The last ride together

The bus stopped suddenly, jolting most passengers out of their light slumbers. Sounds of discontent were all around, turning formerly mute strangers into allies in this moment of crisis.

“What’s the problem?” asked one.

Turned out the driver had been called out by a traffic cop for non-possession of various documents – among them his license, the vehicle’s registration papers, and so forth.

“This is the transport owner’s fault. They never bother sorting out these issues. Always leaving us paying subscribers in the lurch,” screeched a particularly shrill woman. Not for nothing had she earned herself a reputation as the boss’ right-hand man at work.

The grumbling went on for a time. Eventually, the driver returned with some intelligence – a 1000-rupee fine would see the bus on its way. Whipping out his Blackberry, an irate passenger dialled Riddhi Transport, only to be told that they were helpless in the matter. One of the passengers would have to cover the fine for now; the company would reimburse the amount later. Problem was, no one really trusted the company, and so, ten minutes on, the fine remained unpaid and the bus, stationary.

It was around 8 p.m. that someone came up with the bright idea of contributing 10 bucks each to meet the fine. The idea was immediately shot down. “Let’s not set a precedent. It is the company’s fault and they need to learn a lesson,” they said.

Soon, there was talk of the driver being held overnight and released the next day, once the fine had been paid. With the driver gone, there would be no hope of getting home on this bus at least. Stuck in the middle of the highway, people started calling friends and relatives to figure out about pickups.

But the despondence soon changed to euphoria. Another bus came bearing down the road. ‘Riddhi Transport’ said the legend emblazoned on its side. The relieved passengers lost no time in flagging it down and jumped ship instantly, happy to be on their way again.

Standing out in the rain, the first driver watched us go. For once, the timid man had looked up and met our eyes. Pity no one noticed it.