If you can see me running towards the tram....With a toddler running besides me....AND a baby in the pram...and i first get to a door without pram access(with stairs)...and i get to the next door which has pram access......you make sure the doors are shut right then...even though the tram stood there for 5 more seconds...it was humiliating...there was no misunderstanding the Tram driver didnt want us in...racist *******.
I was fuming but strangely I didnt know how to react then...but now I can think of a few things to yell at him!!

Shit happens. Don't tar them all with the same brush; some you'll win, some you'll lose. It does help, of course, if you are young and female aged 18-25-ish

I have seen this happen to other parts in CH, and has occurred to people of many ethnicities, and I do not think it boils down to alleged racism, perhaps the drivers have a schedule to maintain, given the efficiency of the public transport system. In most parts, having missed one tram means a short wait of no more than a few minutes.

I understand your frustration, but calling someone of a different race racist for doing something that displeases you is, well, racist .

To be honest he's probably thought "Oh god, a mother with toddler and pram - that's going to take an age to load onto the tram and will set my schedule back. Quick lock the doors and go!"

Equally wrong but I don't think it was a case of racism.

Why is it when something bad happens to someone - the first thought is that it's down to attitudes towards the colour of their skin...

What can I blame it on when the same shit happens to me?

Don't take it personally. They have a job to do and a schedule to keep.
Sometimes they can afford to wait, sometimes not.
Its nothing personal, just luck, I guess.

And certainly nothing racist.

Been there. It's frustrating, but it's just one of those things. (I've learned not to chase trams).

Drivers are on a schedule and if you start waiting then someone else comes along, then another, and so on.

Even if it's a single tram route, there'll be another along in seven minutes.

Take a breath, sing your kiddies a little song and you'll be on the next tram before you know it.

ETA - Just a joke btw, tram / bus drivers the world over can be pretty petty

Are you sure you weren't in Zurich? Sounds like a Zurich thing to me

Anyway, not sure why you think it's racist. Maybe the driver just thought, as you went up to one set of doors and decided not to get on, that you actually wanted a different tram. Or maybe he was late. Or maybe he just didn't pay much attention. Or maybe the pram area you then went to was very full. Or maybe he didn't like the look of you. Or maybe he was racist.

Depends a lot if there is a junction/signal involved (in my experience/opinion).

If there isn't then they can usually wait for the odd straggler. If however, they are waiting for a light, once they've push the "go" button, they can't then re-open the doors for a straggler, as the light might change at any moment.

This has lead to the odd situation where the tram is waiting a full 30-40 seconds for the light to change and the straggler is left there waiting by the door, wondering why the driver isn't letting them on.

__________________
Never let right or wrong get in the way of a good opinion

Tram driver's departure routine:

1. Make sure everyone is clear of the doors.
2. Close the doors.
3. Power up the warp drive (or whatever they call it).
4. Check to see it's safe to move.
5. Release the brakes.
6. Drive forward.

= 5 seconds.

When you're on a tight schedule, those 5 seconds make an enormous difference.

It's frustrating, though, when you have the doors slammed in your face.

In my experience, bus and tram drivers have been quite helpful when they see someone rushing to catch the bus/tram. And if they can wait, light or not, they do.

But yes, once the doors are closed and the lights on the side of the tram start to blink, the doors won't open again.

As a principle, I almost never run to catch a train/tram/bus unless I really really really have to. There will be another one coming along shortly.

I feel bad for you but will also tell you that I've seen full pregnant women half running, half walking fast to the tram and have seen the tram pull away while the driver sees them running towards them. Same with old people, white, brown, black etc... It's one of those things you should take in your stride.. Flip the driver a bird when your kids are not watching and move on..

It's too little to get upset about and ruin your day.. Cheer up... for every bad (your description of bad) tram driver you find.. you'll find 5 other good ones.

Slow down, take it easy!

I can't count the number of times I've been running full pelt up the steps from Zürich HB only to have the tram doors close on me when I'm less than 2 metres away. Those tram drivers are baldist I tell ya

Chill. It happens to everyone. Sometimes the driver is a "by the book" type and will only wait for exactly the specific alloted time before the doors are closed. Others are a bit more flexible. Nothing to worry about, or get upset about.

The schedules are so tight with our local buses that the drivers no longer issue tickets (though the machines are still there). Instead they had out a card to would be paying passengers explaining the situation and stamp on the gas...

Or maybe he thought.

"Hmm, that mother with toddler and pram want to board, but I've got a tram load of people who're expecting me to move away on time. Best put the majority requirement first".

BLT and BVB drivers were instructed not so long ago to wait for stragglers. This policy was cancelled, when they started getting complaints about missing connections, late trams. It's a balance.

Even after they've locked the doors, the drivers can open the one at the front. But that's no good for anyone with a pram. At some point the tram has got to pull away. Unless it's the last tram, whats the problem with waiting for the next one?

__________________
Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

Used to happen to me a lot in Zurich. The drivers were usually of my "race" though not my nationality... They really do stick to their schedule, hence trams run on time. I used to walk-a lot-to avoid this happening. I also lived close to the end stop so I'd go there to have extra time to get the pram on. Very stressful, but part of life in Zuri.

which tram was it?

Granted, it's frustrating, and we all curse and scorn the person who is driving the dang thing...but look at it this way, if you were driving in your car, and you seem to hit every red light down the street - you wouldn't call the traffic light a racist (or maybe you would?). Unfortunately, we think that just because there is a face behind that wheel (or mechanism) we have a right to have them be sensitive to people rather than time.

Be it Zurich or Basel or any other canton, it's happened to us all whose lived more than 3 days here, have a beer, do meditation or whatever gets you through those stressful, but unavoidable instances and smile, there's worse things that he could have done (like laughed at you while he was pulling away...)

It is also a safety issue in my view. I think it was probably better and safer for you 3 to miss the tram rather than get caught in it.

Just yesterday in Vevey a teacher with a bunch of students had her arm stuck in the train door and got taken with the train to the next stop, by miracle she survived. Story here if you are interested, in french--http://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/actu/vevey-enseignante-fait-emporter-train-devant-eleves-2011-06-16