This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Hail To the Bus Driver
Thanks to the grouchy mother fucker Metro Transit driver Monday afternoon around 2:30 going to SMU. I got on your bus in a great mood, ipod on & some rocking beats to amuse me on my ride to work…when you decided to stop the bus before a stop & get up t
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@ChrisIt’s true that there are many annoying things on the bus. Idiots yammering into their cellphones; loud and innane conversations about who the babydaddy is sleeping with; obnoxious sprogs and inept parents; people who smell like three months worth of ass. There are myriad ways in which the bus sucks. But the fact that they can’t all be eliminated doesn’t mean that I can’t rejoice when just one small annoyance is removed. Actually, I would say that other people’s retardedly loud music is the most consistently annoying thing on the bus. All the other issues are occasional. I have to listen to somebody else’s idea of music pretty much every time I get on a bus. And Chris? What the hell is MetroChancelt?
I’d like to buy that bus driver a beer.See, I don’t have an i-pod. I ride the bus i-pod free. What this means, Tim, is that I have no means with which to drown out the fucking noise of YOUR fucking i-pod. And I am sick and tired of sitting on the bus with fifteen asshats like you all blasting your i-pods at such a volume that I am forced to listen to fifteen different kinds of crap all the way from Fairview to Burnside. So smarten the fuck up. You can drown out the noise without turning it up so loud that everyone around you has to listen to YOUR noise.
Tim, if your tunes were audible to everyone around you then maybe turn it down a bit. However, if that wasn’t the case …What would have happened if you didn’t turn it down and you didn’t get off the bus? Just a thought. Would the bus driver put scores of people behind schedule and wait for the cops? When the cops arrived what is he going to tell them? What would the cops do … ticket a guy going to work listening to music???When I pay my fare to get on the bus I’m not given any “terms and conditions”. If Metro Transit is going to crack down on this then they have to get the message out through additional signage or something. If the message is not communicated how can they expect people to comply without a confrontation like you encountered. Furthermore, a little off topic, does anyone notice not all drivers enforce the rules. I know coffee cups aren’t allowed on the bus but I see people everyday with their Tim Horton cups on the bus. It just emphasises the ambiguity in the rules.I personally have never had an issue with my ipod on the bus. If I did (although highly unlikely) I can honestly say that I’m not sure how it would play out. I know stopping the bus just to single me out and issue an ultimatum is not the way to go about it.
I’m just trying to imagine how many people will be prematurely deaf because of these devices. If someone else can hear them, then they are not only too loud but a danger to the listener as well. Isn’t it bad enough that there’s tons of boomers out there who can’t hear fuck all because of all those ear-shattering rock concerts way back when?
For one the reason NEED a personal stereo while on MetroChanceIt is to not have to listen to the rest of the douche-bags on the bus. Would this driver have told some parent with their our of control spawn to control your kids or get off the bus? I couldn’t see it happening. I would really like to know how loud you where playing your music to piss this driver off because to me it would need to be a ear bleed volume for it to be noticed that badly. All this driver seems is just to be playing some power tripping role maybe to make for the fact that he has a small penis.That and coyote, maybe you should have a personal stereo or maybe earplugs so you can drown out the ass-hats around you, that and don’t you find that any kind of music that you MAY SOMEHOW here from an Ipod is pretty minor compared to all the other annoyances from transit users like Inane conversations from a bunch of g-unit and 8 miles or fucking out of control brats with parents that need a boot to the head?? Trust me I think I rather have to put up listening to bad music from someone else’s headphones that 90% of the people that ride the bus.
You need to ditch those shitty white earbuds and invest in some quality noise canceling ear canal buds that actually throw all of that music into your ear.http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10079323&catid=these are great.These are really good as well (you won’t be able to hear any outside noise to be careful walking).http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10074452&catid=
HEY Chris, take that back, Im married to a metro transit driver and he HAS a BIG PENIS
I know that the people on the bus aren’t just like you… But I am an advocate of actually y’know… Comminucating. Makin’ freinds with your neighbors. I know some people are skeey, so leave them alone… But YOU take the bus… Are YOU skeevy? Neither am I. Do we really need to shut out the world? And if you do, that’s ok too. Just do it without taking over the airwaves. Thanks.
Raoul,Actually, although you are given no terms and conditions when you get on the bus, there are three big signs on the front oft he bus that say, NO SMOKING, NO RADIOS AND NO FOOD.im pretty sure the loud music from someone elses headphones is considered the same thing as a radio. I am an ipod listener on the bus, but i ALWAYS make sure my music isnt loud enough for others to hear. Its so God damn ANNOYING when you can hear it, even if you like what they are listening to, it is the most annoying thing to have to listen to it through someone elses shity headphones. It drives me batty.
OK I am an IPOD user and this EXACT same thing happened to me last week. My music was NOT loud and it was pretty tasteful music (James Blunt … how can you go wrong with a little James Blunt). So this prick driver pulls over in the middle of Robie st and gets out of his seat and asks me to turn it down, I was mortified, there were at least 4 other people around me with headphones in and he didn’t say a word to them. When he sat down I asked the lady right beside me if she could hear anything and she said “not really”. So how the FUCK could he hear anything??? I think he was just being spiteful, on some kind of powertrip or something. That fuckin cunt-flap is probably getting off on it. I say Rock On music lovers!
Cunt flap???? Bahawhawhawhawhaw – thanks for that one.
Why are drivers stopping and giving Ipod users flak? I never see them stop and tell other passengers that are being disruptive to stop their behavior or for any other infractions like people taking on coffee or other food items. I do feel that both the instances listed by people that have been treated with being booted are being power-tripped upon. Yes I do realize that driving a bus isn’t the best job out there and ya you do have to deal with assholes on a daily basis but to me I don’t see how music coming from even shitty headphones would override the usual din of a busload of people. Plus, stopping your route just to bitch someone out for something that minor seems rather petty, do you stop your bus and tell disruptive riders to shut up or get off or tell parents of out of control kids to put a leash on them or get off? I for some reason could never see that happen.
I have been on both sides of this issue – I was on the bus recently when the driver came down to tell 2 guys to turn down their Ipods – one I could barely hear and one I couldn’t at all – he came down a second time to tell one guy to turn it down again. I couldn’t even hear anything! On the other hand I have been on the bus around 4-5 people that are blasting their Ipods and it is sooooooo fucking rude! All I can say is that if you are wearing one of these in public be respectful of others around you and turn it down!!! Thank you!