Normally I’d drive to work when the schedule calls for me to be there at 0630 but when I noticed there were no appointments until eight o’clock and my car was entombed by ice, I opted for the first bus of the morning. Yes, it was early but I figured it was easier to take the bus than spend a half hour chipping away at the car.
Crunch, crunch, crunch as I walked the two blocks to the bus stop. The neighborhood was silent otherwise. Smoke from chimneys rose vertically in complete stillness. Overestimating the time it takes to walk there I typically wait five or ten minutes, looking south once I arrive, for signs that the bus is on it’s way. When it finally turns the corner several blocks down I can see the orange sign above the windshield.
As the bus arrived I opened my wallet and brought forth my commuter pass. When it stopped and the doors opened I heard cheering. Not an individual cheer or the cheering of two or three people, but the sound of an entire stadium cheering. It was an unexpected sound at six in the morning.
Most of COTA’s busses now announce their route number and destination when stopping to pick up riders. On weekday mornings the words “Route 8 Hamilton Avenue” drift into my dreams at precisely 7:34 if I happen to have the windows open. Announcing this information is designed to help the visually impaired, which is exactly the case when I’m sleeping.
The bus I took to work yesterday morning had a problem with the speakers that produce these announcements. Electrical impulses were sent but the speakers didn’t convey the words. It only made the sounds of electrical impulses and those impulses sounded like an stadium filled with cheering fans.
Once to my seat I undid by scarf and hat, unzipped my jacket and began reading. It’s the best part of taking the bus outside of not having to deal with traffic or icy roads. Each time we stopped to acquire passengers or to let someone off, I heard the cheering. By the fifth or sixth time I found myself smiling and breaking into a muffled laugh, which happened then every time the bus stopped.
Yes it was a malfunction, but I enjoyed the social reinforcement that should be apart of everyones commute while using public transportation.
Urban In-Fill 