A campaign promise that could break the bank

People heard “free buses.”
The city had to respond: FARE REQUIRED.

In your practice, assumptions are costing you too.

You just don’t see it yet.

The Wheels on the Bus… and the Assumptions That Can Make Them Stop

How Unspoken Expectations Can Bring Your Practice to a Screeching Halt

I was sitting in traffic when I saw something I had never seen before on an oncoming New York City bus.

The digital marquee didn’t say a route.
It didn’t say “Downtown” or “Crosstown.”

It said: FARE REQUIRED.

I scratched my head and realized something profound, funny and sad.

The issue wasn’t the fare.

The issue was the assumption.

When Assumptions Replace Clarity, Systems Break

We all know the children’s song…

“The wheels on the bus go round and round…”

But what happens when they don’t?

What happens when the wheels slow… hesitate… and eventually stop?

It’s rarely because the system wasn’t designed to work.

It’s because something interfered with the flow.

In New York, that interference was belief.

When Candidate Mamdani ran for office, he spoke about free buses.

People didn’t hear:

They heard:

“When He’s Elected, Buses Will Be free.”

And when Mamdani became Mayor, some people didn’t wait for policy.

They acted on belief.

So the system had to respond—not with nuance, but with clarity:

FARE REQUIRED.

The Assumption Gap

This wasn’t stupidity.

It was assumption.

An assumption by the candidate that people understood civic process and its limitations.
An assumption by the public that the promise was reality.

And in that gap…

Reality had to reintroduce itself—with a sign.

Your Practice Has the Same Problem

You’re not running a transit system.

But you are running a system where people make decisions based on what they think is true.

Every interaction in your practice teaches patients how to interpret:

And like Mamdani’s message, there is often an unspoken belief:

“They understand how this works.”

They don’t.

And in the absence of clarity, people don’t default to accuracy.

They default to what benefits them.

Your Version of “Free Buses”

These show up every day:

No one explicitly taught them this.

They learned it through:

Silence Creates Policy

If you don’t define expectations…

Patients will.

And they will define them in ways that make sense to them—not to you.

That’s how friction begins:

That’s not a people problem.

That’s a communication problem.

The People Closest to the Problem See It First

Here’s what’s interesting about that bus.

The Mayor didn’t see the problem.

The campaign didn’t see the problem.

The bus drivers did.  And because of previous, highly publicized negative events, they were reluctant to confront fare-beaters.

So eventually…

The transit system’s bank account did.

At some point, the gap between what was said and what people believed showed up where it always does:

In operations.
And in the numbers.

Sound Familiar?

In your practice:

The owner believes:

But the people closest to the friction see something very different.

Your front desk knows:

Your clinical team knows:

And eventually…

Your bank account knows:

And Then You Hear It

If you’ve ever driven a car when something’s wrong, you know the sound.

That high-pitched screech.

Metal on metal.

That’s not just noise.

That’s damage.

That’s a system breaking down.

Your practice has a version of that sound.

It shows up as:

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

That screech isn’t your patients.

That screech is your unaddressed assumptions.

That screech…

is your dreams.

The Most Dangerous Delay

Practices don’t grind to a halt overnight.

They slow… gradually.

Not because of lack of skill.
Not because of lack of effort.

But because of a breakdown in communication that no one fully owned.

The real danger isn’t the misunderstanding.

It’s the delay in recognizing it.

Because by the time it shows up in your bank account…

You’re no longer fixing communication.

You’re fixing consequences.

What Great Practices Do Differently

They don’t wait.

They look upstream.

They ask:

And most importantly:

What are we assuming people understand… that we’ve never clearly said?

Your “Fare Required” Moment

The bus didn’t soften the message.

It didn’t assume.

It made it unmistakable:

FARE REQUIRED.

So what would your version say?

On Time Matters
“We run on time out of respect for every patient. Arriving late may require rescheduling so we can give you the care you deserve.”

“Permanent” Isn’t Forever
“Dental restorations (appliances) are designed for long-term success—but like anything in the body, they require maintenance and may need replacement.”

Financial Clarity
“We help you maximize benefits, but decisions here are based on health—not insurance.”

Different Practice, Different Systems
“Our practice is designed for clarity, consistency, and accountability at every step.”

Because Here’s the Bottom Line

The wheels on the bus don’t stop because the system failed.

They stop because too many people are operating on the wrong assumptions.

And if you don’t correct them early…

You won’t just hear the screech.

You’ll feel it.

Become the Voice That Clarifies

If this resonates, it’s not about better scripts.

It’s about building systems of clarity.

Inside the Be The Author-ity™ Program, we help you:

Because in today’s world, the practice that explains best…

wins.

If you’re ready to stop reacting to misunderstandings—and start preventing them—

It’s time to become the authority your patients trust before they ever walk in.