On the CCRTA: An Example of Extracting Goodness Out of Negativity

I am a firm believer that good things happen to good people; but, how soon do I question my own comfort in that I have lost the favor of God?

The other day I took the bus and because the schedule wasn't clear I ended up missing the bus. I wondered what had I done to merit losing a ride and having to have my wife pick me up. I became angry, but I thought to myself that I am heading down the wrong path, and that instead of counting what is wrong, that I should be counting my blessing and trying to extract the good from this seemingly negative situation. The results started when I contacted the bus company. The management agreed with me that this needed to be fixed, and not only that, they agreed with my suggestion as to the way it should be fixed.

So, through being tactful, and not expressing anger, I was able to offer a potential fix. This fix is a blessing that may help up to 1,000 people or more over the years as the bus system becomes more popular. So, though I was quick to anger with G_d I was also quick to forgive, and Gd brought me even more blessing instead of pain.

I had missed the bus so that many others will not miss the bus. What a blessing to get a chance to change the world for better and for the sake of goodness!

Ethics of the Fathers 5:11 "There are four types of temperaments. One who is easily angered and easily appeased--his virtue cancels his flaw. One whom it is difficult to anger and difficult to appease--his flaw cancels his virtue. One whom it is difficult to anger and is easily appeased, is a chassid. One who is easily angered and is difficult to appease, is wicked."– www.chabad.org

______________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the blog is copies of emails that verify that indeed what had happened was indeed a very positive thing. If nothing else, missing the bus started me on the walk to home, which gave me a considerable work out, benefiting my health.

______________________________________________________________________________

The following is a slightly edited email Posted to the CCRTA (Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority)

To the administrator of the Cape Cod RTA website; this is a complaint about the Bell Tower Mall stop. Reading the website, it is entirely reasonable to think that the bus pulls right into the Bell Tower Mall parking lot. I did not know that the CCRTA bus does not go there, nor is that indicated on the website that the bus does not go there (in the parking lot). Consequently, I missed my bus and had to have my wife come pick me up, totally defeating the purpose of the bus system.

There is an easy fix to this problem. Simply put an asterisk next to the Bell Tower Mall stop entry on the webpage, and at the bottom of the webpage please write, “Bus does not stop in the Bell Tower Mall parking lot and must be flagged down on route 28.” This could have saved me a great deal of time, and will probably be very useful for future customers.

The following was the brilliant response of the RTA to me:

Dear Mr. Hamilton:



Thank you for your email note of earlier today. We always appreciate receiving correspondence from our passengers and public. Immediately after yours arrived today, CCRTA Administrator Tom Cahir, called me into his office to discuss your recommendation. After reviewing your concern and suggestion, we both agreed that putting a footnote in both the web site and Rider’s Guide schedules makes a good deal of sense. Thank you for that suggestion.



When we were constructing the schedules, we attempted to make the stops clear by stating that the stop was on Route 28, and then added the “@” symbol to show where on Route 28 the bus would stop. Looking at the schedule from your perspective, I can see how it could be misinterpreted. The last thing we want to do is be confusing and inconveniencing to our customers. I am sorry that you were unable to board our bus conveniently today. We also do not want anyone else be inadvertently inconvenienced.



Therefore, we would like to use your good suggestion in our next printings of the public Rider’s Guide and on our web site. The footnote idea is a good one and seems to be the most clear. We will work with our staff to make those adjustments.



Again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinions on this. If you have any further questions or thoughts, please feel free to contact me directly.



All the best,



John



John F. Kennedy

General Manager

Eastern Mass Transit Company / Cape Cod RTA

MV Transportation, Inc., Division # 198

40 American Way

South Dennis, MA 02660

508-385-1430, x118