It’s been another eventful week for this particular branch of the Rankin family and yet again, it’s a birthday at the heart of it.
This time it was the turn of my dad to celebrate another trip around the sun with a slap up feast of Chinese cuisine, and being the good son I am, I helped him do that.
I turned up and ate.
Not that it’s the celebration itself which forms the crux of today’s offering. No, that’s reserved for the way there and the way back.
Travelin' Man
You see, although the meal was lovely (duck loaded chips are a game changer), and the company was, as always, amazing, the commute was a nightmare.
To put that in context, we live just a tad over fifteen miles from Leeds city centre where we were due to meet. Public transport (in the form of the 202 bus) adds a bit on to that, of course, and with the less than lightning speed such conveyance travels at, it takes about an hour.
In theory.
With this already in mind, and the idea to have a pre-drinks drink, perhaps somewhere my wúnderwifey, Tina would fail to realise the footy was playing, we set of from home in plenty of time to catch the 15:42 to Leeds.
Which never turned up.
Onwards
Not to worry, though, the 202 is a very regular bus, and the next one was due in half an hour or so. The rain was just about holding off, and it wasn’t too cold so, hardy folk we are, we decided to wait for said next bus.
Which also missed.
Luckily, another bus which takes us to nearby Dewsbury’s bus station did arrive, and, a-grumbling and a-mumbling we boarded. It was bound to mean another wait, but at least it would be dry (the rain had started to come down a little harder). In the end it was another 30 minutes before we continued our journey.
Now the next bit you could put down to a lack of attention or planning, but the bus we boarded, rather than he missing (have YOU seen this bus?) 202, was the 203. Only 1 digit up, and terminating in the same place (Leeds bus station), but missing out the stop we usually disembark at, Something we didn’t realise until the bus turned.
And so, after an elongated journey, that featured a lot of waiting around, we were faced with a walk across the city. It’s only around a mile, but it was a mile we weren’t planning. We finally met the fam at around 18:15, a mere two and a half hours after leaving the house.
But that is not where the fun stops. No, that privilege is reserved for the trip back home.
Odds On
Again we were waiting for the 202. The same bus that had failed to turn up twice, but what are the chances of that happening three times in one day, eh? Quite good it turns out.
This was our last bus home, and we watched the electronic sign that announced its pending advent with bated breath. The clock had ticked over to ten minutes before expected arrival when a secondary message began to scroll underneath. The bus had been re-routed and could now be caught at Leeds Bus Station, once again a mile away.
We tried to make it, but a wheelchair and an unhappy wife meant it was always going to be a challenge. In the end we slowed down. The station was still our destination (we were well over half way there) but the new plan was to use it as a good landmark and book a taxi.
It wasn’t the cheapest option, but it was just about the only one and, in the end, not as bad as we’d envisioned. £25 got us home a lot quicker and with a lot less fuss.
Last Bus
It raises an issue, though. There is a push to promote public transport. A drive to forgo the drive. But why should we if the service is so unreliable? The old saw says you wait for ages and then three come along at once, but we found it not to be true (unless all three buses we missed out on went somewhere else together). It’s not good enough. Especially when it’s the last bus you're talking about.
Both buses and trains should be accessible, regular, and timely. Public transport should be run for the public. All the public.
#
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
No comments:
Post a Comment