Finders, Keepers?

From C:

At approximately 4:15 p.m. on July 4, my friends and I returned to Huntington after the Nats game. We got up to the vehicle when my friend B, realized that his phone was missing.

The train was still in the station, so he ran down the escalator and back to the car we were in. He returned without his call phone.

We went home to track his phone using the "Find My iPhone" GPS tracking software online. It told us that it was still at Huntington, so B and another friend, K, went back to the station to find it.

B spoke to one attendant, and another remained in the booth. He asked if anyone had reported a missing, white iPhone 4S. He said, "No."

So, B called me using my fiance's phone (that he borrowed) and asked us to refresh the "Find My iPhone" link. This time it said it was in Eisenhower station. So, B asked the attendant how we could get to the Eisenhower station where they take the trains out of service.

I was on the phone with him the entire time and could hear the conversation.

Well, [at the same time] B's cell phone received a text message. His text message tone is the very distinct "Go, Go, Power Rangers" tune.

He heard it and immediately knew his phone was in the pocket of the attendant who had been in the booth, and now was standing and talking to them.

I heard B say: "That's my phone." And, the attendant say: "Take your hands off me" after K had reached for it.

The attendant gave him some b.s. about how he usually likes to hold lost phones for a week to see if anyone claims it, even though he heard B looking for his phone.

If his ringtone hadn't gone off, B would NEVER have gotten his phone back.

Happy 4th of July from WMATA to a Navy veteran. How horrible!

I've left my wallet in a grocery store and had my wallet and all of its contents returned to me the NEXT day. My friend left his phone on the Metro for LITERALLY moments, and it was taken without the intent to return it.

Longer Waits Coming?

PIDs like this might start to look pretty good. (Via @LoriG Yup, that's wmata pic.twitter.com/jmOxUxqv)

Is Metro proposing stealth service cuts?

On Thursday, the Metro Board's Customer Service and Operations Committee will hear a proposal by Metro to change the "rail service criteria."

According to the presentation, the criteria means the "maximum customer wait time between trains."

The current proposal appears to increase those times significantly to:

15 minutes during the peak
30 minutes during non-peak

As of March of this year, the criteria are listed as:

In the core:
Three minutes in the core during peak
Six minutes mid-day

Non-core:
Six minutes during peak
12 minutes mid-day
20 minutes off peak

There is no breakout between core and non-core in the current presentation.

While the approved 2012 budget posted on the Metro website details headways, the proposed 2013 budget currently posted, does not.

There was no discussion of these increased headways during the most recent budget process.

Posited one reader:

I think this week's Board document is there to set the stage for service reductions necessary as cars are taken from other lines and put on the Silver Line.

Hopefully someone form the Board will ask some good questions to shed light on this potentially troubling issue.

This is not the first time Metro has lowered its standards, all the while increasing fares.

Other items:
Some Metrobus drivers working 20 hours a day (WMATA/Examiner story)
Is Metro too risky for a pregnant woman? (WaPo)