Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit

Happy April everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've had a chance to churn out a new blog. It's been a very eventful few months that included running for URSU President and spending a few days in LA.

This is an idea I've had for a few months now, but I've never really had time to write. Todays blog post is directed to any and all that may be interested in taking public transit in Regina as their main form of transportation. Regina Transit can be an unforgiving beast if not prepared. Follow my steps, and make the most out of your busriding experience!

Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit

1) Plan to get to the busstop 10 minutes before the bus is scheduled to be there.

In most cities, getting to your stop 5 minutes ahead of time is sufficient to successfully catch your bus. This was my mantra for the first few months of taking the bus in Regina. It took me a few missed classes and multiple stressful/frantic "holy crap I missed my bus" car races to work before I discovered that this was not enough time. One day, I was at my stop 7 minutes before it was scheduled to arrive and I still didn't get there early enough. This is when 10 minutes was set upon as the official time, and so far it's been pretty accurate.

Given a +/- 10 minute buffer (as busses are often up to 10 minutes late), you may find yourself with plenty free time while waiting for the bus. May I suggest bringing along a sudoku puzzle, or perhaps your crochet supplies? You could make a nice quilt in the time you will spend waiting!

2) Do NOT mess with the bus drivers' Subway/smoke breaks in front of the Library or Sherwood Village Mall.

If there is one sacred ritual that a Regina Transit rider must be careful to respect, it is this. Bus drivers love their smoke/subway breaks. So much so that they will completely uproot the set schedule that riders are depending on to plan their commutes to get to the Library or Subway a few minutes early.

Your bus is already 5 minutes late in getting there? Doesn't matter, the bus driver's craving an Italian BMT, you can wait a few minutes. Your bus just blew by 3 people waiting at a stop that they were supposed to pick up? Not important, Bob's waiting at the library to crush a menthol or two. This is an unwritten rule of Regina Transit.

3) ALWAYS People Watch. You could see some funny/interesting stuff.

This might be the biggest benefit of taking public transit. There are always interesting people doing interesting things going on around you on the bus. It is never a bad idea to have your head on a swivel and to be ready to observe these often comical situations.

For example, one time a dude got on the bus in North Central with a six pack of beer and a guitar. He opened up his guitar case, cracked a beer and started playing terrible versions of Led Zeppelin songs until his stop for myself and a few other people. Also, I've noticed a healthy amount of terrible neck tattoos (one in particular was THE WORST frog on a lily pad right below the womans ear... WHY?) that are always entertaining to stare at from a few seats back. Safe to say you will not see that from inside of an F150.

You may also encounter scary situations (such as the time a woman had a seizure onto another guy in the seat ahead of me), but you have to take the bad with the good. Most times, the bus is a pretty comical place to do some Grade-A people watching.

4) Get to know the Bus Driver, observe their tendancies.

I've made an effort in recent months to become familiar with the bus drivers and their schedules. Bus Drivers are usually pretty nice, and some of them are pretty funny.

Early one morning, I hopped on the bus tired and half asleep, ready for the commute. The bus was running until the bus driver (who happens to be my favourite on the staff thus far) turned off the bus and the lights. I was too tired to process what was going until I heard a gruff "Whoops, out of diesel guys" from the drivers seat. At this point I had just assumed that Regina Transit had dropped the ball again, and I began to stand up to trudge back to my snowy car. As soon as I got up I heard a "Just Kidding" from the front and the engine roar. It was very well played, and actually quite funny.

You may even begin developing nicknames for the bus drivers. I have coined one woman as "The Gum Chewer", as she is always obnoxiously chewing gum and drives way too aggressively (makes for rough/bumpy trips). Another man is now known as "Paul Giamatti", as he looks exactly like the actor and I could see the sad/weary bus driver as being a perfect role for Paul to actually play.

One thing to note here, AVOID NEW BUS DRIVERS IF POSSIBLE. Last Friday, I knew there would be trouble when my bus was 15 minutes late. When the bus finally pulled up, it was ridiculously far from the curb, and the end was protruding out into the middle lane and disrupting traffic on a bustling-rush hour Broad Street. Once on the bus and safely driving in the bus lane, the woman began to honk her horn. There was no traffic in front of us and she replied "I just don't want to hit them", referring to the vehicles that were safely driving in their lane to the left of us. Really? You can't drive in a straight line?.. The lesson here is try to avoid new bus drivers.

5) Always say "Hello" when you get on the bus, and "Thanks" when you get off the bus.

Manners are important. Bus Drivers appreciate the courtesy.

6) Use your commute time to relax/reflect on life, or nap if needed.

I love taking the bus because I view it as an escape from the busy world that we live in. I do not find moving from the office to your car during rush hour relaxing in the least bit. Personally, I get stressed out from watching other people driving and trying to maneauver in heavy traffic. By using transit, I can hang out, think about my day, read a book if I want and have a nap if I need sleep (Efficiency!! Kill two birds with one stone - sleep and transportation). I really value my time on the bus, and I've done some of my best thinking on it.

6) Tweet cool things that you see while riding the bus.

I always get value from reading other people's stories from the bus, and I hope my followers also enjoy my observations. It's an interesting place. May as well share your stories with the world!

Anyways, follow these steps and you should be able to find your way using the terrible yet loveable bus service that is Regina Transit!

Nick.