Because it’s fun to compile lists of things and then check them off one by one (see tabs above or list at right), I’ve decided to put together a wish list of 10 things I’d like to accomplish – Metro-wise – before I end my Metro-Venture.
You probably saw the first three items a few months ago, and then the update with numbers 4 and 5. And thanks – again – for all the feedback. I originally started this list out of a misplaced sense of entitlement: Shouldn’t I be able to leverage this Metro-Venture into something really cool, and experience and accomplish some things that the Average Joe would never get to do? To my delight, it’s also sort of morphing into a more broad, wouldn’t-it-be-super-if-Metro-did-this repository of creative ideas and constructive criticisms. Forthwith, numbers 6 and 7. And keep that feedback coming…
These Japanese Transit posters are the gift that keeps on giving...
6. Design the perfect SmarTrip card holder. I’ve lost my SmarTrip card. Twice. I’ve also accidentally snapped my SmarTrip card in half. Twice. I’ve kept it in buttoned trouser pockets, zippered purse pockets, my wallet, a tiny evening bag, snapped shirt pockets, cosmetic bags, and binders. I have never, however, consistently kept it in one place, leading to the unfortunate circumstance of switching outfits and handbags only to find myself bereft of a farecard, forced to pay twenty more cents per bus ride and forgo additional transfers. Not good.
Therefore, I need to design the perfect SmarTrip card holder. How will I do this? Hmm…I should probably start by enlisting a few of my friends who are designers and have an eye for shape and style. Next, I’ll need to test a prototype. It drives me nuts when people step up to a fare box or turnstile, plop some giant billfold on top of it, elicit a harsh chorus of “BEEP” sounds, and then realize they’ll have to extricate their SmarTrip card after all. Which reminds me: this holder will have to be just as useful for riders who use weekly paper passes, as well as paper farecards. Might as well be versatile! This could be a very fun challenge.
7. Get to know my bus drivers. I find people who sit behind wheels for a living – taxi cab drivers and bus drivers, especially – to be endlessly fascinating. I chat up taxi cab drivers all the time, if they don’t chat me up first. Seemingly no topic is off limits: I’ve been invited to church, lectured on where I live, asked about my vote, and just plain asked out (that was especially awkward). But there’s an intimacy to a cab ride that initiates such intense – if fleeting – verbal interactions. I’m pretty much sitting in their office.
The bus, on the other hand, creates a more significant barrier between rider and driver. And that’s mostly for a good reason. No doubt you’ve seen the “Please don’t speak to the driver” (or some variation thereof) signs up front of most buses. And I get it; conversations can be distracting and we all want the safest ride possible.
Yesterday, however, I was on the bus about 10 minutes before it was scheduled to leave and ended up having a fascinating conversation with the driver. Turns out he used to be an MPD detective, then struck out on his own for a decade of successful business ventures, then became a bus driver “for a more regular paycheck.” I found out he knew some of my neighbors, had a good friend from my home state, and just purchased iPad for his daughters because they were doing so well in college. Even after the bus took off on its route, we continued to chat about MacBooks, the Transit Union, and the fact that buses really do arrive early on Sundays and holidays. It was a fun ride and I think we both enjoyed a friendly chat on a dreary day. I hope to do it again.
When you find or design the perfect SmarTrip card holder, let me know – I’ll be the first customer!
About 15 years ago, I wandered into a now-closed hardware store in D.C. that sold a hard-plastic carrier for my fare card (now smart card). I still use it. It fell apart but I put a rubber band around it (I’m a low-tech person). The print says it’s a ‘card caddy.’ The opposite side lists a phone number of 1-800-692-1368, but it’s been disconnected. My caddy is bright red, so it’s easy to find. Have you tried doing a web search?
I visited the metro sales office earlier this week at Metro Center for the first time in years. They had a note taped to the window that they sell card holders – I believe for $5 or $6. I don’t know what they look like.