As I got to the front of the bus for my stop I could not resist saying to the driver (an old hand, whom I know well): You’ve got a very happy bus now.
He was so startled, he turned his head all the way round to check. Not one other passenger left. Fortunately we were already slowing & no car made a sudden speed-limit busting appearance, so all was well.
Neither of us can remember that happening for a very long time now.
Ever since my time has been more or less my own I have made it a rule to stay away from buses between 3pm & 6pm.
First, there’s the schoolchildren (& the school run). Then all the students (& the college staff). Then the commuters. Everybody is scratchy, & the grind through all the congestion (& the August roadworks) only make things worse. Plus I really do appreciate the luxury of a seat to myself these days. So half past 6 is the earliest I set off for home.
Actually though, I have noticed that the 6 o’clock bus is often passing by near empty (& bang on time) in recent weeks. That bus was particularly used by people who worked in retail – except for supermarkets, most local shops still close at 5.30. But so many of them are shut all day, completely out of business now.
Yesterday was a very quiet day all round town – Monday, surprisingly, was not. And the weather was not good. So lets hope the fall off in traffic is not permanent.
At least the buses are (too) full during the day, with all those gallivanting pensioners.
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