I take the bus to and from work everyday. The more common buses are the yellow Hillsbus. I think these replaced the older blue ones. Recently, more new red buses have been added to the fleet. I thought that all these buses were "created equal" meaning regardless of the colour of the bus, the degree of comfort would be the same. However, one day I discovered that not all buses are created equal.
On that day, I was feeling a bit under the weather. I was hoping that there would be enough seats on the bus so that I didn't have to stand. I was surprised to see a big sign (beside the requisite Bus Driver ID card) on the front which said that there was no standing allowed in the bus.
I took my seat and ... ahhhh ...my immediate thought was 'this seat is COMFORTABLE!'
I imagine that is how it would feel like if I were seated in First Class of an airplane. It is possible that the bus was once a tour bus considering there were even overhead baggage compartments which the regular buses didn't have. On this particular bus, there was only one door and all the seats were facing front. The other buses would have a second door in the middle that could be opened to allow people in the back rows to exit, and there would be several drop down seats in front that faced each other. The drop-down seats could be closed (raised) to accommodate wheelchairs or baby strollers.
Come to think of it, this special bus didn't even have the usual buttons to be pressed to signal the driver that someone wanted to get off at the next stop. People just stood up and walked towards the door when their stop was approaching.
Sadly these special buses are far and few between. Fortunately, I have managed to "find" them when I needed them the most.
The second time I chanced upon a bus like this was when I had a particularly long and hard day at work. That is when I took this shot. (Notice the the bus was practically empty so I was able to take a picture without hesitation.)
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I have a bus buddy from the office. He normally takes the 614X but he has a whole slew of bus choices that would bring him closer to home, including the 610X which I take. If we happen to be leaving the office at about the same time, he would opt to ride the 610X with me, get off at the motorway bus stop then transfer to another bus that would take him home.
In the past, when we didn't ride together, he considered me his lucky rabbit's foot. At that time, when we left the office at the same time, he would always manage to catch the 614X when we got to the bus stop. Eventually, when we happened to be in line together, he decided he preferred to keep me company on the 610X and take a transfer ticket rather than wait for his bus or get on his bus, depending on which bus came first.
I always tell him that I would not feel bad if went off ahead on the 614X should his bus arrive before mine, but he is too much of a gentleman and has let his 614X drive away without him on several occasions.
We have a lot of interesting conversations on our way home. One prevalent theme is priority seating.
I tell my friend that I could easily be eligible for priority seating because (a) I have a handbag and a long umbrella and (b) I have big hips. He laughs and says he can walk around with one leg raised if he has to. So between the two of us, we have every right to sit on the reserved seats.
The reserved seats would have red seat covers, instead of the usual blue ones, to indicate these as the seats to be vacated for the disabled, elderly or expectant mothers. We never take the red seats; we usually go for the drop down seats in the front so that it is convenient for him to get off when he is going to transfer buses.
Although we are not on the red seats, since we are seated in front, we are always at risk of having to give up our seats should an elderly person or a pregnant woman come on board. I tell him he can keep an eye out for pregnant women, I'll just watch out for handsome men. He says, he will watch out for pretty ladies and offer his lap, not his seat, if they'll take it.
We have debated several times over whether the lady who just entered the standing room only bus was pregnant or just 'slightly' overweight. It is difficult to tell sometimes and we dare not insult anyone in a crowded bus.
There was a time when we decided to wait for the next bus since the earlier one was already standing room only. It was rush hour and there was a long queue at the bus stop. When the next bus arrived , we were able to take our 'usual' seats in front. The bus quickly filled up but there were still some vacant seats when we left our stop. There are two more stops before leaving the city and by the time we left the first stop, the bus had filled up. When we arrived at the second stop, three elderly people entered. I nudged my friend and we gave up our seats. The next day, he teased me and said that if I were not around, he would not have given up his seat. I just laughed and told him that it must have been our day to stand, reminding him that we had opted for that second bus because we hadn't wanted to stand on the first one.
He took his two-week mandatory leave last January. When he got back, he asked me if I missed him. I candidly replied, "Nah, I was able to catch up on my reading." He shook his head in disbelief and cried out, "How hard is it to say, 'yes'?" "Oh, in that case," I said, "....yes."
It is true. Although the bus ride takes about an hour, I am never really bored on the bus. There is always something to do. I can pray the rosary, read a book, catch up on my email or FaceBook, listen to music, or go to sleep.
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This evening, I caught the bus with another officemate. We don't really know each other too well so it was more small talk but in the process, he paid me compliment which I am sure he hadn't really meant to.
This is how our conversation went:
"How is your baby?" I asked, knowing that his wife had just given birth. (small talk)
"He's fine," he replied, and dutifully showed off some pictures of his 6 week old baby using his iPhone.
"You have three, right?" he asked. (more small talk)
"Yes, that's right. Two boys and a girl."
"How old is your eldest?"
"Nineteen."
"Nineteen!" he exclaimed. "You must have given birth when you were in Kindy." (score!)
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