From somehwere between Baltimore and NYC: "A Different Kind of Christmas Story," by Lucas Remick for Gizmodo

I was sitting in a storefront on the coldest night so far this year, light snow coming down, waiting for a Chinatown bus to New York that was already a half-hour late. Not where you'd expect to buy an iPhone, but... (Read more here.)

From Brighton, England: "World Record Bus Cram Attempt: 7 December 2011" (The Big Lemon)

The Big Lemon will attempt to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the most people crammed into a single decker bus. An Adjudicator will be on-site to officiate the event; the current record is 229 participants. (Read more here.)

From Wales: "Teenage pupil drives himself – and all his mates – to school on the bus," by Hayden Smith for Metro

Teenager Joseff Edwards drives himself - and his mates - to school A-level pupil Joseff Edwards has become a bit of a hero among his friends after passing his bus driving test and giving them a lift into school every day. (Read more here.)

From Louisville, Kentucky: "Tuesday, October 18, 2011," by EmilyRS

# 4 - Central Ave Status: on time

The bus arrived right on time and even waited a minute or two for some passengers coming from another bus. How come that never happens for me? (Read more here.)

From Victoria, British Columbia: Desert Bus for Hope.

Desert Bus for Hope (see Bus Story # 215 for the Desert Bus story)

From Guatemala City: "Guatemalan women hail single-sex buses," by Anna-Claire Bevan for The Guardian

Guatemala City has introduced women-only buses aimed at reducing instances of harassment and violence against women on public transport across the Guatemalan capital. (Read more here.)

From Brooklyn: "City Threatens to Shut Down Bus That Separates Men, Women" (NBC)

The city has threatened to shut down an Orthodox-run bus service in Brooklyn unless it stops forcing women to sit in the back of the vehicle. (Read more here.)

From Northumberland, England: "Marathon man undone by bus trip," by Stephen Mangan and Tim Castle for Reuters

A marathon runner was stripped of his third place medal after catching a bus to complete the last six miles of the race held in northern England last Sunday. (Read more here.)

From Minneapolis: "Where did the Jazz Man go?" by Anissa Stocks for the MNDaily

Christian Gerrard started riding Rob Thompson’s bus on a rainy fall afternoon two years ago.

The University of Minnesota junior was “blown away” when he first stepped onto the bus — he heard Miles Davis blaring over the chatter of other passengers. (Read more here.)

From Portland, Oregon: "Bus driver kicks off woman with crying baby; passengers leave too," by Kim Murphy for the Los Angeles Times

Can. Someone. Please. Make. That. Baby. Stop. Crying.

No, actually. Babies are notorious for crying as long as they feel like it; adults are known by psychologists to hate the sound of crying babies more than just about any other sound there is; and well, there you are.

It's an age-old dilemma, and its very familiarity may account for the way in which an incident last week on Oregon TriMet's Bus No. 57 has become an international cause célèbre. It is the story of two dozen passengers, more or less, a baby in a bad mood, and a bus that motored through its own terrible little Twilight Zone on the 16 miles from Beaverton to Forest Grove.

(Read more here.)

From Lubbock, Texas: "Woman takes off pants in protest bus fares" (KSLA12)

A woman dropped her pants Wednesday afternoon at the Citibus public hearing in downtown Lubbock...

Morrell claims that often she's only eating one meal a day and the Citibus rate hike of 25 cents per trip would cost her $75 per year. The 25 cent rate hike is meant to avert cuts to the routes which would change them from once every 30 minutes to once an hour.

(Read the whole story here.)

From San Francisco: "(I didn't even know it was) Lost and Found." by Jeremy via Muni Diaries

This story originally appeared on Muni Diaries at this address: http://www.munidiaries.com/2011/09/07/i-didnt-even-know-it-was-lost-and-found/. This link no longer exists. A copy of the original story appears below.


I have a love/hate relationship with the 33-Stanyan. It picks me up right in front of my house and drops me off right in front of my work. I really couldn’t ask for a more convenient line. The driver that I usually have in the mornings is an all-star. He is always on time and greets me with a smile and a “hello” every morning. After this morning though, he should be put into the Muni Hall of Fame.

