Big difference
There's a big difference in the way Boston and Seattle bus drivers handle their pickups.
Boston drivers will barely stop for people who have been waiting half an hour for the bus.
Seattle drivers will wait for someone 30 seconds away from the stop, running down a hill in high-heels, being chased by killer bees.
Boston drivers respond to taps on the bus door for entrance by smiling and not opening the door, and then driving off, zoom through the red light.
Seattle drivers will wait through two of those lights to pickup the wildly gesticulating man across the street who may or may not want to ride the bus.
Sometimes I miss the Boston bus business -- you had to be ready -- accountable to the bus stop because any derivation from the plan and you'd be waiting another 15-20 for a mistake that only took 5 seconds to commit. Like looking away from the bus stop. For seriously.
While it's very nice of bus drivers in Seattle to wait for any and everyone who is a long ways away from the bus stop, I'm not sure it's fair to people who make it a point to be on-point and ready for pickup.
Sometimes missing the bus can be good for people -- maybe they strike up a conversation with an interesting stranger. Maybe they hear that one song in a new light. Maybe they sit back down at the bus stop and think about how being early and late, being there then, being behind schedule, being in time consumes our thoughts. Thankfully, we are all on-time in the end.
Boston drivers will barely stop for people who have been waiting half an hour for the bus.
Seattle drivers will wait for someone 30 seconds away from the stop, running down a hill in high-heels, being chased by killer bees.
Boston drivers respond to taps on the bus door for entrance by smiling and not opening the door, and then driving off, zoom through the red light.
Seattle drivers will wait through two of those lights to pickup the wildly gesticulating man across the street who may or may not want to ride the bus.
Sometimes I miss the Boston bus business -- you had to be ready -- accountable to the bus stop because any derivation from the plan and you'd be waiting another 15-20 for a mistake that only took 5 seconds to commit. Like looking away from the bus stop. For seriously.
While it's very nice of bus drivers in Seattle to wait for any and everyone who is a long ways away from the bus stop, I'm not sure it's fair to people who make it a point to be on-point and ready for pickup.
Sometimes missing the bus can be good for people -- maybe they strike up a conversation with an interesting stranger. Maybe they hear that one song in a new light. Maybe they sit back down at the bus stop and think about how being early and late, being there then, being behind schedule, being in time consumes our thoughts. Thankfully, we are all on-time in the end.