RE: “OC Transpo is a privilege, not a right,” Oct. 20-26, 2011
Here in Canada, it sometimes seems that complaining is a national sport. We love to complain — about the government, the economy, the long lineups at Tim Hortons, the traffic and, of course, the weather.
So, naturally, there was a letter in the Charlatan complaining about students complaining about OC Transpo’s occasionally erratic service — especially when we’re paying only $290 for an eight-month bus pass, compared to the full price of $752, if you get the regular adult pass, which is $94 per month.
The figure referenced in last week’s letter of $1,160 is based on the more expensive $145/month rural express pass — only people living in rural suburbs need this one. Remember what I said about complaining being a national sport? Well, I’m about to one up everyone and complain some more.
Yes, we receive a discount of $462 on our bus pass — a massive saving. Yes, nowhere in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms have we been given a right to public transport. And yes, perhaps instead of sending our city councillors complaints, sending them solutions to the problem might be a better idea.
But when did receiving a discount on a service make us forfeit the right to complain if it doesn’t live up to our expectations? When did we become required to be unquestionably and eternally grateful for any government service provided to us, not enshrined as a right?
And when did it become our job to fix the city’s problems, and not that of the city councillors who we fund with millions of dollars of taxpayer money for that very reason? If we subscribe to this kind of logic, then folks, don’t complain when you buy a Greyhound bus ticket with a student discount and your bus terminates in Hamilton instead of Windsor.
Does receiving a discount on our bus passes mean we can’t be dissatisfied when our bus doesn’t turn up, we miss class and have to wait in the rain and snow?
We still pay $290 for this service, and we are still customers. We deserve the right to call up whoever is in charge and give them an earful every time a bus races by us without stopping.
So what if “this is no different from many bus services across Ontario.” People, this is Ottawa, the capital city of the 10th richest nation in the world. Of course we expect our buses to turn up on time.
So, I ask all my fellow, dissatisfied OC Transpo riders, whether you’re paying full price, half-price, student price, or getting the thing free after winning a draw: continue to complain! Call your councillor. Petition the mayor. Call OC Transpo every time the bus is late and makes your lives miserable. Start a hunger strike in front of city hall. Occupy the transitway! Complain until OC Transpo hears you, and finally gives this city a public transport system worthy of a G8 capital.
