It was 10 years ago, April 13, 1998 I became an Urban Transit Operator. That's a fancy name for bus driver. During my first week out on my own, after successfully completing 22 days of intense training, I quickly learned that I had not been taught everything I needed to know. Sometimes, only experience can teach us the practical aspects of our chosen profession. I was working a night shift, which most rookies are forced to do during their early days on the job, which began around 9:00pm until 5:30am the next day. I had finished the first part of my route around 1:30am and then turned into a night bus that services the Bloor/Danforth route after the subway closes. I think I was run 56, which is the third bus across starting from Kipling Station. Obviously, being new, I was being very careful and probably a little slow, because I had not yet developed that rhythm that more experienced operators develop over the passage of time and plus the fact I was not all that familiar with the route. It takes a good year to learn all of the routes stops and characteristics. I knew from listening to other drivers talk at the division that the night bus routes could be a little, let's say colourful, especially on the weekend. I didn't really understand what all that meant. I was just happy I passed all my tests and had good full time employment with which to support my family. I had come from a 15 year background in insurance sales, never even been on a bus before, never worked different shifts. Just 9 to 5 with weekends off. Oh!, what a transition this was ! It was a Saturday night and it was busy. You wouldn't believe how many people are up at all hours of the night in the big city. I can tell you, they aren't going to church services. Some are working, most are partying which included ingestion of every kind of alcohol and drug you can think of. The nick name for the night bus was either " The Party Bus" or " The Puke Express". This is where the rookie driver really learned the ins and outs of the job. The night routes are long. Over one hour one way. We did two full round trips a night which took over four hours to complete. In was on my first run back from the top. In bus terms that means I had completed my first up trip (west) and was on my way back (east). Bus trips are either UP- north ,UP-west, DOWN- south, DOWN-east. I noticed this women standing by the side of the road all by herself on The Danforth right in the heart of the club district. I assumed she needed a ride and certainly should not have been all by herself at 3:00am in the morning. That could be dangerous for a young lady. Since I had just left the end of the route, I only had a few people on board. I stopped, being a gentleman and wanting to save this young lady from the dangers that could be lurking at this early time of the night, and asked her if she would like a ride on the bus. I soon realized I had made a big mistake. This was no lady. I knew by the time she hit the second step, she was very intoxicated. She also immediately tried to sit on my lap and kiss me. Shocked and not knowing exactly what to do, I was trying to push her away while keeping control of the bus. The guy sitting in the idiot seat ( that's the seat beside the driver and I didn't name it that) was killing himself laughing and was not about to offer any advice. He was enjoying the show just a little too much. She wanted to know where we were going to go for our
" date". I tried to explain to her that I was married and wasn't interested in " dating". She couldn't understand why I stopped to pick her up from her "spot" if I didn't want a "date". Finally my message got through and she realized this was not going to be a profitable bus ride for her and she got off the bus. Whew! Close call. My first encounter with a lady of the night. The first of many to follow.
Lesson # 1- Do not pick up people in between stops at 3:00am on a Sunday morning. They didn't tell me that in school! I suddenly realized just how naive I really was!
TO BE CONTINUED...........................................................................................................................
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3 comments:
haha! I eagerly await the next installment.
Must be a generational curse or something. I was on a business trip to Toronto one day when I worked in sales at Stelco. I stopped to pick up a female hitchhiker ( this was back in the days when it usually wasn't dangerous to pick up hikers ) As soon as she got in the car, she started propositioning me. Same story: I told her I was happily married and not interested. Turned out she made her living hustling truck drivers. When she found out I wasn't a prospective client, she requested that I stop and let her out so she could continue soliciting along the side of the QE. Needless to say, I never put myself in that predicament again.
No curse, just coincidence I think. In my job, working on the streets, I get to see everything that goes on there. I go up and down streets several times each night. I've learned to know where the girls hang out and watch them get picked up over and over. There is no shortage of customers. Hard to believe. I feel sorry for them that they feel they have to make a living this way. I know the reasons from a counselling point of view. It's not a nice life. Maybe I'll talk about Debbie next. Sometimes they take refuge on the bus to escape for few moments or move up the street. I've talked to them. There is hope. They just need to know that for themselves.
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