Bus Report #263

Yesterday I used Next Bus to look up when I could catch a 44 O'Shaughnessy bus. Next Bus told me I had 17, 25, or 67 minutes. I chose 25.
I speed-walked down to 6th and Clement, and waited in the bus shelter with a couple of girls who had just bought Halloween costumes, some grandmas carrying groceries that weighed more than they did, and a chubby little boy and his mom.
The bus came in 25 minutes exactly, a miracle!
It was really pretty excellent. I am always surprised when Next Bus works.
I got on the bus and realized immediately that it was one of the new hybrid buses, like what I've rode on in Boston.
The whole bus can be entered/exited on street level, but the back of the bus is up a couple of steps and has seats lining both windows.
It was spacious and no one had a problem with the stairs in the back.
The only complaints I have about the new buses: the signalers are really high up so you have to stretch to reach them, and the back door opens only if you touch the door, and sometimes it didn't seem to work very well.
Otherwise, I like them.
Wouldn't want to see one crowded, though.

This morning was dark, grey and with wisps of fog blowing around.
I caught a 38 and sat near the front.
The teen girl got a haircut. She has bangs now.
One of the sewing ladies got a perm. Not a good one, unfortunately.

The handsome South Asian chef got on at his usual stop.
He saw me, said "Hey, how are you?"
I replied, "good, you?"
And then he moved back to the rear of the bus.

On the 22 Fillmore, I had one of the regulars sitting next to me.
This woman is very odd looking: She always wears dark sunglasses even in the morning, very frilly little-girl style dresses and usually uncomfortable-looking flat shoes.
No matter what the weather is, she has an off-white fleece jacket on.
She sat down and was so still I thought she had fallen asleep. Then I saw her eyes were wide open behind her glasses. She stared straight ahead.
Spooky.