In Front of the Yellow Line

Those special moments

By Shawn Wells

Writing this blog, I find that I have started to slip into negativity. This isn’t my intention because I really do enjoy myself while driving a bus. The negative stories are just more entertaining. And I’ll admit there are some really bad days. But what job doesn’t have bad days? On those days I search for those little moments that make me smile. Those moments that make up for any hard time. Even the small things like someone giving up their seat to a senior or someone who wants to tell you a joke. I’d like to share with you some of those extra special moments that stick with me.

First, let me tell you about the time I met Ronald Reagan. Yup…that was his name. He had proof. Ronald is the perfect example of a bright moment that makes my day worthwhile. Other than the famous name, there really isn’t much else that is truly remarkable about this 65 year old man. Just that he was fun to talk to. And he showed up at a time that I was feeling a little grumpy. In the half hour that he was on my bus, we discussed all sorts of subjects from steak to biking to a good pair of shoes. It’s amazing how a good, sensible conversation can lift you up. And make you crave steak.

I remember one day around Christmas that a young woman got on my bus with a full cart of groceries. One of those personal carts you see people shopping with sometimes (and us bus drivers see a lot). Our conversation on this full bus drifted to food and the fact that she had just stocked up to do some Christmas baking. My unhealthy love of peanut butter was discussed (one of my favorite treats is peanut butter marshmallow squares) and she asked if I’ve ever tried peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Being a normal, non-pregnant person, I replied no. She told me it was delicious and I should try it.  Sure enough, when I got home that night, curiosity overtook me and there I was eating my very first Peanut butter and pickle sandwich. And although I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was “delicious” it was a surprisingly acceptable flavor combination. I expected it to taste horrific but it actually worked. But I don’t think I’ll ever have another one.

There is one major street in my city where all the partying happens. A ten block stretch featuring dozens of bars. Having a route that travels this road on a Friday or Saturday night, isn’t always fun. I’ve had to have more drunks removed from my busses on these routes than any others. But occasionally I’ll get someone that makes my night. Like the designated driver guy. He was accompanying his friend who was so incredibly hammered that he could barely stand. He explained that he was the designated driver for a group that was still at the bar, but this guy was done. He didn’t want to have to drive and lose his parking spot for this one guy. Could I please hook him up with a free ride so he can escort his friend home? And if it’s not too much trouble, a transfer too, so he can get back to the others as soon as he sees this guy home safe? I liked this guy’s style. That is a good friend. And on top of it all, I liked that I didn’t have to worry about the drunk guy passing out or falling over on my bus. Of course he got the free ride.

On the same party street, on St. Patrick’s Day, I arrived at my timing point early. Really early. While I was sitting there, 6 guys with guitars got on my bus. It soon became quite apparent that they were a Celtic band on their way to a performance at one of the Irish Pubs along the way. Because I was at this timing point for several minutes, boredom overtook them and they all pulled out their guitars and started performing for the bus. A very relaxing way to drive down the road once I finally got going. They played a few songs in the time that they were on my bus and I was sad to see them go. But for about 15 minutes that night, I was a moving concert. Fun to have a busload of people clapping and singing along.

There was also a night that some guy was singing “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid”. But when he got stuck on the lyrics, he was happy that I was there to fill them in.

I remember one time, I had a teenage couple get on my bus after school. I was driving a residential route that basically drove out to the middle of nowhere, turns around and comes back. With layovers, it’s an hour round trip. These 2 travelled all the way out to the middle of nowhere, at which point they kissed goodbye and the girl got off. Then the young guy rode all the way back to the starting point. I thought it was one of the sweetest, most romantic things I’ve ever witnessed. I see little old men helping their wives off the bus daily, but nothing like this from someone so young. Gives me hope for the future of society.

I enjoy when young children wave to me. Not just when they get on or off the bus, but sometimes just when they’re on the sidewalk. Kids in strollers waving to me as I drive past. I always try to wave back.

I enjoy when I get to a stop that has someone in a wheelchair waiting. And before I even get the ramp started to deploy, they’re already on my bus. I’ve encountered 5 different people in the city so far that do this. I also appreciate when I see people lifting up the needed priority seating for them as well.

I appreciate when people turn in lost and found to me. Especially when it’s something like a wallet. (which still has cash in it) Or even turning in a bus pass. In our city (because it may be different elsewhere) our passes have no distinguishing feature from one to another. So anyone could use any pass without getting caught. But my faith in humanity is restored when I see people’s honesty with things like this.

I had one night where I had to have someone removed from my bus by security. It was a case of a passed out drunk that I couldn’t wake up, no big deal. But seeing this guy being removed, a girl getting on asked if everything was ok. She thought something major had happened to me. She was sincerely concerned for my well being. She was worried I had been assaulted or something. It made me feel good that a stranger was worried about me. Through the dozens of people I’ve had removed from my bus by security, this is the only time someone has ever asked if I’m ok rather than what was going on.

Finally, there was one day I had someone get on my bus and he missed the step onto the bus and ended up on his butt on the floor. He was the filthiest person I had ever seen. He smelt worse than anything I had ever smelt before. Homeless. Drunk. Also had some sort of actual physical ailment (he had a walker.) He probably would not have been able to get up on his own. That’s when a good samaritan got up from the back of the bus and came to this guy’s rescue. I have to emphasize how truly disgusting his homeless guy was… I honestly couldn’t bring myself to touch him.  And this good samaritan ended up behind him helping to hoist him up. Luckily, I had hand sanitizer to offer him after all was said and done. And he very gratefully accepted it.

It’s little moments like all these that make my days.

From in front of the yellow line, that’s how I see it.

In Front of the Yellow Line

Open Communication

By Shawn Wells

Guy getting on my bus: “Do you go past the Epcor tower?”

Me: ”No.”

Guy: “How about the Casino?”

Me: “You mean the Casino right across the street for the Epcor tower?”

Guy: “Yeah, yeah! That’s the one… oh…”

They say that communication is the key to any good relationship. If this is a statement that is true for a marriage, shouldn’t it also work for temporary relationships like that of a bus driver/ passenger relationship? As a bus driver (and the person that brought up this argument to begin with) I say Yes, yes it is.

For the most part, people seem to be afraid to talk to the driver of their bus. I’m here to tell you, you don’t need to be. The majority of us are very approachable. We are in a customer service position after all.  And I’ll let you in on a bit of a secret, you’re more likely to get things done if you just open a dialogue. Look at it this way, if you are in a restaurant and you want your dressing on the side, you have to ask. It’s the same thing on a bus if you want a specific stop or if you aren’t entirely sure where you’re going. Ask. There are no dumb questions. Well, there are but I will seldom point out when you ask one. However, for a guy like in my opening example, I subtly will.

I like to keep an open line of communication on my bus. I am one of those drivers who isn’t shy about making an announcement, if I feel it’s necessary. The biggest thing that I will address the bus for is if there is something special about my route. What I mean by this is if I’m driving an express route, for example. So I will announce “Hello everyone! Just as a heads up to anyone that has never taken this bus before, I go into express service as of my next stop…” and then announce the specifics of what that means. (Some express routes still have designated stops in the express area) I like to keep people informed so there isn’t a chance for someone to say “Well, I didn’t know.” You do know now. I’m taking ignorance out of the equation. The other thing that may be special about my route is if I’m only making a partial trip. When I set my destination sign on the front of my bus, I list the final destination. So, even though I may go through downtown and past a couple of major landmarks like colleges or malls, I only list the end location. But sometimes, to fill the required needs for the city, I will only need to do part of the route. And people tend not to pay attention to what the destination sign says.  In this case, I actually announce “Before I leave.... In case you didn’t pay close attention to the destination sign on the front of my bus, on this particular trip, I only go as far as (point A). If you’re looking for (point B, C or D) you are on the wrong bus and will want the next one instead.” Amazingly, I often still have to kick people off when I get to “Point A”, but hey… at least I tried.

