It’s been a while since I recounted sweet bus stories, which I do encounter regularly so I thought I’d share one again.
Yesterday evening, riding the 1 on my way home from work, I heard a girl, probably about 6 or 7 years old, ask her mom, “What if the bus doesn’t stop?”
Her mom turned to her, smiling, and said, “Don’t worry, it will.”
I smiled to myself, thinking about what a sweet question it was and trying to remember back to the time when parents transported me around and transportation seemed a bit mystical and magical. I’d get in the car, sit back, and then all of a sudden arrive where we were going. Or in this girl’s case, she hops on the bus, sits back, and suddenly arrives, with the bus driver magically knowing where to stop.
A bit later, the mother pulled the cord and then she, the daughter, and the girl’s father all started walking towards the front door before the bus pulled up to their stop. They left the bus quickly, and the mom thanked the bus driver as she was leaving. The little girl then thanked the bus driver too.
That reminded me that it’s never too early to learn (or teach) bus etiquette.
Living in the O 
‘pulled the cord’/?? Must have been one of the older buses. Part of my style when the kids were small was having them pull the cord.
Yes, it was one of the older buses. Why they still run those on the heavily trafficked 1 line during rush hour, I have no idea.
Well, it couldn’t have been on a *new* bus, but not because of the pull-cord tip off. I hear that Van Hool’s eat children. =P
Van Hool’s don’t eat children (often).
Becks, that is a great bus story. It’s not too often that people stop to appreciate those moments.
The “A day with AC Transit” is also an interesting post on the Oakland North blog.
http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/07/08/a-day-with-ac-transit/
The correct answer to the little girl’s question is “Keanu Reaves will save us.”
LoL. That is indeed the correct answer Max.
I also have some bus stories. Actually they’re lessons that I learned when I was quite young myself.
1. When someone on the bus asks you for the time, tell them. BUT when they follow up by asking to see the time for themselves, refrain. That is of course unless you want your timepiece lifted off your wrist.
2. When someone tells you that they like your shoes, thank them and note how cheap they were. When they ask you what size you wear, quickly gauge their shoe size and claim to wear a very different size.
3. As the school year fades to summer, ride beneath closed windows on the bus. Oftentimes a 57 ride in mid-June results in supersoaker fights between buses.
P.S. Cars with windows rolled down are equally fair targets for the water works.
Don’t get me wrong, I got nothing against the bus, but just thought I’d share some hard-earned Oakland wisdom 🙂