You know that special breed of bus drivers who have no sense of urgency whatsoever? The ones who operate as if they’re the one who invented time? Those ones that make you question everything about public transport? Yeah, this is about one of them.
So, one early morning, I was on my way to work. It had rained the night before, so there weren’t many buses on the road. Fortunately for me, the only available one was this guy’s bus. I got in and sat with one other passenger, expecting the usual swift loading process. But, to my surprise, our driver was chilling, literally sitting in his seat, watching TikTok and laughing like he had no single worry in life. Meanwhile, the rest of us were on edge, trying to get to work on time.
At first, I thought maybe he was waiting for more passengers to show up, but as the minutes passed and he remained glued to his phone and his seat, I started wondering, was this man on a different time zone? Did he not realize people had places to be? The murmuring and complaints started rolling in, but he remained unmoved.
Finally, after 2 eternities later, the bus started moving. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I remembered that our roads tops the charts as the best in the world.
When did that happen?
The major roads were terrible, so we had to go through seven seas and 13 jungles just to get to the next bus stop.
Few minutes into the journey, the bus suddenly started jerking and coughing like it had caught a cold. I knew that sound too well. We all did. And just as I suspected, the driver casually announced, "Ah, no fuel o."
At this point, the only thing that saved him from receiving premium beatings was divine intervention. The men in the bus had to come down and push it to the nearest filling station, only for us to meet a long queue of vehicles waiting for fuel. At this point, everyone’s patience was fully exhausted. Heavy eye-rolls were exchanged, nuclear bombastic side-eyes were in full force, and the insults rained down like an uncontrollable storm
After what felt like three working days on the road, I finally arrived at my workplace. And of course, the first thing I heard was, "You should have left home earlier." If only they knew the struggles of an innocent child.
Once upon a time, I encountered one of those cheerful, chatty bus drivers, the type that turns a stressful ride into pure entertainment. His bus was one of those rare ones with comfortable seats that you wouldn’t want to leave. Despite the bad roads, the trip was smooth, and the driver kept cracking jokes, making everyone laugh.
But then, when we got to the last stop, I realized something, I was still very far from my house. But because of the ongoing road construction and road blocks, he couldn't go further and I was the last passenger in the bus. I was so tired and disappointment washed over me as I muttered, "This place is far from where I’m going."
I didn’t even think he heard me, but next thing I knew, he turned to me and asked, "Where’s your house?" I told him, and without hesitation, he said, "Okay, let’s go."
Just like that.
No questions asked, no extra charge. Just pure kindness. He drove me all the way to my doorstep while continuing his cheerful conversation. When we arrived, I asked if he lived nearby or if he was heading in that direction anyway. His response? "No, I just wanted to drop you off."
I was stunned. A bus driver, going out of his way just to help someone? That wasn't something you'll see on a normal day. And he still collected the normal transport fare, nothing extra.
Imagine how happy I was! That was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with public transport.
Public transport is truly something you cannot actually tell how it's going to be. You never know if you’re going to get the most frustrating driver in the world or an unexpected angel on wheels. Either way, every trip is a story waiting to happen.
Let us know about your experiences with transportation in today's Inleo Prompt, you can also join to write everyday for the month of Febuary
