Shuttle bus woes

, , 25 comments
Having a huge campus, our university has been considerate enough to have shuttle buses to take us around the campus. Till last year, we had to drop a 20 cents coin everytime we wanted to go in one. This year, the univ came up with the plan of (finally!) making it free. So, we thought, there ends the hassle of finding 20 c. coins every time you wanted to travel by a shuttle bus. Things didn't get that better, though.

After making the rides free, the univ. seems to have cut down the number of buses plying around. Buses now seem to take an eternity to come, and sometimes they even take as long as half an hour.

The most horrible times are the mornings, with huge queues for 8:30 classes. Being an unfortunate person with 8:30 a.m. classes three times a week, I am a victim of the overcrowded shuttle buses. There are some arivu jeevis who wake up earlier so that they can take the first bus that goes in the campus at 8. But come on, namalku idhellam otthu poguma? I make it a point to reach the bus stop only at 8:20. Some Indian mates may argue that even this is way too much, but since my lecturers aren't very pleased to see people walking in late and openly rebuke them, even if I don't care, at least I have to make some effort to make them think that what they say has some effect on me, :P so the whole thing.

The bus stops are still crowded. The univ is smart in that it has two shuttle bus routes A and B, which cover almost the same stops on the opposite sides of the road. So we have the 'comfort' of running to the other side of the road if a bus comes there.

As the morning buses are incredibly crowded, many a time the buses don't even stop in the bus stop, and we're left with standing in the stop staring like fools at the bus which just goes by, probably even wave a 'bye' if you find someone you know inside the bus.

Buses here stop only if you wave before it comes to the stop. There are some sad people who don't realise that the bus is overcrowded and go about waving, expecting the bus to stop, and even give 'what the heck!' stares if the bus doesn't stop. And I resist laughing with great difficulty, despite the pressure of reaching class on time.

What's more (self) entertainment is when I cross the road when I see the bus on the opposite side coming. We cross over, wait for the bus, realise it's crowded and hence won't stop. Then the bus on the other side comes, and we cross back again, only to realise that the driver was being unfair and didn't stop though at least five more people could've managed to get into the bus. Maybe he got intimidated at the sight of about 30 people waiting with bated breath for the bus. It's funny, when you realise that you've been 'shuttling' across the road more often than any 'shuttle' bus available. One comes at long last, and a huge wave of people swarms into the bus.

I must say that Singaporeans are quite inexperienced when it comes to traveling in a crowded bus. No one can probably beat Indians in that. Singaporeans, when they do try to squeeze into some place in the bus near the driver, unfortunately block the driver's view and get slightly yelled at(in Chinese, which of course I don't understand).

While this is one extreme, there is this other one of two or three empty buses going behind one another, within a gap of say, 30 seconds. One day I had the misfortune of getting into one of the second buses of a row of three. And I was the only one in the bus. The driver was really angry with me, why I didn't know, then I guessed that maybe if it weren't for me, he would've parked the bus in the 'depot' and gone for a rest or something. He kept expectantly looking at me through his mirror as every stop neared, wondering if I would get down, making me extremely uncomfortable, wishing I could get down somewhere and walk the rest of the way. Nobody, unfortunately for me, even got into the bus, despite the driver waiting for a couple of minutes at every stop. Finally after what seemed to be hours of discomfort, I got down from the bus.

Hmm....accounts of a shuttle bus travel!

25 comments:

Vijay Ramamurthi said...

Yeah, this is quite common here also, when I used to have 7.40 classes, i used to leave early and walk, it used to help me get out of sleep.
:)

Harish said...

naanga 400 rs kattings!! :( UNFAIR!!

Sheks said...

Singaporeans are quite inexperienced when it comes to traveling in a crowded bus. No one can probably beat Indians in that

try footboard travelling like in Pallavan.

This is really a crisis to be considered.Y dont they implement a metro rail inside the campus?

