from Center City. Awful to pass through. Like south Phila to Temple on a bus sucks. Must take sub.

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homiefive t1_jc09bxe wrote

bus does not fuck around is right. had a couple of young kids try starting shit with me as the bus was a block away. they tried to get on the bus after i did and the bus driver recognized they were trouble and told them to get the fuck off and they can’t ride. most of the drivers are great and they do not put up with shit.

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pasnow t1_jc20nsc wrote

Bus drivers will tell you, the high school kids are the worst. From 2-4p sucks

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owenhinton98 t1_jc28fo1 wrote

Yeah if I’m out around that time of the afternoon, my guard is up even more than it would be at 2am on a poorly lit block in a sketchy neighborhood

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jbphilly t1_jc09yia wrote

Trolleys are the same. I’ve never seen anybody try any fuck shit on the trolley, even in the post pandemic era where I literally haven’t been on the el without someone smoking on my car.

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ContractTrue6613 t1_jc1o8o9 wrote

That’s crazy cuz I have been on the trolley when the driver stopped, got out and hit a blunt with his friend who was sitting in a parked truck .

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Fattom23 t1_jc1w9br wrote

Yeah, but it wasn't on the trolley, so the initial point stands.

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sockbref t1_jc1oomv wrote

Try any fuck shit lol. I’m adding that one to my words I use.

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hic_maneo t1_jc2259e wrote

Last week on the trolley there was a couple up front vaping together (I was at the end of the car so I didn't smell anything). Driver did nothing about it. I was very disappointed 'cause I've gone from ridding the El every day to riding the trolley just to avoid the second-hand smoke. So, it can happen, but at least for now it's notably rare.

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Ng3me t1_jc2g3kc wrote

Very rare. Certain vapes don’t smell much so the driver could have missed it. Should be kicked off for sure. Trolley is almost as strong as the bus but not quite.

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Diamondback424 t1_jc3m7nq wrote

We used to fuck around in the trolley on a daily basis going home from school lol. Someone lit a fire in the back and the dude didn't stop. Not sure if he realized it, we put it out pretty fast tbh.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_jc0iifl wrote

Yep! I take the bus from south to my job downtown almost every day. It’s relatively reliable and tho the sub is like two more blocks, and the bus gets snarled in traffic, it’s so much more orderly. Old dude got on with a big speaker in his cart playing soul music. Honestly it wasn’t even a bother cuz the music was good. But the bus driver stopped after two blocks with him playing it and was like “shut it off til you get off or you’re walking” and he did. Also in the days of mask mandates, we had a guy get on who didn’t want to put it on. Bus driver yelled at him and stopped. Everyone else just started screaming like “yo we don’t want to wear these either but we need to get to work dickhead” and he dropped whatever point he was tryna make real quick and took a mask from someone else

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Ng3me t1_jc2gazv wrote

This is exactly why I don’t buy it when septa and transit police say “what can we do about smokers?” Ask your fucking bus drivers.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_jc4xhnp wrote

Literally. I doubt they talk to the drivers union or at least don’t listen to them. Because some active presence of anyone who gave a shit at subway stations or on the cars would quickly reduce the fuckery

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HotConcrete t1_jc095xt wrote

SEPTA drivers get random drug tests. No way do they want to risk second hand weed causing them to pop positive.

Edit: not sure why I assumed they were smoking reefer. But I assumed.

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sandwichpepe OP t1_jc0f0gp wrote

not sure what it was, i don’t think it was weed nor cigs 🤷

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HotConcrete t1_jc1r5zm wrote

Lol, do edgy teenagers still smoke cloves?

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EntireTadpole t1_jc2fuup wrote

Wasn't that an 80's thing? Or did it happen in the 90's too?

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ElectricalMud2850 t1_jc5824o wrote

That was still happening in the early 2000s when I was hanging out at skatepark all the time.

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svenEsven t1_jc1ikmw wrote

Philadelphia also banned employment screening for marijuana, there are a few exceptions, but I don't think septa driver is one of them.

