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  #1  
Old 01-31-2011, 08:17 PM
LandYaghtLover's Avatar
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City Busses

Well thats the second time now that I have nearly been taken out by a city bus. Both times the bus is along side and decides to change lanes.

So this last time I called it in. I got a call back with apology. Which is good enough for me. But I am not the only one who has had issues. A couple friends told me near miss stories when I mentioned todays incident.

Anyone else have fun experiences with city busses?

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  #2  
Old 01-31-2011, 08:22 PM
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When my brother and I were driving to school (c. 1978) in Mom's '74 Ford Country Squire, a Minneapolis city bus very lightly side swiped us. Scratched the wood paneling all the way from fender to 1/4 panel.

Crazy muthas...

...Oh yeah, they blow red lights on a regular basis. I see it every week.
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  #3  
Old 01-31-2011, 08:27 PM
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City bus ran a stoplight a few blocks from our house and hit a car. Killed both occupants. My wife has been hit by a city bus. City bus ran into the back of my TD when he forgot his bike rack was down. Lots of cases involve contract drivers.
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  #4  
Old 01-31-2011, 08:29 PM
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The Bus is not your Friend

We were told this when I started driving an ambulance in Richmond. They have a schedule to keep and miles to go before they sleep. They are not afraid to use thier size to bully thier way through traffic.
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  #5  
Old 01-31-2011, 09:32 PM
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They are a PITA, if I had my way they wouldn't be allowed in my city. They just bus in bums from New Haven, and clog city streets.
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  #6  
Old 01-31-2011, 11:34 PM
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They aren't too bad here but they do seem to drive pretty fast a lot of times.

I used to drive a big transit bus when I was in college. It had a aluminum unibody and a 671 Jimmy in the back. A two speed tranny completed the ensemble. When empty of passengers they were pretty speedy and nimble, with a full load of kids they were ponderous. The steering was manual but the wheel felt like it was 3' in diameter.

One day heading out of the barn to go pick up kids in the predawn winter light I was heading west on Memorial drive, an urban 4 lane.....as I came up to a stop light I wanted to switch from the left lane to the right. I looked in the right side mirror and saw nothing and began to steer over that way. Then I saw a pickup beside the front of the bus which had been in my blind spot a second before. I swung back left but there was a thump.

As we pulled up at the stop light I opened the door of the bus and the fellow looked at his pickup and my bus and there was no damage. We had bumped mirrors slightly.

Phew!

Lucky break!
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  #7  
Old 02-01-2011, 09:15 AM
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Commuter Bus sideswiped the House Trailer I was in...

When I was building a 25 story Condo on E 34th St next to the mid block exit from the Mid Town Tunnel in NYC, the job site trailer was on the sidewalk beside the left lane of the exit street.

One morning - me, the Jobsite super and the Safety guy were having a meeting when all of a sudden the trailer tilted 45 degrees backwards and everything not bolted down to the floor went flying and then the whole trailer slammed back down level (or quasi level). A Commuter Bus had sideswiped the trailer while making a lane change and did not even stop to check his damage, much less the trailer damage.

The chem toilet system was broken , the jacks were bent, both bogey wheel sets on the street side were bent, the office was a shambles-the only thing that didn't move was the huge Xerox scanner/printer/copier that the Xerox guyhad bolted thru the floor with 5/8" carrage bolts. If that had cut loose it would have gone right thru the wall of the trailer!

Someone got a plate number and name off the bus and we called the bus company, their insurance guy came by and filled out a claim.form ..we found that we were charged with "contributing" to the accident by being within 5 feet of the street. Bus driver claimed the trailer was "in the lane"!

Lucky no one was hurt.
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  #8  
Old 02-01-2011, 09:56 AM
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  #9  
Old 02-01-2011, 10:10 AM
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Location: N. California./ N. Nevada
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Smile riding the bus in San Francisco ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by LandYaghtLover View Post
Well thats the second time now that I have nearly been taken out by a city bus. Both times the bus is along side and decides to change lanes.

So this last time I called it in. I got a call back with apology. Which is good enough for me. But I am not the only one who has had issues. A couple friends told me near miss stories when I mentioned todays incident.

Anyone else have fun experiences with city busses?
I rode on them for the better part of my life, in San Francisco and seen some pretty good stories.

One of the funniest was a young woman that was waiting on the corner of Hyde and Union on Russian Hill for the bus.

She had a Large wooden cage in one hand, and inside of this was a HUGE tarantula spider, the biggest one I ever saw in my life.

