Good morning or afternoon,
good people of Metro Transit!
I’m a frequent bus rider, 5-7 days weekly, and often proselytize for public transit. It’s more affordable than driving, with no worries about insurance, fender-benders, parking, etc.
The pushback from most people is that riding the bus can be disgusting, what with bums, drunks, trash, and yes, even poop and pee at the bus stops and stations, so I sure wish I could’ve avoided adding to transit’s negatives this morning.
Please accept my sincere apologies for pooping on the concrete at the Burien Transit Center. I’ve never done that before, and hope to never do it again.
As I explained to the security guards before it had to happen, I am old, and sometimes for old folks, when you gotta go you really gotta go. It’s not optional. I pleaded politely with your guard, to please be allowed brief access to the drivers’ restrooms at the transit center. I promised to leave the facilities as tidy or tidier than when I walked in.
Adhering properly to Metro Transit’s policy, the guard politely explained that for liability reasons, the restrooms are only for employees. My desperate need for a bowel movement merited no exception.
With increasing effort, I was able to hold it in for several minutes, but the need only grew greater, more urgent, until the only choice was whether to let it out on the concrete, or let it out in my pants.
Presumably, Metro Transit wanted me to poop my pants, and yes, I considered it, but I was in the middle of running some errands, and unwilling to spend my entire day stinking of shit.
By this point, I couldn’t even waddle to the bushes across the driveway, so regrettably, I had to drop my trousers and let everything out in the waiting area, as other bus patrons watched, laughed, or looked away.
The guards ignored me, so I wasn’t cited or arrested or jailed for having ordinary bodily functions. Ignoring poopers is probably part of their training.
I’m not sure how often the stations are hosed down, but what I’d left on the floor was still there on my return trip, eight hours later. Perhaps it’ll still be there tomorrow.
Again, my apologies, but let me close by suggesting public restrooms at end-of-the-line bus stations. See, we’re people you’re hauling around, not cargo, and people occasionally need a toilet.
After a 50-minute bus ride to the end of the line, expecting your customers to stand and wait for another long bus ride, without access to plumbing, is a lot to ask. Most days most people can do it, but some days it’s impossible, like it was for me this morning.
Again, my apologies,
12/30/2023
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