One more reason to ride

Sydney Buses has screwed the pooch again.

Sydney commuters have been warned to expect bus service disruptions in the lead-up to Christmas with more than 200 of them taken off the road due to a mechanical fault.

Sounds like it was chaos in certain areas of Sydney today as commuters stood on the side of the road and watched packed bus after packed bus just drive on by. I noticed that our bus, which normally picks up people on Parramatta Road, didn't bother stopping after leaving Norton St. It was full by then.

I had the full horror commute again. I sat down next to this middle aged woman, who gave me a look of "Oh, how dare you take that seat". A few stops later, her fat friend got on. Instead of her fat friend moving to the back of the bus, she stood over me for the entire trip in. Fat friend's fat arse was so fat that no one could get past, meaning that a few standing room only spots went begging.

It also meant that I had to listen to their inane conversation all the way into town, and put up with them passing mobile phones back and forth like school kids. I think fatso was expecting me to give up my seat to her - as if. Standing up might help her burn off a few more calories.

On matters of standing up, I had a female driver the other day, and she was most pedantic about counting the standing passengers. Once the vertical creatures reached a certain point - the number the bus is licensed for - she refused to take any more passengers.

Interestingly enough, there was a lot of room between those standing, and I had no armpits forced into my face. The bus also seemed to accelerate away from the lights without completing straining and dying in the arse.

Clearly, most drivers let people get on until elbows are poking out the emergency exit in the roof. I think the maximum number of passengers is 72, but some buses must be carrying closer to 100. That happens every day. Just goes to show how many more buses this city needs.

I am just waiting for the green goo in my lungs to clear out so I can start riding again. Screw this bus business. I'm a so over it.