Draped around her neck was an
enormous Boa Constrictor snake.


I told her the pets were pretty cool and asked her their names.


The tarantula, she said, was called Serenity.


Her Boa Constrictor's name was Julius Squeezer.


Then the bus came.


The rules on SF Muni buses are that no animals are alloowed on board except seeing eye dogs for the blind.

She boarded the bus and paid the fare without comment from the driver. I followed her.

Pandemonium immediately ensued as the passengers, mostly old Chinese women, began screaming, as they all rushed the back door of the bus!

But I was just laughing.

~~~~~

In a similar kind of incident, which I did not see personally, but was reported in the local paper, an old Vietnamese woman, boarded a San Francisco bus, with a LIVE chicken in a plastic paper bag she had just purchased at a nearby Farmer's Market.

The bus driver informed her of the City policy that forbids live animals on the bus except for seeing eye dogs for the
blind.


[I]the old Viet wonman then calmly lifted the chicken out of the bag, and in front of the bus driver,


WRUNG ITS NECK and KILLED THE CHICKEN to an accompanying soundtrack of screaming bus passengers.


~~~

San Francisco was an interesting place to live and work in, until I retired and eventually moved out, 6 years ago.

I love that city, having been born there. I was just there again last week with the girl I like and we had a REALLY good time.

But we used my '09 Mercury Grand Marquis to go everywhere in San Francisco.

NOT the bus.
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  #10  
Old 02-01-2011, 10:23 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim B. View Post
I rode on them for the better part of my life, in San Francisco and seen some pretty good stories.

One of the funniest was a young woman that was waiting on the corner of Hyde and Union on Russian Hill for the bus.

She had a Large wooden cage in one hand, and inside of this was a HUGE tarantula spider, the biggest one I ever saw in my life.

Draped around her neck was an
enormous Boa Constrictor snake.


I told her the pets were pretty cool and asked her their names.


The tarantula, she said, was called Serenity.


Her Boa Constrictor's name was Julius Squeezer.


Then the bus came.


The rules on SF Muni buses are that no animals are alloowed on board except seeing eye dogs for the blind.

She boarded the bus and paid the fare without comment from the driver. I followed her.

Pandemonium immediately ensued as the passengers, mostly old Chinese women, began screaming, as they all rushed the back door of the bus!

But I was just laughing.

~~~~~

In a similar kind of incident, which I did not see personally, but was reported in the local paper, an old Vietnamese woman, boarded a San Francisco bus, with a LIVE chicken in a plastic paper bag she had just purchased at a nearby Farmer's Market.

The bus driver informed her of the City policy that forbids live animals on the bus except for seeing eye dogs for the
blind.


[I]the old Viet wonman then calmly lifted the chicken out of the bag, and in front of the bus driver,


WRUNG ITS NECK and KILLED THE CHICKEN to an accompanying soundtrack of screaming bus passengers.


~~~

San Francisco was an interesting place to live and work in, until I retired and eventually moved out, 6 years ago.

I love that city, having been born there. I was just there again last week with the girl I like and we had a REALLY good time.

But we used my '09 Mercury Grand Marquis to go everywhere in San Francisco.

NOT the bus.

Thanks for the great stories!
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #11  
Old 02-01-2011, 11:25 AM
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Ditto! Wow.
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  #12  
Old 02-01-2011, 01:12 PM
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Can't say my story is up there with dead chickens. I was taking a city bus from the Bus station, Trailways/Greyhound, to the airport. This was the early 80's. A woman in the back was yelling about smoke. The driver stopped and the engine was on fire. Everyone got off the bus. The driver pointed to another bus stop and said a bus would be there soon to take us to the airport. I got on it and it let us off at another stop. The bus driver pointed down a street and said to walk down it. It was late at night. Me and one other guy was walking and caring suitcases. I think it was at least 7 blocks. Furtunately there were no other peole out that night.
Tom
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  #13  
Old 02-01-2011, 01:21 PM
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Riding city busses over here is a tripped out scene. Most of the drivers cant speak a whole lot of english. (From the main-land). They ask for no quarter, and give none in return.
Last week I was riding along when the bus went side-ways. I looked up front, just in time to see an old guy go under the front of the bus.
He had decided to 'check out', and walked right in front of the bus.
Strange thing was, the Chinese driver didnt say a word..no change in his facial expression, as all the passengers alighted..the guy just looked straight ahead.

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