All tales from Route ?
Tiny Dancer sing-along
From the driver: I got bored driving the Milledge Ave. route on a Friday so I got my entire bus to sing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” just like in the movie “Almost Famous”. Thanks to the guy who filmed this and then emailed me the video.
Bus Ride with Ana
LA bus rider and bus fashion photographer, Ana H.R. takes Ethan of Doin’ it with Ethan on a bus ride. Love the quote “the bus ride can be convenient at times, inconvenient at times, and you always always meet crazy people.”
Punk In A Vest
We are in the throes of summer. The weather has been all over the place… inconsistent in its emotions, much like me. Humid and unbearable one week… Warm breezes, beautiful and tolerable the next… spliced with intermittent rain showers. Needless to say, I’ve been trying to make the most out of it.
Epic Beard Man
It’s with some hesitation that I post this video, but this is obviously one of the realities of public transit. So with that, and with the disclaimer that BusTales in no way endorses violence, here is a video of the “Epic Beard Man.” Also, please be warned that there is obscene language.
Inner Peace
Once i got onto the bus, i pulled out my book on spiritual awakening and inner peace, having a read, writing down some quotes and thinking about the meaning. Jotting down ideas and thoughts about life, although, i dropped my pen at one point and it flew across the bus, nice one. An oldish man [...]
Rockstar in black
Originally posted on May 25, 2009 by joshuawithers
Richard Simmons?
Originally posted on May 21, 2009 by selfishchimp
Busing Among the Palms
We were planning to move from Los Angeles to Miami, where I had inherited a better car. So we sold the one we had, only to have our plans delayed by a year. The City of the Angels features 24-hour service on certain routes, with parallel such routes often miles apart. Still, you can get [...]
I’ve got problems and more gloves
Sometimes I like to ride the transit bus. It gives me some down time, time to evaluate myself and my problems. I’ve got problems and riding the bus gives me time to try to find, and ask for, solutions. I rarely talk to the other bus people but sometimes someone wants to tell a story, [...]
Increased fares and frowns on the faces
Bus fares went up today, putting frowns on the faces of the ridership. There is something that might save money for some and I don’t think its widely known. It is possible to buy an Event Pass for $3.50, which is good for six hours and can be used on express buses without incurring the [...]
Drivers think you’re a jerk
This happened at Snelling Garage about fifteen years ago. Each garage has several dispatchers who assign the buses to the drivers and make sure that the work gets covered when a driver gets sick, oversleeps or doesn’t make it to work for whatever reason.
Cell phone sin
My question is less a tale to tell and more a question to pose for busriders. What, if any, are the “bus cell phone rules?” I’m guessing most of us have encountered a loud bus cellphone talker at some point. The person who blabs on and on in what seems to be an unnecessarily loud [...]
Nails flying in all directions
Many years ago (over 30) when I was a college student attending the University of Minnesota, I would take the bus from Northeast Minneapolis to campus (I can’t remember the number). A woman would sit in the front of the bus and clip her fingernails, with the nails flying in all directions. This image has [...]
Lost in translation
I was describing this site to another driver, Leo, and he came up with a couple of good stories. Back when the fare was $1.50 he picked up five passengers at a stop, only one of whom spoke even a smattering of English. He believes they were German.
The Mental Makeover
It’s guaranteed that – depending on which bus line you ride – between 25 and 100% of your fellow riders will seriously need a makeover. So if it’s one of those days when you’re out of reading material and gazing out the window just won’t do, consider performing the Mental Makeover.
Tip-toeing to the bathroom
One morning while on the bus we were stopped at a very busy intersection where two city streets meet. I looked up to see that the light was green for us, and cars were passing us in the left lane. I wondered why we weren’t moving, and I looked out the window to see our [...]
Take this, it’s free
I, as a driver found a “stored value” card with $8 bucks left on it after checking the bus after an a.m. express run. Because I usually have the same bus every day, I keep L & F items on board for a week or so, then if not claimed, it gets turned in. No [...]
First day of college
My first day of college at the U of M will be a day that will live on in my mind as of the worst days of my life. I was very nervous about taking the bus as I had only taken the bus to the Mall of America two or three times and those [...]
Sleepy behind the wheel
The best bus stories are told in the garages where drivers swap tales. Perhaps there is a shared need to confirm that each is not the only one experiencing some of the strangeness that occurs out there. One day there was a discussion of getting sleepy while behind the wheel. John mentioned that he was [...]
Large Coke and Fries!
I was on a seemingly endless Greyhound ride from Missoula MT to Toledo OH many years ago. Somewhere during the night out in the middle of nowhere we stopped for a break at some lowly fast food joint. It was probably 3 or 4 in the morning and oddly enough, I was the only passenger [...]
Unbathed and out of sorts
Twenty years ago, I was traveling from Corpus Christi to Boston. I remember being somewhere in South Carolina, feeling very sick, and a woman brought me cream of mushroom soup in a styrofoam coffee cup. I was so thankful.
Door-to-Door Service
Paul is a busdriver for Rochester City Lines, who has become a friend over the years. I first met Paul when he drove the last bus that left from the college, and arrived downtown at the transfer station around 10 p.m. My house was still quite aways from downtown, but I could easily walk to [...]
Good old 1040
I’m a retired bus driver! After nearly 27 yrs. of driving, I do have many stories. I will not relate them now. I just want to say “WHAT A TRIP THOSE YEARS WERE” The thing I miss most about the job? The wonderful people I met. this is “GOOD OLD 1040″ saying Thanks for the [...]
Breaking up is hard to do
This story goes back a couple of years, to the early 2000′s, and I remembered it while reading some of these fabulous stories on bustales.
Da-do-ron-ron
I ride the bus in Rochester, and have for several years. The bus culture is very diverse: You have your Mayo Clinic doctors and staffers going between Park ‘n’ Ride and clinic buildings; you have lots of ethnicity because Rochester prides itself in its diversity.
No you can’t ride
I have been a mechanic at metro transit for 23 years. One very cold winter, 1991 halloween snow storm, we were towing a bus south on central ave and I was steering the bus. I had to leave the front doors open to run the air supply hose for the brakes. We were stopped at [...]
Pure body stench
Im a driver on a suburban regional route, pretty quiet most of the time. Even on the burbs there are people who are “lacking hygenic skills.” Are they homeless making the rounds on MTC buses, as many do daily, or just folks afraid of water, I don’t know.
The Bitch Stare
I am a bus driver of 15 years, I would like to know one thing. When I greet each person that steps on the bus , Why can’t I get a simple response? I get the bitch stare instead. Is it something I might of said? Why do you get on and totaly ignore the [...]
Exit by rear
Most of the time, fellow riders are kind and thoughtful of one another. The following situation bugs the crap out of me and if it’s been published before, please feel free to delete this entry (or edit at will):
Survival Tips
I am a frequent user of public transportation and can offer the novice rider some survival tips.
Lost & Found
I’m a bus driver, so will leave the route info off. Several days ago I had a passenger leave behind a full box of assorted “adult beverages”. There was beer, good scotch and tequilla as well. We never did find out who it belonged to, but probably cost over $100 bucks.