Apparently I had dropped my work ID on the bus. I didn’t notice until I got to work, but I had just assumed that I left it at home. About two hours after I got to work, my Muni driver walks into my office, hands me my ID, and says, “Hand delivery.” I wouldn’t have figured out that I left it on the bus until I got home and then I would have had to go through all the lost and found junk. At very least he saved me a trip to the SFMTA office. I think a big thank you is due to all of the drivers out there who do that extra little bit that makes public transportation not terrible.

From NYC: "Big Wheel vs Bus," by Mark Malkoff for My Damn Channel

From Montclair, New Jersey: "Passengers," by Ian Frazier for The New Yorker

Before Salvatore Siano, known as Sal, retired, last December, he had driven a bus for the DeCamp bus company, of Montclair, New Jersey, for forty-two years. DeCamp has eight or ten routes, but Sal mostly drove the No. 66 and the No. 33, which wind among West Caldwell and Bloomfield and Clifton and Nutley before joining Route 3 and heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. Unlike some bus drivers and former bus drivers, Sal himself is not buslike but slim and quick, with light-gray hair and eyebrows, and a thin, mobile face. In a region where the most efficient way to commute is by train, the bus can be cozier, more personal. When he drove, Sal reconfigured his bus as his living room, lining the dashboard with toy ducks, chatting over his shoulder with passengers, and sometimes keeping snowballs handy to throw at policemen through the open door. He used to caution children, “I am not a role model!” His travel-guide monologues upon arrival at the Port Authority Bus Terminal—“Welcome to sunny Aruba! Don’t forget your sunblock! Cha-cha-cha!”—won him minor fame.

(Read more here.)

From Tacoma, Washington: "With bus service slashed, faithful 40 drive to rescue," by Kathleen Merryman for the Tacoma Tribune

This story originally appeared on the Tacoma Tribune website at this address: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/08/24/1793449/with-bus-service-slashed-faithful.html. This link no longer exists. A copy of the original story appears below.


Forty people who don’t even ride the bus are feeling about as much pressure as they can handle from Pierce Transit’s route cuts and service reductions.

These Volunteer Chore Services drivers are close to their limit and looking for 40 more volunteers to meet a demand that has doubled in the past year. They drive seniors and disabled people to the doctor, pharmacy, supermarket and food bank.

If you should find yourself in the grocery line or a dentist’s waiting room with one of them, don’t be surprised if they invite you to join them on the road. I wasn’t surprised when Gerry Gregory gave me the soft sell on the volunteer gig during our phone interview.

He sees the good it does for others and feels the good it does for him.

“I retired at 62,” the former Fife contractor said. “I just laid around the house piddling around and reading. It got boring. Actually, it got tiring. So I Googled ‘volunteering,’ and up came ‘Catholic Community Services,’ and it sounded like something I’d like to do. I’ve been happy ever since.”

Happy, and proud of his wheels: a white 2008 Toyota Tacoma pickup.

“I have a couple of clients who like to insist on me, because it’s the best ride they have,” he said.

Gregory signed up to give one free ride to someone two days a week, but demand has doubled in the past year. Now he’s driving five days a week and recently gave eight rides.

If you’re a taxpayer, tip your hat to him and his fellow volunteers. They’re saving you a bundle.

The trips they make are just enough to keep their passengers living independently. Without it, they would topple into assisted living or nursing homes.

“It costs the state a lot more money if they have to pay for the nursing homes. That’s where we come in,” said Jodie Moody, the program and transportation coordinator.

State transportation money has helped pay for the program for 25 years and includes funding for 25 new volunteers a year. This year, it will pay for even more – and Moody needs them. Last year, her volunteers logged about 400 hours and 5,000 miles a month. This year, they’re up to about 800 hours and 11,000 miles.

“We have approximately 300 clients,” Moody said. “A year ago we had 150.”

Some came because of the Pierce Transit route cuts that have followed a reduction in sales tax revenue, an explosion at a fueling station and voters’ rejection of a bond measure in February.

More cuts will come in October, when shuttle service ends for disabled residents in parts of East Pierce County.

