(I am walking home after work during a rather unpleasant snow storm. Not expecting a snowstorm today, I am wearing a t-shirt and shorts. About 10 minutes into my 40 minute walk, a ‘not in service’ public bus pulls up and stops next to me.)

Driver: “Hey! Where are you headed?”

(I tell him the street I live on.)

Driver: “Not that far from out of my way. Hop on!”

Me: “Really? Thanks!”

(The bus driver then proceeded to drive right to my street and let me off, telling me to ‘keep warm’! People like him are awesome.)

(I am on the bus. There was a rather severe windstorm the previous night.)

Passenger: “Why are we stopping in the middle of the road?”

Driver: “There’s a fallen tree in the road.”

(The passenger talks to his companions for a few seconds.)

Passenger: “Can you let us off?”

Driver: “Why?”

Passenger: “We’re going to move the tree.”

(The passenger is a rather skinny looking guy.)

Driver: “…Sure.”

(The passenger and his friends get off the bus, then proceed to drag the fallen tree out of the road.)

Driver: “Well, I’ll be…”

(Thanks to the passengers who cleared it, and to the bus driver who let them off to do it—since it’s against policy to let them off at any place but a proper bus stop.)

(Several teenagers are sitting in the back of a city bus, playing a boombox radio very loudly and clearly annoying the other riders.)

Driver: “Sir, please turn your radio down so other passengers can ride in peace.”

Passenger: *loudly* “Public transportation means PUBLIC!”

Driver: “Please, sir… for the comfort of all our passengers, please turn down the volume on your radio.”

Passenger: *even more loudly* “PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MEANS PUBLIC!”

(At this point, the driver slowly stands up from his seat, pausing in the aisle. He is huge, at least 6’5″ tall and 220 pounds. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he just smiles serenely, takes off his watch, and takes one step toward the back of the bus.)

Passenger: *turns off radio rapidly*

(On my Seattle bus, a passenger tries to slip in through the back door and sneak to a seat without paying.)

Bus Driver: “Please come up and pay, sir.”

Fare-evading Passenger: *smirks and ignores him*

Bus Driver: “Sir, please come up and pay.”

Fare-evading Passenger: *continues ignoring him*

(Fed up, I intervene.)

Me: “That’s you, bro.”

Fare-evading Passenger: *smirks again*

(I wait a few seconds before I get up, walk over, and pull out one of his ear-buds.)

Me: “Look. I got three hours of sleep last night, I’m having a bad morning, and you are not going to make me late for work. Get your self-entitled a** up there and pay your d*** fare!”

Fare-evading Passenger: *slinks up to the front of the bus and pays*

(Note that I’m wearing a t-shirt with “Thrall” from World of Warcraft. Another passenger at the front notices and shouts back towards me…)

Another Passenger: “FOR THE HORDE!”

(A bunch of young men are talking loudly in the bus and using a lot of expletives. They’re also with a female passenger who is apparently their friend and is black.)

Young Male Passenger #1: “Yeah, she’s such a f***ing b****.”

Young Male Passenger #2: “Because she’s a black c***!”

Young Female Passenger: “What?!”

Young Male Passenger #1: “Yeah!”

Young Male Passenger #2: “You black c***s can be f***ing—”

(At this moment, a boy of around age 7 gets on the bus. Hearing the rude conversation, the child immediately makes his way to the back of the bus and stands right in the middle of this group, as if challenging them to continue talking.)

Loud group: *stays completely silent for 5 seconds*

Young Male Passenger #1: “…Okay, never mind.”

Young Male Passenger #2: “Um… I meant… you black ladies are… pretty crazy. Yeah. Pretty crazy at times.”

(They stopped using offensive language after that, at least until the young boy’s parents called him back to sit with them!)