Michael Shaw, a Metro-North conductor, is unofficially the employee of the year so far. Today, riders were treated to a letter he penned apologizing for telling them to wait for an express train on Friday that ended up being canceled. Shaw spent the weekend feeling bad about his flub and came to work Monday morning with 500 copies of the apology, placing them on the seats of his morning train into Manhattan.
In the letter, Shaw, who has worked for Metro-North for more than 30 years, detailed the mix-up and owned up to his mistake, writing that when he heard the train had been canceled, he was “shocked & furious, and still am.” Sometimes there really is nothing worse than a terrible commute. “I am as sick of apologizing to you as you are of hearing it,” Shaw added. He ended the letter saying he was truly embarrassed and sorry, and that “some of us still care,” which is all commuters ever really want anyway. Finally, someone who gets it.
Metro-North said they did not condone Shaw’s way of saying sorry, likely because it was a clear departure from the usual crackly P.A. announcements and a high bar to set, but passengers tweeted their thanks and appreciation for the note. Actually improving train service is less likely.
