My Bus Family

Most of us have a family that we were born into. Some of us don't. I have two families. I have my biological family and my "Bus" family. My "Bus" family is the drivers and regulars who ride the Hudson Falls-Fort Edward bus.

The drivers are always courteous and helpful. They never fail to notice when I need the step lowered because of my disability.  They try not to let me out where I will step in a puddle.

I see them, all of them, not just on my route, helping the riders to understand the schedule. Newcomers to the buses don't always understand which trip goes to Ames and which doesn't or even what bus they actually need to take. No matter how monotonous it is these drivers are always willing to help.

They wait till we are seated before taking off. In the winter time when it is cold, some of them will let us wait on the bus where it is warm until our connecting bus arrives. This is something they don't have to do.

 One driver in particular is considered the Mother of our bus family. This is Sandy. She is always cheerful and kind and goes out of her way to help us all. Each changing of the season finds our bus decorated in cards and themes making it a cheerful start to our otherwise busy and sometimes frustrating days.

It is wonderful to have this ride time be a comfort zone instead of another mad scramble for survival in the jungle of life. Sandy keeps a bright cheerful basket of lollipops for the little ones, candy canes at Christmas, even treats for Halloween.

Besides all this she listens to our tales of woe. She brightens our lives with tidbits of joy.

She also acts as our message post, passing on messages from one friend to another. Who's in the hospital. Who's taking a later bus.

These busses are very important to us and the community. A lot of us could not work without them. They allow us the freedom to socialize, to get out and do our errands without having to wait for a ride or spend money we can't afford on a cab. We get to our medical appointments with ease and affordability.

 Among our "regular" family, we all know a lot about each others lives. It is very pleasant to get on the bus and hear someone say, "Good Morning, How do  you feel today? How is your kid doing?"  or "Is the new job working out all right?" All the normal family things.

I am very lucky to have my bus family. I have ridden the bus in Hawaii and Colorado, but I never found drivers as nice as these at GGFT. This community is very lucky and grateful to have such a nice bus system with such nice drivers.