AT Transport / Transdev FAIL [rant]

Ok so I live in the north quarters of Auckland, where we mostly have buses instead of trains because all the houses are super spread out and hilly, the country is not wide enough, and long story short- trains/metro would be impossible.

However over this summer, I have been working at a place in central/bordering south of Auckland, which is really close to one of the train stations. Because it's so far away from home, I moved closer to work for two months. But now that I only do a few days here and there, I decided to move home and just do the long commute from home which includes a trip on the bus, and then transfer to train.

Auckland's train system is really simple. Like, REALLY simple. There's only 4 lines, and 5 platforms in the main station (Britomart) downtown CBD. Because I rarely take the train (read: never), I don't know the stations, especially the really end-stop ones which is what is displayed on the train and platforms to indicate direction.

The train I need to take the is the red Southern line that ends at Pukekohe. My stop is Ellerslie (circled pink), and there are 2 trains that go down this line past my stop.

So I get to Britomart, and like yesterday, I ask the concierge which train to take because there isn't a single train map like above until you've entered the gate and walked halfway down a platform. He tells me to take the train leaving really soon heading to Swanson, so OK I run for it and manage to catch the train.

Turns out Swanson is way out west. There isn't a single stop along the way to Swanson that sounds REMOTELY like 'Ellerslie', but I forgive the guy cause you know, everyone has their off days and it was 8am. Thankfully, the train stops at Newmarket which is on the way to Ellerslie anyway. No big harm done, just some time lost.

So I get off at Newmarket, and because I had been told the wrong train once this morning, I was a bit cautious and wanted to find the train myself. But NO. Turns out there isn't a single map like the above around Newmarket Station. All they had were these posters that had West line, South Line, East Line, and stuff which didn't list any of the Stations. AND IT WASN'T JUST ONE OF THOSE POSTERS EITHER. COULDN'T THEY PUT UP SOME USEFUL MAPS TOO!?

At a loss for solutions, I went and asked the concierge at Newmarket station which train I should take. He tells me that a train is leaving so I run for it (again), not even looking at what train it is because there's no time to lose. I get on the train and what do you know, its a train BACK TO BRITOMART. Like, I am so un-amused at this point I was just RAGING inside. When I get back to Britomart, thankfully there are maps along the station platforms so I found a map and managed to get to work.

Consequences:
- huge amount of stress
- half an hour late for work (when I was originally due to be 10 minutes early)
- migraine from the rage
- wasted 30~45 minutes on the trains, and an hour typing a long af complaint and this post.

Transdev and Auckland Transport, you are even worse in my books than you were before. If that's even possible.


On the other hand, the guy working on the train on my final trip to work was super kind and nice. Though, it could be because I was looking so angry he was scared I would snap.



=^.^=