It's shaping up to be one of those nights...

I'm writing this one on my nice shiny new toy, while I'm on the stand in my layover. Makes a pleasant change to be doing something other than staring into space at 01:40 am!

This evening got off to a wonderful start... First the heavens let go. Cats, dogs, stairs, bannisters, etc. etc. Makes for wonderful driving, lemme tell you.

Especially if you drive a bleedin' great bus... Everyone and their son then seems to leave their brains behind at home, and carves up every other road user they can find - especially if it's a big red thing designed to carry lots of people, like, oh, a bus.

One of these brainless twits, apparently having decided that letting folks know what he intended to do was a burdensome trouble, stopped in the middle of the road (at least two feet from the kerb), and waited to let someone get in - it was a minicab, of course. Now, when I was driving a minicab (close to seven years ago now), I never would have done that - not only is it inconsiderate to other road users, it is also asking to have someone less alert crash into the back of the car. Even more so if one doesn't indicate - let me remind some of you - telepathy only works when BOTH brains are working!

Anyhow, later on, I then had a rather dumb passenger and his two mates get on at a major South London route nexus (Where many routes cross paths); chummy thought it a great wheeze to play pass-the-pass.

Problem was that not only was he calling "take it! Take it!" to his mate behind him in a loud voice (What, they think I'm deaf?), but I could also see what was going on too (hmm... I must be blind too). Needless to say, the ticket machine bleeped twice and came up "Attempted Passback".

I pointed out that (a) I knew what he'd tried to do, (b) he was going to have to pay a cash fare to travel, and (c) had there been a Revenue Protection Officer on board, they'd most likely be in a spot of rather serious bother.

Anyhow, he didn't say a thing, just stumped up the two quid required, and naffed off to find his mate, who'd left him there to sink or swim. Nice having mates like that!

Then, I get a refugee from a Jamaican road movie, playing his harmonica at full tilt - thankfully he wasn't one of those beggars we occasionally see on the buses, and his playing was at least competent (in tune!), but his singing... Well to be charitable, it didn't break any windows, but then he couldn't pitch his voice high enough!

(Photo taken while killing time halted (service brake on) at a bus stop... sometimes, the scheduling gives a little too much time...!)

Then he got into a heated argument with another passenger upstairs... I thought I'd cornered the market in four-letter non-repetitive speeches, but ye gods, I'm glad the paint didn't peel!

Like I said. It's one of those shifts, and I'm only a third the way through!

Ye gods!

EDIT...

Later on, we had another fool on the road... this time, a regular. Seeing as I was for once this night empty of passengers, I took a minute to very briefly park the bus, stuck the hazard lights on, and took this photo. Note the blind bent to the right. To get past this idiot, one has to obviously cross onto the wrong side of the road. If someone's hammering it the other way, there's no way in hell they'll stop in time: Even at thirty, it'll be even odds if two vehicles can stop in time - especially in wet or damp conditions.

Wonder if he'll get a ticket, a summons, or just be ignored like so many other road offenders, when the accident he causes happens?