diff --git a/tarpc/src/serde_transport.rs b/tarpc/src/serde_transport.rs
index 94050d6..91e8f71 100644
--- a/tarpc/src/serde_transport.rs
+++ b/tarpc/src/serde_transport.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 #![deny(missing_docs)]
 
-use futures::{prelude::*, task::*};
+use futures::{prelude::*, ready, task::*};
 use pin_project::pin_project;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::{error::Error, io, pin::Pin};
@@ -42,14 +42,15 @@ where
     type Item = io::Result<Item>;
 
     fn poll_next(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Option<io::Result<Item>>> {
-        match self.project().inner.poll_next(cx) {
-            Poll::Pending => Poll::Pending,
-            Poll::Ready(None) => Poll::Ready(None),
-            Poll::Ready(Some(Ok::<_, CodecError>(next))) => Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(next))),
-            Poll::Ready(Some(Err::<_, CodecError>(e))) => {
-                Poll::Ready(Some(Err(io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, e))))
-            }
-        }
+        let next = ready!(self.project().inner.poll_next(cx)).map(|next| {
+            next.map_err(|e| {
+                io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                    format!("while reading from transport: {}", e.into()),
+                )
+            })
+        });
+        Poll::Ready(next)
     }
 }
 
@@ -65,31 +66,48 @@ where
     type Error = io::Error;
 
     fn poll_ready(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<io::Result<()>> {
-        convert(self.project().inner.poll_ready(cx))
+        self.project().inner.poll_ready(cx).map(|ready| {
+            ready.map_err(|e| {
+                io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                    format!("while readying write half of transport: {}", e.into()),
+                )
+            })
+        })
     }
 
     fn start_send(self: Pin<&mut Self>, item: SinkItem) -> io::Result<()> {
-        self.project()
-            .inner
-            .start_send(item)
-            .map_err(|e| io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, e))
+        self.project().inner.start_send(item).map_err(|e| {
+            io::Error::new(
+                io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                format!("while writing to transport: {}", e.into()),
+            )
+        })
     }
 
     fn poll_flush(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<io::Result<()>> {
-        convert(self.project().inner.poll_flush(cx))
+        self.project().inner.poll_flush(cx).map(|ready| {
+            ready.map_err(|e| {
+                io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                    format!("while flushing transport: {}", e.into()),
+                )
+            })
+        })
     }
 
     fn poll_close(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<io::Result<()>> {
-        convert(self.project().inner.poll_close(cx))
+        self.project().inner.poll_close(cx).map(|ready| {
+            ready.map_err(|e| {
+                io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::Other,
+                    format!("while closing write half of transport: {}", e.into()),
+                )
+            })
+        })
     }
 }
 
-fn convert<E: Into<Box<dyn Error + Send + Sync>>>(
-    poll: Poll<Result<(), E>>,
-) -> Poll<io::Result<()>> {
-    poll.map(|ready| ready.map_err(|e| io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, e)))
-}
-
 /// Constructs a new transport from a framed transport and a serialization codec.
 pub fn new<S, Item, SinkItem, Codec>(
     framed_io: Framed<S, LengthDelimitedCodec>,