Sometimes I’m glad I drove transit bus
People are all too happy to remind me I never amounted to anything.
Thereby fulfilling the prophecy of my twelfth-grade Social Studies teacher.
All I did was —A) sell some car-racing photos to a national magazine, —B) drive transit bus for 16&1/2 years, and -C) work for a newspaper after my stroke.
“You have a college degree? What are you doing driving bus?”
“Well, I majored in bus-driving,” I’d say.
So here I am the other morning motoring east on 5&20 through my little town, West Bloomfield.
At the center of town is a traffic-light, where State Route 65, the road I live on, meets 5&20.
Usually I approach that traffic-light on 65, then turn left (east) on 5&20 toward Canandaigua.
But I had probably gone to the tiny post-office, which is west.
A guy driving west on 5&20 is coming toward me, approaching the traffic-light.
Engage wariness, as I always did driving bus. This guy may suddenly make an unsignaled left turn in front of me.
The old waazoo: expect anything!
Fortunately nothing happened.
The guy just continued west through the traffic-light and past me.
But I noticed as he drove past he was looking down in his lap.
WHAT?
How can someone drive through a traffic-light without looking?
In fact, how can he ever drive without looking?
No doubt he verified the light was green while approaching. But how can he take his eyes off the road through a traffic-light, for crying out loud?
It’s the old bus-driver waazoo.
You have to be fully engaged all the time.
“I can’t answer your question right now. I’m driving. Wait until I’m stopped.”
I used to pull over just to answer a question.
My career driving bus ended in 1993 with my stroke.
But I still “drive bus” driving my car.
I can’t play the radio. It’s a distraction.
My car has Sirius, and it drives them crazy I won’t subscribe.
Play the radio in my car? I can’t. I used to, but not any more.
The fact I drove bus saved me hundreds of times. People cutting me off, or the girl on her cellphone who blew a stop-sign at a cross-road right in front of me.
Or the idiot in a pickup who turned in front of me without looking — his passenger saw me, and was terrified.
When people make insane moves in front of me I say “let ‘em, this ain’t NASCAR.”
I always drive expecting anything. I can’t break the habit.
• “5&20” is the main east-west road (a two-lane highway) through my area; State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20, both on the same road. 5&20 is just south of where I live. It used to be the main road across Western New York before the Thruway.
• For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the transit-bus operator in Rochester and environs. My stroke October 26th, 1993 ended that. I retired on medical-disability. I recovered fairly well.
Thereby fulfilling the prophecy of my twelfth-grade Social Studies teacher.
All I did was —A) sell some car-racing photos to a national magazine, —B) drive transit bus for 16&1/2 years, and -C) work for a newspaper after my stroke.
“You have a college degree? What are you doing driving bus?”
“Well, I majored in bus-driving,” I’d say.
So here I am the other morning motoring east on 5&20 through my little town, West Bloomfield.
At the center of town is a traffic-light, where State Route 65, the road I live on, meets 5&20.
Usually I approach that traffic-light on 65, then turn left (east) on 5&20 toward Canandaigua.
But I had probably gone to the tiny post-office, which is west.
A guy driving west on 5&20 is coming toward me, approaching the traffic-light.
Engage wariness, as I always did driving bus. This guy may suddenly make an unsignaled left turn in front of me.
The old waazoo: expect anything!
Fortunately nothing happened.
The guy just continued west through the traffic-light and past me.
But I noticed as he drove past he was looking down in his lap.
WHAT?
How can someone drive through a traffic-light without looking?
In fact, how can he ever drive without looking?
No doubt he verified the light was green while approaching. But how can he take his eyes off the road through a traffic-light, for crying out loud?
It’s the old bus-driver waazoo.
You have to be fully engaged all the time.
“I can’t answer your question right now. I’m driving. Wait until I’m stopped.”
I used to pull over just to answer a question.
My career driving bus ended in 1993 with my stroke.
But I still “drive bus” driving my car.
I can’t play the radio. It’s a distraction.
My car has Sirius, and it drives them crazy I won’t subscribe.
Play the radio in my car? I can’t. I used to, but not any more.
The fact I drove bus saved me hundreds of times. People cutting me off, or the girl on her cellphone who blew a stop-sign at a cross-road right in front of me.
Or the idiot in a pickup who turned in front of me without looking — his passenger saw me, and was terrified.
When people make insane moves in front of me I say “let ‘em, this ain’t NASCAR.”
I always drive expecting anything. I can’t break the habit.
• “5&20” is the main east-west road (a two-lane highway) through my area; State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20, both on the same road. 5&20 is just south of where I live. It used to be the main road across Western New York before the Thruway.
• For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the transit-bus operator in Rochester and environs. My stroke October 26th, 1993 ended that. I retired on medical-disability. I recovered fairly well.
posted by BobbaLew at 7:24 AM
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