When you do your job right, you expect people to commend you...

... but such is not the case for bus drivers in Lima. This past Monday I was on a bus that did not have a conductor. So the driver was making people pay him as soon as they hopped on the bus. Now, how dangerous and reckless is that -- dealing with money and giving tickets to passengers whilst driving a vehicle!! Not an unusual sight in this city, however.

It is impossible to sit on a bus, enjoy a pleasant journey home or to work and relax. You just can't do it here. Why, might you ask? Because a) the driver may be playing music and it can be a bit loud and it may not be what you want to listen to b) Both driver and conductor are loud and rude. More so the conductor c) The horn is always unnecessarily honked by every driver on the road d) Because these buses are trying to get as many passengers as they can, they will drive recklessly. To add to this nightmare, traffic rules are never obeyed. Buses stop just about everywhere to pick up and drop off passengers. There are some signs along the sidewalks saying it is prohibited for a bus to stop there, but it's just a suggestion. They will stop when the light's green to get people to get on the bus, but then, when the light's red, they will run it.

People complain that bus drivers do not do their job right. Passengers treat them like dirt and they are quite rude in return. Much to my astonishment, this driver was actually doing his job the way it should be done. He wouldn't stop at every bloody corner to pick up a 50-cent passenger and he wouldn't drop anyone off wherever they wanted. He was also encouraging people to get on and off the bus at bus stops and he wasn't being rude or sarcastic. He was clearly and politely telling people he could be fined if caught by the police. I could hardly believe it. I had to pinch myself. I wasn't dreaming.

It was good to see this man was trying to make a difference. Yet, his passengers started hurling insults and being absolutely heinous at him. I will not even begin to mention the score of nasty things he was told. It is going to take years for the public transport in Lima to become decent. And if the people do not cooperate to change this chaos into order and civilisation, then it's going to take even longer. I may not be around to see it, and I still got a long way to go... or so I think.