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DrJJStroganoff t1_jc1xnvo wrote

Owning a commercial drivers license (like these bus drivers) they are subject to federal drug screenings under the DOTs authority. Regardless of local regulations.

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svenEsven t1_jc2b7wr wrote

I was unaware the standard size busses required those. Thanks for the information.

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DrJJStroganoff t1_jc2bvz5 wrote

It's a class B vehicle, one step below semis. So you need either a CDL class A or B to drive one, and you need to get a special "endorsement" on it to transport humans. The endorsements are another step where you take an additional test. You need them for humans, liquids, doubles, hazmat, etc.

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eleboil t1_jc3szwx wrote

Also air brakes.

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DrJJStroganoff t1_jc3u8qb wrote

Air brakes are included in the A and B classes. No endorsement exists for them.

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eleboil t1_jc9no5i wrote

Not when I took my CDL test. it was and I believe still is a restriction that needs to be removed ( endorsement was not the correct term) Just like manual transmission. Air brakes are a separate part of the written and practical test.

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nnp1989 t1_jc1mhw3 wrote

Pre-employment screening =/= random testing. I’m pretty sure you can still be tested in a job like that at any time.

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mymanlysol t1_jc0r2y0 wrote

Lol, are you serious?

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cashonlyplz t1_jc1k8ak wrote

Are you?

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mymanlysol t1_jc1tsr7 wrote

You really think that a person smoking weed on a bus could cause the driver to fail a drug test?

0

Obbz t1_jc1v7u1 wrote

Yes? That's called hot boxing my dude.

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mymanlysol t1_jc221z4 wrote

Everyone on the bus would have to be smoking. Even then it's unlikely it would cause someone not smoking to test positive.

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f0rf0r t1_jc0z0rz wrote

fr the bus is unreliable but the drivers keep it tight onboard

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bigdixon09 t1_jc0bj5b wrote

I even had a bus driver threaten to kick off a passenger over not wearing a mask back in the day. She said “if you don’t put that mask on I will throw you off this bus right now and next time I see you I will drive past you so fast your head will spin.”

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IrishWave t1_jc0fz8i wrote

Didn’t SEPTA have to end this policy a few hours into the first day after a driver was assaulted

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_jc0j1wm wrote

They may have. But early in the pandemic the septa drivers union lost a number of people because they were just getting rampantly exposed to Covid. I notice a lot like maybe 50% of bud and trolley drivers still wear masks. Many of them were still down to enforce it on their rides because they lost friends/felt especially exposed.

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CommunicationTime265 t1_jc08qfb wrote

Yea bus and trolley operators don't usually take any shit.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_jc0j8y1 wrote

There was a bearded dude who drove trolleys that would get people who snuck on the back door by just putting his finger up and doing the “come here”. Never saw someone not walk up and pay

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WhyNotKenGaburo t1_jc0mcec wrote

Having SEPTA police in the stations and walking through the train cars would really solve a lot of the problems that happen in the subway. If there isn't the personnel to place officers in both, just having a pair on the train would cut down on a lot of silliness. I can't understand why that's such an impossibility given that the system isn't that big.

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ColdJay64 t1_jc1u7fa wrote

They just need doorway length turnstiles at the entrance of every single station so that no one but paying customers can enter. That would probably instantly eliminate 80% of the issues without having to hire additional officers.

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Mike81890 t1_jc20771 wrote

Like Patco? Doesn't super work for them, but they do have a couple of cops that go through the Ferry Ave stop every morning waking up the homeless people and sending them on their way.

I don't know what I'm trying to get at here... I guess having cops do something can help?

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ColdJay64 t1_jc23n30 wrote

Patco doesn't have them at the actual station entrances do they? As much as I take SEPTA I've never been on Patco at all. I meant that entry from the street should be completely barred to non-paying customers.

I am in agreement that police at the stations and walking the trains is needed/would do wonders. Whenever I see Septa PD sitting in cars outside a subway station I wonder wtf is the point. I was just thinking of a solution that might be easier to implement and wouldn't impact their operating budget as much.

