Waiting for The Bus

In metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc. the most popular and cheapest way of travelling is by local bus. The fare charged is very low e.g. to cover a distance of nearly five kilometers the bus fare is just two rupees. It is much cheaper than take or an auto-rickshaw.

"Life is a bundle of experiences." Waiting for the bus is a big experience. Whenever we have to wait for the bus our mind starts thinking whether we could find a vacant seat in the bus or not. Thus we continue thinking of the arrival of the bus at the stand. The big waiting crowds are a common sight. We have to face trying circumstances if we have to wait for the bus for long while standing there.

I live in Lucknow. Lucknow is a city of distances. From South Lucknow, if you wish to go to West Lucknow by bus, you will have to travel by bus which shall take not less than an hour to enable you to reach your destination. But you do not know how much time you would waste in waiting for the bus.

The people, who have to travel by the bus, wait for long. They have to reach their offices or working places. Many of them get late. They cannot keep their daily schedule. Sometimes the buses with the same destinations follow one another in quick succession. But everyone feel anxious to reach his piece of work earlier. He wants to be in time for the office.

During winter or in summer, it is really very difficult to wait for the buses. During the winter season, cool weather disturbs us and during the summer season. We have to face the hot winds. People try to seek shelter in the patchy shade of an open shelter. We so often hear the horns of the approaching buses. If we find that the bus has got a different destination, we feel very sad at that moment. We feel deeply disturbed to find out such buses. The buses are overcrowded sometimes and the drivers ply the buses rashly. The conductors show ease of frenzy to us. Sometimes we have to return to the shelter.

Generally, we have to wait much at the bus stands. But during the rainy season we have to get huddled together at the shelter. We have to accommodate the new corners at the bus stand.

Whenever the bus arrives, people rush towards to it. The ladies also jostle with men folk for finding a little space in the bus. There is much of fretting and fuming and people can hardly find a seat in the bus itself. Sometimes, the bus comes but it does not stop as it is already full.

Buses do arrive, but most often, we have to wait. My personal experience shows that it is generally very difficult to catch a bus and then find a seat. We have to jostle our way into the bus.