First I should say that I am happy to have the opportunity to get to work cheaply. All the "operators" (used to be drivers) have been helpful and friendly. But there are many stories in Diane's trips on Marta. Especially chilling when I have only been riding 3 weeks.
First the skinny on Breeze cards. I read everything I could get my hands on about these, to no avail! You have to have one to ride the bus but you can't get one till you get to the station. My first ride was good cause the operator let me ride and then buy my card. What about that, an intelligent person to know I had to pay one way or another. Anyway my diligent study of the situation did not work cause first I could not get the plastic card that everywhere says that it is best. I found out eventually that it just takes more money to get one. So the first day I go and get the cardboard one with 5.00 on it. Of course I did not do the math and tried to make 3 trips with it. Doesn't work. So I added 5.00 again. You would think that I would have 2.50 left over when the 2 trips were up but no. I only had 1.25 again, I lost 1.25. Don't know why. So the second time I had to put money on this card it didn't even give me the option to do it. Well the trains do not wait for people fighting the machines for breeze cards so I just bought another. They do cost .50 by the way. So I buy 3 round trips, grab my card and go. When I get on the train I have 3 breeze cards. One is the defunct 1.25 one and one should be my 3 round trip one so what is the other one? I tapped it when I got off the train and it said it had no money on it so I assumed that it was a mistake and threw it away. Later I determined that it might have said no money but further down on the display it probably said it had 2 round trips. I figured this out because after my trip home that day I had no more trips left on that one card. Marta got me. I finally went to a station where an attendant was and she showed me how to get a plastic card which has eased some of my problems. Imagine this....it just took more money...HA. The next time I lost money to Marta was when MY bus, at least that is what the display on the bus said, pulled up and I got on and tapped my card and the operator said are you going to Fairburn? No? Well this bus is. Man! I had to tap again for the other bus. Marta got me again.
Another bus story. The bus going by work leaves the Dunwoody Station at 6:05, yes in the morning. So one day I get there at 5:40 and when 6:05 comes, no bus. No bus all the way to 6:45 (should have been another at 6:35.) So we all say WHY and the operator says that they tried to give her a bus with only 5 seats on it. She told them she needed more seats (too true). So then, the unbelievable part, she had to go herself station to station to find the bus she needed. Do any of you believe that?
Here are a couple of train stories. One day the train came and we all went up to the door and the door on the other side opened. Since there was no platform over there I assume we were supposed to climb over and get in. Well none of us accepted that challenge so the doors shut and it went on and we had to wait what seemed a long time till the next train came.
Another day I was waiting for the north bound North Springs train. Now at the College Park station the trains that come only come from the Airport Station but they can be a North Springs or a Doraville. The Doraville goes Northeast at a certain point and I don't want to go that way. It is fairly important that I know which train I am getting on. This day the display on the train said Airport. Well I knew where it was coming from....HA. So I have to decide what to do quickly so I get on. Well usually they announce where the train is going before they open the doors and after the doors close. Guess what....not on that train. I had to start asking people, thinking maybe he/she changed the sign while traveling, what else could he/she be doing, sleeping? Maybe so anyway I got some looks, like why don't you know what train you are on. Finally someone told me I was on the right one and I actually was. One for me, Marta!! There never seems to be an end to the stories and I'm sure I will be posting some more unbelievable ones.