Volunteers must be age 21 or older, pass a state background check and have three good references, a car, insurance and a good driving record.

They can drive as little as one three-hour trip a week, or they can aspire to be Gerry Gregory.

There are benefits, including the 50.5-cent-a-mile reimbursement, quarterly training sessions, cool logo jackets and the occasional free gas card, oil change or car wash.

Then there are the stories.

“Ask them a basic question, like, ‘Are you from this area?’ and that just opens up the world,” said Gene Gregory, who is not related to Gerry.

Gene Gregory savored good stories throughout his international career with the Central Intelligence Agency. After he and his wife moved to Tacoma five years ago, she brought home a brochure from St. Ann’s Catholic Church, and he signed up to drive.

He’s sat in food bank lines with his clients or taken them through all the doctors managing their health care crises.

One of his favorite riders was a former Pierce Transit bus driver whose lungs were failing.

“That lady had the best attitude of anybody I’ve ever met,” he said. “She was a real inspiration.”

She still is. She received a lung transplant, healed and has gone back to work driving Pierce Transit buses.

Gene Gregory keeps an eye out for her when he’s on the road, one of the faithful 40.

From Tucson: "August 13th, 2011, My Week on The Bus," by tucsonmike

I am doing it today for two reasons.  Reason number one, I was tired yesterday, reason number two, I have a continuation.

I will have new drivers come Monday as the shifts on Sun Tran change.  We gave James on the number 11 a tough time. Hey, he walked right into it.  He kept saying we will get a real bus driver.  We told him ’bout time. (Read more here.)

From Boulder, Colorado: " 'Bus Birding' Comes to Boulder's Long Jump Route," by Amanda Moutinho for the Daily Camera

When riding the bus, passengers tend to drown out the world around them until their stop arrives. EcoArts Connections and the city of Boulder are trying to change that by introducing their new "bus birding" program. (Read more here.)

From Portland, Oregon: "Something to read on tonight's TriMet bus ride: A Line 35 horror story," by Joseph Rose for the Oregonian

Until I’m proven otherwise, I think it's safe to say that the 15 to 20 souls on the southbound Line 35 bus experienced Wednesday night’s most hellish commute. (Read more here.)

From the U.S.A.: "Readers share favorite memories of their days riding the big yellow bus" (islandpacket.com)

Bill Mirabella: Bluffton,Indiana

There were numerous students in our area who had round-trip bus service each day from our church to our high school. One afternoon we experienced an enormous rain storm dropping several inches of rain in a relatively short period of time. Not unusual for that time of the year in northwest Indiana, but because of the amount of rain, there were numerous flooded streets. That’s where the adventure begins. (Read more here.)

From London: "Journey by a London Bus (1950)" (YouTube via NotMarkX)

Journey by a London Bus (1950)

FromCenterville, Washington: "Matt's City Bus"

Matt's City Bus

From (possiby) Kazan, Russia: "Bus 62 always runs" (YouTube via funnyray1)

Bus 62 always runs

From Montgomery, Wales: "Boy, Two, Takes Lone 24-Mile Bus Journey," by Darren Little for Sky News

A two-year-old boy wearing only his pyjamas and a nappy managed to travel 28 miles on a bus from Wales to England without anyone noticing. (Read more here.)

From (possibly) Hartford, Connecticut: "Dancin' Boy" (YouTube video posted by srslyskwrrly)

<br />
Dancin' Boy<br />
<br />

From Sint Maarten: "Beware of bus [number given]!" by anonymous via The Daily Herald

Dear Editor,

I was on this bus on the 16th of May; I started from KFC in Cole Bay and ended at 0-14 Kids, so I just went over the hill. There were five other passengers and the bus driver on board. Two of the passengers, apparently not from St. Maarten (foreigners), came off at Kooyman and paid the bus driver $1.00 for the two of them. The driver cursed and said the fee is $2.00 from Simpson Bay to Kooyman, which is true, but he just drove off.

(Read more here.)

From Edmonton, Canada: "eta unknown – bus tales," by Robyn Wilson

My ride to work was punctuated by the following conversation heard over the bus’ transmission radio…

Dispatch:  Come in, Bus #4821, what is your ETA to random street and corresponding cross avenue?

