Transit

I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in  another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.

If there's a live person announcing station stops that person is drawing a bi-weekly or monthly paycheck - at union rates.

If there's a recording that's keyed by touching a button, the company paid for it once.  The person touching the button might be a throat cancer survivor who CAN'T speak clearly, or someone with a heavy accent.  It's certain that the person in question is actually there to do something else, like drive the bus or collect fares on the train.

I remember, back when Ma Bell was a monopoly, all of those, "Out of service," and, "The number you are calling..." announcements were recorded by one woman with clear diction and an annoying nasal overtone.  No matter where you were in the United States, you always got the same voice.

And then there's the old story about the train arriving at a town called Euralia.  At one end of the coach, the brakeman announced, "You're-a-liar."  At the other, the conductor sounded off with, "You really are."  (I've often wondered what the correct pronunciation was...)

Chuck

PolishPower2:

I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in  another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.

PolishPower2:

I rode the L train in Chicago only to find that when I rode a bus in  another state that it was the same anouncer. I prefer human anouncers as long as you can understand them.

Metra has the automated voice also, as do most trains in Europe and the UK.  I remember riding the CTA daily back in the late 70's.  Almost impossible to understand what they were saying.

 It's a relatively new thing here in America, but they've been doing it in Europe and overseas  for a long time. In a way, I kinda enjoy the automated announcements, ironically it gives the system a "personality" and is far more memorable since the voice is consistent. I can easily mentally recall the sound of the stern Englishman saying "Mind The Gap" in the London Underground or the proper Australian lady's voice calling out the stops on the Sydney CityRail system.

The train motorman/operator calling out their own stops has a nostalgic quality to it, but let's face it, not very many transit operators have a "broadcast quality" voice. When I was riding the subway every day in my last job, I'd have the same motorman on the train every day and his careless monotone drove me nuts, I felt like smacking the guy.

Bill Cosby, in one of his earliest albums (early-1960's) had a 2 or 3 minute routine on calling station stops. Very funny- and he could really do an imitation. Now I will have to dig out those albums (some of you young folks even know what those are? Big black disks?) and see if I can locate it.