If you have ever travelled by bus, you know that bus drivers and conductors are a breed apart.
Perhaps it is the endless daily rounds the bus must take on a marked out route fraught with hurdles, or the jostle of passengers crowding in and bustling out at every stop that puts nerves on edge... But the fact remains that bus drivers ride an impatient steed, with their foot on the accelerator and their hand on the horn, and conductors are more often than not sharp of tongue and ready for a squabble.
And passengers rushing to work or homewards after a long day, can be just as edgy.
This is equally true, if not more so, of the buses that criss-cross the city of Mumbai, adding their bulk to the already crowded roads, where cars, trucks, cyclists, bikers, and the occasional hand or bullock cart vie for space with jaywalkers and hawkers.
That said, bus services are a boon. Even in Mumbai where the suburban train is frequently referred to as the lifeline of the city, buses remain a vital aspect of commuting. Bus rides are affordable, buses mostly turn up even if they don’t always run on time, and touch points in the city that the trains cannot. Even the network of metros, when and if it gets completed, cannot quite match the reach of the bus network.
Yet, taking a bus does mean putting your best foot forward. To jump in before the rest of the crowd. To ensure the polished footwear does not get trampled on, and the neatly ironed kurta is not turned into a damp mess, by fellow travellers in a rush to get off… ah the travails of travelling by bus are manifold.
Recently, on a trip to the UK, I had many occasions to travel by bus. Commuting between London and Oxford once a week, hopping on and off buses inside Oxford, I realised how, even at peak times, the UK bus service throbs to a different beat.
For one, never ever was a bus in a hurry. Of course, the drivers are bound by timings there too, and a tarrying passenger hunting for change to buy a ticket on board would cause irritation, but there was never rudeness, or impatience. Only once did I encounter a taciturn driver who only grunted in response to queries.
Stops were clearly indicated by automated voice or on screen, and there was no panic, even for a first timer on a new route. It took the stress out of bus rides.
Bus stops had digitised boards indicating live timings, so one could work around delays, instead of building up tension.
Which made it clear to me that communication and calm could change the nature of bus rides in our country too. Bus stops that have digitised indicators that denote the ETD of every bus are possible. Trains and metros have them; why not bus stops?
Also important is a change in approach. Maybe bus drivers need not have the pressure of timings that belie actual traffic conditions to add to their stress. Maybe they need to understand that the passenger is also under some stress, especially in case of delays.
Conductors, too, can avoid stress if they learn to stay calm despite the crush. Actor Johnny Walker, they say, in his days as a bus conductor made his passengers laugh as he collected their money and handed out tickets.
And see where his sense of fun took him!