Urban Bus Adventures: CO

I have been riding the buses here in CO now for about 2 months and I must say that they are not nearly as interesting as the buses in Tucson. I find this rather sad. I miss the colorful people that populated the Tucson buses and made riding them and adventure. The most interesting things that happen on the Colorado buses is the bus drivers. I get angry ones, happy ones, and those who seem half asleep while they are driving. I have one who says only the first letter of the upcoming streets and expects you to feel in the blank if you want to know where you're at. There is another one whose voice is a lazy lulling type of voice that starts low and pitches up every time he says a street name. So it sounds something like someone half attempting to sing but can only sing the same to pitches. It's one of the strangest voice qualities I have ever come across.
Despite these somewhat amusing observations I still miss the wild-eyed bag ladies, the drunk homeless guys, the sleepy college students, the frazzled business man and the small students on their way to class that fill the buses in Tucson. They gave me much more fodder for thought and kept me far more entertained. Perhaps those types of people are not allowed to live in my city in Colorado. Sad. As a result I am not so sure I will actually have bus adventures here. It remains to be seen.

Urban Bus Adventure: Colorado

It has been years since I had to ride the bus, but with my recent move I am finding myself using the bus system once again. Yesterday was my first time exploring the bus system in Colorado on my own. I had been walking most of the day but the rain started coming down pretty hard and I decided it was time to catch a bus. The first bus I boarded was taking me to a connecting bus. I boarded with a family of a husband, wife and two kids. The kids were loud and cheerful and I actually found myself enjoying their exchanges with their dad. As their volume rose their mom instructed them to read the sign in the bus that hinted at keeping your voice down. The dad played games with the kids and it was quite funny to see how they reacted to him. A short ride and we arrived at the transit center. I climbed off the bus and headed out into the rain. I had to make a stop in one of the nearby buildings before I caught the bus home. When I was done I ventured back out into the rain and towards the stop where I would catch the bus home. I was back at the transit station standing at a bus stop, watching the rain come down all around me. It was a wet dreary day and the temperature was starting to drop. I could feel the chills starting to creep up my arms and legs. I am a Tucson girl through and through and the cold damp weather makes me shiver. As my bus pulled up to the curb I was thankful to get aboard and dry off. As I boarded I showed the driver my transfer and asked about a stop close to my house. The driver was nice and told me she would drop me off as close to my house as possible. I headed towards the back of the bus and decided on a seat somewhere in the middle. I was the only person on the bus and I was thankful to have a moment alone. I was situating myself in my seat and trying to dry off my wet bags when the driver started talking to me. She was telling me all about her other job and the animals that she owns and takes care of. I couldn't believe how friendly she was, but I was thankful to have someone to talk to. I had been on my own for a day now and I was wanting some communication with other human beings. As we started the drive towards my destination the driver kept talking. Soon I found that she had family in Arizona and went to visit often. She was familiar with Tucson and it was nice to be able to talk about home. As we traveled along our route we stopped to pick up various passengers. We had a college student, a very drunk young man, and a rather interesting looking woman get on the bus. The driver would interact with each and then return to talking to me as they seated themselves. She talked the whole trip and when we got to my stop she wished me luck and let me off. I was thrilled. My first bus adventure here in CO and it was a great one. It seemed the drivers would be great people to get to know and the passengers would provide the entertainment and I had come to expect from riding the bus. Yes, things would definitely be good here.