I Broke a City Bus Today
Jan. 16th, 2012 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqEver since work decided to play 52-pickup with our offices, I've had the good fortune of having near door-to-door service on Calgary Transit. This is pretty good, especially with Calgary's unseasonably warm weather going away. I know exactly when the bus arrives, so I don't spend a lot of time waiting in the ass-biting cold. Even if I do miss the bus, I can just go back into my office.
Today's bus ride home was uneventful aside from the last two minutes of it. I rang the door to be let off and the bus driver pulled in to the curb to let me off. We then ran directly over a solid mound of ice that was twice as high as the curb. This bounced the bus into the air (as well as me, I was standing in the aisle waiting for it to stop) with considerable force and was followed by a sick crunching sound as the frame of the bus immediately behind the front right wheel landed on the mound.
A split second later the rear right tire hit the mound for another roller-coaster bounce which was also punctuated with a crunch as the frame behind that wheel came down on the mound.
The bus stopped at the appropriate stop. I managed to keep my feet during this brief but shaky event. The driver and I exchange "Wow, that was a wild ride" remarks. Then he attempted to open the door (the bus is a community shuttle, it only seats 22 and only has a front door for normal passenger access).
"Try to push it open", says the driver.
I do so, to no avail.
"Maybe if I put my shoulder into it," I suggest?
"Go ahead."
This too did not work.
Next, the driver restarted the bus, which does something to the hydraulics that sometimes allows stuck doors to operate. However it did not work this time. Looking at the door, it was clearly out of alignment with the door frame. Whether it got knocked out of place or the frame was bent I'm not sure.
Finally he flipped the emergency release for the door and reefed on it until it was open enough for me to get out.
"I'm happy I can get out, but I'm sad that you need a new bus. Thanks for the ride"
Today's bus ride home was uneventful aside from the last two minutes of it. I rang the door to be let off and the bus driver pulled in to the curb to let me off. We then ran directly over a solid mound of ice that was twice as high as the curb. This bounced the bus into the air (as well as me, I was standing in the aisle waiting for it to stop) with considerable force and was followed by a sick crunching sound as the frame of the bus immediately behind the front right wheel landed on the mound.
A split second later the rear right tire hit the mound for another roller-coaster bounce which was also punctuated with a crunch as the frame behind that wheel came down on the mound.
The bus stopped at the appropriate stop. I managed to keep my feet during this brief but shaky event. The driver and I exchange "Wow, that was a wild ride" remarks. Then he attempted to open the door (the bus is a community shuttle, it only seats 22 and only has a front door for normal passenger access).
"Try to push it open", says the driver.
I do so, to no avail.
"Maybe if I put my shoulder into it," I suggest?
"Go ahead."
This too did not work.
Next, the driver restarted the bus, which does something to the hydraulics that sometimes allows stuck doors to operate. However it did not work this time. Looking at the door, it was clearly out of alignment with the door frame. Whether it got knocked out of place or the frame was bent I'm not sure.
Finally he flipped the emergency release for the door and reefed on it until it was open enough for me to get out.
"I'm happy I can get out, but I'm sad that you need a new bus. Thanks for the ride"
