From: henry999@eircom.net   
      
   Nigee  wrote:   
      
   > Commuters also have time to develop familiarities...   
      
   And that's not always and only bad, of course.   
      
   I used to commute on a bus where I was one of six or eight passengers   
   who boarded at the beginning of the route. I soon recognised that it was   
   the same driver (nearly) every day and he recognised me. On this bus,   
   the fare could be paid with a voucher, bought in advance at a discount.   
   One day I got to the bus-stop only to discover that I had left a   
   newly-purchased carnet of tickets on my desk. Rather than pay the cash   
   fare, I explained the situation to the driver and asked if I could give   
   him two tickets tomorrow. 'Sure', he said. 'No problem'.   
      
   Another time and another town, I again caught the same bus every day.   
   One morning I was a minute or two late out of my house and when I got to   
   the corner I was trapped on the wrong side of the street by the heavy   
   stream of rush-hour traffic as my bus pulled up opposite. The other   
   passengers boarded before the light changed and the bus could have gone   
   but the driver saw me, waiting to cross. He gave me a look, like 'Do you   
   want to get on this bus, as usual?' I enthusiastically indicated that,   
   yes, I did -- so he kindly waited for me.   
      
   People like that may be fewer and farther in between but when you meet   
   them they make a nice counterbalance to all of the plonkers.   
      
   cheers,   
      
   Henry   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)