In an effort to be smart with money and also to be environmentally conscious (being a Unitarian Universalist is harder than being a xtian; I have to help take care of the earth rather than hoping for zombie jeebus to come back once we have despoiled it), I have been using mass transit to get back and forth to work since I moved to Cincinnati in March. The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky(TANK) website makes very nice use of Google maps and technology to simply plan trips around the greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area. The buses are usually clean and in good repair and the drivers seem able to keep a schedule within reason.

BUT...

The downfall is the riders of the bus system. Each day something unique, ignorant or somehow interesting (at least to me, and blogs usually have things that interest very few people) occurs. I thought I may as well document them, since the system should be ashamed and the local governments really should get involved to correct the problem. Today was a four star day and it inspired me. I got on the bus at the scheduled time in downtown Cincinnati. Bus Number 5, Holman was on time leaving downtown Cincinnati, and the trip was normal for the first 10 minutes, then we hit the stop of hell at Pike and Scott. A large group of clear democrat or republicans began boarding. First, there was the women struggling with 3 children under the age of 4 while visibly pregnant. Following behind her were a few more women who clearly made enough money to eat very well. Next was the guy wearing the wife beater proclaiming, "F**king B**ch, I am going to beat her a**"! This rather classy gentleman walked toward the rear of the bus past the two school aged children at the front. Next was a rather large woman proclaiming at the top of her voice, "I knows yous not calling my dater a b**ch!" She then proceeded to the rear of the bus, and the two of them began calling each other "mother f**kers" repeatedly. Then the woman of many children proclaimed, "Motherf**ker can't evah come in my house again" and directed it to the rear of the bus. At which point the gentleman began calling her a "Nasty C**t" at the top of his lungs and announcing his cowardly intention to beat her up (from 20 feet away) During this time, the bus driver sat there oblivious while undoubtedly planning his union based and insane level of retirement income.

Next on were two teen aged girls, both of whom had to struggle to step up the 3 inches to get on the bus, then guide their girth down the aisle like cargo cruisers being led through the Panama Canal, one dragging a snot-nosed and filthy toddler-aged sibling behind them. The bus took off once they had all waddled and crammed into seats. At the very next stop, a clearly inebriated chap fell on the bus and while drinking a thinly disguised can of beer in a paper sack, tripped into the first available seat.The driver remained in his blissful state of ignorance and laziness while ignoring the many violations of the rules for the system.

For the rest of the trip the two teenagers ranted about how bad the toddler smelled as it appears he had emptied his bowels at the bus stop and they were both refusing to change him until their mother got home from work (based on their loud commentary, I knew that would be about 4 hours after they got home), while the gentleman and the child-breeder ranted back at forth with escalating threats of violence.

I, myself, am above such things, but to a lone woman of small stature, a child, or a person who has not already realized that most people are animals at heart (thanks Rwanda!) this bus ride would have caused them to do anything in their power to avoid such trips in the future. Shame on you Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, shame on all the local governments and shame on the citizens who act in such ways!