Musings on the Bus

[slofox]

Dropped the bike into the shop for 24,000k service yesterday. Left it there until this morning.
This entailed two bus trips. One from the shop back to home yesterday and the reverse today. Cheap trips - $2.90 to go right across the city...not bad.
Bus travel is interesting. Some of the things I noticed:

1. If you are wearing your bike leathers, the empty seat beside you is the last one to be taken and then reluctantly. It's never taken by a girl - always by a guy. They usually back into the seat, thereby avoiding any eye contact that could be taken as a challenge. They look sideways at you out of the corners of their eyes - like they are trying to spot the knife hidden in your hand. I know its not 'cause I stink 'cause I had showered both times...

2. The back section of the bus is solely the domain of giggling schoolgirls. Don't try to sit here. They glare balefully at you and shuffle away as best they can. They also scoff hot chips that they have concealed in their schoolbags, thereby flouting the regulations re eating on the bus. What rebels!! I stand in awe of such civil disobedience...

3. If you shut your eyes and listen to the sounds around you, you hear a lot of use of the word "like". Its like they, like, don't even, like, know any, like, other, like, words, like...you also hear constant message chirps from cellphones - which are ignored, but which repeat ten gazillion times per minute...

4. If you look at the people on the bus, it is obvious that a lot of tortured souls use this form of transportation. The looks of apprehension and sheer angst, suggest that many of these bus users are heading into something that they don't want to know about. Like anaesthetic free surgery or something. Either that or their jobs really suck and the boss is waiting to cut off their wotsits as soon as they walk in the door.

5. Meditation is part of the journey. I have never seen so many people in a trance at once. Their eyes glaze over and they stare through solid metal walls like lazer beams. Who knows what wonders they see within?

Just a few things I saw. As my eyes glazed over and I stared.....

[MIXONE]

Here in wellywood all the commuters have strange wires coming out of their ears.Is it the same in the tron?


And that like,like,like followed by he said,she said.

[slofox]

Here in wellywood all the commuters have strange wires coming out of their ears.Is it the same in the tron?


And that like,like,like followed by he said,she said.

Only about half of them - we are somewhat retarded in these 'ere parts...and I use the word advisedly...

[javawocky]

I remember the bad old days when I had to catch the bus (50min) into the dark heart of Auckland everyday. Especially in the middle of winter with the colds and flu flying around the buses humid interior I learned to slow my breathing, close my eyes and enter a mental state which was half way between asleep and awake. I couldn't sleep as I might miss my stop. I found time went by quickly in this state

Wasn't till I move jobs to the shore that I required alternate transport - then I got the RG - You see, if I wanted to travel the 7km from my house to my office via bus, it would take me 1 hour and 40 minutes! And I would have to catch 3 buses.

Now days it takes 10minutes on Thumper

[Hotchefnz]

The cattle wagons, jammed in like sardines - pure hell in the winter but only a few months and then summer ahhhhhhh...........

Then all us old ( er ) buggas have a field day as all the wannabe slappers board the same vehicles dressed in so little....... titties falling out, mini skirts at half mast making train & bus travel so much more fun.

Makes me look foward to bus & train travel does summer.

[EJK]

When I get on a bus, I normally hear two fat Maori high school girls singing Mariah Carey LOUD as if in New Zealand Idol.

[JimO]

i havnt caught a bus for 30 years

[Mully]

Ahh, public transport - the last bastian of the damned

[steve_t]

Slofox, how sure are you that it was the leathers that caused the seat next to you to be occupied last?

[gatch]

Last time I was on the bus a dude sat down next to me and asked if I wanted to buy a foil..

Too bad for him I had most of an O in my bag already haha

[mattian]

I remember doing exactly the same thing when I had to drop my bike off for a service. I thought.... damn I cant walk all that way home, I'll catch the bus!
I was amazed at how much of the scenery I actually noticed and enjoyed. The bus route is a very familiar route that I ride on the bike but, because you are so focused on the road in front and behind and all the traffic around you, I never actually realised what a bloody nice area it is, until I had time to see it out of the window of a bus!!!

[Gremlin]

5. Meditation is part of the journey. I have never seen so many people in a trance at once. Their eyes glaze over and they stare through solid metal walls like lazer beams. Who knows what wonders they see within?

nah, its just the zombie state they enter... how else could you survive that day in and out?

I can't believe you haven't worked something out with your shop? When the hornet goes in for services, a loaner is arranged. I simply let them know I will need something, and they find the most tortureous device suitable for me (the salesman and I have a game going - namely he likes taking the piss out of me)

The KTM, well, evidently I spend too much. Its picked up after hours, complimentary, serviced, then dropped off.

Bus? Public transport, sheesh dude

[slofox]

Slofox, how sure are you that it was the leathers that caused the seat next to you to be occupied last?

Not very.....

[slofox]

I can't believe you haven't worked something out with your shop?

Bus? Public transport, sheesh dude

It's OK - gives me an insight back into the olden days when I used the buses every day. Besides, If more people used the bus I would have less traffic to contend with on the bike...

[Mom]

We dont have buses up here. Well that is technically not true, we have heaps of buses that run the main routes for tourists, nothing for the average joe wanting to get to work.

Catching a bus is a real and exciting novelty for us.

A couple of years ago we went to a Finn Brothers concert in Auckland. We opted to stay in the city the night. You know sometimes that is a really good option

Choice of motel was on a bus route so we wandered down to the bus stop and caught our bus to the city. What an eventful ride! Truely adrenaline making, seat of your pants trip! Young chinese girl thrown into the partition between us plebs and the driver due to heavy braking. Followed by some, what can best be described as angry driving, including horn honking. Then the classic stop in K-Road at the traffic lights, where our driver opened the door and verbally abused the driver of a car next to us at the lights!

Thankfully the concert was even better than the antics of the bus driver, we got a cab directly after the concert ended, and enjoyed the rest of our evening very much .

Bus trips rock!