Regularly, I will get people on my bus that are new to town, or just visiting, or just don’t know the city very well. These people are usually not afraid to ask their questions. “Do you go past (such and such)?”  “Can you let me know when you get to (some specific place)?” Quite often (and this shows the age that we now live in) I will have someone stick their phone in front of my face and show me a text from a friend or a Googled address. All of these questions all usually end with the same request… “Can you let me know when to get off?” As their diver, I am more than happy to tell them when I get to their stop. But I’m human and on occasion have forgotten. Especially, for some reason,  in the cases where they are asking for the best place to transfer to a different bus. I’ll tell you right now though, if I forget to tell people when to get off, the number one reason is because people make their request and then go sit at the very back of the bus. I have a lot of things on my mind and like a string tied around my finger, it helps if you stay near the front as a constant reminder.    

In past posts, I’ve mentioned when someone rings the stop request bell too soon, by accident, all I ask is for you to acknowledge and own up to to your mistake. “Oops sorry… next one!” Something like that. But it also goes the other way too. If I zoned out or didn’t see your stop, say something. I also respect and appreciate the people who know their physical limitations. I pride myself in being a fairly smooth driver and I try to give people long enough to get to the nearest open seat before I start driving. But some people just can’t physically handle walking against that momentum. Although I can usually spot these people, some of them will actually specifically ask me to wait for them to sit. If you ask, I will listen. Same if you feel you require the ramp, or you need me to kneel the bus. No problem. Don’t push your limitations. Ask.

Some people will ask to be let off somewhere that isn’t a designated stop. Sometimes I can, depending on the situation. If I can do it safely and it doesn’t interfere with the flow of my route, sure. Why not? I’m willing to. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask. Or are you a little short on change? Don’t try to hide it. You’re 30 cents short? Ok. Thanks for letting me know. Pay extra next time. I’m not going to lose sleep over a few dimes.

Non-verbal communication is just as important. Some roads that I drive are in areas that will have a dozen different routes going past the same stops. To save us the time of having to slow down at each stop, if you don’t want my bus, give me a signal. Shake your head, wave me past, make a cut signal with your hands. Something. We drivers appreciate it. Same if you’re running for the bus. Give me a wave. Communicating with me makes my day run smoother. Anyone who waves me past gets a wave from me in return. I appreciate these people. However, I also find it funny when people get so visibly irritated when they are trying to wave me past and I pull into the stop anyway because someone rang my bell. With their arms they are practically screaming at me to keep moving. They forget that they aren’t the only people I service.

Now, I know not everyone wants to sit and talk to the driver. That’s fine. No hard feelings. But you also don’t have to act like I’m invisible. If I say good morning as you get on, social politeness would see you saying something back (not just walking past… yes this happens.) It’s also appreciated when you say Thank-you as you get off the bus. Surprisingly, I’ve noticed that teenagers as a whole are the best for saying thanks. If I drive a school special, on average, half of the kids getting off say something. And while on the subject of me being invisible, in all the time that I’ve spent driving a bus, I have sneezed hundreds of times. In all that time, I’ve had ONE person ever say “Bless you.” I actually say bless you almost every time I hear someone sneeze on my bus. But in return, only one. Don’t be afraid to say something to us. We like thank yous. We like bless yous. I actually told that one girl (who I must say would’ve been the last person I would ever expect a “bless you” from… she didn’t look the type) that I truly appreciated it and that she was the only person to ever say that to me. Which is saying a lot considering I sometimes have Mormon missionaries on my bus. Instead it takes the teenage girl with the pink hair and punk clothing to be the first.

One final note on communication. If you go to McDonald’s and get exemplary service, how often do you pull a manager aside and tell them what a great job their employee is doing? Most people never do (I know what I’m talking about… in a past life, I was a McManager) But have a bad experience and the same customer will tell anyone who’ll listen. The same is true on the bus. Have a bad experience and people will call in a complaint. I had one woman who was venting about another driver tell me she was going to call the Mayor’s office. But, very few people think to call in a compliment. If you have a good experience, call in. It makes us feel good. I have three commendations myself, no complaints, and every one felt great. So, if you ride with me and like my service, call in and say I did a great job. My name is Shawn.

However, if you thought I did a poor job and pissed you off in some way… my name is Mark.

From in front of the yellow line, that’s how I see it.