Morning Bus Freakout

When I am not borrowing my friends' Subaru while they are on holiday in Hawaii, I ride the bus to work. Or, to substitute Raf's name for it, I ride the Rolling Box of Despair to work. Usually the Rolling Box of Despair from Maple Grove into Minneapolis isn't all that desperate. People tend to keep to themselves, reading the paper or chatting at a normal voice level to a friend. But one day last week, the typical atmosphere of calm was shattered.

The last stop on the route I normally take is a park and ride lot. The bus had waited for several minutes at the stop and was on its way out of the lot when a couple of straggling cars pulled in. "Stop!" several passengers cried. "There are people coming!" The driver didn't appear to be stopping immediately, so one particularly passionate rider yelled, "STOP! There are people coming! This is a service!"

The bus driver eventually halted the bus. While we were waiting for the late people to park their cars and walk over, he turned on his microphone and admonished, "Chill out. I don't slam on the brakes on the ice."
"You don't stop!" the irate passenger countered. "There have been several occasions where you haven't stopped."
"Sir, if you don't quiet down, I'm going to call the cops," the driver threatened.
"Ooooh, I'm shaking!"
"Sir, if you have a problem, call customer service..." the bus driver began.
"I DID!" interrupted the aggrieved rider.
"...call customer service, but don't create a negative experience for everyone else on the bus," the driver continued, seemingly unfazed.
"I think the negative experience is with you!" the rider exclaimed, his voice modulating to a higher pitch.
"Sir, like I said, if you don't stop, I'm going to call the cops."
The rider made some incomprehensible quip.
"Not another word..." the driver growled in a warning tone.

Not another word was heard. We made it downtown without any further emotional outbursts or incidents. But I was still really grateful to drive the Subaru in the next day.