Every Berkeley student has a spot in his or her heart reserved for the buses in Berkeley. We get a student pass too, so it's super easy to take the bus.
Riding the bus is a love hate relationship. My first year at Cal I thought I would never learn the city. It was always nerve racking trying to guess what stop I needed to get off at (and I usually got off at the wrong one). I mean, you know me, I get lost everywhere, plus it was my first time really using public transit. Anyhow, I actually did finally figure out the city and the bus system.
Around here, though, I take the bus usually because I’m either really late to class or too lazy to walk up “heart attack hill” up to class. There are a lot of nuances to bus-riding in Berkeley. There is one line, the 51, which is has the great misfortune to service all the areas where UCB students live AND downtown Oakland. Which means that the bus is often late because there’s traffic in Oakland, and then late because five million students come out of class and are too lazy to walk home. It is usual to see two 51 buses one after the other. It is not too odd to see three in a row. Four is pretty rare, but….it happens. What happens even more than that though is an EXTREMELEY packed 51 bus lumbering down the street, the bus driver pleading with us to move back. Ok, sometimes we do take the bus NOT to class....like the bus that can take you (for free!!!) from Berkeley to San Francisco - that's pretty sweet.
Riding the bus can be a social experience like you said. The other day I was on an extremely packed 52L bus. I mean, this was seriously the most packed bus I’ve ever been on. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but it was also pretty bonding. People helping each other out, showing where you can put your hand or foot, chatting with the harried bus driver, etc. I don’t really ever get anything done on a bus because the distances I travel are pretty short. Probably ten minutes max.
Often times though, bus riding is an art of extreme magnitude. The art of trying not to fall down, of not hitting the kid in the nose with you huge backpack, not making eye contact, not sitting in the seat with the weird goopy stuff on it….and my favorite: trying to not sit next to the crazy person. There is usually at least one crazy person on any given bus in Berkeley. Or homeless person. It’s difficult to say which I’d prefer – crazy or homeless. The crazies talk A LOT but the homeless smell really bad. Sometimes there are seriously drunk homeless people. Those are the most uncomfortable ones to be around.
My absolute favorite person is the Hat Lady. She does stuff on Telegraph (I don’t know what) – presumably makes/sells hats. She is a middle aged robust black woman dressed in flags and large skirts, and odd head gear…..helmets, hats, rags, ear muffs – you name it, she’s probably worn it on her head. It takes this woman five hours to get onto a bus. And oh boy, she is talking the moment the doors open until the moment she gets off the bus (another 5 hours) because she usually has a cart with all her belongings with her so the bus driver puts down the special step thingy in the back of the bus. And by talking, I mean complaining. About the bus, about her arthritis, about politics, young people, her other health ailments, etc. When I see that she is about to get on the bus that I’m on, I get off – even if it’s far away. Because I will get to my destination before she gets on the bus.
Onto the topic of bus drivers. Bus drivers come in all shapes and sizes. A bus driver can make or break your day. There are the bus drivers (these are reserved for the 51 bus) who I truly believe get off at closing the doors and driving away RIGHT as you are about to maybe be able to make the bus. There are those that scowl, those that smile and help ya out, ooh there are bus drivers which like to honk at all the other bus drivers to say hello (or to yell at them to get a move on). There are competitive bus drivers (sometimes the 51 buses race one another). But it’s important to always say hello and thank you. I usually do. Unless the bus driver was particularly mean or the bus is particularly full. It’s tough to drive the bus in Berkeley. I think especially drivers who drive the 51 route deserve a reward at the end of each day for not killing someone.
