Bus Ride

Yesterday we had to catch a ride on the bus back to the house – not an uncommon thing. In Brazil public transportation is a given and people really do use it. For a dollar you can cross town and get within two blocks of your house. But things are just a “little” different than you might be imagining.
At the bus stop, which might be as simple as a colored stripe on a telephone pole or as elegant as a glass walled, well protected cubical, people from all walks of life gather. Mostly the simple take the busses but occasionally even a business man or two will catch a ride. Every body stands anxiously waiting the bus and some even form a circle of friends right in the middle of the road with no regard to on coming traffic. The assumption is that if you are a driver it is your responsibility to be alert and aware.
As the bus comes swooping over to the curb and to a screeching halt everyone scrambles to guess where the door will come to a stop and then the pushing and prying begins. If there aren’t too many people wanting that particular bus then the boarding process is fairly peaceful, but if there is a throng of people wanting on, you had better know how to stand your ground!
Once on the bus you had better grab hold of something because the bus driver doesn’t hesitate to throw it back into gear and barrel on down the road shifting as fast as he can. Right in the front of the bus you have to pay a seated clerk wearing the same uniform as the driver who then activates the spinning gate that lets you back to the seating area. However, that doesn’t mean you will get a seat. If the bus is full you’ll just have to stand.
In my case the cashier didn’t have enough change so he had me wait near by. A few stops later, after picking up another ten people or so he handed me my change and I found a place to sit. In no time we were home.