Google Bus Driver on the Mission: "OMG, It Is Such a Nightmare!"

A bad dream on 10 wheels.

In a post that miraculously features only four pictures and no numbered captions, BuzzFeed tracked down a Silicon Valley shuttle driver and interviewed him about what it's like to cart San Franciscans to the salt mines.  While the perks are nice (not having to deal with public transit riffraff, one rider brought him coffee everyday!), it turns out that hurtling down Valencia at 35 MPH is a major stress.  He explains:

Driving in the Mission and Noe Valley, oh my god, it is such a nightmare going through there. The lanes are really small. It is so dangerous. Thankfully nothing has ever happened, but there were lots of close calls. People would open their doors and I’m doing 35 [mph]. I had to swerve because I don’t want to hurt anyone. In a split second I would rather crash into the car next to me than take their door out.

Pedestrians and motorcycles and cyclists are all sort of trying to, in my mind, kind of sabotage me. It is important that I keep level headed and keep the task at hand. “You have a couple minutes to blow, so don’t worry about that bicyclist that just hit the mirror.” Because that happens a lot.

Of course, if he ever feels like taking a cyclist who “accidentally bashes their head” on the mirror to task, he can just climb out of the shuttle and bark threats at concussed rider like this guy.

[BuzzFeed | Photo by Jim Greer]

Comments (6)

If he thinks that the route he is driving is dangerous because it is too narrow but he keeps doing it anyway then he should probably have his CDL taken away.

Probably yeah. Assuming he isn’t still clipping bikers with his mirror.

I’m sure the driver gets to pick his/her own routes.

No but he is the one ultimately responsible for safety.

Sean Rea sounds like a whiny bitch.