We all know how cold it’s been these past few weeks and for those of us who have to stand around waiting for buses to get to and from work, the cold is especially harsh. The Port Authority drivers of Pittsburgh are hard workers who I’m sure, like all people who deal with the public, have had their share of customers they would rather not have to see on a daily basis. Yet when drivers lack common courtesy it makes one feel a little worse about the world.
For two days I’ve waited 40 minutes for the bus to take me to work. The 7:30 a.m. bus never showed. At 8:05 Tuesday morning, when the next scheduled bus arrived, I asked the driver if he knew anything about the bus that didn’t show. He said he did not. I then asked if he could call on his radio to find out. He looked at me and smiled, saying, “You can call, but I’m not. I only worry about myself.”
Maybe in a perfect world that first bus would have shown up, or maybe that bus driver on the second bus would have shown some kindness and called to find out why the first bus never showed up. Maybe in a perfect world we all would care about each other, as we care for ourselves, but let’s face it. We don’t live in a Utopian society, we live in Pittsburgh.
JASON IRWIN
Shadyside
First Published: January 29, 2014, 5:00 a.m.
