I dropped my phone in the toilet and it died on me; no response whatsoever to turning it on, turning it off, or plugging it into the charger. I bought it three weeks ago. So I got on the FAB at the stop closest to my dorm, flashed the driver my ID, and took my seat for my journey to the Walmart shopping center. There was only one other boy on the bus, and it was clear he had never ridden the FAB, or any other bus, before. He stuttered, "Uhh... uh... can you just drop me off here? I just went out for a couple things and I didn't intend to be on the bus this long..." The bus driver said "uh huh" and pulled up to the corner. The boy thanked him and rushed off the bus. I watched him as we drove away; he was just standing on the curb where we left him looking around confusedly. I was the only one on the bus now, considering it was only 3 in the afternoon. I cherish these times because generally the bus drivers are nice, conversational guys.
The driver, let's call him "Lou", laughed under his breath. "He looked like he had no damn idea where he was going," I said. Lou chuckled and said, "Most of these kids don't know which way they're going around here." We then launched into a conversation about how most of these freshman have never even experienced urban transportation. I had this realization a few days ago when I was waiting with a group of kids for the bus. The driver, and the FAB website (that apparently no one utilizes), clearly states that the bus comes in intervals of thirty minutes. Add thirty to the time you were picked up/dropped off, or just ask yourself when the next half hour is. Regardless, you won't be sitting on a bench for days. If the bus is three minutes late these kids have a hernia. "Oh my gawd, where is the bus? It was supposed to be here three minutes ago..."
Here's a "step-out-of-yourself" experience opportunity; college is chock full of these. These men/women (though I have yet to see a female FAB driver) are making their living by driving around snot-nosed spoiled rotten college kids from suburbia. Don't you think they deserve a little slack? "Lou" told me that he and a colleague took over 300 freshman back and forth from campus on the first Saturday we were here. Can you imagine the hell and headaches he dealt with? Lou also told me that last weekend a couple kids fell asleep in the back of the bus, then were angry that Lou didn't wake them up when they got to Walmart. You've got to be kidding me, right? He said, "I'm not their babysitters, and I'm not responsible for their sleeping habits." And he couldn't be more right.
All I'm saying is please be considerate of the community around you. Farmville is not Longwood, and Longwood is not Farmville. This bus service is not for you and you alone, it is the Farmville Area Bus. Be courteous of the drivers and their schedules, they don't work for you. We're lucky enough to have free bus faire.
They couldn't fix my phone, instead they tried to sell me one retail price; $400. Tricky bastards.
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