EUGENE — From naked men and giant candybars to mass riots, the public transportation workers of Eugene have seen it all and then some.
“We’ve got a front seat to all of the craziness,” joked on Eugene-area bus driver. And from what I’ve seen and heard, she spoke the truth.
For some people, the morning ritual of climbing sleepily onto the bus to begin their day is in no way special or unusual.
For me, though, it is special and unusual, as I had never ridden public transportation before college. I look forward to climbing those steep steps into the diverse world of public transportation every morning because there is so much to observe and take in during those 15 minutes that start my day.
So, I got to wondering, what about the bus drivers? They spend their whole day observing this diverse world, so what have they experienced?
I spoke with a few drivers, all of whom had been driving for more than 10 years, about their strangest experiences in public transportation. None of the drivers I spoke with revealed their names for publication, citing the policy of Lane Transit District.
All of the drivers told me they thoroughly enjoyed their jobs, one even saying she would “feel like a fish out of water in any other job.”
“There is never a dull moment.” said one driver as she told me a story about a day she likes to call “the day I met Mr. Goodbar.”
“I was on the corner of Centennial and there was a man trying to wave down the bus. Now, we’re given strict orders not to pull over anywhere except for the bus stops. So, I waved the man toward the next stop,” she said. “Apparently, he wasn’t having that, and so he proceeded to leap in front of the bus and slap, I swear, a 20-pound Mr. Goodbar up against the front windshield. Needless to say, the man never boarded the bus.”
Another driver told me about a similarly strange experience he had one bright, shiny morning.
“It was about 32 degrees outside and 6:50 a.m. in the morning,” he said, “and as I’m pulling into the Eugene Station, there is a young man standing in Bay Q, just completely naked. It was one of the strangest things I think I’ve ever seen.”
Not every driver recounted such comical memories. The last driver I spoke with told me of a day in 1999 when the streets were so filled with protestors that traffic was blocked and the buses could not even make it out of the station. The driver didn’t recall what the demonstrators had been protesting, but there’s a good chance it was the Anarchist riot on June 18 of that year.
While the drivers definitely had many a strange story, the acts of kindness they said they witness on a daily basis far outnumbered those experiences. Drivers said they see people giving up their seats for another who needs it more, and helping out others with their bus fare when they’re short on change.
“There are infinite opportunities for self-growth in public transportation,” said one driver, and I have to agree.
However, public transportation is not just an opportunity for self-growth. In my opinion, it is also a reminder, in an age of technology and isolation, of the interaction and kindness we’re all capable of.
