The Bus Driver

Buses in Europe must give change. At least that's what the driver on the Number 4 traveling from south Minneapolis to NE Minneapolis assumed.

The young man from Romania put a 20 into the fare box. It didn't give him change. Our buses don't give change.

The system isn't prepared for missteps like that.

The bus driver began to explain the "process" the young man would need to follow to get his money back.

Halfway through his own complicated explanation, the bus driver got another idea. Since the meter box confirmed the young Romanian  had indeed paid 20 dollars, the bus driver called his supervisor and asked if it would be okay if he allowed all passengers paying cash to simply give the young Romanian their money-- until they had collected the $20.

Everyone who was willing to hand their money to the young man  got some kind of extra pass.

It was working swell. Everyone on the bus was rooting for the young Romanian, hoping that enough money would be collected.

Then, an extremely inebriated gentlemen ( it was Saturday around 4:00 p.m.) decided that he would take the pass and keep is $1.50.

Thinking that he didn't understand the situation ,several of us tried to explain why he needed to hand the money over to our European visitor.

The man was very drunk. He was also very uncooperative. At this point the driver said, " Either you pay or I call the police."

Defiant, the drunk rider says, " Call the police."

You could hear the collective groans. The bus had stopped. It wasn't going to go anywhere until this situation was resolved. People were pleading with the gentlemen to just pay the $1;50

He didn't care. Until the police came. Then he quickly sauntered off the bus.

I got off two stops later. The young Romanian was still on the bus. The driver said he was welcome to stay on the bus as long as it took to get his money back.

I have no idea what the young man chose to do.

As I stepped off the bus, I told the bus driver how  impressed I was with his efforts to help.

He could have followed policy. But he didn't. And because of that, a young visitor may have gotten his change--it could have taken an hour extra, but when he walked off the bus he hopefully had the $18.50 he was supposed to have.

Rules are meant to be broken.