Bus #4821: Come again?

(Read more here.)

From Brighton, England: "Toy bus given parking ticket," By Gaby Leslie for Yahoo News

A hairdresser has appealed a £50 parking fine after a traffic warden gave his children-size toy bus a ticket.
 (Read more here.)

From Ft.Worth, Texas: "Saggy Pants Banned From Fort Worth Buses" (Associated Press via CBS DFW)

Bus riders in Fort Worth who wear sagging pants have the choice of pulling them up before boarding or finding another way to get around the city. (Read more here.)

From Wales: "Strange list of items left on buses," by Ciaran Jones for WalesOnline

Ladies’ underwear, two Stanley knives, a box of hair and a Christmas tree – it reads like a bizarre shopping list. But these are just some of the thousands of things left on Welsh buses by unwitting travellers. (Read more here.)

From Hong Kong: "Untitled" by wakingphotolife on Flickr

We are riding the bus back from some shopping day. Could have been Mong Kok. Could have been Shatin. I know they are on opposite sides this island, Hong Kong, but I honestly don’t remember. (Read, and see, more here.)

From Albuquerque! "Racers scavenged city on public buses" (KRQE video)

From Vicente Lopez, Argentina: "Bus drivers sought, no men need apply" from Agency French-Presse via The Telegraph

A town near Buenos Aires, leery of the screeching stops and careening turns it says typifies male drivers, has hired exclusively women to shuttle its passengers around. (Read more here.)

From Tampa: "Homeless robber hands out bank loot on getaway bus ," by Robbyn Mitchell for the Tampa Bay Times

A homeless man robbed a bank, hopped on a bus and handed out stolen cash to passengers before being caught, deputies said Thursday. (Read more here.)

From Toledo, Ohio: "TARPS driver finds, returns $1,220 to rider," by David Patch for the Toledo Blade

Having just dropped off the last of his four passengers, bus driver Ron Guy of the Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Service was tidying up the wheelchair straps in his bus one recent afternoon when he spotted a rolled-up $20 bill wrapped around a wad of paper on a seat. (Read more here.)

From Portland, Oregon: "TriMet loses free speech case over bus, train ads -- again (poll)," by Joseph Rose for The Oregonian

Atheism. Booze. Sex. Charlie Sheen reruns. Political agendas. Anyone selling anything can keep plastering TriMet buses and MAX trains with ads, despite the transit agency's objections. (Read more here.)

From Darwin, Australia: "Laughing baby kicked off bus," by Caine Edwards for The Australian

A woman and her 13-month-old daughter have been allegedly kicked off a bus because the young girl was making too much noise. (Read more here.)

From Albuquerque! "The Joys of public transportation," by Leslie Irwin Lujan via Open Salon

This story originally appeared on Open Salon under the heading Tales from “The Burque” at this address: http://open.salon.com/blog/leslielujan/2011/03/26/the_joys_of_public_transportation. This link no longer works. A copy of the original story appears below.


Although I don't live in a major metropolis, I'm fortunate that because of where I live here in Albuquerque, our bus system, ABQ Ride has been not only a lifesaver when my car broke down, but this little "gem" in my life has brought me much joy. Case in point - in the summer of last year. My car had broken down so I was forced to use public transportation. I had seen the buses around town, and it's not like I have ever been one to think "I'm too good for that", etc..but (embarrassingly), I was afraid of the bus system. I'm a bit OCD, especially when it comes to travel. I want to know the directions to where I'm going ahead of time (btw, I do not now, or ever intend to own a GPS), howlong the trip is going to take, what time I will arrive at my destination, etc... 

I could omit the first requirement of getting directions since I wasn't driving. Silly as it sounds, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to figure out how to pay the fare; I would hold everyone up in line, or worse yet - not have the correct change, etc... 

Now the ironic thing about this whole thing is I've not only taken buses before, I've taken buses, trains, subways, etc...

in large metropolis's such as Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. So it's not like all this stuff wasn't new to me. Fortunately after I took the bus a couple times (I made sure it was during "non peak times to ensure there would little or no possibility of embarrassment), it was like riding a bike. 