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Mike81890 t1_jc25puo wrote

Patco has 7 foot tall gates at the stations, yes. I imagine it's not really viable to have them at the street though since they look pretty "indoor"

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Dingerdongdick t1_jc1ucxt wrote

A cop in each station?

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clander270 t1_jc20vk4 wrote

Septa cops aren't the same as real cops. Septa cops don't do their job because they're a part of one of the most underfunded transportation authorities on the east coast, real Philly cops don't do their jobs because the entire FoP is corrupt as fuck

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WhyNotKenGaburo t1_jc38ico wrote

Just curious, how are they not the same? I know that the MTA police have basically the same authority as the NYPD.

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eleboil t1_jc3ttz5 wrote

SEPTA police can lock you up in 3 states, and the K-9s all have a full set of well developed teeth. F##k around and...........

1

urbantravelsPHL t1_jc07x6x wrote

I have actually encountered zero people smoking on the bus, and I take the bus all the time.

Maybe there are people smoking on buses and I'm just missing it because I mostly take the same few buses within Center City and rarely any later than mid-evening?

I rarely take the subway/EL but the few times I've been on them since the pandemic there is always somebody smoking on the train or in the station.

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sandwichpepe OP t1_jc0fb8n wrote

i take a bus multiple times a day, everyday for years and this is a first! i ride the train everyday too and people smoke all the time. i think once there was three people smoking at the same time once 😭

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peakedattwentytwo t1_jc1okxd wrote

Smoking what?

The smell of weed doesn't bother me, but the smell of cigarettes does, intensely. I can see people who must be drug tested not wanting to breathe it in, though. The weed fans should keep it to edibles on public.

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jbphilly t1_jc1zqpp wrote

Smoking anything on a train of any kind is psychopathic, doesn't matter what it is.

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mundotaku t1_jc0b00p wrote

I moved and now I am taking the bus to work instead of the train. Definetely an upgrade.

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stonewallsyd t1_jc0xs9p wrote

Dude same! Just moved over the weekend and I’ve never been more excited for a Monday commute and it’s all because I get to take a bus instead of the El.

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Unfamiliar_Word t1_jc08djj wrote

I once rode a trolley into 19th Street Station from West Philadelphia and noticed that after I alighted, it remained stopped in the station over a dispute between the operator and a passenger who was 'vaping'. The operator insisted that the passenger desist; the passenger seemed to be arguing that 'vaping' didn't count. I left before the situation was resolved.

I cannot myself imagine behaving so antisocially or defiantly as the passenger.

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An_emperor_penguin t1_jc0bv13 wrote

Guess the "helps quit cigarettes" marketing has worked because a lot of people seem to think vapes aren't like smoking, don't have nicotine, etc, even though they're basically the same

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beancounter2885 t1_jc0d7a1 wrote

A person who quit smoking by vaping here, among many friends who quit the same way. I get that you shouldn't vap in a restaurant or on the trolley, but it's night and day for the ill effects of smoking indoors.

I agree you shouldn't vape on the trolley, but it is an effective way of quitting smoking, and it's not remotely the same.

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cashonlyplz t1_jc1kjyc wrote

My friend's Toyota has a similar but different residue of tar-like residue all on his interior windows. That shit still lingers like cigarettes, just like... Less?

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An_emperor_penguin t1_jc3yvx8 wrote

yeah exactly, it's less nicotine/crap per puff compared to a cig but it's still there. After like a decade of smoking bans "don't worry it's only second hand smoke from like 1/4 a cig" is not very appealing

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Ingenius_Fool t1_jc1s7wd wrote

Yea that's the nicotine. Vaping takes a LOT longer to build up than smoking does in my experience.

Also it can mostly be solved by cracking a window.

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Crackorjackzors t1_jc0fba5 wrote

Never mess with the bus driver they are all bad asses

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nphillyrezident t1_jc4qthw wrote

They are somehow total badasses and also way nicer than anyone working on the MFL. One of the city's great mysteries.

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Hanpee221b t1_jc5avtr wrote

I love bus drivers because they will throw off assholes and then give you the happiest you’re welcome when you exit and say thank you.

