Tales from the City Bus

I've recently decided to take a little hiatus from online dating. Mostly because I just don't want to go on any more bad dates! However, this hiatus is coming to an end tomorrow as I have my first online date in over a month. Wuhu! And yes, I will be venturing into the suburbs for said date. Hopefully, I will return safely and un-jaded.

During my brief hiatus from the online dating world I have decided to stop driving. My car, Daisy, has been ill for quite sometime and I just don't have the funds to obtain the necessary treatment for her. So, I have been forced to embrace public transportation. Everyday I discover new and unusual details about the city bus. First of all, there is a schedule printed at almost all of the stops, but the bus drivers seem to have complete and utter disregard for this schedule. I have been known to wait over 30 minutes for a bus while I watch 3 pass going in the opposite direction. Why does this happen? Other days, I barely have enough time to get my $1.45 (I learned the fair was recently raised from $1.35) ready before one appears in front of me. One day I was sitting on the bench inside the little plastic alcove, when the bus blew right by me! Now I stand as close to the sign as possible so I won't be overlooked by near sighted drivers.

The strangest experience I have had thus far on the bus was when a woman fell out of her wheelchair! I was on my way to Dupont Circle one morning and this particular bus driver took a mean turn onto Mass. Ave. I was sitting behind a woman in a wheelchair listening to my newly used ipod, when all of a sudden the woman and her chair keel over into the aisle. Her head narrowly misses the metal area under the seat and instead hits an elderly lady's leg. It was one of those occurrences that you sort of see coming, but happen too fast for you to stop! Myself, another woman and a guy in a military uniform immediately jump up and pull the woman from the floor and gently place her back into the wheelchair. By this time the driver had stopped the bus to make sure everyone was okay.

This occurrence made me question whether buses have proper accommodations for handicapped people. I mean, this woman's wheelchair went down like a glass of water being knocked off a table. It seems like her wheelchair should have been fastened to something in the bus to prevent something this from happening. However, if our bus driver hadn't taken the turn like a maniac this whole thing probably would have never happened.

As it turned out, everyone was okay, but I decided to get off at the next stop anyway. That was enough excitement for me. When I pulled the 'stop request rope' the woman sitting next to me said that was a smart idea.

While I walked to the Metro another thought occurred to me. Perhaps the city bus has been an untapped source for meeting men. Hmm...