Total discrimination against the unicycle

Off-topic
1

Hi everyone. I’ve been viewing this site for a while now, but this is my first official post on the forum.
Sorry it is long, but well worth the read. Frustrating, but funny true dilemma. The last thread I found even relatively similar was back in 2006, but this situation is unique in itself & I just wanted to explain what happened.

Car broke down, so I pretty much unicycle everywhere. I was getting rides to work, but just recently started riding my 24” Muni to the bus stop & then to work from where I get dropped off. Had not encountered any problems until this morning getting on the 2nd bus.

Here is what happened: When the bus pulled up & the doors opened, there was a guy standing up looking like he was going to get off. Noticed he wasn’t getting off & I started to make my way towards the bus steps. The driver says “You can’t bring that on here!” I told him I wasn’t anywhere near where I lived & I’ve had no problems with any of the other drivers who had all been letting me bring it on the bus. He tells me he doesn’t care & that I can call the police?? He then said “You can’t bring it on, because it doesn’t have two wheels?” Like Bill Engvall, I wanted to scream “Here’s your Sign!”

He then closed the doors & drove off. I was left standing at the bus stop in an unfamiliar area & to make matters worse, there were no schedules posted so I didn’t even know if or when another bus was coming. I was in a rush to work last night & had also left my cell phone at home. Lucky Me =) I tried to flag down a passing police officer, but I guess he thought I just wanted to say “Hi,” because he just waved back & kept on going. After approx. 30-45min, I noticed another bus coming in the opposite direction towards an adjacent bus stop. I went over there & had NO PROBLEM getting on that bus or the next one that took me near where I live. Go Figure!!!

I unicycled home & called the Comment/Complaints line for the Local Transit. This is where it really gets interesting. There was a long pause when I asked what the policy was for bringing a unicycle on the bus. First, she says “Is that the one with THREE WHEELS???” Obviously, if she didn’t even know what a unicycle was – this spells out loud & clear to me “No Policy” in place. I explained to her it only has one wheel & I place it front of me when I’m riding the bus. She said “so it’s small,” I replied not like the size of a bicycle. She then talks to her Supervisor who she stated said “Absolutely Not,” and proceeded to add if any drivers had let me do this in the past they could have been fired?? What for great customer service, unlike the jerk who wouldn’t let me on the bus with it & left me stranded? I then asked her what was the discrimination with bringing a unicycle on the bus, but allowing bicycles? She placed me back on hold. Using the word “discrimination” obviously made her and her Supervisor rethink their previous remarks. She comes back on the line & tells me she spoke to the Risk Management Dept who says it is “ok,” as long as it is not bothering any other passengers or in the isle of the bus. She also tells me Risk Mgt said I can’t debate if a driver won’t let me on with it or approaches me & tells me to get off the bus??? She says it is the driver’s discretion?

Needless to say maybe they’ll have to reconsider making a policy regarding unicycles because of me calling=) What company has employees use their discretion in regards to polices anyways -Oh I know - one that doesn’t have any in place =)

Please feel free to comment, or add any suggestions that might help me for future references & thanks for letting me vent.

2

You seem dangerous to me. I don’t think I want to be affiliated with your sport.

I’ve never had any trouble with buses, even when unirene and I took gargantuan Cokers onto one of the Seattle buses. We had to stand holding them.

I’d quit stirring the pot and ride with the friendly drivers. Here I think that what is allowed is up to the driver’s discretion.

3

wow.
That’s a very odd situation, was the unicycle muddy or something?
I’d try find somebody local to the bus service, maybe try and get written permission to be able to use the bus with it from somebody, and take it with you just in a wallet or something! :slight_smile:
But yeah, sounds like the guy was having a bad day.

4

Hrrm. Sounds annoying, but a couple different things aren’t clear from your post:

  1. Are bikes officially allowed on the bus (meaning it is a stated policy of the company running the buses that bikes are allowed)?
  2. If the answer to (1) is “yes” (bikes are officially allowed on the bus), how are they transported? Do you take them on the bus with you, or is there a rack in front of the bus to carry the unicycle?

If you are allowed to transport bikes on the bus, but they are not in the passenger area, I can sort of see a driver thinking that rule would apply to a unicycle (or a tricycle, I imagine).

If you are allowed to have bikes in the passenger area, but he wouldn’t let you take a unicycle on . . . well, that’s just weird.

5

The local transit people told you on the phone that you ARE allowed to have the uni on the bus.

