8:17 AM January 2, 2007: My first experience with the Charlottesville Transit System
There’s one other person at the bus stop when I arrive. Figuring I’ll probably see him each morning thereafter, I say hello. When he responds–ostensibly to return pleasantries–I struggle to understand him. He’s missing the better part of both rows of teeth, and the 24 oz Bud Light he’s drinking out of a paper bag is clearly not the morning’s first. Somehow, we continue talking; more accurately, he talks and I strain to listen. Catching me off guard, the man pats my back, rests his hand on my shoulder, and imparts the first of many bus stop pearls of wisdom: “Son, a woman is real sensitive … unless she’s a whore.”
Fast forward a few weeks…
There’s a man sitting at the front of the bus. He’s heavyset and probably in his early 50s, though his sunglasses, cap, and unkempt beard make it difficult to tell for sure. He looks to be asleep at first, but my vantage point is such that I can just make out the whites of his eyes behind the dark lenses. He’s awake after all, mouth agape, and I notice a pool of spittle collecting at the left corner of his mouth. Gathering momentum, the drool works its way slowly through his beard, elongating, picking up speed. Now would surely be a good time to put a shirt sleeve to use, I think to myself. Maybe he’s actually asleep. I check again. Nope. Still awake. When the drool reaches his chin, there is nowhere left to go but down. He seems aware that the drool has crested, but the man does nothing but look at his stomach, where the offending spittle will almost certainly fall. (I imagine for a moment that I can hear his shirt protesting.)
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Tagged as: Albemarle County, Charlottesville, Government, Public Transit, Rumors
I don’t know the route of the 3A bus, but I’ve taken the 7 bus a few times when my travels for work required a rental car and I didn’t want the decrepit, old man at Enterprise to carry through on their “We’ll pick you up” policy (bus > 20 mph on Rt. 29).
The 7 runs up Main Street and University Ave, then stops at most of the shopping centers on Route 29. The riders seem to be pretty normal folks, ranging from kids on their way to the mall, to old people, to young professionals, some stowing their bikes on the rack in front.
If the bus becomes free, I hope more people will give it a chance. Coming from NYC, I don’t understand why some people here don’t see public transit as useable. Who wouldn’t want to read a book or the paper instead of driving during their commute?
Somehow, this got posted before I had a chance to finish. If it appears incomplete/unresolved, that’s why.
Lest I be mistaken for being critical of my fellow bus riders or the service itself, I’m not. The C’ville buses are fantastic–dependable, often driven by nice folks, and best of all, convenient. I’d advise anyone to give up driving for a day and see how they enjoy a few hours without the stresses of downtown street parking.
That said, the 3A has a usual cast of characters, most of whom are fairly normal and very friendly. But I also share my stop with an assortment of people from the nearby halfway house. Let’s just say it makes for interesting encounters on a frequent basis.
Ever since moving to C’ville a few months ago, I seem to have become a magnet for weirdness, and I fully intend to use cVillain to broadcast these encounters as they occur.
“Son, a woman is real sensitive … unless she’s a whore.â€
AWESOME. Although, it begs the question: what does the guy have against whores? They’re people too!
BusRider– if you want me to add the rest of your piece to the post, just send it to cvillainlilith@gmail.com. I’ll take care of it
And way to go for doing your part with the environment. I live on the 6 route, but I just won’t give up car dancing and singing around town.
These smiley faces look way too villainous, don’t you think?
Love the #3 bus. The driver always lets me off right at the entrance to UVA hospital, even though the correct stop on Roosevelt Brown Blvd (or whatever it’s called) is way up near Main St. Try getting a bus driver to let you off at a non-official stop in any other city. And once I was late and she spotted me sprinting out of my driveway and stopped for me. Getting back to Belmont on the 3 from UVA is not so easy, though. I can walk all the way home and beat the bus by a good 10 minutes.
Another one from a year ago. I’m glad posts like this one aren’t being written anymore. I’ve ridden the bus every day for the last 6 months and I rather like it. There are some seriously attractive people riding the free trolley in the mornings up west main.