And once I got used to it I figured since I don't have a conventional "job", why worry about the car for now. After all, everywhere I need to go, I can pretty much get to via the bus system.  

So this is when I discovered the "Joys" of the bus system...  

Because the transit center was almost a mile one way (uphill going), not only did I get in shape fast, I lost a LOT of weight. And no wonder since I would typically walk fast while toting a loaded down back pack (one needs to always carry a lots of water around here), many times in the heat of the afternoon. I also got a great tan that summer. Not that that's a good thing with the whole skin cancer subject, but it was truly an ego booster along with the weight loss.  

And now for the BIGGEST joy and BLESSING and why I love our bus system:  

One day I decided to take a trip to go see my Mom on the other side of town. She had offered to come pick me up, but with gas prices, the mileage, etc...well it just made sense to take the bus. Now by this time I had gotten the hang of the bus system in general but I had never ventured out of my "safe zone" which entailed taking the commuter from the transit center to VA and back. So I spend a great night with my Mom and in the morning she drove me to the departure bus stop just down the street. I was to take the number 11 to Lomas and Second, then transfer to the number 790 at Fourth and Lomas. Now understandably, this sounds quite simple. I mean really, basically two blocks between the connecting stops. Well unfortunately, not only was I not at all familiar with downtown, I have absolutely NO internal compass. Long storyshort - after 45 minutes of wandering around downtown (probably looking like an idiot), I figured out where the connecting bus stop was. 

Once I got there, I plopped down on the seat, made a big SIGH, and scrambled to find my water bottle. This was one of those days where it was extremely hot. At this particular stop, there is an LCD sign that tells you when the next bus is coming (I guess it works off GPS). Well apparently I had just missed the previous bus and had 45 minutes to wait. Sigh again. I got into my backpack and took out a book to read. Ten minutes later I see a figure running across the street. A thin man with a backpack, what looked to me like typical "geek glasses", sporting a sleeveless red t shirt and denim shorts. Of course my first thought was - "oh God, please don't let him start talking to me. He could be a panhandler, a pervert, well who knows this day in age. 



He asked me when he got across the road if I knew when the bus was coming (I still chuckle at that question, being that I couldn't even find the bloody bus stop two blocks away) and I replied "I don't know - I think it's coming soon". Well (VERY) long story short, "Jimmy" and I started
talking and for the 45 mins we were waiting for the bus, we found out how much we had in common. For both of us - it was like talking to another one of ourselves. During the conversation, he told me of a free open art studio. I had never heard of it and I was absolutely thrilled to learn of it. We exchanged phone numbers and agree to get together on Thursday so he could show me the art studio. Another long story short, he texted me three days later, I called him back and we talked for hours. This man I met is now my HUSBAND. 

We met on June, 23, 2010 and were married at the same bus stop we met at on October 2, 2010.  We were married by a minister, our best man and bridesmaid were our witnesses, and we invited everyone back to the studio for a laid back reception of pizza and cake. 

Since then, my car has been fixed, and guess what? I'm still on the bus whenever I can. Because of the mild weather here, and the shortage of rain for the most part, most days are conducive to taking the bus. I did take a brief hiatus from the bus during the winter, but I've been back on the bus for a month now. I literally had "bus withdrawal". A lot of 
the people that ride the bus do so because they don't own a vehicle or for whatever reason have lost their licenses because of a DWI or something. What's ironic, is that those people complain about taking the bus and me - I complain about driving. We now own three vehicles and two bicycles and lately I haven't used either or. To me, being on the bus is a treat. 
There is no stress over traffic, you don't have to pay for gas, and instead of constantly having to keep your eye on the road, you can relax and read, listen to music, or even compute. Yes, I actually bought a set of 600 thread count sheets on overstock.com while on the bus. How much better can it get than that? 


I could name probably 100 more reasons why riding the bus is so cool, but I'll end with this
 one:



People are social creatures. If we don't interact with people and isolate, it can be detrimental to one's health (this is actually a proven fact). I have met the most wonderful, diverse group of people on the bus. From students, professors, military personnel, retired veterans, many homeless people (contrary to what most belief, MOST people who are 
"experiencing" homelessness have fallen on hard times, not just drugs), and various other people of different ages, races, social classes, and personality types.



