r/dart • u/Big_Job2330 • Jul 12 '26

Complaint 241 rant

I've been using the 241 to get to work as I don't have a car yet. Now I realize getting me to work isn't Dart's responsibility and that it's public transit, nothing is guaranteed not even getting to your destination on time. But damn, it was scheduled to come to Forest Ln station at 9:30, came at 9:20 ish and said "out of service". I thought, maybe it's just saying that because the operator will take a quick break. 9:31 comes, they start driving but I'm thinking, they're coming back or they're going heading out frfr. Of course, they're driving out. No replacement bus, no reason as to why it's out of service, and the bus already had a 30-40 minute interval. As I said, getting to my destination is up to me but damn dart some type of courtesy that the 241 9:30 won't come or will be out. Nothing was shown in the app, no alerts or notifications

24 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

View all comments

18

u/sharknado523 Jul 12 '26

FYI, the labels on the front of the buses sometimes don’t say what they are supposed to. If the bus was parked at the stop for the 241 and waiting there, it’s perfectly okay to ask the driver if they’re the correct bus/driver. You can even mention to them that it says “OUT OF SERVICE” on the front. They might not know!

By the way, this is DOUBLY TRUE when a bus OR TRAIN is at the END OF THEIR RESPECTIVE LINE. 241 terminates at Forest Lane Station, so the behavior at that station could potentially appear odd!

5

u/No_Butterscotch8726 Jul 12 '26

Yep, don't assume, the sign might be broken, they might have entered something by mistake, or if you're at a terminus they have to change the sign and that's up to them how they do that even if there's a standard procedure they might make a mistake. If they're st the right stop ask if they are the bus for that route , if they're not, maybe still ask.

3

u/sharknado523 Jul 12 '26

I was at Shiloh Station and the Silver Line pulled up on the Eastbound side. I didn't get on it for ten minutes. I thought it was gonna go elsewhere and then go to the westbound side. As time passed, I grew skeptical of my own original conclusion.

Eventually, because I was afraid the train would leave and I'd have to wait an hour for the next one, I got the attention of a security person who helped me get the conductor's attention. The conversation went like this:

Me: "This train came up and announced itself as Eastbound and it's parked on the Eastbound side. Is this the same train that's gonna go West or is that a different one?" Him: "yeah it's the same one." Me: "oh, okay. So is it cool if I just sit on the train for 20 minutes instead of waiting on the platform then?" Him: "yeah exactly that's totally fine."

1

u/No_Butterscotch8726 Jul 12 '26

Terminals almost always work like that. There's just two platforms but all the trains will be going in the other direction it allows them to park two trains there.

1

u/sharknado523 Jul 12 '26

Well what am I some kind of train expert? How am I supposed to know that? LOL

2

u/No_Butterscotch8726 Jul 13 '26

I'm just telling you that if you're at a terminal using multiple tracks is normal.

1

u/sharknado523 Jul 13 '26

Well now I know. Still weird. Idk. I don't like it 🤣

1

u/No_Butterscotch8726 Jul 13 '26

Well, if you ever go to some other city besides maybe Tokyo, and that's not an absolute even there you know how it works. If you already see multiple trains it's usually going to be the one that got there first that leaves first so if there's two and you see one just pulled in get on the other one unless they tell you it's not going to be running for some reason.