Metro’s new voice isn’t sitting too well with passengers, at least by measure of the e-mails I’ve received. The main complaint seems to be about the tone and frequency of the messages but also in the fact that the operators tend to speak at the same time, which makes both messages indecipherable. I don’t want to belabor the point too much in this space, but I really get the sense that this is something a lot of you are not very happy with. It’s also fair to include Metro’s take on the subject, and I got this from Candace Smith in the agency’s communications department:
“Metro decided to change the voice and message in an effort to get customers to take notice and hopefully change the behaviors that slow down the boarding and exiting of riders and their trips. The new voice is installed in about 500 railcars, so we’re just over halfway through the installation. We expect installation to be finished this month. The new message states: Opening: (chime) ‘Doors opening. Step back so customers may exit. When boarding, move to the center of the car.’ Closing: (chime) ‘Step back, doors closing.’ And a third message if someone or something is obstructing the doors: (chime) ‘Step back.’
“We did a survey of 353 riders to test their reactions to the message before we went ahead with the full installation. Here’s what they said: 75 percent were aware of the new message; 99 percent remembered some or most of what they heard; 99 percent indicated the message was appropriate; 55 percent indicated they would follow the instruction of ‘step back, doors closing’ after hearing it. Only 3 percent felt the messages were confusing or difficult to understand.”
Here’s a new, important perspective provided by Patrick, who wrote in to say: “I didn’t even know that Metro had a voice message for closing doors because I am deaf. This is what I’m writing to you about.
“Whereas hearing people can grouse about the quality of the announcements, hearing-impaired riders do not even get the message. This goes for ALL announcements. I know that sometimes the Metro stops in a tunnel, and then there’s an announcement about why the train stopped (because I was riding with a friend once and he told me). On another instance, I was riding the Metro from Glenmont on the Red Line to Metro Center. But the train never left, and we were sitting for 20 minutes. Finally people started to leave, and others stayed. Because I was with another person, he told me that we should leave and drive to Silver Spring and board the train there. But if I was alone, I would have not known what was going on.
“I think Metro needs to improve their service vastly for hearing-impaired citizens. [D.C.] is home to the world’s first university for the deaf, and as such, there is a large deaf population. … Metro should still improve their announcements to reach ALL people, for safety’s sake.”
Have questions, comments or random musings? Write to [email protected].