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ncmcbad t1_jc1rkyr wrote

My 14 yo daughter was attacked by a grown man on a septa bus. The passengers, 1 in particular, beat his a** right off the bus and stayed with her I got there. The septa police were great with her. The driver was sensitive to our situation. She still won't get on Septa, but I am grateful for how they handled the situation.

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douglas_in_philly t1_jc3u4cs wrote

Wow! That is awful, friend! So sorry for your daughter, and the rest of those who care about her! There are a TON of great people out there--particularly in Philadelphia, so great to hear that one was ready to stand up for your daughter!

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Baron_Von_D t1_jc09fg1 wrote

Yeah, only seen one person try it on the 48. Driver stopped the bus, cussed them out and then kicked them off.

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[deleted] t1_jc0cgby wrote

[deleted]

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BigDeezerrr t1_jc0in2r wrote

If they added enforcers to trains that just walked around laying the smack down on smokers /crazies braking the rules I'd be all for it. Like a bunch of big scary bouncer type guys.

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Boggie135 t1_jc1d6y1 wrote

What inconsiderate a**hole smokes on public transport?

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beachape t1_jc1rtop wrote

People smoke on subway cars all the time. It’s really gross. Platforms have been smoke filled for as long as I have been around.

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psuedonymously t1_jc09fyx wrote

Yes stopping the train between stops is discouraged

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phoenix762 t1_jc1bn4o wrote

If I have to take SEPTA (I generally commute by bike) I will use the bus, the subway/El has become bonkers. I’m too old to deal with that 😂

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Hib3rnian t1_jc1tii7 wrote

These are the heroes the city needs.

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terrestrial_birdman t1_jc251ky wrote

Bus is superior in every way except time. If you can budget more time to get to and from where you are going or coming from take the bus every time.

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KenzoWap t1_jc0lbuc wrote

All that blunt innards on the floor at the back of the bus.

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Sambizzle17 t1_jc2nga6 wrote

My buddy is a bus driver, and can confirm he takes no shit. He's an ex marine and always has a story to tell about some assholes he's kicked off.

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karensPA t1_jc2t927 wrote

this is the only city I know where it’s standard to thank the driver when you are getting off - I always do because they are awesome.

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billiardsplayer t1_jc2oxs3 wrote

Love this! You should definitely submit this to Septa customer service. I would clap and cheer for the driver if I were on the bus.

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iDontHaveUndiesToday t1_jc3pm6t wrote

Working an event (Phila Marathon) in Manayunk we closed the street. A bus driven by a nice little older lady came up asked

“Is this closed?”

“I’m afraid it is…you guys should have been notified”

“OK no problem can I turn around?”

^mind you…Manayunk Main Street ^

“umm…we LL would LOVE ago see you turn around”

She nailed it

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nolandeluca t1_jc4iq4p wrote

If you're smoking in my front car I will stop the fucking train and kick you off in the tunnel, they can explain to Septa police why they're in a tunnel

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FlyByPC t1_jc0i2l8 wrote

Nice. Better would have been to arrest them.

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Lizzardking666 t1_jc491xo wrote

Driver tried this one day and almost got assulted. Guy in back holdin unlit cigarette like ya would if it was lit driver seen it in mirror n stops n words exhanged but finally started moving. Now here the twist im at thet front of the bus also with unlit cigarette but mine was cupped in hand. Most likely driver smelled mine n seen dude in that back n swore it was lit. But yeah us smokers know to extiguish before boarding seen a few smoking pockets n cigs that werent fully out. Its only the ignorant,drunk, or drugged up that try to do it on the bus

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RP912 t1_jc4gkhs wrote

Dude I remember taking the bus to see my ex at the time. I was eating some chicken on the bus. Next thing I know I heard a computer voice going "No eating on the bus". I paid it no mind and kept smacking. "no eating on the bus". Okie dokie....kept chewing.

Bus driver: Hey you ..you can't eat on the bus now!

Saved the piece I was chewing on for later :(.

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GearyGarfield t1_jc4rm3q wrote

We need computer vision on the bus that literally stops the damn thing if a cigarette is lit, then plays "You have 20 seconds to comply."

1