The angry bus driver

I got on the bus, said "Bonjour" to the pretty young woman bus driver (did you know you are always supposed to do that?), punched my ticket and struggled to the back of the bus with my parcels. Wedged into a seat with the bags on my lap, I opened the newspaper and started to read. Several stops later, I looked up. The bus was not moving, even though all the passengers at that stop had already sat down. The bus driver was looking back from her seat to the passengers.

"Madame!" she said loudly. "Madame! Could you come validate your ticket please?"

No one moved. She said it again, looking pointedly at the back of the bus. I felt guilty even though I hadn't done anything. A young girl sitting next to me said to her friend, "Mais qu'est-ce qu'elle est chiante!"["How annoying she is!" --but much ruder]

The bus driver stood up. "Yes, you! The lady in the black coat! We're not moving!" She sat back down with a stubborn air.

Across the aisle from me, a well-dressed middle-aged woman got up and made her way to the front of the bus, where she bought a ticket for €1.40 and validated it before going grumpily back to her seat. I recognized her coat from the window of the Max Mara store on the Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. It cost more than 1200 euros.

Comments

[L'Amerloque]

Hi Sedulia !

This illustrates to a T exactly why more and more people are voting for the FN. (sigh)

Amerloque has seen scenes like the one described here take place numerous times, for several years now. Almost everyone he knows can tell a similar story.

Funny how it's almost invariably a middle-aged woman who is targeted by the courageous "busdriver" ... and not the young riffraff - of whatever color - who don't pay or show a ticket, put their feet up on the seats, smoke, play loud music and bother accompanied young ladies, eh ?

Whatta world. (sigh)

Best,
L'Amerloque

[anonymous]

Bonjour-
I am curious...why would behavior like this cause people to vote for the FN? Are you referring to the behavior of the passenger or the driver?

[LA Frog]

Reminds me of a piece of news a few years ago (urban legend?) that Tom Cruise tried to get into a movie theater on the Champs-Elysées for free. The cashier wouldn't let him in, and he jumped on his high horses, "Do you know whom I am?!" blah-blah, to which the cashier retorted, "So what? You pay your ticket like everyone else." The guy makes $20 million per movie and he can't be bothered to shed 10€ for a movie tix...

[Sedulia]

Amerloque, the truth is, I have never seen the kind of jeunes you describe on this bus line (although they are a feature of the RER), but I don't get the feeling this young woman would have hesitated an instant.

In my own experience, it is most likely to be a middle-aged well-off Frenchwoman who jumps queues at the post office, rides the bus without paying, and gets ahead of you in the taxi line. When you say something, she inevitably responds, "Faut pas vous énerver!" [No need to get upset!]

[L'Amerloque]

Hi Sedulia !

/*/Amerloque, the truth is, I have never seen the kind of jeunes you describe on this bus line (although they are a feature of the RER), but I don't get the feeling this young woman would have hesitated an instant./*/

Which goes to prove that people all have different experiences (grin). The world is a wonderful place, indeed ! (wider grin)

Moer power to the driver ! Nice bus line, if that's all she has to deal with ! (smile)

Recently Amerloque was on a Paris city bus - not at rush hour - the (four) "contoleurs" were checking everyone's tickets (well, titres de transport, anyway). They refrained from checking those of the noisy, smoking youths at the back of the bus, who had a boombox going full blast and who were making a huge racket, with their feet up on the seats – although there were people standing. The noisy fellows even said, laughingly "Hey, come on over and check our tickets, if you want !" but the controleurs didn't even go near them.. They would have had the cr*p kicked out of them, had they tried, probably. Amerloque has seen it happen.

The controleurs did make quite certain, however, to ticket a little old lady who had apparently really forgotten her ticket (genteel poor, the kind of almost-well-off-once oldster who is now making do on a very meager pension), the two prépa kids who gave them a hard time in jest and who had genuine, verifiable tickets, and a male tourist from Arras or Laon (a place like that, in the north) who was lost and thought he was on the way to the airport (!).

