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NPR: KUOW: Nathan on Shawn Yim
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Click here for both interviews. The short version (6 minutes) is at the top of the page, and printed; Scroll down for the long version (19 minutes), which goes into further detail and covers issues like fare, shields, and back-door boarding. Further context:
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- A breakdown of exactly what happened (Spokesman Review/Seattle Times). I think these heartbreaking details are important in helping shape our understanding of exactly what went down. A tragedy becomes more tragic when it is avoidable.
- How the assailant was apprehended (Seattle Times); bravo to Timm, among others, whom I've enjoyed driving nights with;
- "King County Metro Bus Driver Shawn Yim’s Death Is a Tragedy: Two Notable Stabbings in the Past Two Months May Point to Failures in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Policies" (The Stranger). Some further context and food for thought.
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Fast forward to early 2023 and issues with large groups of youths were worsening in the city's south western suburbs, a lingering pocket of state housing, low socioeconomic status and all that entails in an otherwise ascendant area. The union initiated bans on working two routes past certain points for about a week, which resulted in the presence of a legion of (powerless) would-be cops at a local interchange, some useless (and generally annoying) "hopper guards" on late night services, and the retrofit of 100 buses with full barriers and digital mirrors.
The latter infuriated me, especially as those buses have naturally been mandated on the nightshift and I dislike how it harms my (admittedly awkward and forced) interaction with people, not to mention issues with reflection and the poor visibility offered by a digital mirror. At least the feedback from staff is slowly improving the finished result, I'll give them credit there.
I asked the union rep why we weren't looking at protecting the passengers better, seeing as they have to sit with the great unwashed. Their answer? "We don't care about them, only your safety matters." Unfortunately this is a prevailing attitude, this whole notion of "what has the passenger ever done for me?". This overlooks the obvious - passengers are why we have a job, even the ones that drive us berserk. It also ignores the reality, that a safe journey for passengers will inherently make the driver safe too.
A state election resulted in a thumping defeat for the incumbent government, particularly due to effective "law and order" campaigning from the-then opposition. While I think the community deserves not to live in fear of perps off on bail, needing the "circuit breaker" of imprisonment for community safety, rehabilitation and prevention need way more focus - but this costs more money than glass barriers or slogans about "adult crime, adult time." 50c fares now mean there is no incentive to police fare evasion by the authorities - and I firmly believe when consequences are not forthcoming for seemingly innocuous infractions, that it implicitly signals there will not be consequences for more serious ones either.
For what it's worth, I've only rarely challenged fares in my 7yr career - "angry bus driver" scares me more than it probably scares my passengers.
I still love my job, the buses I drive, and the (glacial) march towards a better transit system with the evolution of networks and all-door boarding - but the presence of barriers has definitely spurred decisions about where I want to be long term. 7yrs (in 3 cities!) has gone quickly.
Thank you for reading and replying in such details. I really appreciate getting the details on your similar situation in a different city/country. Barriers are a contentious topic here. Some are using Shawn's death as a political opportunity to advocate for them, even the shield wasn't an element in Shawn's death because he left the coach.
Although I find them occasionally useful, sometimes very useful, barriers are also undeniably an annoyance in that they cause glare and other mobility issues, and they inhibit my strongest weapon of all- good customer service. I can't hear the passengers, and they can't hear me. I often can't even see the interior of the bus. This doesn't help things! Friendly comments by me are sometimes misinterpreted by passengers as negative comments, because of how hard it is to hear each other. Visibility, communication, and customer service should be enhanced, not eliminated, in the effort to make transit better.
And, just as you say, the safety of the passengers should be considered with equal importance to that of drivers. It's amazing that anyone would think otherwise!
Thanks for responding. It's a shame the same arguments get trotted out everywhere, and I'm reminded of the saying about repeating a lie so often it effectively becomes truth.
On a more positive note, "the algorithm" alerted me to your existence about 9mos ago, and I have fished around on the blog intermittently since. There's a lot I could say about what I've read, but "thank-you" is probably a great place to start, seeing as it's inspired me to keep smiling and to be more conscious of how I can be better at each interaction, among other things. I could probably say the positivism and reading some of your experiences were a reality check, and helped me out of a bit of a rut.
Our industry needs a lot more bright lights and positivity from people like you. Not sugar-coating or ignoring incontrovertible fact, just decent people who can break through the monotony of the "grumpy bus driver" stereotype (yeah, I've been there too, haven't we all?); we literally leave our work at the last stop! Many people I know, and have known, don't have that privilege, they silently endure a corruption, nepotism, an inability to truly disconnect and whole host of other toxicity in their working lives. These people include the ones charged with managing bus drivers, and from time to time, drivers directly experience shocking acts of mismanagement (or know someone who has) and nobody bats an eye.
Generally, though, for so many people in the industry to complain as they do about practically everything, while simultaneously expecting someone else to fix these problems, nor tendering a solution, it doesn't portray "us" in the most positive light.
Anyway, that's enough from me, I'll reiterate my gratitude for what you've created here on your website and how it's helped me.
Thanks again for your kind words. I can't pin down exactly why this job is so rewarding to me, but it is. I'm extremely glad the 'algorithm' sent me your way, and that the writing is meaningful. That it resonates, and even occasionally inspires. As an artist I couldn't ask for higher praise. Thank you!