Racing with Betty Mitchum

Over the 16&1/2 years I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, the transit-bus operator in Rochester and its environs, I drove Main St., the dreaded 800-line, hundreds of times.
This was despite the fact I hated it. It was too busy, and could be a killer.
My last run before my stroke was a straight-eight on Main St. Eight straight hours on the same bus.
No let-up; only one break the whole eight hours.
Otherwise it was stop at every stop to let passengers on and off, and zoom through the layovers, changing signs on the fly.
Straight-eights were the exception; there were only three out of hundreds of runs.
Dave Stright (“straight”), number-one in seniority at that time, the only one who had driven trolley-cars, picked one, as did another old head.
Two straight-eights were on Main St., the third was on another line.
Stright picked one of the Main St. runs, the other guy the other line.
For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for RTS. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that.
I picked the third straight-eight, the remaining 800-line.
By then I was fairly high in seniority, and no one else had picked it.
Main St. always had a strong logistical advantage, that it changed drivers right in front of the Barns, which were on E. Main St.
Other bus-lines changed drivers other places, eventually all downtown.
Changing drivers downtown meant you had to transport yourself there, and/or back to the Barns, if that was where your car was parked.
With the 800 you just walked out front to take over your bus, or directly to your car when done.
Changing drivers downtown might add 45 minutes to an hour to your daily time commitment. 13 hours alarm-to-garage-at-home, versus 12 with the 800.
It’s why I picked that straight-eight.
I was done at 1:30, Stright at 1.
E. Main St. stretched three-four miles all the way from downtown Rochester to the eastern outskirts of the city.
At its end the line went either of two ways, both in outlying residential areas.
It passed a high-school and Senior towers. That end was always busy.
By 1993 I had an hour to make the entire trip; out and back to downtown.
It was rarely enough time; I was always flying through the layovers, calling the radio to tell how late I was.
“Take it through; see what you can do......”
W. Main St. went three-four miles all the way to Bulls Head, a main intersection with Genesee (“Jen-uh-SEE”) St. from the south, and Brown St. from the northeast.
It was called “Bulls Head” because the head of a bull had been carved into the top stone wall-cap of a building overlooking Main St.
Actually, Main St. went slightly past the intersection.
The intersection was the confluence of four bus-lines, three of which turned down Genesee St.
Main St. ended there splitting into two main streets, Chili (“chye-lie; “ not the country or the food) Ave. to the west-southwest, and West Ave. to the west.
Chili went all the way to Chili Center, a suburb west of Rochester.
West Ave. fell parallel to the old New York Central Railroad (now CSX) at its end, ending at the State Barge Canal, which it didn’t cross.
The 800-line could go either way, although when I started West Ave. was still its own bus-line.
Before crossing the city-line the 800-line could go either of two ways.
It could could continue out to Chili Center, or turn south onto Genesee Park Blvd.
Genesee Park Blvd. was a wide boulevard skirting a residential area.
It eventually ended at Genesee Park, a large park southwest of Rochester.
When I first started we were looping in a bumpy old tree-shaded trolley-loop in the park.
With that closed we began looping (and laying over) in a spot near the park swimming-pool.
Now the 800 goes clear across the Genesee river to Strong Hospital — people at Strong were incensed they had to ride downtown to change to a Strong Hospital bus.
By 1993 we were going to Strong Hospital. —That was my only break.
Four bus-lines on W. Main could lead to wrestling match.
What you were supposed to do, if in the lead, and fully loaded, was pass to your follower, who then made all the pick-ups along W. Main.
Determining if your leader was fully loaded was near impossible.
Buses still had rear windows at that time; now they don’t.
Your leader could stick it to you; pass up and make you do all the stops.
This is where Betty Mitchum comes in.
Betty was a really nice lady, but African-American, whereas I was just a honky white-boy.
Betty was doing the Chili Ave. yo-yo; me West Ave. and Genesee Park Blvd.
Betty would make four or five trips from downtown Rochester out Chili to the city limits, and then back.
I always hated yo-yos; stayed away from ‘em. (Short trips were no fun — although Betty had more seniority than me.)
I always looked for Betty as I came down Genesee Park Blvd.; she’d be off on a side-street, laying over before turning around.
Often if I was late, she had already left.
There began the race.
Betty was more direct on Chili, but busier.
I had the dog-leg, but few passengers.
So who would get to Main St. first?
If it was me, I’d take the lead and make all the stops.
If it was Betty, I’d follow, but signal her to pass up.
Betty always looked exasperated, like I was trying to stick her.
But I couldn’t have that; Betty was a really nice lady.

• “The Barns” are at 1372 East Main St. in Rochester, somewhat from downtown. The Barns were large sheds the buses were parked inside. Regional Transit’s operations were conducted in buildings adjacent to the Barns. (We Transit-employes always said we worked outta “the Barns.”)
• “Genesee St.” and “Genesee Park” are both named after the “Genesee River,” a fairly large river that runs south-to-north across Western New York, goes through Rochester, including over falls, and empties into Lake Ontario.