Open straight. Annoying passengers. Playing with character: What is it like to be a Bajiao in Taiwan?

The moment I jumped on the bus, there was a dizzying smell. It was the smell of salted fish topped with natto and grilled on a charcoal stove. I doubted whether there were dead rats or other unclean things in the carriage. However, at around 7pm, the bus was pitch black without turning on the lights, and I couldn’t find the reason.

It wasn't until the bus arrived at the terminal, the lights were brightly lit, that I discovered: the driver was barefoot and without shoes.

On the road to Fengjia in those years

That summer we first visited Taichung and stayed at our senior’s house. He injured his hand and couldn’t drive a motorcycle, so we had to wait for the bus. I specified that I was going to Feng Chia University and the night market, and there happened to be a bus stop right in front of his house. The stop sign listed four buses a day and the arrival time.

We waited under the stop sign for 40 minutes, but the bus that was supposed to come didn't come. Simply waiting for 40 minutes was not an option, so the senior suggested going back to the room to play PS3 and wait until it was almost done. After waiting for another half hour, he suddenly wanted to call the hotline to check if there was a bus today. Unexpectedly, the driver answered the phone:

"Hey, do you want to take a car? Okay, okay."

The driver's voice seemed to be saying that he didn't expect anyone to go to Fengjia University during the summer vacation. He originally wanted to stop driving, but now he has no choice. 20 minutes later, a minibus arrived at the bus stop. There were only two of us passengers, and the bus was flying away.

Desire for power on the wheel

"Excuse me, will you go to Zhongyi Street?" On New Year's Eve, several college students got on the bus at Huludun and asked the bus driver politely. The bus driver’s answer was brilliant:

Yeah, how do I know?

Fortunately, several fellow travelers told them that all the cars on this route passed through Yizhong Street. After getting on the bus and swiping the card, several students crowded in front of the fraternity seat. I had just finished being choked by the bus driver, so I was naturally unhappy and complained loudly. One of the students said, "That's good, our Taoyuan driver knows how to curse!"

When the bus driver heard their conversation, his personality suddenly changed 180 degrees. He turned on the microphone on the bus and shouted, "The next stop is coming soon! Passengers getting off the bus, please be careful of the cars coming from behind! Thank you." Before one stop, he This is what they say: "Hurry up, hurry up, swipe your card faster! If you can't swipe your card, come up to the front and walk inside. Hurry up and drive!"

When traveling, I always feel that Taiwanese people are polite, gentle and gentle, and they should be easy to talk to about everything. However, as soon as they jumped on the bus and held the motorcycle faucet or steering wheel, they immediately became...Chinese.

Just like all the Han people who have mastered power, no matter how small the power is, it is still power, and it is also the force that can make others obey. Many people attribute Taiwan's traffic chaos to the fact that the exam is too easy, causing drivers to take to the road without sufficient experience. On the contrary, I think it is the "national awakening" after the Chinese gained power, and the concrete manifestation of this power on the highway is that big cars hit small cars, and small cars hit pedestrians.

In terms of civilian transportation, bus drivers are at the top of the food chain. Hitting one or two motorcycles and running over one or two pedestrians are a display of power and status.

When buses stop at stops, they often adopt a pressing strategy and ride across the motorcycle lane in a short distance. The motorcycles in front and behind can see the lights and have time to dodge. The locomotive that just drove in near the middle gate was surrounded by cars and people who couldn't hide. It fell into the blind spot of the bus driver. The driver couldn't see them and passed over them without knowing who to blame.

County roads and rural roads often have narrow roads, one-way and two-way traffic, and buses often have to push through the motorcycle area before they can turn. At this time, the motorcycle has a red light and is prohibited from moving forward. There is also a car pushing its buttocks. When the traffic flow to and from get off work is dense, it takes time to get a position. I have never seen a bus driver wait for the motorcycle on the opposite side to clear enough space before turning. He usually turns the wheel and turns around. Recently, there was only a rearview mirror gap, and he didn't hit it. The driver's skills are very high.

