Today, driving in the city, in rush hour…I was reminded of the power of the big, bad bus.

They are both (all) of those things; and they need to run on a schedule.

Whether they are in the public transit sector, public school transportation or tourism – they can just take over the road. They are at the very edge of the lane limits and move erratically at times, dodging FedEx and UPS trucks (that are double parked) as well as bikers who are riding the right side of the street (even on a one-way street with a bus-only dedicated lane.)

It takes them longer to get going, longer to stop and they don’t have the agility of any other smaller vehicle.

What about missing the bus? Good or bad?

On one hand, missing the bus is a huge deal. It was early, you were late. It is an unfortunate problem that is probably user error. (Aka bad for you.)

Or, on the other hand, if the bus swung out in front of you, unexpectedly and you were able to stop, shift lanes or speed up…you didn’t get hit by it. (So, in this case, missing it was not so bad.)

Hopefully, the miss was not too close, and it will just be a blur in your mind, some day in the future. A mere blip in the history of your life. (Things that are just blips are good. Don’t dwell on it.)

Schedule delays affect everyone. Hopefully, no one’s fault in particular and out of everyone’s control.

The only thing that has more power than the big, bad bus is not a thing, but a who and by that I mean, the driver.  To the extent that they can’t (of course) control traffic – on that they are completely dependent, just like the rest of us – but they do have some ability to control the destiny of others, both onboard and off. Let’s all agree to be friendly, respectful and careful out there, okay. Great.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl