Genesis.

Many believe the origin of The Bus Loop is shrouded in mystery and has been relegated to the realm of folklore, however it was the following incident from whence The Bus Loop was born…

… as written by Danielle (@daniella_163):

It was early Monday morning. I was taking the SkyTrain to New West, like I usually do and this young guy got on at Columbia. He stood in the middle of the train by the doors hanging onto the centre pole. Suddenly, and without warning,  he began to pole dance. 7.30am – I wasn’t nearly caffeinated enough for an early morning show. I continued to watch, as he moved as if possessed by some tawdry 80’s music (Pat Benatar and Tina Turner come to mind). He began talking very loudly about his girlfriend, then the talking turned into singing. The topic of choice? How all girls, including his girlfriend (who was apparently cheating on him) are whores… He went on, but for fear of permanent scarring, I have blocked it from my memory.  It was a Crazy scene! Before exiting at New West Station, he pointed his index finger and thumb into a “pistol” and “aimed” at random passengers. No one took him too seriously, I noticed a few smirks from fellow passengers. Luckily, pole dancer dude was harmless – but also completely nuts.

I noticed he started to walk in the direction of Columbia Station but, didn’t really think anything of it. I was more concerned with seeing my friends as quickly as possible so, I could tell them about yet another crazy SkyTrain story. While I waited for everyone to show up, Sanda texts me to tell me she has a crazy story to tell me, as well… Awesome, my Monday morning just got slightly more entertaining.

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Sanda (@thebusloop) writes:

I’m on the SkyTrain. It’s sometime after 7.30am on a Monday morning and  I can barely keep my eyes open. I start dreaming about what I am going to order at Starbucks (Hmm, An Americano with oat fudge bar…) when suddenly, I get a text from my friend Danielle about some guy being a pole dancer. This is exactly what I need to wake up, a coffee and a crazy story. I can’t wait to hear about it!  I get off the train at Columbia Station and as I am walking down the stairs I hear someone singing at the top of their lungs. I turn the corner to see this seemingly normal-looking guy on the pay phone singing into it and doing the running man, seriously. I’m trying looking nonchalant but, I can’t help myself and I slow down and watch the scene unfold. As I walk towards the Columbia Street exit, I notice that he’s not really talking to anyone on the phone. In fact, there’s probably no one on the other end. He’s singing about how his girlfriend is a stripper, how he knows she’s cheating on him and how all girls are ho’s… All the while, still doing the running man. You wonder how I knew there wasn’t actually anyone on the other end of the phone? Because a phone is a less efficient form of communication when held upside down!  Anyways, the singing eventually turns to shouting, but the subject matter remains the same… Strippers, whores, and cheating girlfriends. He eventually ran off up the stairs, still yelling about his cheating, stripper girlfriend. Now I had a crazy SkyTrain story to share too!  This is going to be good…

…I barely had time to sit down and take a sip of my coffee when Danielle started me telling about pole dancing guy on the SkyTrain and then imitated him singing his song. I recognized the song immediately! Who could forget it? Apparently, pole dancing guy had done a loop, continuing his antics from one station to the next and back. Gotta love this small world we live in!

I figured that all these stories, crazy, funny, strange, would also be appreciated by the normal among us who also frequent transit. And so, The Bus Loop was created…

Field Reports: Crazy Comes Standard, Pt. 1

Story by Danielle Goss, @daniella_163:

Throughout my College and working life, taking transit has become routine for me.  The best part about it is the entertainment from random crazies no matter what time of day you ride the SkyTrain or take the bus.

I have had quite a few colourful interactions throughout my years of using Transit and some pretty scary experiences. I am generally very outgoing and once I’m awake (usually by noon), I enjoy talking to random people which can either make for a good story to tell or requires a restraining order. Unfortunately, I’ve had to find out the hard way! I do try to stay away from the dangerously crazy people but sometimes my chattiness gets the best of me and I don’t succeed…

My friend and I were taking the SkyTrain back from downtown at about 9:30 pm. Yeah, it was a pretty tame night, nothing too crazy. This guy gets on our train, obviously drunk but, not just drunk, Stupid-Drunk. Oh, and did I mention he was bleeding profusely from an open wound on his head?! He staggers over to where my friend and I are sitting and tries to hit on us. Awesome. Slurred speech is so not hot. Neither is being drunk and bloody. All the while he’s drinking a beer, still bleeding from the head and trying to chat us up. Of course, my curiosity got the better of me and I asked him what happened. He said he got into a fight… Well, no kidding! He started swaying closer to us and refused to get off the SkyTrain until we got off. Great, not only was this guy stupid-drunk, bleeding and drinking in public, he was Belligerent! My friend and I decided to get off at the next stop. We used the transit phone to call security. While  I was on the phone with Transit Security, stupid-drunk guy was still trying to have a conversation with us! By this point we were freaking out and I asked the person on the phone if he could see us on the security cameras. He said NO. Sort of scary, because anything could have happened and at that time there weren’t any cameras on the SkyTrain either. Anyways, Translink police eventually came and escorted stupid-drunk guy away so, my friend and I could go home, in peace. In one piece! I’ve noticed the newer trains have cameras which is an added security feature but, the security cameras just record the craziness. When there aren’t any Transit Security officers around, there’s still potential for a lot of crazy stuff to happen without anyone to help. Luckily, police officers came in time and stupid-drunk guy was more of a pain in the ass than a serious threat.

I have more stories, the next is funny, I promise! Anyways, stay tuned…

Field Reports: I Heart Canada Line

This post will be the first in a series about pet peeves on transit. I wanted to know what pisses people off and I thought it would be a great idea to have contributions from fellow transit users. Varying perspectives, funny stories and different opinions to add to the content of TheBusLoop blog… Whether you take transit or not, you will enjoy the laughs from each one these stories. None of this is made up, some people are actually this stupid and inconsiderate!

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I was really excited last year when the Canada Line opened up and took me from Richmond to work with only a couple of short blocks to walk. The way I saw it, it would be quicker, more convenient, and provide me with enough stairs to feel like I’m getting some kind of exercise. For the most part, it’s pretty much everything I wanted it to be. But there are a few things that prolonged ridership has shown to be a pain in the butt.

For starters, at the start of the Line in the mornings, the regular commuters have developed a system of lining up that works quite well. You get there, you go to wherever you like to ride the train, and you wait in the line for the train to arrive then load in an orderly manner. Once in awhile there’s that jerk that shows up, disregards the line system, and pushes their way to the front. Getting a seat is a hit or miss, and we all take the bad days with the good days. Pushing rudely ahead for a seat is just not cool.

Next, is the ride.

There are several different things that annoy me during the ride. Most days are good, but some days there are people who just suck. We’re all crammed in tightly in the mornings, and there’s just no getting away from the closeness. I understand that, and try to keep to my own little space. I dislike the people who cannot do so, and spread themselves out. There just isn’t room for you to be a space hog. This is doubly offensive when they have stinky armpits and/or stinky ass breath. Seriously, try brushing your teeth and wearing deodorant. Bathe regularly. I should mention that I’m short, so I often find people’s armpits next to me. Yuck. Bodily odours should always be kept to oneself, especially if you know you’re going to be in close proximity to others. This includes flatulence.

(Dis)honourable mentions go to people who step on my toes, people who touch my hand holding onto the bar, people who talk too loudly on the phone or to each other (if I can hear you over my ear buds, you’re too loud), people who are pushy, and people with backpacks. Seriously, put your damn bag on the ground between your feet.

Finally we have the dismount.

I know where I’m getting off, so I make my way to the door as we approach my destination. I understand it’s a tight squeeze, but people need to let me through, so why not just squish out of the way? Why stand firm and obstruct the path? That leaves me no choice but to become a rude pusher. I say excuse me and thank you all the way out the door because I do feel sucky if I have to push. But try to make it easier and shift out of the way if possible. If you’re blocking the door and not getting off, you have to get out of the way. If you’re getting off and I am getting off, it’s not necessary to push me off faster. That’s happened and it’s rude! I do not feel bad for calling out that pushy bitch for her ugly panty lines.

I pay for my two-zone bus pass every month. I ride the train and try to be a good and respectful passenger. I have only taken a photo of someone in a hideous outfit once. I do not breathe on people or make anyone inhale my (nonexistent) BO. I take up little space and only push when I have no other choice. We should all follow my lead and be better train riders. After all, you never know when you’re going to get transit karma breathing on you with their stinky bad breath.

Written by Holly

*Holly is a part-time writer and a full-time rider. She is not an ideal human being by any means and all references to her being awesome or perfect should be taken with the grain of salt with which it was meant. Or believed.  For more awesome stories from Holly, check out her blog here.