Why it's good to make friends with your bus driver

In the afternoons, at least until it cools down, I ride up the hill and catch the Southside Express bus. So far I've been the only rider all five times I've taken this bus, so the driver and I have time to talk.

The wonderful thing about our Regional Transit Authority is that they recently outfitted every single bus with a bike rack on the front--and they've gotten a lot of use! Suddenly commuting is no longer an 'all or nothing' deal--you don't HAVE to ride your bike all ten miles, or take the bus all twenty.

Which brings us to yesterday.

There's a big convention in town, so a lot of busses have been pulled to the routes surrounding the convention center. Two of them passed me while I was waiting for my bus, and the lady who takes the #6 chainsmoked nervously while we waited.

Finally a bus pulled up, and it was the smaller busses generally reserved for the handicapped/those needing special assistance. My driver, a generally smiling and friendly guy, looked sad.

The bus didn't have a bike rack.

Before the driver could say a word, I popped the lock on my bike, folded it in half, and carried it up in to the bus with me.

While technically against the rules, he explained, he'd fought for a bus with a bike rack since a cyclist was the ONLY PERSON who rode this route--but management had told him that I could just wait for the next bus. So he was more than willing to let me aboard anyway.

ALWAYS make friends with the bus driver!