buses...

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 18 February 2005 15:22:55

... they say they always come in threes.
Today, on my walk to work I saw one bus with three drivers! OK, there was a learner driver with two instructors on it. And no other people. Which was good because the instructors didn't seem to be doing much instructing.

I walk to work along the route the local buses take; they often pass me heading towards me home. Near town there's a T-junction where I usually have to wait at the pedestrian crossing. The buses turning left past me always seem to swing out into the other side of the road and I've often wondered if the traffic turning the other way gets annoyed.
I was standing at this junction when the learner driver passed me in a reasonably dent-free bus. He didn't swing out; he followed the curb as he turned. And the centre of the side of the bus collided with the fencing. And he just kept going. I stood watching wondering if the driver was aware of the side panel he was tearing of his vehicle. Wondering if he was going to reverse. But no, he kept going, and the fence to a bit of bow towards the pavement in submission. But the time he had finished turning the corner, 'reasonably dent-free' could probably not be used to describe the bus. And as for the fencing... well... the pavement was cracked and the road covered in debris.

Unfortunately the lights changed and, since I was already late for work, I had to continue my journey rather than go and investigate. Investigating the lasting damage will be part of tonight's walk home.
And I think for the moment I'll avoid getting on any buses on that route driven by learner drivers.