When the MRT passed by EDSA on my way home last night, all that was left as proof that something newsworthy had happened was the firetruck and the police vehicle. When I saw the firetruck, my mind went to "Konka! No!" But it seemed to be in one piece, so i relaxed. It would be later, watching the local news, that i learned that a bus had caught fire along EDSA.
And when I heard of the bus fire, my first reaction was "oh my god!!"
And when I learned it was a Jell Transit bus, my reaction was "that makes more sense."
And i suddenly missed Neyza. Because back in college, Jell was her pet peeve. And you have to agree: More often than not, Jell buses tend to be dirty, filthy and hellacious. It was an accident waiting to happen. And while I never imagined it would actually catch fire, I wasn't really surprised.
A few weeks ago a coworker and I were waiting for a bus along Robinson's Pioneer heading north, and it was around 930 on a payday weekend. Our instinct, first of all, was to get home, where it was sure to be much safer than Guadalupe. But that did not mean we were getting on the first bus to pass. We began to dismiss buses that passed with varied reasons:
"That looks like it's ready to break down."
"That looks dirty."
"Suspicious yung mukha ng conductor/driver." ("The conductor/driver looks suspicious.")
"May dengue dyan." ("That has dengue." - this earned a confused look, which he explained away with: "may lamok yan, bet tayo. (I bet theres mosquitoes in there)")
Indeed, why are there so many "suspicious" buses in EDSA? So many of our PUVs are dirty, filthy, and looks like a roving home for creepy crawlies. Sometimes something's leaking, sometimes the aircon is a figment of the driver's imagination, and sometimes you want to kill the driver and the conductor for their horrible attitude and behavior (it's not fair that you have to allow an hour or so for travel time when it should only take 30 minutes or less simply because the driver and conductor are busy collecting passengers or stopping when someone so much as lifts a finger).
I don't know how to fix it, though. When i was younger, EDSA had The Love Bus, which was surprisingly effective in that it was at the bus station for 30 minutes, and left every 30 minutes. It also had a definite set of stops. Of course, The Love Bus is now extinct.
Makati used to have a shuttle system, but nobody used it because it was so nice and safe to walk at the Ayala Center (Quad used to have a lush greenery for its outdoors! How about that!).
But something's got to be done with these buses, because i reckon that there's just too many of them and at least half don't deserve to be in operation.
Xander: Somebody lit people on fire? That's nuts!
Anya: That's not surprising. One more minute of our little ditty and I would've been reaching for a gas can.
(Buffy)
Speaking of Buffy: how much do I love Season 8? Well, the latest issue's teaser offers references to Battlestar Galactica and Veronica Mars. Awesome.
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