In Front of the Yellow Line
Not in service
By Shawn Wells


I have a friend who follows my blog quite closely. She is quite intrigued with the day to day operations of my job. Every once in awhile she will send me a text message asking a question. I figure, in her honor I would answer one of them. So I present my first ever "by request" post. She asked me "Why do all the busses seem to be 'not in service' in the morning? "

Aaah... the "Not in Service" bus. Any regular transit user knows this frustration all too well. Why does it seem like half the busses that drive past seem to say "Not in Service" on the front? Well, first you have to look at where you are and what time of day it is.

The majority of a bus driver's available shifts are split shifts. They are designed so that the majority of the drivers and busses are on the road during rush hour commute. Quite often, a lot of these busses are also just out there to fill the gaps in service for some of the higher traffic areas. Best example is downtown. Many of the busses that would normally take you from point A to point B, are instead only going as far as downtown, because that's where the majority of the people from point A are trying to get to. We call these "stub routes". They cover the more popular portions of a route and are mixed in amongst other busses scheduled to do the whole route. In fact, there are a few routes in my city that are designed simply for this reason. Entire routes dedicated to being only a PART of some of these routes. These are less confusing for the passengers and definitely less frustrating for the drivers. I've mentioned in previous postings that it's always important to check the destination sign on the front of the bus. As a driver, I only display my final destination. So, if my bus says "downtown" rather than "point B", I will be kicking you off my bus when I get downtown. But almost every time I drive one of these stub routes, I do in fact have to tell someone to get off.

Anyway, as I arrive on one of these particular "stub busses" to downtown,  that's when I put up my "not in service" sign. So, if you are waiting for a bus to take you in the direction less travelled, you'll end up seeing and getting frustrated by all these out of service busses. In my friend's case, she's trying to catch a bus FROM downtown to her work during morning rush hour. Think of the regular flow of rush hour traffic. Anyone who has ever driven in rush hour is aware that there is always one direction that is busier than another. At 8 in the morning,  there are more people trying to get TO downtown rather than OUT of downtown. So, I would like to reiterate how important it is to read the destination sign before boarding a bus. Occasionally, we will forget to change the sign or enter the the wrong destination so don't be afraid to question it.

The "Not in Service" bus can also be frustrating to a passenger when the stop they need to wait at happens to be near one of our garages. For these people, only 1 in every 10 busses seems to be in service. I kind of get a kick out of watching these people as I drive past. They get their hopes up and you can see them shuffle into position to get ready to board, until I get close enough for them to read the sign on the front. That's when they turn around looking defeated. It's particularly fun when the sun is at such an angle that it makes the sign almost impossible to read until I'm practically on top of them. You may think that the joy I receive from this is cruel, but hey, that's just how my schedule works. I can't help it if I get a chuckle out of it too. I remember one day driving past a bus stop while out of service. Well, this person waiting there must have been having a particularly unlucky day because as I drove by he threw his arms up in frustration and I could see him mouth the words "Oh for luck's sake!" Now, I don't pretend to be an expert lip reader so it's possible I'm mistaken in what he said but the fact is he was waiting at a stop that was 6 blocks away from my garage. Of course he's going to feel like he has poor luck. You need to be aware of your surroundings a little more and realize that you're standing on a major thoroughfare for all of us to get back to the garage. Time of day was also key here since he was waiting for a bus around 6pm as rush hour was dying down and many of the busses were turning in for the night. In my city, 3 out of the 4 garages we have are actually in popular areas and this will be a common sight.

I also like to compare the "Not in Service" bus to 2 other kinds of busses. The "Express" bus and the "School Special" bus. Both of these are also busses that can be a tease to anyone waiting at a stop. With the express routes, there are usually only a few places that these busses will stop or at least a section of the route where they make no stops. Generally, these stops are at major intersections or places people can transfer to other routes. There are a few major roads in my city where you will see dozens of different busses driving past in express mode, but only 2 or 3 busses that actually stop in these areas. Much like people who get passed by "not in service" busses because of the stop they're at, I do get amused by the people waiting at stops in these express zones. Mostly because the people who aren't as familiar with the bus routes almost always have the same reaction. They look at the number on my bus, turn to look at the bus stop sign where the busses that stop there are listed and then back at me with a sad look on their face. Sometimes I also get the people who "wave me past" because they're waiting for a specific bus and don't realize I wasn't going to stop there anyway. Of course, to further complicate matters,  in my city during the winter if the weather gets extremely cold, we will be instructed to make stops in our express zones so people aren't waiting. Just the kind of thing to keep everyone one their toes.

The "School Special" bus is also a fun one. These busses will drive portions of an actual route with a few tweaks here and there. These also throw people off, but not for the same reason as "Not in Service". With a "School Special" I have to travel past some of the same stops as the regular route, while still displaying that route's number (but listing the destination "School Special") and will have customers who aren't students waiting at these stops. I will not refuse to board any of these passengers, but I will usually give them a disclaimer before they get on. Something like "Just so you're aware, I'm a school special" or "I don't go all the way to the station". But despite my attempts to warn them I still get some people who ignore me and will get on anyway and then get all panicky when I take a turn they aren't expecting. Or I get to the end of my school run (which is in the middle of nowhere rather than the station they were expecting) and kick them off.

Much like I've said before, it surprises me how many people will get on a bus without actually knowing where it goes. School Specials and Express busses are notorious for this. Especially express busses where I constantly get the question "Do you pass such and such place?" I know this is just arguing semantics, but this isn't the question to ask. It's more appropriate to ask if I actually STOP at such and such place. But I ask, would you get on a Greyhound bus without knowing the destination, wait until it's on the highway and then ask the driver "Excuse me, do you go anywhere near Vancouver? " Personally, I wouldn't. So why do people think it's ok on a city bus?

Again, I can't stress enough to read the sign on the front of the bus. Or at least do your research beforehand. Some customers do in fact know the system really well. They will intentionally wait for my bus because they know where I have to go after I become "Not in Service". I mean, we have to get around the city somehow... we don't just magically appear at our locations to start driving our routes. These people who know where I'm going to end up or know how to work the system are fine by me. I have no problem taking them with me even if I am out of service. I specifically remember one regular rider I had that definitely knew how to do this. The route I was driving was the "#12 school special". I left the garage, drove out of service to a school and then did an abbreviated version of the route 12. Well, this particular woman knew that if she took my 12 instead of the one that came 3 minutes earlier,  she could reach her destination and shave about 10 minutes off her commute. I even helped her beat the system more because after a few times seeing her, I realized that I actually passed her on my way to that school because she was waiting for a bus to take her to the stop I picked her up at. So, I started cutting out the middleman for her and picking her up while I was not in service on the way to the school. Pretty above and beyond my regular customer service. Sure would've been nice if she had phoned in a commendation for me or something... just sayin'.

In the end, the most important thing to take away from all this is do your research, pay attention to the signs on the bus and your own surroundings. And don't be afraid to talk to your bus driver. Other than driving, we are also there to answer questions. We are a surprisingly good resource for you. If I drive past you or kick you off my bus because of "Not in Service" or "Express", sorry. But it isn't personal,  its just the job. And if you as a passenger just familiarized yourself a little bit more with the routes and schedules, you wouldn't be as offended by Not in Service busses driving by. You'd be expecting it, for luck's sake.

Hopefully that answers your question, Stef.

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