I've been running in the mid-late morning (I know it's foolish and I should go earlier in late summer heat), but twice I've seen the same foolish thing: a bus driver stopped at the bus stop right by Booker Creek apartments who has left his bus -- a double, accordion-length thing -- running, while he stops for a cigarette in the bus stop enclosure. I'm sure the bus is empty. Probably his schedule accomodates this. It may even be that the energy expenditure break-even period for turning an engine that big off is less than that of a typical car (typically reckoned to be 1 minute).
But still it seems excessive, if not downright wrong. The best way to disincent this behavior would be to build in some performance-based compensation possibilities for bus drivers around fuel consumption, and/or itemize their health care insurance premia based on tobacco consumption. But I'm sure that ain't going on.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Cigarette break
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is somewhat of a trend amongst us in the bus driver fraternity; while an erstwhile "transit operator" for the proud UVA bus system (dorm, class, stadia loops) I would frequently nudge each consecutive stop up 15-20 seconds by going just enough over the speed limit between stops. This would allow me to gain about 3 minutes at the end of the line, which I would use to quickly smoke a butt down to the nub. Having given up cigs and largely stopped riding buses (at least in the USA), I guess I should condemn this practice, but God help me those smoky treats were always right on time...
Post a Comment