TTC Passenger Robbed While "Passenger Assistance Alarm" Failed to Operate (Yellow Strip)

Apparently, while 79-year old Yusuf Hizel was getting robbed on the TTC subway by 2 thugs, Kurt Larcher, a passenger who was seated nearby, pressed the "Passenger Assistance Alarm" yellow strip but it failed to set off the alarm.

Here's the story from CP24:

TTC Rider Says He Tried To Stop Mugging

It’s the story that’s outraged countless Torontonians across the city. On Monday, about 20 Toronto subway riders were accused of standing by and watching as an elderly man was robbed on the train.

But Wednesday, one passenger who was sitting in front of the victim, Kurt Larcher says he did try to help 79-year old Yusuf Hizel.

“I pressed the strip. Maybe it’s a malfunction, I don’t know. Maybe the alarm system doesn’t function on that particular coach,” said Larcher.

“Our systems don’t indicate the passenger systems alarm was activated. I’m not saying he didn’t try to press it, or maybe he didn’t press it enough, I’m not sure,” said TTC spokesman Brad Ross.

Here's the description of the Passenger Assistance Alarm from the TTC Website (Your Safety Partner):

Passenger Assistance Alarm (PAA)

The PAA is the long, yellow strip with black lettering that is located above the windows, along the wheelchair position and at each end of subway and Scarborough RT cars. Press the alarm strip in the event of: fire, illness, accidents, harassment, vandalism and threats to personal safety. Audible alarms will sound in your car and in the Driver's and Guard's cars. The Driver will call for emergency assistance and stop the train at the next available station and hold it there with the doors open.

So, if the yellow strip had actually worked, audible alarms would have sounded, the driver would have called for the TTC Police, and there's a good chance that these 2 thugs would have gotten freaked out, and possibly left Mr. Hizel alone.

This is yet another clear failure by the TTC, and this one had serious consequences.

Now, on to the discussion around, "It’s the story that’s outraged countless Torontonians across the city"... What kind of BS is this crap now??

Yes, everyone who wasn't there is outraged over the fact that nobody helped the poor old man when he was getting robbed...

You know, in today's REAL world, only an idiot is a Good Samaritan in these types of situations.. Yes, that feels as horrible to say as it does to hear, I'm sure. But that's the reality.

Do you really want to approach these guys and have one of them pull a gun and shoot you? Is that really worth it for you, or for the victim? Now everyone is put in danger there, as these guys are suddenly forced to defend themselves. If you're not the Police, or someone who's trained to handle these situations, then you should just not get involved.

In the REAL world, heroes get dead. That's it, plain and simple. That's why the Police get paid so well. They have to deal with these situations so the public don't.

Even this Larcher guy took a chance by pressing the alarm. Had one of the thugs seen him doing that, he might have been punished severely. And after that brave act of trying to press the alarm, it fails. What a sad sad story.

It seems that the TTC has nothing but sad stories...

You want an idea to improve Customer Service? How about making the Passenger Assistance Alarms work.

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobolink/4364977227/sizes/l/ by Bobolink on flickr
)