Tomorrow is calling for sunny skies and warm temperatures. There is no way I would be caught dead NOT on the bus. It's just too fabulous of an experience.



So to anyone who may think that public transportation is only for those that are "lesser than", or have no choice BUT to be on the bus - you're terribly misconceived. It's a glorious experience!

From Adelaide, Australia: "Commuters flock to bus shelter movies" (ABC News)

A bus shelter has become a miniature movie theatre in Adelaide. (Read more here.)

From Dayton, Ohio: "Police: Ohio man robs bank, is caught on city bus" (Associated Press via Dayton Daily News)

This Associated Press story originally appeared in the Dayton Daily News at this address: http://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyle/police-ohio-man-robs-bank-is-caught-on-city-bus-1109436.html. This link no longer works. A copy of the original story appears below.


Police in Ohio say a man robbed a bank and then tried to flee on board a public bus, where officers eventually caught up with him.

Dayton police Sgt. Moe Perez tells the Dayton Daily News the suspect got away with cash from a downtown KeyBank branch at around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Police were told by witnesses that they saw the man catch a bus about two blocks away. Officers followed the route of the bus and pulled it over less than a mile away, near the campus of Sinclair Community College. Perez says the suspect was arrested without incident and the money was recovered. Police haven't said how much was stolen.

From Rogaland county, Norway: "4000 Bus Stops that Tweet, Record Stories and Provide the Time of the Next Bus via QRCodes" (digitalurban.org)

Today sees the launch of our latest collaboration via the Tales of Things project - this time with a Norwegian transport company, Kolumbus. Tales of Things has been utilising Kolumbus’ already existing QR codes to allow passengers to leave stories for one another. When a passenger visits one of Kolumbus’ more than 4,000 bus stops they will find a QR code which when scanned with the free Tales of Things’ app on with the iPhone or Android it will not only link them to timetable information, but also allow them to leave a message on the bus stop. (Read more here.)

From Chicago: "City Stories: Bus Chic," by Adrienne

This story originally appeared on Adrienne Writes at this address: http://adriennewrites.net/2011/02/08/city-stories-bus-chic/. This website no longer exists. A copy of the original story appears below.


I live in Chicago. I love fashion. It’s winter.

I also love being warm.

All that said, it’s a bit difficult to be ultra fashionable when its 10 below zero and I have to take the bus to work. (Translation: standing outside in sub zero temps, sometimes for up to 45 minutes and always in snow, rain, high wind, sleet or all of the above.)

I have a style I like to call Chicago winter chic, or “bus chic.” Everyone else here has it too. It usually involves fur boots or fur-lined Timberlands. (No Uggs here. Our boots need to be water-proof.) It always involves a puffy, Michelin Man-esque coat or a fur coat. In my case, depending upon the temperature, the fur coat is usually pulled out when it’s going to be a below zero day. Fur in Chicago isn’t exactly a status symbol. It’s just a good idea. Because frankly, I don’t get cold when I wear my fur coat. (Most of the people I know – no matter their monetary income – own a fur coat or two. Leather is cute, but it aint doing ISH in this kind of harsh weather.)

Chicago winter chic also involves several scarves (so you can switch out week after week) and if you’re lucky, they’re pretty or have a vibrant design. Said scarf must cover the whole head, neck and nose. Then the gloves must be thick , with a leather palm – like ski gloves. Thinsulate is a must. During blizzard days when I’m waiting on the bus, I’ve taken to wearing my husband’s fur-lined hunter’s cap. It aint pretty, but in 30-mph wind, it keeps the ears cozy.

If you wear skirts, like moi, then colorful tights and leg warmers are a must because frost bite sets it quickly in a Chicago winter. Plus, most of us have a “coat sweater,” that sweater you only wear as a second layer with your puffy coat. This sweater is never worn for any other reason than to be a layer of wool around your body under your main coat for those times when the wait at the bus stop will be long and wet.

