Private Eyes Are Watching You...

It's early morning, you know when it's not light yet but not exactly dark.
You can't really see who is at the stop but you can see folks running outta the corner of your eye.

I am coming to a busy stop and after everybody loads in, I sit for a moment longer.
Two gals coming running to the door at the last minute and thank me for waiting.
I saw them running about a block up, trying to cross busy traffic and I wanted them to see the bus stopped so that they'd be safe and not dart out into traffic, etc etc etc.

They sit right next to me, in "those" seats and just sit there quietly.
That's odd enough for gals their ages but I notice after a couple of miles that they are watching me too!

I got enough to do while Driving already than to be creeped out by a couple of kiddos eye ballin me so I just keep on doing my thing.

At one point I randomly pulled over far in between two stops.
Another passenger wannabe darts across the street and thank you thank you thank you thanks me for stopping like that.
That's when the two gals ask me how I knew the new passenger wanted the bus.
One of the gals said, "I noticed you stare at everything and everybody."
Her friend said, "It was kinda creepy at first."

After I figured out what they were talking about and realized what they were asking and saying (I had one of those "A-Ha" moments) I explained to them what was going on.

Drivers aren't being creepy or stalkerish, we're being responsible and safe.
Passengers don't always know what they want right away and don't always tell us what they want when they realize what it is they want.
So we need to be prepared and predictive.

For example:
That random stop between two other stops - I saw the passenger across the street, staring at me but not waving at the bus. She gave out a huge sigh when it looked like she wasn't going to make it across the street to a stop.
She didn't wave but flopped her arms down and started to get that panicked look like she was about to dart into traffic to catch me.
Drivers have to be looking around at traffic, around at our mirrors and around at pedestrians all the time, over and over and over.
We need to look out for everybody's safety and we learn from experience what to recognize as danger.
I saw the look, her expression and posture and reacted by stopping.
Traffic permitted it, it was safe and it was far safer for her if I stopped and waited rather than her trying to catch me.
We weren't late or behind schedule for waiting so I made the call.
That's what RTD pays me to do: make those decisions.

I have to pull up to a bus stop that more than one Route services.
There are a ton of Passengers but not everybody wants my bus.
I have to read faces, body language and traffic to know when to stop, what's safe, etc.

We as Drivers learn how to read not just the conditions and the traffic but the people.
I'm learning that and while those gals watched me I seemed to have made a ton of those calls.
Several passengers behind us said, "I wish my other Drivers stopped for me like that..." or other comments like that.
That surprises me because I'm a new Driver still, within my first year.
If I'm learning to do this already, I know the Senior Drivers already do this.

But we're not being creepy, we're not being stalkers:
We have to watch, look, see, analyze, decide and react.
I have to stare at you in the eye, whether you're a guy or a gal - as I pull up to a stop and you just sit there without giving me any other sign that you're going to get up.
I have to decide whether to keep going because you're waiting for another bus or whether you're just making up your mind to wait until I stop to stand up.

Yeah, I'm watching you but it's for your benefit, my benefit and the other 63 Passengers already on the Bus.

We all have the same destination: Safety

Oh My God that sounded cheezy!

LOL, whatever - I'm just Driving, doing my job.
Don't freak out but I'm watching you too.

As always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"