This particular incident sticks in Amerloque's mind simply because:

a) the controleurs alighted at stop A;
b) the noisy kids alighted a few stops later; and
c) all the passengers on the bus, including Amerloque, began exchanging experiences. The driver even chimed in to apologize for the chicken controleurs.

It was one of those unforgettable "only in France, on the bus" moments … (grin)

Amerloque has seen such behavior by controleurs happen time and time again. Undoubtedly a function of time and place ! (grin)

/*/In my own experience, it is most likely to be a middle-aged well-off Frenchwoman who jumps queues at the post office, rides the bus without paying, and gets ahead of you in the taxi line. When you say something, she inevitably responds, "Faut pas vous énerver!" [No need to get upset!]/*/

Yes, Amerloque has encountered this type of Frenchwoman, but only two or three times in all the time he's been here.

Amerloque's rarely has people cutting in line in front of him, or jumping the taxi queue. He sends off very bad vibrations to discourage such behavior. He is pretty tall, and nine times out of ten he is taller than the people around him. Perhaps there is a connection … (smile)

As to the "FN" comment (Amerloque doesn't particularly appreciate anonymous comments …): part of the FN thesis (rightly or wrongly is not at issue here: it is the perception of the issue that counts, in Amerloque's view) is that there has been a general increase in the lack of "civisme": more "incivilités", as Lionel Jospin called them, than there used to be.

It has been Amerloque's experience that this exact type of incident, when shared around a dinner table en ville, is ranked among the "problems coming from the Left" and "from le laisser-aller général": both the behavior of the lady (which is wrong) and the behavior of the driver (the driver is supposed to drive, not check tickets: that's why there used to be one driver and one ticketperson on each bus …). Usually the FN-types seize on it and comment on it, and many's the time Amerloque has heard "Oh, yes, the FN is right." It's the famous "deux poids, deux mesures" which is driving people to vote FN, in Amerloque's view.

The whole "general disrespect of law" among the well off and and "incivisme" issues are inexticably linked, in Amerloque's view. Was this type of behavior (the no-ticket woman's) acceptable twenty years ago, say ? Or is it a relatively new phenomenon ?

Or is it sheer bloodymindedness ? If it is new … is it linked to the general "laisser-aller". There are quite a few questions like that …

Best,
L'Amerloque

[Accius]

Dear Amerloque,

A word of advice: why do you always write about yourself in the third person? I counted your name no less than 15 times in the above post. I can assure you that for others reading it, it makes for a very annoying read.

Yours, Accius

[L'Amerloque]

Hello Accius !

If Accius really and truly wants to be "annoyed", he should pay a visit Amerloque's blog séance tenante and illico presto at:

http://amerloqueparis.blogspot.com/

Best,
L'Amerloque

[Jessica]

If Rue Rude is to be hijacked, I won't be the one to miss the bandwagon!

Amerloque, I am a regular reader of your blog, and I love your personal style, and your unique voice.

Concerning anonymity, though, I think Amerloque, like Batman, is relatively anonymous. To be sure, he has his blog identity; but who is that masked super blogger hero really?

[Joe Brown]

The constant reference to "Amerloque" is annoying.

[L'Amerloque]

Hi Jessica !

/*/ If Rue Rude is to be hijacked, I won't be the one to miss the bandwagon!/*/

Hijacking Sedulia's wonderful blog to discuss the merits or drawbacks of Ameloque's adopting the third person style is hardly fair to Sedulia; who is publishing a blog about her experiences in France ! Just Amerloque's point of view, of course. (smile)

/*/Amerloque, I am a regular reader of your blog, and I love your personal style, and your unique voice./*/

Amerloque extends his thanks. Insofar as the third person style is concerned … he invites Jessica – and any other interested parties – over to his blog where support and condemnation can be posted … unless Sedulia specifically states that she wouldn't be averse to this discussion continuing here. (smile) Sedulia ?

/*/Concerning anonymity, though, I think Amerloque, like Batman, is relatively anonymous. To be sure, he has his blog identity; but who is that masked super blogger hero really?/*/

A question which will remain unanswered, alas. (smile) Devoir de reserve, and so on …

Best,
L'Amerloque

[Sedulia]

As long as everyone is decent, I have no objections to any discussion here!