They said it is up to the driver’s discretion… but I doubt any memos or anything are going out. The driver doesn’t know about this.

So just tell him that you called and were told you ARE allowed to bring it on the bus. He doesn’t need to know about the discretion part.

6

Maybe it was a bit inconvenient, but having one out of several bus drivers refuse to let you on the bus because he sees you carrying some strange, awkward contraption is hardly “total discrimination against the unicycle.”

In the winter I sometimes bring my snowboard on the city bus, and so far the bus drivers haven’t said anything about it. However, I would understand if one of them were uncomfortable with it. After all, it’s a rather long, unwieldly object with metal edges; it could be perceived as dangerous in the hands of a clumsy or inattentive person (like those bloody skiers who sling their skis over their shoulders and swing them around with no regard for those standing behind or beside them. ;)) You probably aren’t clumsy or inattentive with your unicycle, but it’s easy to see how a bus driver who is maybe a tad uptight might be uncomfortable with an ungainly metal contraption on his bus.

So, there’s some advocacy for the devil.

7

ħǻřрέŗ “You seem dangerous to me. I don’t think I want to be affiliated with your sport.” (Thanks, that me me laugh,considering the day I had)

AlisterBurt “Was the unicycle muddy or something?” (No it was clean)
I’d try find somebody local to the bus service, maybe try and get written permission to be able to use the bus with it from somebody, and take it with you just in a wallet or something! (This was my intentions when I called to avoid this situation again, but they told me “driver’s discretion only.”)

natosha (Yes, bikes are allowed on the bus placed in the rack in the front. You couldn’t place a unicycle in there & you can’t compare the size of a bike to a unicycle) (Also, as stated I never place it anywhere near any passengers or in the isle)

MuniOrBust The local transit people told you on the phone that you ARE allowed to have the uni on the bus.

They said it is up to the driver’s discretion… but I doubt any memos or anything are going out. The driver doesn’t know about this.

So just tell him that you called and were told you ARE allowed to bring it on the bus. He doesn’t need to know about the discretion part. (My thoughts exactly =)

Caterpillar with a hookah "Maybe it was a bit inconvenient, but having one out of several bus drivers refuse to let you on the bus because he sees you carrying some strange, awkward contraption is hardly “total discrimination against the unicycle.” (I know that, sorry I was just venting. However, I would say some discrimination against the Comments/Complaints Hotline & Risk Management for allowing bicycles and not unicycles at first. They did change their minds after I said that=)

8

Unicycling is weird and even stupid. You should expect to be discriminated against.

9

Perhaps the bus driver doesn’t want the unicycle flying around inside the bus in the event of a collision with another vehicle, since it could hurt one of the passengers.

Actually I’ve always wondered, why don’t they have seat belts on buses? They strap in the handicapped people, but everyone else doesn’t get a belt.

10

turn yourself in to the police CRIMINAL.

:stuck_out_tongue:

i just assume everyones gonna give me hell cause i unicycle, hahah

11

I’ve had problems with some buses too, but the one that I had problem with always say “Next time I wont let you go in!”. I always take the same place where I can put it beside me where there’s no place to sit or anyone to be up. What I find stupid is that they will let someone go in with a cart but not a unicycle!

12

Attach a four inch wheel to your seat post so that it idles on your tire. If challenged rotate your wheel so that both are animated. Tell them it has two wheels and therefore a b***

Yes, its a sell out and you’ll have less manhood left over because its no longer a unicycle, but you’ll get to work.

13

Apology accepted. I’m glad you spent some time lurking these forums before posting, but puzzled how you didn’t pick up on the difference between Just Conversation and Rec.Sport.Unicycling!

This is what the discussion boils down to… the driver decides who gets on and who doesn’t. Be polite. Do your best to minimize the impact and appearance of your unicycle. Don’t harass any driver and he may be kinder to you next time.

Yes it’s needless to say maybe. Unless you hear back from them, it’s all conjecture past this point.

One that empowers their employees. One that I’d want to work for. I’d rather my employer trust my judgment than treat me like a child.

Consider the point of view of the people you’re talking with. Consider the impact of your words. Don’t be so quick to claim “discrimination” when there are people of different races, genders and sexual orientations who suffer much worse plights than not being able to take their toys on the bus.

