Please Fasten Your Seatblets & Return Your Seats To The Upright....

I've said before that I like to run a hair late to my stops to make certain everybody has a chance to get to the stops and not be missed.
So you can assume we're already at least 30 to 60 seconds behind.
So when you get on the bus...
Please, sit down would ya?

LOL

But seriously, the number one rule we have at RTD is "Safety First."
Safety First.
Why do you care?
Well, when I leave a stop, I have to first check my rearviews to make sure that there are no late arriving passengers or passengers who just departed getting close to the bus and risking slipping and falling underneath.
Then I have to check to guage trafic and our ability to re-enter traffic safely.
So I'm looking in front, side to side then back to the front then side to side, etc.

But first and foremost, before I even begin to move the bus...
I need to make sure you've safely found your seat.

When I say that, most of us think of the obvious examples such as:
The Elderly
Mothers with their families
Passengers with disabilities

But there are far more frequent and glaring examples such as:
The young man with his pants down around his ankles with one hand in his pocket and the other fist bumping with friends already on the bus
If I gun it from a stop and take off, the bus will lurch forward and he lands in the laps of his buddies.
That's gotta be embarassing!
Or the young Ladies who come on in the morning with coffee in one hand and their phones in the other.
They're not holding any rails either and if I lurch forward, they could break a heel, spill that coffee, etc.
The gentleman who gets on with his arms full of coffee, papers, computers, etc, goes to sit in his seat just as we lurch forward and his chin smacks into the back of the seat in front of him.

So in a world of "Safety First", when it comes to the choice of being another minute late to the next stop or allowing y'all the opportunities to injur yourselves - I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Now on that note - take your time.
Do your pimp walk, shake hands and say hello to everybody on your way to your seat.
I'm paid by the minute and seriously, I really do have ALL DAY.
The rest of the folks on the bus, on the other hand may not have all day and they may not appreciate you holding up their time tables.
They know I'm waiting and being safe, I did it for them when they got on.
Now it's their turn to eye ball you sideways to get you to step just a bit more quickly!

All joking aside, folks - please, be safe.
That's my job, to make sure you're safe.
While being safe, I need to get you to your destinations in a timely manner.
That's why I'm paid by the minute.
Each and every minute needs to be safe.

Welcome aboard, find your seats (Quickly) - Let's Roll!