...didn't actually happen.
I was all ready to go - I'd had the ticket in hand for several weeks. I was so excited - this trip would start the end of a year-long separation from a very special person. The bus was scheduled to leave Cookeville and head to Knoxville at 8:45pm, so I arrived with about 20 minutes to spare. There was a bus there already, but it was the bus to Nashville, the driver assured me, "The next bus is yours sweetie, it'll be here any minute."
So I waited.
You see, this wasn't just any old bus ride. I've been on bus rides before. Bus rides, train rides, plain rides, even boat rides - but this was the first in the US. I thought I'd give my country a chance before slamming it for having the worst public transit system in the world.
So I waited some more.
9:00. Maybe there was a wreck and they're running late.
9:30. Ok, this is weird, let me try calling someone. Wait, I don't have any internet connection.
9:45. After calling about 5 numbers, I finally got in touch with someone, who told me to call the Nashville station, and gave me a number.
10:00. Nashville operator: "You're saying the bus is over an hour late? Oh well honey, we don't have any tracking system in our buses - you'd have to contact the station it was going to... Here's a number."
10:10. Knoxville station: NOTHING. Not even an answering machine or call waiting.
10:20. Home office again: "Oh that's not the right number, thy this one."
10:30. Knoxville station (maybe?): Still nothing. Well, it was the right station, which was supposed to be manned 24/7, but nothing.
10:45. Home office. Again. "Nothing? Nothing?! So the bus just never showed up and no one is answering any phones?" Yeah, B****, that's what I've been saying for the last 2 hours.
I stopped waiting at that point, and jumped in my car. I woke up to this, so I can't complain too much.
But I'm now more convinced than ever that we have the worst public transit system in the world.
I was all ready to go - I'd had the ticket in hand for several weeks. I was so excited - this trip would start the end of a year-long separation from a very special person. The bus was scheduled to leave Cookeville and head to Knoxville at 8:45pm, so I arrived with about 20 minutes to spare. There was a bus there already, but it was the bus to Nashville, the driver assured me, "The next bus is yours sweetie, it'll be here any minute."
So I waited.
You see, this wasn't just any old bus ride. I've been on bus rides before. Bus rides, train rides, plain rides, even boat rides - but this was the first in the US. I thought I'd give my country a chance before slamming it for having the worst public transit system in the world.
So I waited some more.
9:00. Maybe there was a wreck and they're running late.
9:30. Ok, this is weird, let me try calling someone. Wait, I don't have any internet connection.
9:45. After calling about 5 numbers, I finally got in touch with someone, who told me to call the Nashville station, and gave me a number.
10:00. Nashville operator: "You're saying the bus is over an hour late? Oh well honey, we don't have any tracking system in our buses - you'd have to contact the station it was going to... Here's a number."
10:10. Knoxville station: NOTHING. Not even an answering machine or call waiting.
10:20. Home office again: "Oh that's not the right number, thy this one."
10:30. Knoxville station (maybe?): Still nothing. Well, it was the right station, which was supposed to be manned 24/7, but nothing.
10:45. Home office. Again. "Nothing? Nothing?! So the bus just never showed up and no one is answering any phones?" Yeah, B****, that's what I've been saying for the last 2 hours.
I stopped waiting at that point, and jumped in my car. I woke up to this, so I can't complain too much.
But I'm now more convinced than ever that we have the worst public transit system in the world.
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