14

I think you should go for a double century bus ride with your uni! :stuck_out_tongue:

15

DSchmitt “turn yourself in to the police CRIMINAL.” (Thanks for the suggestion, that’s what I was trying to do when I was attempting to flag him down) :smiley:

jaco_flans “What I find stupid is that they will let someone go in with a cart but not a unicycle!” (I totally agree. I have seen a variety of large items being brought on the bus & none of them are strapped down. They are placed towards the front of the bus right in front & to the side of passengers. At least I keep the unicycle in front of me & hold onto it while riding the bus.)

Boethius “You’ll have less manhood left over because its no longer a unicycle, but you’ll get to work.” (Since this is my first post on the forum, just wanted to establish - I’m a female, so no loss of “manhood”) :slight_smile:

maestro8 “Sorry it is in the wrong forum” (The ones I found when searching prior to posting were under “Just Conversation,” After posting this I found some other threads from 2009 under Rec.Sport.Unicycling!")

“Consider the point of view of the people you’re talking with. Consider the impact of your words. Don’t be so quick to claim “discrimination” when there are people of different races, genders and sexual orientations who suffer much worse plights than not being able to take their toys on the bus.” (I was just simply asking the question, what was the discrimination between bicycles & unicycles. I wasn’t trying to claim discrimination, just needed it to be clarified.)

MuniAddict
Quote: Originally Posted by phlegm
Unicycling is weird and even stupid. You should expect to be discriminated against.

I think you should go for a double century bus ride with your uni! (Funny, always love your comments Unigeezer) :slight_smile:

(Thanks for everyone putting in their two cents. I was just having an extremely bad day, which I’m sure anyone would have been upset if they were in my shoes. Also I work nights, so there is barely anyone on the bus during the times I ride to & from work. Only venting & wanted to introduce myself to the forum.)

16

seriously, grow up.

just because you want to think something should be fine doesn’t make it so. you deserve to be discriminated against, not because you have a uni but because you are being stupid.

how fine would it be if your wheel moved on the bus and touched someone, or worse the pedals touch someone? probably not a big deal unless dirty. what if they REALLY hit someone and what if your pedals have spikes (not that it actually matters)? do you think you will walk-away from that situation without confrontation? is taking a unicycle onto a bus not a problem if these things can happen? funny how it might be driver discretion in such situations, hey? what about if you are holding it and your hand slips and it falls and hits someone. or what if you are too lazy to hold it and it is in the way and someone trips on it.

an empty bus is one thing and the driver may not give a damn. or he may think you are a weirdo and not want to let you on. his call. you are not entitled to the world. it’s not your goddamn bus.

grow tf up people. use some common sense.

edit : further to that. same rationalization that idiots use for stupid crap like this… ipods are fine to take on a bus, right? so therefore my portable stereo system should be fine too right? it’s kind-of like an iPod so surely it’s discrimination if I’m not allowed to take my perfectly normal stereo system with added bass boost etc? RIGHT?!

17

^^ Harsh.

In any case, welcome to the community! It certainly sounds like a frustrating situation. I can sit here in the comfort of my home and speculate on the driver’s reasons for kicking you off the bus, but nonetheless, being stranded is stressful. Hope tomorrow treats you better. :slight_smile:

18

The thing is, it’s not “discrimination” because they allow bikes but not unicycles because you want different treatment for both. You said yourself you don’t get to take a bike inside the passenger area, you have to put it on a rack in the front. You want to be allowed to freely take the unicycle inside the passenger area (inside the bus is inside the passenger area, even if it’s not “touching” anyone).

If there were a helmet law for bikes, would you expect to get a ticket for not wearing a helmet while riding a unicycle? If there were a law that said “no bikes on the sidewalk”, how would you react if a cop told you to get off the sidewalk while riding?

We shouldn’t get to pick and choose which rules for bikes apply to us. Honestly, I think one of the best thing that can happen for unicycling is for unicyclists as a whole to stop acting like we’re so darn special.

nubcake is right about this one, IMHO.

Time to stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

P.S. Welcome to the forums, BTW. You picked an interesting topic to start with :wink:

19

nubcake . . . . what?? O.o? who licked the red off of your lolipop?

I don’t know why anybody hasn’t asked this . . . what size unicycle is this?
I can sorta see not being able to take in a 36er.

the isles make a difference too. Some city busses have narrow isles, and some have big open spaces with seats sideways which would be more friendly for something like a unicycle.

I think it’s dumb and the guy was just acting weird. Gotta say, I’d probably be upset, I don’t think you made a terribly big deal out of it. Calling the company and asking what was up isn’t making a mountain out of a molehill.

20

They have seat belts on inter-city buses and it’s a complete pain in the arse.