From Dunedin, New Zealand: Dr. Lynley Hood in a letter to the editor of the Otago Daily Times

I feel sorry for the poor solitary drivers cocooned in the isolation of motor vehicles.

They don't know what they're missing. Conversations with total strangers at bus stops have taught me many things.

Here are some of them: (Read more here.)

From San Francisco: "Bus Report # 828," by Rachel

The bus stopped at Turk and a tall, older, white-blond guy got out, followed closely by another guy carrying a freshly dry-cleaned Giants jersey.

They had barely walked three steps when the blond man yelled, "Hey, you've got my wallet! He stole my wallet!" and he ran after the dry-cleaning guy to get his attention. (Read the whole story here.)

From Los Angeles: "That Time I Took the Bus and Everything Was Great," by Nathan Deuel for Gawker

The other night, I was going to the launch party for my new book, but the hosting bookstore happened to be on the other side of town, in Los Feliz, while I meanwhile was a new resident of Venice, an hour's drive away—or more in mid-afternoon traffic—so I considered my options. (Read more here.)

From Milwaukee: “The Zen on a City Bus,” by Ellen Kozak for WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio

Although I take public transportation all the time when I’m in New York, I hadn't been on a Milwaukee bus since I got my driver's license at 16.  But half a century later, I’m old enough to get a discounted fare again, so when work took me downtown on a regular basis last winter, I decided to bury my old prejudices and take the bus. (Read more here.)
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From Seattle: "Bus Story: Vanishing Reason," [a Top Ten Bus Stories nominee] by Richard Isherman

Over and over, she tells him that she did exactly what he asked and she’s pissed that he doesn’t appreciate her. But he said he can’t rely on her, so she’s telling him, over the phone, for all of us to hear, exactly what transpired. (Read more here.)

Busboy's Annual Pass: Was It Worth It? Spreadsheet for July.

Two new routes this month, the 140 and 141 -- both quite familiar to me from my working days. See below for the cumulative totals since January 1.

You can find out what this is all about here.