Bus Driver Bus Driver

Usually there is a different bus driver every time I get on, I recognize a few of the drivers, but there is no consistency. For the past month or more, my morning bus has had the same driver. This lady is a little quirky and I've started feeling like the kid on the school bus that gets annoyed with the lame driver, who is just trying to be pleasant, but is really just lame. Let me tell you how it goes EVERY day.

"Good morning, how are you doing today?" and you think oh how nice she remembers me and is genuinely interested in how my day is going. Then the next person gets on and she says the EXACT same phrase with the same enthusiasm. Oh does she know them too? No, she just says that to everyone. As soon as the door opens she says it, even if the person isn't even in view yet, she automatically says it. Same thing when a person gets off the bus "Thank you, have a great rest of your day." She'll even say it when a person is going out the back door. She always says it so automatically, she doesn't seem to care if they hear or if anyone is actually even getting off the bus.

She also takes on the role of tour guide on most days. At each main intersection, she announces what the intersection is. Usually the bus has a recording that announces the intersection if there is a stop there. I've heard bus drivers announce these when the recording doesn't work. However, this lady still announces the intersection even when the bus voice does it right before or after her. Totally unnecessary. She has also gotten in the habit of announcing which buses cross at a particular intersection. "Campbell and Speedway, connects to the 4's and 5's." Referring the the #4 and #5 buses that go down Speedway. Seems sort of helpful until you are on the bus every day and hear it over and over. Sometimes she announces landmarks or even events. "University Mall. They're having a book fair this weekend."

Can you see where I start feeling like a kid on the school bus annoyed by the quirky driver? She seems nice at first, but then after a week you want to tell her to shut up, she said the same thing yesterday!

This week she put the icing on the cake by wearing mardi gras glasses and telling everyone "Have a great Mardi Gras!" I guess as long as she is keeping herself entertained...