Dan buslines in Jaffa - Bad Service as a norm
I recall the days buses had those hard blue sticky plastic seats and you could smoke in the back. All windows were open, to let in some "fresh" air in our hot and H U M I D summer. There was usually only standing space and the busstop i hated most, was next to the fish stores in Jaffa, the overpowering fish smell adding that "little something" to the summer bus odors (i guess deodorant was very expensive at the time) , which just made me... ok i don't want to put you off just yet.
Today's Dan Cooperative Busses are red, usually the airconditioning works (except for the back part in the large "harmonica" busses), the seats are comfortable and some even have space for wheel chairs.
BUT...
When the 2nd intifada erupted in 2000, there were a few demonstrations in Jaffa. We even heard about a stone thrown at a bus. In reaction, the Dan company changed its routes "for so called safety reasons" or some other funny explanation I don't remember.
As a result a large part of Al Ajami neighborhoodwas left bus-less, implying elderly, children and generally speaking all of us not owning or wishing to use a car, have to walk long distances to reach the closest bus stop.
Some modifications in the route have been made since then, and the Dan public transport cooperative denies we are receiving a collective punishment, but that's exactly what we perceive. Public transport deteriorated and keeps deteriorating.
In the mean time, the municipality started roadworks here and there in Jaffa (which have been going on for years now) and bus routes are modified on a whim, without informing the public, the clients, who often wait (in this very hot and humid weather) in busstops that were cancelled a week ago, but no body has bothered to put up a sign, so there we wait, the old and infirm, the poor, the children, in the hot summer sun.
Ofcourse in Jaffa a bus stop is in many cases just a sign, there are no seats, nor bus stop shelters, no shadow (Allthough i must thankfully admit this week they finally placed an actual real touchable, non virtual shelter close to my house, in Yefet street!), so yes, we all wait in the sun.
It gets worse, however. Once upon a time bus line 46 had a bus every few minutes, during peak hours. Lately i have found myself waiting over 30 minutes for the bus nr. 46. No, not a freak incident, everybody has noticed there are less buses at all hours of the day.
Bus line 10 (we only have 2 Dan lines in Al Ajami) has an old VERY bad record with a bus every 20 - 25 minutes, but we know that, so unless i absolutely must, i don't use that line, it's quicker to take 46 to wherever and hop on another busline, but now "our" 46 busline has started messing up.
Why? No one (except for the Dan Cooperative ofcourse) knows. Perhaps they even deny it, but, come on guys, we are your clients and don't think we don't "notice it", when we have to wait 30 minutes for the bl**** bus to arrive.
(and thanks for the new bus stop shelter at Yefet, we appreciate it, just make sure to keep working on the other ones as well)
Today's Dan Cooperative Busses are red, usually the airconditioning works (except for the back part in the large "harmonica" busses), the seats are comfortable and some even have space for wheel chairs.
BUT...
When the 2nd intifada erupted in 2000, there were a few demonstrations in Jaffa. We even heard about a stone thrown at a bus. In reaction, the Dan company changed its routes "for so called safety reasons" or some other funny explanation I don't remember.
As a result a large part of Al Ajami neighborhoodwas left bus-less, implying elderly, children and generally speaking all of us not owning or wishing to use a car, have to walk long distances to reach the closest bus stop.
Some modifications in the route have been made since then, and the Dan public transport cooperative denies we are receiving a collective punishment, but that's exactly what we perceive. Public transport deteriorated and keeps deteriorating.
In the mean time, the municipality started roadworks here and there in Jaffa (which have been going on for years now) and bus routes are modified on a whim, without informing the public, the clients, who often wait (in this very hot and humid weather) in busstops that were cancelled a week ago, but no body has bothered to put up a sign, so there we wait, the old and infirm, the poor, the children, in the hot summer sun.
Ofcourse in Jaffa a bus stop is in many cases just a sign, there are no seats, nor bus stop shelters, no shadow (Allthough i must thankfully admit this week they finally placed an actual real touchable, non virtual shelter close to my house, in Yefet street!), so yes, we all wait in the sun.
It gets worse, however. Once upon a time bus line 46 had a bus every few minutes, during peak hours. Lately i have found myself waiting over 30 minutes for the bus nr. 46. No, not a freak incident, everybody has noticed there are less buses at all hours of the day.
Bus line 10 (we only have 2 Dan lines in Al Ajami) has an old VERY bad record with a bus every 20 - 25 minutes, but we know that, so unless i absolutely must, i don't use that line, it's quicker to take 46 to wherever and hop on another busline, but now "our" 46 busline has started messing up.
Why? No one (except for the Dan Cooperative ofcourse) knows. Perhaps they even deny it, but, come on guys, we are your clients and don't think we don't "notice it", when we have to wait 30 minutes for the bl**** bus to arrive.
(and thanks for the new bus stop shelter at Yefet, we appreciate it, just make sure to keep working on the other ones as well)
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