Now and Then a passenger gets on who leaves you gob smacked. This one got on in Union Street in Torquay. This is a busy stop and there is a bus shelter for the passengers the hide from the rain. There were about 10 passengers waiting while 15 passengers disembarked, like I say a busy stop. just as the last passenger got off and the new passengers were about to get on this lady, sorry female person came running up between the front of the bus shelter and the bus, never a good idea, people have ended up in an ambulance doing that. She totally ignored the waiting passengers and shouted, "Do you go to Paignton?" at me. I agreed that I went to Paignton and was about to point out that 10 people were in a queue waiting to board the bus. However she noticed them and half turned towards the first person. For a moment I believed she was going to get off the bus and join the queue. No. Sorry. What she said was, "Do you mind? I'm in a hurry." The poor harassed youth never stood a chance. A mumbled, bewildered yes and a half nod was all he could manage. She then totally ignored me and marched down the bus like Napoleon heading for Moscow.
I waited a moment just in case she remembered that paying for a ticket or showing a pass was the usual behavior when boarding a bus but just like Napoleon didn't bother to knock when entering Russia she also wasn't going to bother with simple common curtsies. So I called, "Excuse me." down the bus. Then again. And again. The passengers waiting to board were shuffling back a little, not wanting to be caught up in the expected crossfire. She finally cottoned on that I wanted a brief word with her and marched back up the bus shouting, "I've got a return ticket." I gently explained that I would actually like to see it using my very best customer relations voice. What I would like to have said was, " Says you!" and ten years ago I probably would have but I decided 9.5 years ago that having slanging matches with passengers was extremely counter productive. Usually what happened was there would be said slanging match and then I would spent the rest of the day thinking of all the cutting, nasty, vindictive things I should have said but didn't manage to come up with them at the time. So when she did show me the ticket all I said was, "Have a nice day." Her reaction was to shout, "Don't get shirty with me." I just smiled. The rest of the passengers got on, prehaps a little disappointed that the expected show hadn't been a little more violent (verbally violent that is) than it turned out to be.
5 comments:
As a passenger I wouldn't have stood for that. Reasons obvious but there's nothing quite like humiliating somebody in public to pick up your day
good for you david. any confrontation we usually have to carry around for hours while an innane smile is here and gone. and yes bugger weekly you are better than that.
Even if she was in a hurry you wouldn't leave before everyone was boarded. Silly lady. She must have felt very important for a minute or so.
Even if she was in a hurry the same amount of people would still have had to get on the bus so it wont have left any earlier. Silly wman!
Ah Well David
There's nowt so queer as folk!
Post a Comment