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Citizen complaint of the day: The horn-mad school-van driver

A driven-mad Dorchester citizen blares from Sumner Street:

School bus driver honks excessively early in the morning and early evening Monday thru Friday. Sometimes for 10 minutes non stop. We have asked her not to honk so long, even call the parent instead of honking. She just ignores everyone and keeps honking. She also drives very fast down Sumner street while other children are playing outside...

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Comments

I am overwhelmed with the dangerous driving I often see from the little van school buses to the large ones. There really needs to be a system facilitated by posted phone numbers and vehicle ids so reports can be made. They have them on trucks, why not school buses?

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Because if someone suggests it, they'll go on strike with no notice and make national news again.

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This reminds me that when I lived in Dorchester the school bus drivers would pull up to the building, honk, honk, hooooooooonk for what seemed like five minutes before the kid came out of the house. If the driver had to do that for every kid (and it seemed like very often the driver did) I can't imagine that bus would ever get to school.

That didn't happen when I was in school. The stop was down at the end of the street, and if you weren't there when the bus arrived, too bad for you!

I don't see why the person complaining couldn't copy down the license plate of the bus, note the bus company, and then give them a call. Every day, if needed. I'd also call the city councilor and BPS.

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This looks to be para-transit, and it can take several minutes to get a kid and a wheelchair down and out of a house and into a van.

Some of the kids are also fragile enough that they cannot be out in the cold or heat for very long.

Still doesn't explain why there isn't another way to let the parents know that the bus has arrived - although they are forbidden to use cel phones or even have them on their person, I'd bet.

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Someone should design a special phone for this purpose. Maybe it could be built into the van, would only work while in park, and could only call a fixed list of numbers on speed dial.

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I witnessed a bus driver begin erratic on the road in the morning and copied down the license plate number. I e mailed the information to [email protected] and received a quick and professional response that action was being taken. I was impressed and suggest using this if you have concerns.

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but the MBTA sends out similar "automatic" responses when you e-mail them a complaint. However, they never send a follow-up telling you what action was taken.

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Very occasionally, I get a custom reply from the T that says they'll address my complaint. But that doesn't mean anything actually changes.

For example, when I reported people getting trapped in a secondary station exit because the inspector locked the doors but didn't prop the turnstiles open (a good 30 minutes before the last train), they said they'd tell the inspectors not to do that any more. But it still happens all the time.

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This wasn't an auto-response at all, actually. It was answered by a real person with a name and individual contact information.

I understand your skepticism but I think they really do take note and investigate in these kinds of cases.

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have taken over cabbies, bike messengers and (apparently) school vans as the most dangerous drivers in Boston in my opinion. About 10 pedestrians and I nearly got run over this morning by a guy in one of The Ride cars driving down Stuart street by the Hancock tower, while in a sidewalk no less. I also seem them driving down Main St. in Charlestown at high speeds, rolling through the stop light at City Sq. on a regular basis.

Granted, this statement is a gross generalization and not all drivers behave this way, but the frequency that I've noticed it recently is crazy.

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I live in South Boston,the bus drivers start beeping in front of my house at 6 am everyday I ask them please stop the beeping . And in the afternoon it's the same thing , if the parent is not out there with in minute they begin blowing the horn until they come .... someone has to set some rules here on these people . Please make it stop , some of us don't have to get up until 730 and have to work hard so I like every minute I can get . Thank You

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