danny’s space

All thanks to a crazy State Transit bus driver.

The bus arrives at Town Hall outside Woolies at 8:30, the electronic sign at the front of the bus showing gibberish, but enough to discern the bus number, 461. A few people get on, and the bus is off.

After running numerous yellows and even a few reds (as good bus drivers do, you know, to get people to where they need to be on time) and driving through George Street with reckless abandon, a small white hatchback honks at the bus driver for cutting into the hatch’s lane after coming out from a bus stop. As you do.

Taking revenge, the bus driver nearly side swipes the hatch, and stops at a red (wow) with a hair’s breadth between the side of the bus and the side mirror of the hatch. If that wasn’t enough, the bus bellows out a honk before setting off once the lights hit green, leaving the hatch in its wake.

Then comes Railway Square, at around 8:35. Stops at the wrong stand, which I guess was warranted since there were too many buses piled up at the right stand, and everyone runs for the bus with confused expressions on their faces. As the last 2 passengers are getting on, the doors close and the bus drives off. And while navigating traffic on Parramatta Road and driving at the speed of everyone else, the driver fumbles around in his change tray for a passenger who stupidly didn’t buy a TravelTen. But there’s another passenger waiting in the no standing area after this first guy, and the driver finally gets the ticket to her 3 stops after she got on.

A few more yellows/reds, and thanks to no-one getting off (since the bus didn’t really stop for anyone even when they wanted), the bus got to the footbridge in record time.

Hey, it works for me. But I’m sure this is nothing compared to what other people have experienced.

Public transport stories don’t end there. Yesterday afternoon on the train home, this couple got on. The guy looked like he was just out of Long Bay, and the girl, well, I don’t know. A bunch of private school kids thought they’d be cute (or totally idiotic) and dare a friend to talk to this guy and ask how he was going and ask him for a cigarette (or something). So the kid goes up to Long Bay and has a bit of a chat, after which Long Bay gets fired up and screams at the kid. The kid cowers and runs away up the stairs, and Long Bay follows. Murmurs are heard, and Long Bay returns to sit down. After a few seconds, Long Bay screams at the kid at the top of his voice, and plays peekaboo disturbingly with the kid. Then he launches up the stairs again, takes his shirt off, reveals his well tattooed body, and throws his t-shirt down the stairs into his girl’s face. After a bit of a hustle and threats of bashing (Long Bay says to the kid, “I just got out of Long Bay”), another passenger gets up and fends for the kid who was no doubt cowering in the corner - I couldn’t see from my angle. The other private school boys promptly exit the carriage wearing smug smiles, leaving their friend to soil himself. After a bit of a chat between the two adults, Long Bay sits back down with his shirt off, and pulls out a ciggie, loudly asking the people in the carriage if they minded him lighting up. A woman puts up her hand, and he nods, seemingly respecting her choice. He playingly lights up anyway, but the ciggie actually catches alight, and he starts puffing, filling the carriage with noxious fumes. Thankfully it was nearly Gordon so I could get off. Another guy in a sling goes to tell the Japanese guard about Long Bay, and after a bit of a discussion everything was fine. I think.