THE ENGAGING BUS DRIVER

[schlomo]

The Engaging Bus Driver

During the Covid epidemic, bus drivers in Honolulu have isolated themselves from their passengers, not just physically with a plastic partition but also with conversationally. The only time that I have heard a bus driver speak to a passenger, it was about a rare matter-of-fact bus route concern.

Last week was delightfully different. Throughout the ride through Waikiki, the bus driver was animated. In a dramatic native Hawaiian chant-like mode, he introduced every major site along the main drag. Sometimes I had difficulty deciphering what he was saying, but the swirling rhythm of his voice was spellbinding.

When he wasn’t regaling us with his travelogue, he waved and said hello to people milling about at every bus stop. Whether he knew them or not was immaterial. Everyone deserved his gracious attention. Many of them responded in kind to his good-humored welcome.  When I got off on my stop, the bus driver jovially called me brah.

It was such a blessing to be in his uplifting presence for a while. It was a treat not to worry about the omnipresent pandemic variant mutations. At least for a few moments, I could ask, Covid, where is thy sting?

[MedusaE76171]

A few moments of return to normalcy. It's so true that we don't realize what we have until it's lost, even something as small as simple social civilities. Not being constantly nervous about how close someone is to you or whether their mask is pulled all the way up.

Your bus driver must have been like a cool breeze during a heat wave.

It made me feel better just to hear your story.

Thank you for sharing it. 🙂

[WebWiseWoman]

Aloha, Hoaloha! 

I hope you share this experience with the transit authorities, as your Driver definitely needs to be saluted!

So many public employees aren't recognized except for negative interactions during COVID, so an amazingly positive experience such as you had would help so many people think positively right now.

Thank you in advance,

Aloha

#StaySafe