From Calgary: "Perfume spat gets woman kicked off Calgary bus." (CTV news staff)

This story originally appeared on the CTV News website at this address: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070327/perfume_fuss_070327/20070327/. That link no longer connects to the original story. Below is a copy of the original.


A Calgary transit passenger is demanding a public apology after being ordered off a bus -- twice --  because of the apparently overpowering scent of her perfume.

During her morning commute to work last Friday, Natalie Kuhn was ordered off the No. 137 Dalhousie bus by a driver who complained her perfume was too strong and was aggravating his allergies.

It happened again Monday. Kuhn said after about eight minutes into her commute, the driver pulled over and started opening all of the windows before telling her to get, just around the corner from her regular stop.

"I was humiliated and embarrassed in front of other passengers," the 25-year-old chiropractic assistant told CTV News. "I got off that bus in tears."

Kuhn said she heard no complaints from the other riders. Before she exited, she got in an argument with the driver about her perfume, "Very Irresistible" by Givenchy.

"(The bus driver) stood up, looked at the other passengers and said, 'just so everyone knows, we won't be going anywhere because of the excessive amount of perfume this woman's wearing. I can't operate this bus.'"

Kuhn called the city to complain while the driver paged his supervisor. A short time later, a transit employee arrived to escort her to her destination.

A 'civil rights' matter

Kuhn said her experience is about more than just public embarrassment.

"It's not about the perfume anymore, it's about the way I was treated," she said. "It's about rights. People's civil rights are being violated, and that's what happened to me."

The union representing Calgary's transit workers began a work-to-rule campaign on Friday -- the day of the first incident. Kuhn said she wasn't certain whether the drivers were making an issue about her perfume as an excuse to disrupt service.

Calgary Transit said an investigation is underway, although it's too early to say whether any action will be taken or whether an apology will be made. Calgary Transit spokesperson Tom McCallum said the city doesn't have a policy allowing bus drivers to deny travel to passengers wearing perfume.

Kuhn said she's been spraying on less perfume than usual after the embarrassing bus incidents, but she won't stop wearing it, and she'll keep riding bus 137 to work.

From Atlanta: "Ads Add a Certain Glow to Atlanta's City Buses," by Kathy Lohr

There are a dozen buses on the streets of Atlanta wrapped with a new material called glow skin, which gives the ads on the sides of the bus a whole new look. (Read more here.)

From Albuquerque! "Rapid Ride Reaches 5 Million Passengers - Lucky Rider Wins Prizes" (City of Albuquerque website)

This story originally appeared on the City of Albuquerque website at this address: http://www.cabq.gov/transit/5MillionRiders.html. That link no longer exists. Below is a copy of the original.

Mayor Martin Chávez and ABQ RIDE Director, Greg Payne, are proud to announce that today the five-millionth passenger boarded the Rapid Ride.

"In only a little more than 3 years, 5 million passengers have taken advantage of the express service," said Mayor Chávez. "The Rapid Ride continues to provide riders with a fast and convenient way to commute in Albuquerque."

The original Rapid Ride, the Red Line, began service in December 24, 2004. More than 150,000 passengers now board the Red Line monthly. The BlueLine, which services the West Side to downtown and the UNM area, was launched in July 2007 and averages more than 20,000 passengers per month.

During a press conference today, Bryan Evans, a local artist and frequent user of the Rapid Ride, was presented with prizes that included dinner for two at Tucano's, a night's stay for two at the Hyatt Regency, a bouquet from People's Flowers and a one-year bus pass.

 "The Rapid Ride picks up where the other routes leave off, " said Director Payne. "We developed the routes to provide a service to the commuter who needed fast, frequent and consistent rides along our busiest transit corridor. The Rapid Ride has helped ABQ RIDE increase ridership because it attracted new riders, even along the regular local routes." According to the American Public Transportation Association, nationally bus ridership saw a growth of 1% from 2006 to 2007. For the same period, ABQ RIDE saw a growth of 8%.

"Increased gasoline prices definitely drives some of our ridership increase, but that's not the only explanation." Payne said. "We've expanded Rapid Ride, connected with the Rail Runner, partnered with UNM and CNM on students passes and improved our overall level of customer service. We're simply a different, better, more modern transit system."

From Lindau, Germany: " ‘Too sexy for my bus’, German woman told." (Reuters)

A German bus driver threatened to throw a 20-year-old sales clerk off his bus in the southern town of Lindau because he said she was too sexy, a newspaper reported on Monday. (Read more here.)