Manhattan Residents Showing Love to Transit Workers
The waves of support often descend down to the Bus Operators at the Manhattanville Depot when they start arriving for shift but can appear just about anytime during the day or night, operators said.
“One person at their window will start making noise, then another will join in, and then everyone starts,” Tracey Young, the Local 100 Manhattanville Vice Chair, said.
Bus Operators at Manhattanville park their cars on a lot located on the top of the depot. Residents of the building have a birds-eye view of the facility. Before the pandemic, those residents took buses out of the depot to their jobs, stores and other destinations.
“That’s our neighbors,” Young said. “That’s our people.”
Bus Operator Kenneth Perez was leaving work about a week ago when he experienced the support. He captured the moment on video. “I was walking out of building hear this ruckus,” he said. “I look up and everyone is screaming and banging pots and pans. It was unbelievable. Tears were coming out of my eyes. You know, the police get thanked, firemen get thanked, and we’re always out there. There’s never a thank-you for us, so this was special, very special."
More than a few of the people still taking the buses are healthcare workers, including nurses and doctors, who work at one of the many hospitals in the city, she said
The pandemic has now claimed the lives of a dozen Local 100 members, nearly a dozen members of the NYPD, and a number of employees from other public sector agencies government has deemed essential. People have lost relatives and friends. It’s an extremely difficult time that many have likened to war.
The Bus Operators at Manhattanville are extremely grateful for the cheers and applause, Local 100 Vice President Richie Davis said. “It boosts their morale,” Davis said. “It’s very positive and they deserve it. It’s really nice to see such an outpouring of support.”
Young has been posting videos of taken by Manhattanville Bus Operators on Facebook. “It makes them happy,” she said. “It makes the Operators feel like all their hard work is not in vain. They see that what we are doing is important, that New York does love us and appreciate what we do.”
Some Operators are not just working but working overtime, Young said. "We have lot of guys who are sick, but we have people coming in everyday, working doubles, to keep these buses moving. Some people are just amazing. They’re scared and still coming in to move the people.”