My bus card reader ate my fare and the driver didn't care

Swiped my card this morning on the 42 route in Denver and it took my money but the screen said 'failed' so the driver just stared at me while I stood there like an idiot. Anyone else have these card readers glitch out on them or is it just my luck?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.rose17d ago

Man, sounds like that card reader owes you an apology and a refund. Those things are basically just expensive blinking lights half the time. I swear the drivers train at the Staring Academy of Unhelpfulness before they get behind the wheel. You’d think they’d at least pretend to care for two seconds before you slink off to stand by the back door.

burns.richard16d ago

Yeah, the "staring academy" bit got me. But here's the thing nobody's talking about. I mean, those bus drivers are probably dealing with like fifty people a shift who all have the exact same problem, and they've seen that card reader fail a thousand times before lunch. Maybe the real issue is that the whole system is designed to make you feel like it's your fault when their machine breaks. The reader flashes red, the driver gives you that blank look, and suddenly you're the one apologizing and shuffling away. Idk, it's like they've turned a simple payment failure into this weird social power game. The driver doesn't even have to say anything and you've already lost.