Never again

806-bus is an actual Regional Transit bus in the ‘80s. Except our 800s were 102 inches wide. The 7s were only 96 inches wide. (403 train on Main Street? Makes me wonder who’s drivin’. Not this kid; NO WAY would I drive that 400 line — and get mugged?)

—Maybe two-thirds into my 16&1/2 year career driving transit-bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS)……
Yr Fthfl Srvnt had a run whose first “half” was a Park-and-Ride from Eastview Mall, into the city through Rochester’s glitzy southeastern suburbs.
I’d deadhead out to Eastview on Interstate-490, the Eastern Expressway — “deadhead” means no passengers.
Revenue was inbound from Eastview. I covered a suburban line marked as a bus-route. It had posted bus-stops.
Getting out to Eastview was non-revenue = “deadhead.”
I usually was assigned one of our newer 700-series buses. By then they were 3-6 years old; I forget.
A 700 had a non-turbocharged 8-71 V8 diesel motor. That’s 71 cubic-inches per cylinder, eight cylinders arranged in a V, four per side.
They used a three-speed over-the-road automatic tranny, Allison I think. They also weren’t speed governed.
Our 700s were supposedly dual service. They could be used as a city bus. They had thinly cushioned plastic seats, but not lounge-chairs.
They could also operate rurally, i.e. boom-and-zoom on an expressway.
My pull-out was around 6 AM. I drove down E. Main St. to get onto the Eastern Expressway.
One morning I had 728 bus.
Okay, no passengers, and we’re on an expressway; “PEDAL-TO-THE-METAL!”
“Let’s see what a 700 will do!”
Bucketing and slamming, but under control.
80 mph on-the-clock in something the size of a living room!
Everything slamming every-which-way. Incredible racket!
I backed off. NEVER AGAIN!
Probably Mario Andretti coulda got up to 90 or more, but I’m not Mario!
The racket was frightening.

• “Park-and-Rides” were trips from suburban or rural end-points, usually through Park-and-Ride parking-lots, where passengers would park their cars for a bus-ride to work in Rochester.
• Each segment of a bus-run was known as a “half,” since most bus-runs had two segments. A few bus-runs had three segments = three “halves.” (???????)
• “Speed-governed” is the bus won’t do any more than about 55 mph. I.e. the “governor” won’t allow over 55 mph.
• I should mention that the 800s, and 900 series buses which came later, used a turbocharged 6-92 V6 motor. (92 cubic-inches per cylinder.) They were essentially city buses, and I think they may have been “governed.”
• I consider Mario Andretti to be the greatest racing driver of all time.