Sheks said...

harish,how come u pay 400 for travelling in pallavan?

ada-paavi!!!! said...

nan bus illa ponathu illai, only time is when i come back from turtule walk when i catch the 5 am bus to adyar, appo i have to put up wit the smell if fish and karuvadu!,anda busa wave panni dhaan catch pannanom! namba indians r experts at tat

Krish said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Vani Viswanathan said...

vijay ramamurthi,
i tried that technique also. i'd be feeling so warm by the time i reach class, and the air con would make sure i start sleeping again! :P

harish,
nee velilarndhu campus varathukku 400 rs katra. idhu campus kulla, so of course we shouldn't pay!!

sheks,
oh ya,i've traveled on footboard in the buses here. the prob is with those sliding doors...driver anda door open panna i've to move elsewhere to avoid getting hit by it!

vatsan,
hehe...i once traveled in 12B next to a lady who wouldn't keep her huge basket of fish down, but only on her lap. i nearly fainted coz of the smell !

Harish said...

no no.. u for mistake..
naan vellilendhu varadha PTC-la thaan goings..

shuttling service-ku thaan 400 bucks pay pannanam.. per sem.. poda doggie-nu soleetu me walking 1.5 km to n fro every day :(

Krish said...

Be careful when you dart across the road for either of the buses :-)

Kaps said...

Hi,
In case you wish to participate in the forthcoming S'pore Indian Blogger Meet do take a look at my latest post

Anonymous said...

After banning two wheelers inside the campus, the mgmt announced that there ll be shuttle buses plyin the campus.... its an year and i havent seen even one.....

Anonymous said...

Hi there. Was bloghopping and found yours.

I went through your previous entries... really cool. They made me laugh a little. Am a singaporean but I do like the simple life in India. Especially the village side. I think it's much more peaceful over there.

Like the way you write and your rambles are just as interesting.

Do have a pleasant day.

I'll keep visiting your blog.

~phobiac~ said...

tell u what ...... get a cycle and enjoyee !!!

Anonymous said...

enakku 8:30 class irundha, I wont go :P.

Tappi thavari kooda idha shalini ikku solladha!

Agnibarathi said...

satyA padathula kamalahAssan amalA mAthiri travel panna veNdiyathu thAn!!

Vinesh said...

Seems like bus travails are global :-)

Anonymous said...

I wish these people learn a lesson or two from NUS, which has 4 different routes, and buses play at one every 5 min. Whats more, it has been free rode since 2001 :)

DR...

Rags said...

Ithula madrasa singapore madhiri akanumnu pesaranga...Inga partha Singapore madras madhiri ayitirukku... :-)

Vani Viswanathan said...

harish,
ohh nee apdi sonniyaa...very good, nalla exercise, nalla nada! :)

kaps,
Hi, i saw the post, don't know if i'll be able to make it, though!
:( am doubtful....

thennavan,
i've crossed even usman road and arcot road in chennai. this is nothing! anyways drivers here are considerate enough to stop when they see two or three students crossing the road even if not in the pedestrian crossing!

Vani Viswanathan said...

a,
ur univ. is busy banning jeans and cell phones on campus. when they don't find anything more to ban, you'll have buses plying.

the woman,
thanks! shall visit your blog soon. :)

phobiac,
inda malaipradesathula cycle oatina naa moochuvangi sagavendidaan! :P it's hilly, pretty difficult to go uphill leh!

Vani Viswanathan said...

gayathri,
sure....shhhhhh, secret well kept! :P

agnibharti,
kadavai vechu adellam pannamudiyama pannitangaley, what to do! :(

vJ,
:'( tags!!! ok, i'll do it soon...

Vani Viswanathan said...

vinesh,
these buses aren't even as interesting as our green monsters back home!!

DR,
hello! hmm...it's ok, ntu has just taken the first step, making it free. let's expect more in the coming years, hopefully another route or higher frequency before i graduate!!

rags,
adaan namma madras mahimai!! :P

Unknown said...

Pesaama classroom-laye brush paste ellam eduthu poi paduthudu, madhyanam kulichukkalam :D

Roberto Iza Valdés said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hello friends,

Being a girl myself I often wonder whether anything would change this world. Sometimes I feel that one must teach these bad guys a lesson. Then, why not start with the good guys ? Why not molest the school going student boy ? Why not pinch the butt of the old man who needs sone help to walk ? Becoz those 2 (the school going boy and the old man) are the bad guys or were bad guys or will be bad guys.

So my plea to all females who read this ... to rub your body parts, genitals et al against all the boys/men that are around.. maybe in a bus or sitting on a railway bench. Pinch their butts, press their meat pieces, squeeze their bodies... only then will the men learn...

Let's see whether this could change things ?

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9939966&postID=114104543222827964&page=2&isPopup=true


Priyavathy Chodutharai