It is also common to turn around and reverse regardless of the consequences. Illegal parking in Taichung City is the same as in other cities. When a bus turns left, it is often blocked by illegally parked cars at the intersection in front of it. In this situation, bus drivers in Hong Kong will wait for the vehicle in front to move away and then enter the intersection. Similar situations often occur in Central Market and Queen Victoria Street, causing traffic jams. The driver in Taichung will immediately back up without hesitation. I thought I was playing GTA while sitting on it, but there is clearly a Volkswagen waiting to turn less than 30 kilometers behind, and a Nissan behind the Volkswagen. Is this bus trying to escape someone's pursuit? ?

Open Zone! Bus driver’s infinite flow

One time when I took a bus, my EasyCard balance was insufficient and I needed to pay in cash. I asked the bus driver how much it would cost to go to the high-speed rail station. The driver said:

There are so many high-speed rail stations, how do I know which one you want to go to?

"Those strings?" I wanted to choke back immediately, thinking about how he would play tricks when he could drive, and my life would be in danger. I swallowed my anger and said I was going to Taichung High Speed ​​Rail Station. The driver took out his mobile phone and checked the fare online. I thought to myself, huh? Is there no fare meter on the car? You still have to check online...

After nearly a year of field research , bus drivers can be roughly classified into two categories: one is directly operated by the government, with an attitude like a dean; the other is a route operated by a passenger transport company such as Tonglian, and the drivers are relatively Polite, rather polite.

I have taken the bus in Taipei and Kaohsiung a few times, and when I asked the driver about the route and stops, he would always lose his temper. After taking a photo in Taipei, I carried photographic equipment on my left shoulder, a change of clothes on my right shoulder, and a transparent umbrella with a broken bone. I waited for the bus to the hotel in the rain at night. Before I took the card, I asked the driver to confirm: "Will this stop at Taipei University? "

"No need to stop anywhere, go directly to Taoyuan." The driver replied.

I was stunned for a moment: "Then which bus will stop?"

"Just google it, it's not that difficult," the driver said.

Fortunately, I didn't think about it until I got off the bus, no, I stopped you to get on the bus because I Googled and found out that your car can reach you, right? The stop sign also indicates that this bus will stop at five stops. Alas, I didn’t know how to ask him questions back then, and later generations became stupid after coming to Taiwan.

Occasionally there are bus drivers in Taichung who don’t know where they are going. One day I made an appointment with a friend to go to Aofeng Mountain for a picnic, and we got on the bus at different stops. I was afraid of getting on the wrong bus, so I asked the driver whether I should stop at station A. The driver replied:

"This car just goes straight."

"Huh? So stop?"

"Just go straight to the end. You have to turn at your stop."

I reluctantly didn't get in the car. The same bus arrived at the station 15 minutes later. I asked the driver. This time the driver clearly said stop, and I got on the bus. The total wait was 40 minutes.

The number suffixes of Taichung bus numbers are "Yan" and "District", which are roughly equivalent to the D and S classifications in Hong Kong. I spent some time researching the same route of the above-mentioned bus and found that the bus arrived at the stop every 15 minutes, but the timetable on the stop sign said it departed every 30 minutes. I guess it has something to do with "yan" and "district", but I didn't write clearly about the bus.

The bus stop signs are also confusing, and I often hide among the trees and in alleys for fear of being discovered by passers-by. The stop signs are not "customized" and the current station is not clearly marked, so it often takes a while to find it. The only warm thing is that there are always love chairs at the bus stop for people to sit and wait. Stop signs and signs are another story.

One day I made an appointment with a friend who was taking the same bus to take a photo of the Ferris wheel. Google and the bus stop sign said it would stop at Taichung Railway Station. After waiting for 20 minutes, my friend called me and asked: "Why didn't I see you on the bus?"

"I didn't see the bus!"

After asking a friend for help, I found out that the bus route has been changed. The Taichung Railway Station stop has been changed to Green Chuan East Street, not Jianguo Road. Why hasn’t the stop sign been changed?

"How did I know?" the bus driver replied.

king of timetables

One day, the driver brother sent me two palm-sized timetables: "Take a photo of the latest bus timetable. Take the first one. The second one is from last month."

The first timetable says August, and the second timetable says July. The difference between the busy times of the two timetables is only 5 minutes, marking the driving time of the starting and ending stations. The stopping time of the stop is unknown. I suspect that frequent changes in bus schedules are the reason for the inaccurate Google Maps.

