From Detroit to Helsinki and back

 

My go-to to Detroit Metro Airport has been the Smart 125-bus stopping near my GF’s place in Lincoln Park. For only 50 cents (seniors rate, $2.00 regular), it will take you directly to the Evans and McNamara terminals, saving lots of money on airport parking or Uber. Except when it’s not working properly. That happened last week when, the day after Labor Day, I waited more than an hour for a bus to come along. The schedule is every half hour. I called the 800 number on the bus stop and spoke to an agent. She said drivers had booked off and there was not staff to drive the buses. Incredible. Have never experienced this on any other transit system. Doesn’t Smart have a roster of part time or on-call drivers? Finally one came and the driver good-naturedly put her hand over the fare box and said to get on for free. But the same occurred yesterday returning from the airport. For 45 minutes no bus came. Finally, one did but the driver was only going to the Evans terminal and not beyond. He said there’d be another in 10 mins. That came and went and I called Smart again. The problem? “There was a shift change.” Huh? Any other transit system that I’ve been on changes drivers efficiently at actual bus stops. The driver leaving their shift gets off and the new one gets on. But for Smart shift changes appear to be like those at factories and everything must come to a halt....BTW at Metro Airport can someone please turn off the  announcements by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans (the North Terminal has been renamed in his honor) telling of the wonderful aspects of the Detroit area and then "Welcome Home" to local residents? It runs every several minutes and if you're in the terminal long enough, rather annoying. 

Meanwhile having spent several days in Helsinki Finland, with a very efficient transit system, the entire network works on the honor system  (photo left) There are no fare boxes on buses or turnstiles at subway or tram stations. The only box is a payment tap if you’re taking a one-way trip and use your bank card. Otherwise, you buy a transit card or download tickets, such as a day pass, through the system’s app on your phone. You don’t even have to show that. But if you’re caught without a ticket the fine is 100 euros. Riding both trams and Metro all weekend I saw not one inspector. Still, buy the ticket.

But one problem did occur. This was returning yesterday to the Helsinki airport to catch my flight back home. My flight was at 7 am. The first train to the airport from downtown Central Station was at 4.18 am. Upon arriving at the station before 4 the station’s doors had notices saying it only opened at 5 am. What??!! Taxi drivers parked at the side shouted “it doesn’t open until 5” at bewildered travelers. Hmmm. One person went back to her hotel across the street and was told the station indeed was open but only the outside platforms on the other side. You’ve got to wonder how many unwitting tourists those taxi drivers take advantage of every morning. I wrote both Helsinki Tourism and the city’s transit system HSL pointing this out. Helsinki Tourism responded within a few hours. “We have forwarded this information to the Central Railway Station. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

One other thing: how is it that US Customs at Metro has only two counters staffed (when there are more than two dozen) for perhaps 300 people arriving all at once yesterday afternoon?

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller