I have been thinking a lot about what runs through my mind on the bus.

I have been riding the bus on a somewhat daily basis for a little over 5 months now, and one thing that I find is that I make friends with people without talking to them. Frankly without them knowing it. Its like a bond forged through the sheer fact of us occupying the same space.

I do the same thing when driving long distances too.

I explained it to my brother this past holiday season as we were making a 8 hour trip, and apparently I may be the only person in the world who does this.

Let me explain. On long stretches of road I like to recognize the fact that cars tend to clump together in groups. Especially on highways with more than 3 lanes.

I feel like we look out for each other. Let one person in when some asshole flies up behind them. Dont let the asshole over because they flashed their brights because you may have been going slower than them, etc. Also its nice to set pace with them so you aren’t constantly looking at your speedometer every 3 seconds.

I feel I make the same mental/faux relationships with people on the bus. Wether it happens to be the people who board the bus at the same time as me, the ones who exit the same stop as me, or the ones whom I just so happen to see every day. I feel that there is some sort of link that connects us. Mostly, of course, with the people that I see on a semi regular basis. I notice small things that I would with a co-worker, or an acquaintance. “Nice hair cut”, or “nice bag, is it new?” I want to say, but its kind of creepy, and I understand that.

I also like to think about what may (or may not) run through a bus drivers head. I mean, as a car-driver, buses and thier drivers do terrify me.

The vehicles themselves are large and move rather unpredictably. As far as the operator is concerned,

I muse over their attitudes over the roads the frequent, the stops they encounter, the other drivers on the road, the passengers them service and their feelings on the profession that they have chosen for themselves. Im curious about vehicle rotation. Is it “their” bus in particular, or do they just grab one as it is available for their shift? Im sure the hours must be grueling. I know that the drivers I see in the mornings on my way into work have definitely already been working for a few hours, and the ones I generally see in the evenings most likely have a very long night ahead of them.

As the time for me riding the bus everyday comes to an end (hopefully in the next few days, of not weeks) I cant help but think of anything that I may actually miss (other than reading). I cant exactly say that I will MISS any of the people on the bus, but it does make my commute a little less lonely-seeming. I am however, looking forward to a firmer ass again.