It's a whole different world on the bus.

You've got nice sensible folks that are just trying to get across town or down the street. There are people going to and from work,class, doctor's appointments, church, etc. There 's always someone with groceries, shopping bags, lots of stuff they just bought at a yard sale, thrift store or pawn shop. You'll always run across someone who is having a bad day. I generally try to help make their bus ride relaxing; of course, it doesn't always work out that way. There are happy folks, sad folks, people on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and let's not forget about those folks that have already had that breakdown & been locked away for awhile. There's the girl that is just a little “off her rocker”, and the dude that's totally “bonkers”. Some gal that has been in the woods for far too long & smells like it, or some guy that just got out of prison and is now loose on the streets. Either case will bring lots of crazy stuff to deal with. You know the one's that are always driving everyone else crazy with their insane laugh, constant mumbling, rocking back & forth, or just plain staring at nothing for hours on end. If you drive through the bad part of town you will, no doubt, encounter some gangbangers, thuglets, street people or other riff raff as you go along. Well, guess what? They are on the buses too, and usually bring their own kind of drama with them. We have routes that require a constant police presence, and some that just need minor supervision. There are other routes that need video surveillance, and then there are the routes that need no supervision, at all!! These routes are nice and friendly, even laid back. Those are my favorites, the calm relaxing routes that just go across town and basically “mind their own business”.

We have the good, the bad, and the ugly with this job. Sometimes all at once, sometimes scattered out along the route, but it's always there lurking around a corner just waiting for you to come rolling along. Most routes have a couple of bad spots, or even trouble spots, but some are just “war zones” from one end to the other. That's a part of the job, unfortunately. There are drunks a'plenty, druggies too; we've got psycho's, how 'bout you? City buses go all over town and carry so many different people - it's always worth a laugh or two to just hop on a bus and ride it around for a few hours. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. You will always see something funny happening, there is usually something sad as well. You can go through so many emotions just riding a bus for a few hours. Believe me, we do it all day and there are so many stories to be told from riding/driving these buses, that I decided to write a book about them, then it turned into a series of books because there are so many tales to be told. I wanted to break up the stories in a more sensible way & to try to combine them into a cohesive unit for you. I think it will be a much easier read, that way. So, without further ado, I will start with the tales and see where we end up. Now, it is up to you to sit back and relax. Start reading and I hope that you enjoy these tales from the buses.                            Alba T. Ross