Google Map can directly display public transportation routes, stop locations, and distances, which is a super virtue. It is speculated that it is the result of the government sharing data with Google. Taiwan's information technology directly overwhelms Hong Kong. However, Google may not be accurate, and may even be inaccurate in many cases. I took some screenshots:

There are countless of them. This is not intended to be a public trial. I simply want to tell everyone that the timetable is "for reference only."

More than ten years ago, there was no Google Maps, and there was no Internet on our mobile phones. We didn’t know whether the bus would arrive, so we stood on the roadside waiting for the bus. We were helpless and complained privately. With the advancement of technology, we know the bus itinerary, but the time is inaccurate, and we are angry and angry. complaint.

For example, for the above-mentioned bus, if the timetable is modified "so freely", then the data is only a reference value. I tried waiting for the bus for 40 minutes but didn't get there, and I tried arriving on time, but the bus arrived two minutes early and left. Therefore, even in the era of big data, the key to waiting for the bus is still inseparable from the word "wait".

Waiting for the bus is a spiritual practice

When taking a bus in Taichung, be sure to arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes in advance. If the bus doesn't arrive, wait at least 20 minutes before leaving. You have no other way to move anyway, right?

The bus delay may be due to the actual traffic conditions. There are often traffic jams at Fuxingli of Fengjia University on weekend nights. A while ago, it was common to wait for half an hour after class.

During the two months of my internship, I took the earliest bus to school every day. The timetable said it started at 6:00, but I found that the bus left at 5:58 every day. I also always thought the iPhone clock was wrong. One day a month and a half later, the original driver may be on vacation and another one will take over. The bus will start at 6:00 on time.

Drivers talk on the phone while driving, often not realizing that passengers are about to get off the bus and fly to the stop; when arriving at the terminal, passengers skipped into the parking lot because the passengers did not ring the bell. This has also happened to me. The elderly people on the early morning shift have bad ears and speak too loudly, and the driver sometimes scolds them. When a child's attitude changes 180 degrees, two sisters will get on the bus at point A and get off at kindergarten at point B. The driver will take the initiative to say hello and remind them to get off.

During non-peak hours, I have encountered buses flying directly in front of me and stopped several times, even though there were obviously no passengers on the bus. I'm afraid the driver's experience told him that there were never any passengers at that time, so he just drove away. My friend told me that I can report it, but how? I didn’t even have time to take out my phone to take pictures and videos, it had already run away. Besides, will it really improve after being reported? Maybe this line will be closed next month, which will be even more troublesome.

In a prosperous big city, if you miss this bus, you have to wait up to 15 minutes for the next bus. In cities south of New Taipei City, it is common to wait for another 40 to 90 minutes. Wait for nothing when you have nothing to do, be optimistic, and want to be slow and romantic. When you are in a hurry or in a bad mood, you have to wait for a bus that you don't know whether it will come or not. That feeling is enough only once in your life.

There are rumors on the Internet that the "virtue" of bus drivers is related to long working hours and poor benefits.

Spike past sobbing girl

One day I worked overtime until eight o'clock. The rush hour was over. The bus ran every 1.5 hours and the last bus was at ten o'clock. When we arrived at the bus stop, a girl wearing pink clothes, black leather shoes, and a long black ponytail, maybe a bank intern, squatted in front of the electrical box. When she noticed me coming over, she turned her head and turned sideways, and her nose said "chirp, chirp" from time to time. sound.

Are you crying?

I am waiting for the bus at this time. I must have experienced a difficult day. At this time, I must want to go home quickly, hide in bed and feel sad, not wanting to be seen by others. It happened that a strange man came at this time. What was that like? God's joke.

I immediately took a few steps back and kept a distance of two meters. He secretly thought: The bus should come quickly. It’s very torture. Walking away doesn’t mean it. Going to comfort her would be considered a pervert. Maybe she just has a cold? It must be.

The street lights in Taichung are one-third as bright as those in Hong Kong. All the shops on the street are closed, leaving only the sound of passing cars. It's eight o'clock but it feels like ten o'clock at night. A few pedestrians passed by and looked at me and then at the sobbing girl. We waited for 40 minutes on this night. When the bus arrived, I asked her to get on first. After all, she came earlier than me. She turned back and smiled at me:

Thanks.

beep.

Well, what about T Pass.

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