#4144

Holey moley - what a bus ride!!! This day surpassed anything that has gone before. Not even sure I can relate everything that went on - oh well, best shot. First, this is a repeater - last seen on September 29, 2005 - had to do an extensive archive dive for that info.

The bus was later than usual - I saw it coming and thought it was going way too fast to stop - it went by me and then screeched to a halt about 10 feet past the stop. As it flashed by I saw the number 108 on the sign (huh???) but saw a regular in the back seat so raced down to the door and jumped on. Not the regular driver (no surprise) but a woman who apologized - said she didn't see me for the glare (like my white hair doesn't glare in the headlights?). No big deal and I grabbed my usual seat, ready for a calm ride to school. The driver continued with the bat-out-of-hell driving and slid past two other riders at two other stops. She saw them, but just barely. Both are regular passengers and both made laughing comments about the "near misses". I noticed that there were no new faces. Every one who boarded was someone who I've seen regularly before. There is always, always, always someone new and it was starting to get freaky as everyone was familiar to everyone else. The driver calmed down a bit and, except for the lack of new faces, the ride took on the flavor of "usual", that is until we got to the Tempe High School stop - release the hounds!!!

A couple got on the bus with their luggage - each had two huge suitcases plus a "carry-on" - took forever for them to get on the bus and situated in seats. After they loaded, two more people got on, a woman and a man. The driver, in the loudest, meanest, most hateful bitchy voice ever yells to the woman, "Hello - I NEED TO SEE IT!", referring to the woman's transfer slip. It was the most unprovoked, hate-filled voice and attitude I have ever heard. Near as I could see, the woman did nothing to be treated so rudely and my (and that of several other passengers') jaw went down. What the ....? Now, earlier on, it became apparent that the cords on the bus were not activating the stop message. It had worked out because people were getting on at all the stops where people wanted off. However, the woman who had just been yelled at wanted off the bus and pulled like a maniac on the cord. It didn't work and, of course, the driver didn't stop. The woman walked forward to the front next to the driver and said something in Spanish - trying, I believe, to convey that she needed to get off the bus. The driver yelled at her again and made angry motions for her to get behind the yellow line. It was crazy and the woman retreated to the back of the bus. My stop was next and before I could do anything, the engineer guy yelled from the way back seat - "Next stop, please." We were at the light at Apache and Mill and I wasn't sure she heard him, so I stood up and said, "Next bus stop, please." I moved forward and the driver calmly stopped the bus at the stop. I said thank you as I got off and she was as nice and pleasant as could be. Note, the woman who wanted off the previous stop did not get off.

Once off, a guy who gets off there, too, when he rides, looked at me and I looked at him and he said, "What was that about?" I had to laugh as it was so nice to know I wasn't alone thinking this was one crazy lady driving that bus. I commented to that effect and he said, "You know, some people just hate Hispanics, maybe that was the problem." I couldn't disagree because there was no other explanation.

This took lost in translation to a new level and added several new dimensions of weirdness. The driver was a fairly young African American woman and I was totally unprepared for her meanness to the Hispanic lady. I don't know if ethnicities came into play here, but would not have expected discriminatory behavior in this instance. Whatever caused the rift, it was a ride to remember.