The guys gets to wear their boots all day. But the ladies usually bring a pair of shoes to switch out. Then, once you get to the office, you peel out of all those layers to reveal a cute DVF dress, bright tights and high heels.

Now, I do know people who are dressed to the nines no matter the weather – or the mode of transportation. God bless those gals! Their feet apparently never get cold. They also seem to be OK with salt and sleet getting on their Louboutin’s…

I, on the other hand, get a chill even in the summer. Plus, I don’t wear expensive shoes in the snow.

‘Course, this style of dressing makes it difficult to be cute for after work drinks. But everyone at the bar knows that beneath all those layers lies potential. No one judges.

But come summer? Watch out.

From Tel HaShomer, Israel: "The Young Man at the Bus Stop," by Rickismom

I was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the number 7 bus to Tel HaShomer hospital. As he arrived at the bus stop, and sat down, I immediately noticed that the young man had Down syndrome. I was impressed by his appearance; he was impeccably dressed. He appeared confident and self assured. And shortly afterwards I noticed that as an older man passed, he nodded towards the young adult, saying “Hi Charles” (not his real name), “How ya’ doin’ ?” and “Charles” smiled and answered “Fine, thanks.”

(Read more here.)

From San Francisco: "Compliments on the F," by Matthew F. via Muni Diaries

It’s not always easy to give someone a compliment. Rider Matthew F. sent this hilarious conversation he overheard on the F: (Read more here.)

From Pondicherry, India: "Love Stories – A Valentine’s Day Special," by Sairam Krishnan

It was raining hard that Sunday evening as I got on to the bus to Villupuram from Pondicherry. I had screwed up. Yet again. Dad had warned me that not booking the ticket to Coimbatore early would land me in a terrible soup. And, as my Dad is right almost all the time, it did. I did not get any direct bus to Coimbatore and had to resort to route buses to get to Etti on time. Also, the course, that is, Pondicherry-Villupuram-Salem-Coimbatore was so crowded, that I barely had space to stand, let alone sit. But, duty beckoned! I would not be absent on the first day of semester, I had decided. That decision, in hindsight, was one of the best I ever made in my life.

(Read more here.)

From Toronto: the second of a pair of stories: "TTC to passengers: Don’t snap texting drivers," by Amy Dempsey and Curtis Rush for the Toronto Star

The Toronto Transit Commission wants you to quit playing paparazzi with its employees.

The please-don’t-play-gotcha request comes after at least three TTC drivers were caught on camera this week by shocked passengers who observed them texting or chatting on cellphones while operating buses. (Read more here.)

From Toronto: the first of a pair of stories: "TTC fires 3 drivers for texting: reports" (CBC News)

The Toronto Transit Commission has fired three bus drivers for allegedly using mobile devices while operating transit vehicles, two published reports say.

The Toronto Sun and the Toronto Star are reporting Tuesday that the workers were fired after being caught using mobile devices or cellphones behind the wheel. Both newspapers cite unnamed sources close to an internal TTC investigation into the matter. (Read more here.)

From Reykjavik, Iceland: "Bus walked through Icelandic whiteout" (UPI)

A group of Icelandic aluminum smelter employees got to work in a whiteout blizzard after two men walked ahead of their bus to guide the driver, a worker said. (Read more here.)

From Auckland, New Zealand: "How I met satan on the bus," by Ruth Papalii

Well really it first started at "Auckland City Mission," I saw this witchmale with a black hat that the witches wear on their heads he did not do anything at the time but when I went home from the Auckland City Mission I saw the devil on the bus you would all recognize it is the devil by the way I speak about it. (Read more here.)

From Boston: "Random act of hospitali-T," by Richard Weir for the Boston Herald

T workers often get a bad rap for all sorts of sins. But for every rude remark or apathetic response some might utter, there are countless acts of unexpected kindness carried out by the men and women of the MBTA each day.

People such as T bus driver Ricardo Miranda. (Read more here.)

From Milwaukee: "Man Gets $500 Fine For Swearing On County Bus" (WISN)

Milwaukee County sheriff's deputies are on the lookout for rude behavior on Milwaukee County buses, slapping a $500 disorderly conduct ticket on a man for swearing on a bus this week. (Read more here.)