The Inconvenient Convenient Bus Stop

I'm getting lazy about public transportation. Now that we've figured out the easiest routes home, I get a bit irritated when I have to walk bus or ferry stop that's a bit farther away. Just a tiny bit irritated, not the kind of irritated that makes me want to run out and buy a car but the kind that can ruin an hour of my life. Perhaps this is all part of the settling in process and I'll get over it soon.

Main Street, Stop 6 is a thorn in my side. It's one of the closest stops and I only use it to get to Bulimba or Cannon Hill. I don't use it often but when I do, the bus is inevitably late unless I'm not paying attention. I haven't yet missed that bus due to lack of attention but I have twice been scolded by helpful bus drivers who warn me that I "just got lucky" because someone needed off at that stop. You see, the problem is that this stop sits back from the road just the slightest bit and you can't see the bus as it comes off the bridge until it is there possibly flying past you like some unfeeling robot. Since that bus is almost always at least 8 minutes late, I tend to get tunnel vision and start to feel a little dizzy if I stare at the very spot it will appear for too long. The RULE is that you must flag down the bus to let them know that you want a ride. Why? I don't friggin' know. There's only two bus routes by that stop and why else would someone choose to stand out in the sun (you can't sit on the bench that is provided by the city so that you'd be in the shade because you'd miss the bus for sure) right by the pole that signals that "this is a bus stop". Those particular buses only come about once an hour. Are there people wandering around the city who see those blue poles and feel a compulsion to stand there for no good reason? Honestly, I'm sure the drivers are trying to be helpful and it's not their fault that the stop is placed in such a ridiculously inconvenient spot. But, I've been in a foul mood lately. I know my desire to spit on them isn't very mature. Don't worry, I wouldn't actually do it. I just sigh, smile and take my seat reminding myself that I don't have a car payment and once I'm on the bus, I don't have to pay much attention at all.

Eoin (I hope I'm not spelling that wrong) is one of the ferry drivers. He is, without fail, friendly and happy to see us. He's going to get Christmas Cookies when the time comes. He greets us with a smile, chats with us about various things, shares stories and just generally makes our day a little bit nicer. Several of the ferry drivers are wonderful that way. We chat about food, the weather, where we're from and just general chitchat. In contrast, the guy I call Grouchy Dwarf grunts at us when we show him our tickets. Or doesn't acknowledge us at all leaving us standing there wondering if he's actually looking at us since we can't see his eyes because of his sunglasses. So, we wait to be acknowledge because we are good citizens. We want to make sure that he sees our ticket and knows that we can legally board the boat. He seems terribly inconvenienced by having to dock the boat so we can board. And while some ferry drivers will happily dock the boat a second time at the same stop if they see people racing to catch the boat, Grumpy sighs heavily and then as slowly as possibly, docks the boat again. The people who step on alway say "Thank you so much" and Grumpy just stares at them blankly. I think he should try to find another job.

Kangroo Point is apparently posh. Too posh for nice buses. Since most people here drive, we apparently get the crap buses...and sometimes they smell a little crappy too. A mixture of old B.O. and mold. When we were staying in Teneriffe we were so impressed with how nice the buses were with their bright blue seats, clean floors and air conditioning. I'm not sure the Kangaroo Point buses even have air conditioning. What will that be like in the summer? I'd rather not imagine. The windows rattle loudly and sometimes it sounds like the bus is having some mechanical problems. Often when we take the 475 bus home, we get one of the new ones and it feels like a little mini vacation.