Bus Stop #1409

[UPDATE:] In researching another post I ran into this kudos from 2006 – Bus 734’s Act of Kindness

A quick kudos to the N/S Express bus #1409 driver.

At 8:32 this evening you waited for a passenger to hustle from roughly Town Hall south down MLK, Jr. 150 yards to catch the bus.

The young man waved to the bus after it had already passed him by at least 40 yards. In the falling twilight it was amazing you saw him.

Over the years I’ve also read my share of complaints about Chapel Hill Transit’s staff and service. That the number of public complaints seems to have far outweighed the number of accolades I see more of a function of our culture than a systemic issue with the folks driving our buses (yes, I know there are exceptions!).

Like many of the services our Town provides, I tend to watch the buses move around town with more than casual curiosity.

I know some of the routes are on tight schedules and a few minutes delay in one spot can compound into a larger and larger delays elsewhere. I also well understand the pressure drivers might feel to move it along at any cost.

You didn’t have to wait. Folks would understand that the “trains must roll” and that you have to meet a schedule. If you hadn’t waited maybe only you, the passenger and I would have ever known – just like we might be the only three that witnessed your simple human courtesy.

It’s said that “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking” [J. Brown].

I saw and appreciate what you did. Thank you.