Hot Tipper

One thing I miss about Seattle is the Last Days column in the local weekly The Stranger. The column includes crazy stories of public absurdity as contributed by "hot tippers." Many of these anecdotes happen on the public buses. Recently, one hot tipper documented the beating of a blind bus rider: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=583118 Usually the hot tippers' stories are gross or amusing, but this one was pathetic.

So far, I haven't encountered any violence on Pittsburgh buses, though it must exist.

Buses as Athletic Fans

In my hometown, the rotating signs on the front of the public buses say "Good Morning" and then switch to the bus route and destination.

In Pittsburgh, I laugh when the rotating signs read "Let's Go Pens!" I also laugh when the automated announcements at T stops cry "Let's Go Pens!" This city's sports fervor is everywhere. It's adorable even to someone truly bored by professional sports, like myself.

Birches and Babushkas

The best part of bus riding in Ukraine for me was the gorgeous countryside - fields of sunflowers, corn and wheat; snow-covered birch forests; beautiful villages in the Carpathian mountains; cattle traffic jams. Also, this is a great place to witness the tremendous strength of Ukrainian babas (grandmas). No one is helping them, their fingers are thick and calloused from hard work, and they are transporting heavy sacks of potatoes and onions to the bazaar or to their grandchildren. They're usually widowed, and up before dawn. There are no kneeling buses to help them roll their carts onboard, there's no special seating for them, and they may end up standing like everyone else. It's humbling.

Getting a Bus Ticket in Ukraine

When you go to the bus station to buy a ticket in Ukraine, be prepared to:

• encounter a very long line
• be pushed in line
• have someone cut in front of you every few minutes
• get so frustrated that you push, too
• wait in line for 30 minutes, and when it's finally your turn, have the window closed for a "technical break"
• not be spoken to by the ticket seller
• be told "How should I know?" by the ticket seller
• be given stink eye by the ticket seller
• be yelled at by the ticket seller
• pass young men drinking vodka as you disembark an overnight bus at 7 a.m.

If you depend on the kindness of strangers, you'll occasionally be in luck. Be grateful if you are:

• assisted by an elderly woman in finding your bus or timetable
• asked if you are "Amerikansky," upon which you say yes, and are engaged in conversation with a curious and pleasant rider
• seated on a bus
• allowed to open a window on a hot day
• picked up by a bus with AC
• picked up by a bus that isn't playing Russian pop songs
• picked up by a bus that is playing Russian pop songs, to drown out the teenager next to you who is playing every ring tone ever made on his "mobilka"

The Kindness of Strangers

Like Tennessee Williams' Blanche, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers.

I encounter that a lot on the buses. Yesterday I stood at a few different bus stops before I realized I was mistaken. A woman offered me her seat at the shelter, but instead of sitting I told her I was confused about which stop to wait at. This prompted a group discussion from riders. They argued a little over where I should wait, and then one fellow directed me to the correct stop. The bus showed up within seconds. Thanks, fellow bus riders!

AC

Do other bus riders feel as frozen as I do?

It seems to be the trend that when the temperature tops a blazing 65 degrees in Pittsburgh, the air-conditioning is cranked on high.

It's possible that I'm especially sensitive since I've lived in Ukraine and Seattle the past 5 years. Those places either can't afford or have no need for AC. It feels more human, not to have to go between air-conditioned, hermetic buildings and an outdoor sauna, as Virginians are forced to do.

Seen on Pittsburgh transit

While riding the T last week, I noticed an adult woman sucking her thumb. It was an impressively public display of a childhood habit.

Yesterday, during a rainy, crowded bus commute, I noticed people giving their seats to other people. Others politely slid and scrunched to the back of the bus to allow new passengers to board. The bus was full of all kinds and colors of people. It nearly made me weepy with pride. Offering a seat wouldn't have happened in Ukraine. Even I, by the end of my service there, had completely acclimated and refused to give up my seat for almost anyone.

A friend noticed something strange at a Pittsburgh bus stop yesterday. Four people stood waiting in the rain. The first three held umbrellas. The fourth held a gigantic fan.

Intro to Ukrainian buses

I'm not a blogger, but because I want to be successful in LIS 2600 at the University of Pittsburgh, today is my first trip on blogger.com. My blog will concern my obsession with public transit, primarily the bus.

I really enjoy using public transit, especially in European cities, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. I believe people take a good transportation system for granted. Having recently returned from Peace Corps service in Ukraine, I should know. In some ways, Ukrainian transit outshines American transit, which is embarrassing for the U.S. In other ways, American transit is heavenly compared to smelly, crowded, animal-toting buses left over from the Soviet era.

When entering a Ukrainian bus, it's not unusual to be pushed or resort to pushing. Elderly women will have no shame in shoving you anywhere on your body. On board, you'll smell onions, garlic, dill and the rich black earth of Ukraine. Some of these items are being transported; others have recently been eaten. A few buses I rode on seemed to have a reverse exhaust pipe, so that the diesel fumes entered instead of exited. If it's summer and bus is odorous and sweltering, you may decide to open the window. As you're doing so, you're probably wondering why the windows aren't already open. An older woman will probably shut the window for fear of catching cold from the draft. She may also berate you. I think this has been changing as more people realize sickness comes from germs, not wind.