Who ya gonna call?
Staff at the 184 bus route hotline
help passengers find their way
through Bangkok's teeming streets
while also fending off sometimes silly,
sometimes obscene calls
Story by SAMILA SUTTISILTUM
Know these words and phrases
teeming
full of people or animals, moving around
fend off
to protect from something difficult
obscene
connected with sex in a way that most people find unpleasant
crawl
to move forward very slowly
colloquial
used in conversation; informal
nooks and crannies
every part of a place, especially small, hidden ones
peak
the time of most activity
wit
the ability to think quickly
thirst for knowledge
the strong desire to learn
spout off
to talk a lot in a boring or annoying way
truth be told
used to tell the true facts about a situation, especially when these are not known by other people (in this case, the expression is used ironically)
tirade
a long angry speech
sarcastic
words that are the opposite of what you mean in order to be unpleasant or to make fun of someone
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Riding a public bus in Bangkok can be like experiencing all the negative things of being in love. There is no specific timetable and sometimes the bus just does not show up when you want it to. Sometimes it crawls, other times it races forward till you're frightened for your own life. And sometimes it won't stop despite how long you've been waiting.
And yes, sometimes you have no clue which bus will go where — the writing on the sign can be too small to see, if it's there at all. Many times, you get lost or miss the chance to go anywhere.
Well, bus riders have more luck than people in love in this case. When you have to travel away from known routes and have no idea which bus will take you there, you can dial 184, the help-line offered by the Public Service and Relations Passenger Section of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).
Considering Bangkok's less-than-perfect city planning and the irregular bus routes — what with the official and colloquial place names as well as hidden nooks and crannies here and there — the line operators are required to have an excellent knowledge of the city.
According to Viroj Nilayodhin, chief of the BMTA's Public Relations Division, 90 percent of calls are inquiries about bus routes.
“Our staff need to be experts,” he said.
No surprise that most of the operators used to work as bus fare collectors.
“They are familiar with the field and know the routes very well.”
But that's not all. Most collectors work on the same bus and seem to be familiar with only one particular route. When they come to work at the Public Service and Relations Passenger Section, they are required to learn other routes as well as the names and locations of significant buildings.
One example is 38-year-old, Kalasin-born Khomkhai Silachai. After five years as a collector on the air-conditioned bus that has become No. 512, she learned by heart everything that she saw along the roads from Democracy Monument to Victory Monument to the Northern Bus Terminal. Still, to function effectively as a help-line operator, the former collector had to learn a lot more.
“You have to find out about routes you never knew,” she said. “Sometimes, I take time during my days off to ride buses and find out where they pass or which significant places are on their way.”
The 184 service has been in operation since 1988, with the initial purpose to respond to complaints and suggestions from the public concerning services of the BMTA.
At first, only five telephone operators were available. Now, the section has grown bigger, with a total of 56 staff responding to callers who ask about bus routes, with five additional administrative staff, who will also take turns to answer calls during peak hours.
Before they can pick up the phone, the staff at 184 have to undergo training that will equip them with essential skills such as map reading and fundamental service principles so as to quickly assist customers.
The keys to working successfully in the section are wit, experience and a thirst for knowledge, since new bus routes are frequently introduced. As well, government offices and organisations change, causing the agency's indexes to be constantly out-of-date.
“It's true that we have to learn the locations of all government units by heart,” said Winai Sa-I, 30, a former public service inspector.
“But we also have to keep updating ourselves. We all have a small notebook in which we jot down the latest adjustments, changes in name and location of important places. You need to be open to new information — reading the papers, listening to radio, watching television.”
Though they are on their own when they respond to incoming calls, the 184 staff believe in teamwork, and always share their latest information and tips with colleagues.
“When there are festivals or big exams, those who know will pass on the information to others. That way, we can be prepared to answer the many calls as to how get to such places from different parts of Bangkok,” Winai said.
Since the service line caters to complaints as well, a great deal of patience is demanded from the operators. There are callers who simply spout off at the operator after a particularly upsetting experience with a public bus — truth be told, that can occur quite frequently. There are people who wait for hours for a bus which does not stop when they wave it down, or those who had to put up with bad behaviour from drivers or fare collectors.
The only thing the 184 staff can do in this situation is listen: “The customer is always right” rule is strictly applied.
“If we feel that any particular staff member is starting to get stressed after listening to a harsh tirade, we'll switch the line to another staff member,” said Lalida Chookhae, head of the Department of Public Service and Relations Passenger Section. The head of the shift will make sure that no one gets too emotional.
The service attracts a fair share of “psycho callers” as well. “There's not a single day here that you don't finish work without such a call, be it from a boy or a girl, silly, or horrendously obscene,” Winai said.
The operator has an easy trick to avoid getting emotionally involved with prank calls. “Just say, `excuse me, we are busy,' and hang up. Those who are witty might offer a sarcastic reply, but at the end of the day, you can't let it get you down,” Khomkhai said.
Winai has more than just fun. He finds the job satisfying, especially when he can be of help to regular callers.
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Today’s story is about a group of people who, though they are not seen, are busy providing a service to Bangkok’s commuting public – specifically to those who travel on the city’s buses. Anyone who has done that knows that it can be very frustrating – almost as frustrating as being in love. At least, that’s the view of the writer, Samila Suttisiltum.