Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Press yellow strip to open door. Moron.

There is a whole sub-category of bus-crazies who are most likely perfectly sane in ordinary life, but for whom the bus is a catalyst of craziness.

The most noticeable of these are the people who can't figure out how to work the back door.

I realize that there are many people for whom a ride on the bus is something of a quaint oddity, or a unique inconvenience. These people are not familiar with the rules of bus travel. Their natural ignorance can be cheerfully forgiven. What I'm talking about are the people who can't (or won't) read or take advantage of the helpful diagrams Winnipeg Transit has provided, and instead react to their frustration with violence.

I'm talking about the people who pound with all their might upon the door, while yelling "BACK DOOR!! BAAACK DOOOOOR!!!!", as if the bus driver were cruelly imprisoning them by refusing to let them off the bus.

In these situations I like to lean across, and using only one finger, press the yellow strip and watch the door magically swing open for the frustrated and angry tourist in my world of bus travel. They rarely thank me.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Or they pound on it, and it doesn't open, so they assume it's broken, and run desperately the length of the bus to try to exit out the front door. And I stick my leg out and trip them.

Anonymous said...

and I get annoyed with the 'back door gangs' the people who think it's cool to chill infront of the exit door and then won't move when someone who actually would like to get off the bus is leaning across them to push the button.

Elliot said...

LOL. Happens all the time. I try to press the strip for them, but it is tempting just to laugh at them.

Anonymous said...

Although I take the bus regularily and know how to operate the backdoors...sometimes pressing the yellow strip doesn't work!! Then I get very embarassed...

Anonymous said...

"All comments must be approved by the blog author." Yes, so this one has a chance.

The yellow strip does not work properly all of the time. I have no idea why this is; I think perhaps my upper body strength is lacking. This is not indicative of level of intelligence. As a matter of fact, my IQ is 149, and yet, I am occasionally at issue with the yellow strip.

You have poked fun at little but yourself.

Anonymous said...

It's not a matter of upper body strength; the strips respond best to hard-edged pressure. Using a knuckle works much better than using a finger-tip.

Anonymous said...

I was on a new bus this morning, and noticed that they've redesigned the yellow strip. It's gigantic now, and so is the text telling you to PRESS HERE TO OPEN DOOR YOU MORON. Okay, it doesn't say "you moron" but when I'm king it will.

Anonymous said...

I don't ever take the bus unless my truck breaks down, I can't get a ride from anyone else, and no taxi's are available. Although I did notice the yellow strip and pushed it, yet the door did not open. I stood there quiet and confused for a minute until a big guy beside me pushed the door open. I think they should of just kept the panel that swung open.