ross549 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 So, I commute to work via bus (about 50% of the time right now), and it can be dull or very interesting. Normally, I try to listen to podcasts while riding, but sometimes the drama on the bus was more interesting. One lady got on at a stop, and her pass did not work. SHe kept tapping it to the reader trying to get it to work, but kept getting rejected. Finally, the driver told her to stop, because the 14 times it did not work were not flukes. That did not stop her. Finally, the card was rejected in the system, so she will have to spend another two dollars to get a whole new card on top of the reloading fees. On top of that, she had to borrow a few bucks from ther passengers to pay for her fare. Then, when the bus finally got to the last stop, and everyone (but me and one other guy) had disembarked, the other guy blocked the exit of the bus and started yelling at the driver for being rude to him. Very broken English too. The driver had the time to sit and absorb this abuse, but he knew I was trying to catch teh train and be on my way. However, the guy kept ignoring the driver's instructions to get out of the way and let me off the bus. the guy kept going and going though until being escorted gently off the bus by the driver so I caould also get off. I still missed the train I was trying to make. (They are on a three minutes schedule this time of day, so no big deal) Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Gotta love that kind of stuff! People watching is quite the past-time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 Gotta love that kind of stuff! People watching is quite the past-time! It can be fun or boring.... depends on the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 My uncle, who was a career bus driver (local and with Greyhound), suggested that I try to get on with HART, the local municipal bus service as a driver. Your description of the last passenger's behavior toward the driver is one of the main reasons I never bothered to try to become a city bus driver or a school bus driver. I don't have the patience or personality for it. If a passenger got into my face like that. I would end up terminated before the day was over because I probably would have physically thrown him off my bus. Let's not even speculate what I'd be like with screaming, yelling, fighting high school kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Not many would be good candidates for bus drivers of any kind; especially kids or people onboard like the one Adam was talking about or the one from the movie Star Trek IV. There be whales here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 No serious drama on the bus... but I did learn an important lesson today. Always make sure you have a little emergency toolkit in case you need to adjust something to get your bike working again. When I got off the train, the bike was sounding a bit strange down in the gearshifting area. I cataloged it with a mental trouble ticket and resolved to look at it today. Well, the time to look at it came very quickly. I was almost to the schoolhouse. I shifted, and then the front pedals stopped working. Not good. I hopped off the bike and took a look and it turned out the front derailleur had moved (!!) about 15 degrees. Good thing I had my little storage pounch under the seat with the multitool in it. After is dislodged the chain, and realigned the derailleur, all looked good, and I will find out if my efforts were successful this afternoon. Fun! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Ah, yes! Toolkits always good to have along when biking. Duct tape comes in handy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Carry a rag, too. I've had to do some minor chain repairs on the road before. It sucks when you don't have anything to wipe that crud off your hands with before continuing your ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 A rag is a good idea... I carry quite a few items in my toolbag under the seat, including a spare tube. After my last exciting event, I did some alignments to the front derailleur, and I think I have it pretty close. It shifts nicely, and the cahin does not grind against the guide. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 Yes, alignment is much trickier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I have a 24 speed bike. It almost always stays in 21st gear. Tampa doesn't have many hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Yeah, not here..... I am always shifting.... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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