Get on the Bus...

Surely we can fit one more!  That seems to be the common theme on the bus in Chennai.  There are seats and aisles, it looks like a normal bus, all seats facing forwards.  There are 2 people in every seat, normal, then people stand next to the seats in the aisle, with their fronts facing the window.  Then, when more people get on, a third row of standing in the aisle forms, between the 2 other rows.  That's the worst place to be.  But still, more people can fit.  Near the doors (there are 2, front and rear), people just cram in.  Standing on the stairs, or in the aisle before the seats.  But that's not all!  Then there's the people, mainly college boys, who hang out the door and on the side of the bus.  They run alongside the bus, holding onto bars on the outside of the bus.  While doing this, they swing their bags in through the windows, onto the ladies sitting in the seats.  Then, they hop up and put their feet onto the windows and crouch down, like spiderman, and hang on until the next stop.  It's nuts.

The bus has a womens side (door side) and a mens side.  This is nice because I'd rather be sardined with women although often the aisle is very mixed, especially in the dreaded "3rd row."  Another nice thing is that whoever is standing can usually put their bags (or children!) on the laps of those who are sitting.  That way you have all your hands free to hold on to the rails on the roof so you dont fall over during the crazy ride.

You have to pay every time you ride the bus, there are no passes.  And you have to pay by distance, so you have to say where you're getting off when you get on.  There's a conductor who collects the money and gives you a receipt.  When the bus isnt crowded, he walks down the aisle collecting money from everyone.  But most times he just stays put where he is and you have to pass the money up to him.  For instance, this morning I gave 10 rupees to the women next to me and said, "Volluvar kottam- one".  She did the same thing to the women next to her, and my money and message went all down the bus until it got to the conductor.  He then sends my ticket and change back down the line to me.  I like this because it gives me a chance to interact with people and learn more names of stops. 

I like it best when whoever I pass my money to understands what stop I'm saying.  If I have to say any letters or numbers in English, I've found that people understand me better if I speak English in an Indian accent.  If I say 47A or I.C.F as an American I have to repeat it usually 2-3 times before someone nearby understands me.  It's hard to type the way that I have to talk, you'll just have to hear it later.  I find this hilarious, but it really helps me communicate with people.

The bus comes pretty often (more often than the #1 in Boston!).  But there are different classes of bus with different prices.  Prices also seem to vary depending on where I get on/off.  The delux bus is 7-8 rupees, the other bus is 3-5 rupees.  once I rode the bus for 2.50, dont know how this happened!  So, in general, the bus costs 10-20 cents for me to ride to work.  If I took an auto, it should cost around 80 rupees, but you have to argue a lot and will prob pay closer to 100 rupees.  It's still only about $2.25, but to put it in perspective, I could instead spend that money on 2 or 3 lunches.  It's all relative.

Plus, I love public transportation!!