Monday, July 30, 2007

Laugh Or Cry?

I don't know which. A reader sent me this link to a series of reports from Seattle bus drivers reporting "difficult" passengers--many of whom sound like they may be mentally ill. Some of these are so startlingly weird you want to laugh--and then you think about the suffering and confusion these people are going through, and you want to cry:
10/7/06 4:47 p.m. #140:

Began growling as he entered bus at [Burien Transit Center] and deposited large handful of leaves. Continued growling and tearing up schedules (one by one) in rear of bus.

...

2/18/07 11:28 a.m. #120:

One male got on and put a quarter in the fare box. I told him it was $1.25....At that point he took his quart bottle of punch and poured it into coin portion of fare box.

...

1/14/07 7:55 a.m. #15:

This passenger started to leave the coach at NW Market and Ballard Ave. NW; she put a 50-cent ticket in the fare box and asked for a transfer. I told her the fare was $1.25. She stated this was a compassionate ticket....The woman started striking me with her umbrella saying she wanted a transfer. I attempted to snatch the umbrella from her. I was unsuccessful, but she had placed her tickets on the storage over the wheel well. I took the tickets and a transfer and placed them outside the coach. I told her the tickets and transfer were outside the coach. She struck me several more times with her umbrella; I continued setting up my return trip. She then threw her coffee/drink at me; it glanced off my right arm and splashed on the dash. As I was cleaning up the mess, she began to strike me with her umbrella much harder this time. (It hurt.) I defended myself by blocking her blows with my arms and hands and was able to maneuver out the front door. I then closed the front door; she then began to strike the glass on the door and cracked it.

...

2/7/07 1:40 p.m. #48:

Pulled into zone at 15 & 85 NW. A man put the bike rack down, climbed on, held on to windshield wiper, screaming, "Let's go bitch." Then he tried to crawl through driver window, grabbing my arm. He then got back on bike rack insisting on riding there. I called for help.

10/18/06 7:08 p.m. #174:

Hispanic male drinking and harassing passengers on coach, using bad language toward female passengers. When asked to please stop, offender became more abusive with language....Finally offender exited the coach...then stood in front of coach and began to urinate on the front of coach.

...

7/17/06 8:30 a.m. #106:

Charged diagonally across street jumped onto the bike rack banged on window and shouted let me on this bus—I could tell by the anger and the demeanor and the look in his eyes that wouldn't be safe for anyone on the bus—so I shook my head. He then climbed across the bike rack so he was directly in front of me and banged on the window like he was trying to break it then he grabbed the windshield wiper arm and bent it down and back....I pushed the EA and PRTT...he hit the window again jumped down and charged west on Cloverdale....I suddenly realized he wasn't after a ride he was after me!
And these were the ones that I could feel comfortable quoting.

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