The Wheels On The Bus
Go "Shut the hell up already!" From Metropolitan Diary in The New York Times, my kinda bus driver:
The Short Line bus driver reviewed the cellphone policy ending with: "Be courteous to your fellow passengers." Then he added, "If I hear any cellphone conversations, I'll put you off the bus at the next stop with your luggage, and then you'll have plenty of time to talk, because the next bus will be in three or four hours."The ride back to Manhattan was almost silent.
Whoa! I thought, now this is a man we need to drive in New York City. Jane Seskin
Too bad Bob Robbins wasn't on that bus.
Pricklypear at January 13, 2010 7:57 AM
I hate mobiles, wiithout any warning I wouldna talked at all, with the driver saying something like "Please don't," I would agree and nod assurengly, "No prob, man!"
But with the final words about putting someone off the bus, I would of pulled out my mobile and told the driver not to bother starting up - let him try and put me off the bus right now.
Me at January 13, 2010 8:25 AM
So did the bus driver pay for everyone's tickets? He must have since he feels entitled to control his customers' behavior. What a jackass.
tekende at January 13, 2010 10:10 AM
So, did the driver wait with the passengers for the cab or loved one they couldn't call while on his bus?
Did he phone their loved ones to tell them they had landed safely?
Conan the Grammarian at January 13, 2010 10:37 AM
"Did he phone their loved ones to tell them they had landed safely?"
Or did they fulfill that personal responsibility without inflicting it on other passengers prior to boarding the bus?
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at January 13, 2010 11:02 AM
I'm with the driver here. Anything that affects his attention affects his ability to drive. Make your calls before you get on. Easy enough. But I-proudly cellphone free-am damned sick and tired of hearing people blabber on about the excrutiatingly boring minutia of their days, with other equally boring people, whereever they happen to be.
You're not that important, trust me. The world won't end if everybody you know isn't aware the stewardess was a bitch on your flight before you even get to your car.
momof4 at January 13, 2010 11:02 AM
Tell me it's a cell phone free bus beforehand and I'll make my calls beforehand.
When I get off the plane, I'm schlepping my carry-on luggage, negotiating the maze modern airports have become trying to find baggage claim, and trying to find and get to ground transportation in time to catch the bus. And I need to catch that bus. There's not another one for "three or four hours."
Re-reading the letter, it said, "The Short Line bus driver reviewed the cellphone policy...." So, it's possible it was a cell phone free bus and the passengers knew (or should have known) beforehand.
Conan the Grammarian at January 13, 2010 11:29 AM
I must be living wrong, because I don't think I've ever been really annoyed at someone on their cell phone...
Eric at January 13, 2010 11:53 AM
So, Mo4 - should we put everyone off the bus who's discussing minutae with the person in the seat next to them?
Or would you prefer a bus all to yourself?
brian at January 13, 2010 12:47 PM
When it comes to cell phones, the fact is most people talk rather louder than they intend, than when they're talking to a person beside them.
Why? I don't know, but yeah, yah do. If you doubt it, perform an experiment & measure the difference for yourself.
Insert ANNOYANCE as appropriate.
Robert at January 13, 2010 1:18 PM
Back when I rode the bus, if the talking got too loud the driver would turn the radio off. She kept everyone in line pretty well with that technique.
Pseudonym at January 13, 2010 1:18 PM
Anyone thinking about pulling out the phone and thinking about proving themselves think again (and, yeah, I'm looking at you Me).
My best friend drives a bus between NY and Montclair N.J. and has put people off the bus for not following the rules. And one of them is no cells. Either follow the rules or have a short, exciting and one way conversation with New York's Finest. And then a non-scenic ride to the station house for processing. Your call.
And I like the fact that the driver threatens to throw them off the bus. Shut the hell up already!
Richard Cook at January 13, 2010 2:47 PM
"So, Mo4 - should we put everyone off the bus who's discussing minutae with the person in the seat next to them?
Or would you prefer a bus all to yourself?"
People seem to think they need to talk loud enough on cell phones to make their voice actually carry the entire distance to whoever they're talking to, all on it's own. If you aren't doing that, you're talking quietly enough that no one's going to KNOW you're on your cell. See how that works?
And yeah, I'd prefer a bus all to myself, but then again I'm not real social.
momof4 at January 13, 2010 5:50 PM
Yet another reason not to ride Short Line. What a stupid rule.
kishke at January 13, 2010 7:22 PM
There some quick words to say to the driver and to the NY Finest, trying to put rules above laws: "I will press charges."
Me at January 14, 2010 1:25 AM
I'd love to be the driver on "ME"'s bus. Laughable answer, when you buy a ticket & board a bus you are agreeing to abide by the rules and policies that govern it.
Don't like it? DRIVE.
Try talking on your cell then.
If you don't kill someone with your inattentiveness, I HOPE you get pulled over and say that to the cop writing your ticket. Jackass. Get over yourself, you are NOT special, nobody WANTS to listen to your loud chatter, sit down, shut up, and ride the bus abiding by the same rules as everyone else.
Robert at January 14, 2010 6:55 AM
See, you have to be a cop to write my ticket, it's not enough for me to break a rule you can't do it yourself without authority, however much you itch to.
And a bus driver impersonating a sheriff or a bouncer sounds hollow to me as well. Let him try to act on his threats.
Me at January 14, 2010 8:39 AM
My attitude is that people are welcome to chat on their mobile phone, or listen to music, or whatever - just as if they were chatting to someone next to them.
If someone's talking too loudly I'll ask them if they could be a little quieter - whether they're on a phone or talking to someone next to them. Similarly with people listening to music. On almost any occasion when I've had to talk to someone for whatever reason, I've asked gently if they could quieten down slightly and they've generally responded positively - more often than not being surprised to realise that they've been loud enough to be a nuisance.
On the one occasion that asking gently didn't work - a bunch of kids who were arsing around and ignored my initial request that they quiet down - I just turned up the volume and added "I'm annoyed now" to my tone. I have teaching experience - I can do a very good "now's a good time to be quiet and listen to me" voice. The kids went very quiet, got a little wide-eyed and shut the hell up.
I guess if people were more willing to police the area around them - as Amy seems to advocate - then we wouldn't have any need for the kind of hard-nosed extremist attitude shown by the driver of this bus. If he'd had a go at me when I got on the bus, I suspect I would probably have complained - I wouldn't have pulled a phone out, but I damn sure wouldn't have stood for being told I was absolutely banned from using my phone should the need arise.
donald at January 14, 2010 11:09 AM
"a bus driver impersonating a sheriff or a bouncer sounds hollow to me as well. Let him try to act on his threats."
Now here's a guy with a life-sized cardboard Boba Fett in his room.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at January 17, 2010 11:53 AM
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