Three years ago, I shared a story that was similar to this, and I like to point out when somebody clearly really cares about their job and makes my day better because of it. I know, not all bus drivers are amazing, but I think it’s worth recognizing when you have a really positive experience.
This morning shortly after 7 AM, my bus (the #12 towards Bank/Slater) was rumbling down Montreal Road towards Den Haag, and I was stuck on the wrong side of the street, willing the light to change faster so I could catch my bus. It has been a snowy morning, and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to wait another ten minutes getting colder if I missed this bus due to bad timing.
I’ve been hearing the announcements on the bus recently about how you shouldn’t run across the street in traffic against a light to catch your bus (obviously, because that’s super dangerous), and so I resisted that urge and stood helplessly stranded, hoping the light would change faster.
Fortunately, I managed to make eye contact with the bus driver, who I recognize as I arrive on time for this bus about 25-50% of the time. The crosswalk had already started counting down, and when the bus pulled up to the stop, the count was at about 10 seconds. At this point, I was fully prepared to wait for the next bus, and I would not have faulted the driver if he had just continued on his route. However, he let the last few seconds of the light run down, waiting for me as I hurried across the street.
As I got on the bus, he thanked me for not running across the street against traffic, and I thanked him for letting me cross the street and get on his bus. It made a difference of a few seconds to the other passengers (if they even noticed anything out of the ordinary), but it absolutely made my morning! Bus drivers can get a bad reputation sometimes, but they are people who have good days and bad just like everybody else, and I think it’s worthwhile to point out and share stories about the good ones.
I’ll be submitting this story as part of a report to OC Transpo giving positive feedback about my driver this morning, and I hope this gets back to him. It’s very uplifting having somebody recognize that you did something nice for them, and we could all use a little uplifting these days.
