Annoying Habits Part 5 – Buses

Buses are one of the cheapest modes of transportation and are able to move large numbers of passengers at a time. It is no wonder that these giant behemoths are conveniently used all over the world, from big cities to outlying towns. But not everything about buses is convenient; there are always going to be a few annoying things about them.

The person who stands everywhere

If you take the bus regularly, chances are you’ve seen this guy waiting for a ride in places other than the bus stop. He’ll be the guy standing in the middle of the road or sitting on top of the steel ignoring everything else but the signs of upcoming buses.

Till now, I never understood how waiting in these unlikely areas made it easier for people to get a ride. Perhaps it’s the notion that they will need to take a couple of steps less to hop on the bus. Or perhaps it’s the thought of darting across the street that excites people by providing a sudden burst of speed.

Either way, what I do know is that statistics plays a role in everything in life. Sooner or later, this dance of death will result in someone enjoying the view of a bus from underneath. The only good thing about this is that when a person ends up spreading himself a bit too thin, people get back on the sidewalk as no one wants to dirty their shoes.

Drivers who love to lean on the horn

Back then, buses could travel faster since there was hardly any traffic. The power of the air horn made it possible for bus drivers to warn people they were coming. This way, other vehicles or people could let them through as it takes more time to stop a bus due to its mass when compared to others..

As traffic has slowed down to little more than a jog, air horns lost their purpose. Instead of being a safety device, the air horn has now become a danger to others as it shocks people with its sheer volume. In fact, it is so loud that prolonged exposure will damage a person’s hearing.

As you travel through the metropolitan streets, you will hear bus drivers continually leaning on their horns to attract passengers’ attention. In all the years that I have been taking the bus, I don’t see how this makes a difference. Since one’s intention at a stop is to get on a bus, passengers will always keep an eye out for the right bus. No amount of blowing that horn will make passengers see a bus any faster.

So it leaves me with one conclusion: All that noise has made the driver deaf, which in turn has made him insane. Being the case, the government needs to outlaw air horns for city driving and send these drivers to a padded cell.

Scammers

For those of you who think that business deals are closed in Starbuck’s or on the golf course, you are too sheltered. A lot of business takes place on a bus.

At each stop, you find vendors hocking everything from rags to dried fish. People with buckets of hot peanuts are normally the first to hop on. These will be followed by people with sandwiches, bottled water, juice, and even iced tea.

As far as I’m concerned, these guys are alright. They make an honest, decent living by providing the right products when they are needed. As far as I’m concerned, the hot peanuts on the bus are some of the tastiest I ever tried. The same goes with the other food I buy.

But I draw the line when that born-again preacher boards and starts his spiel of obscure passages. The annoying thing is that it isn’t enough for him to spread the word. He needs to end his speech by making you feel guilty if you don’t put cash in the envelopes his assistant passes around.

Now while all of this may still be tolerable, hey even preachers need to eat, the fact that the guy and his assistant have more bling on them than all the passengers put together, doesn’t sit well with me. Instead of preaching to get money, maybe they should donate all that precious metal to the needy first.