Everyone needs a break
I had just gotten on the bus at 7:24am at Como & 15th- heading toward St. Paul. As we pulled up to the corner of 19th & Como, the driver lets on the 2 people waiting, then gets up goes into Joe’s Market. He comes out a couple minutes later with a cup of coffee and a bag of chips (?). This happened a couple times in the next few months. But the first time it happened, everyone sitting on the bus was looking around like- WTF?
Another time a different driver got off the bus at Como & Eustic, ran across Eustic and into the Health Partner’s building. My assumption was that he “had to go”- but it was a good 5-10 minutes before he came back out.
What’s strange to me, is that they both left the buses running- with the keys in them. Not that someone would (or know how), but someone could have driven the bus off!
Nov 30th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Drivers are allowed to stop the bus if they have to go at any time. It is a federal law.
They are not allowed to get out and buy food, unless it is a time point and they are early, which happens.
Dec 2nd, 2007 at 2:03 am
Buses don’t have “keys” neither. Try to steal one, see how far youreally get!
Dec 4th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
One of the things the bus driver’s union fights for is the right for drivers to do that.
Jan 13th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I don’t like to stop mid-route, but occasionally you have no choice. Some routes there are few, if any, bathrooms at the ends of the line.
Global positioning would stop any would-be bus thief in their tracks…not to mention they would be on camera stealing the bus. Being government property, the consequences would be fairly extreme. You’d have to be pretty stupid, or high to try it!
Feb 24th, 2008 at 12:12 am
And, if the door handle is missing (from the driver vacated bus)? Don’t even bother. That IS a key……and HOW it is will remain my little secret (and Jeanne’s…and Diane’s……(gbg)
Aug 1st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I mean, if I had 30 or 40 minutes, were parked in a wi-fi hot spot, and really wanted the bus, sure, I could probably get it moving.
Would I try it? Never. A bus isn’t a great getaway vehicle for anything. It’s easy to see, hard to drive, and carries people, who can scream, hit, call the cops, or other bad things.
I’d be better running from the cops on a bicycle.