I've logged a lot of hours on buses here in Paris and I've got nothing but respect for the bus drivers who manage somehow to get these behemoths through incredibly tight quarters without so much as a scrape. Obviously that takes time and practice and presumably quite a few hours on the training bus pictured here. Sometime last year, a driver in training managed to get stuck while trying to make a left hand turn at the bottom of our street. (Perhaps there is a reason why the regular bus route avoids it?) At any rate, I watched for a while as he tried to make what seemed like a 37 point turn, getting no help from others on the road who were determined to get along with their day and pass him by any means available. And then there was the time when the bus driver of a route I often take forgot a crucial turn and made what must have been a two mile detour to get back on track. So the next time you get on a Paris bus, remember to say "bonjour" to the driver; he or she certainly deserves your respect.
2 comments:
I too, have great respect for the bus drivers in Paris. But my respect stems from their courteousness to their passengers. Unlike the unpleasant cab drivers who will snarl, "I don't go there", and leave you standing at the curb, most bus drivers go out of their way to help people.
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