I’ve decided to commit some of my experiences as a bus driver to text, and this is the story of an Irish homeless man who would try his luck, night after night, on the weekends.
This all took place in Manchester on the 201 and 203 night bus services, which operated every Friday and Saturday night from midnight to 4:00 AM.
At my depot, it was generally the same few drivers who took these late shifts. While officially overtime, for many of us, these late-to-night duties became a way of life on Friday and Saturday, as our rotas were often structured to include the late-night run. Because of this consistency, we were typically assigned the same routes. At the time, the 201 and 203 were run by myself and a friend we’ll call Jon. We knew most of the regulars and, of course, dealt with the typical crowd of late-night drunks or party passengers heading home.
Knowing the regular customers was a bonus; there were many you might bend the rules or running times for. However, this particular event took place on the inbound trip to Manchester, near Gorton.
I pulled into the bus stop as normal, flagged down by a gentleman. At first, I thought it was a little strange, as the bus stop wasn’t really near anything substantial. He boarded, and in his first breaths, his need was clear. He opened the conversation with, “Can you help me? I’m trying to get to town. Can you let me on, please?”
My personal approach to these situations was to allow travel, but I never made it easy. I asked the normal question: “Have you got the fare—£2.50?” He said no, and so I would respond: “Look, I will do it for you this once, but next time you will need to pay.” This made it clear that it wasn’t a free service and that he was expected to pay in the future. Crucially, it defused any situation, as I was allowing travel as if I was doing him a favor. He went and sat down, said thank you, and got off in Piccadilly.
I had a talk with Jon and we was on the same page as we would do we would say whom we have given a free ride to and that we requested they need to pay on the next trip.
The following night, I was flagged down again at the same bus stop. It was dark, so you couldn’t really see who it was until you stopped. I opened the doors, and he waved me on as soon as he saw it was me—he remembered. Being the fair driver I considered myself to be, I wasn’t going to leave him in the cold, waiting another 30 minutes for the other service, knowing Jon would be driving and would likely say the same thing. When he got to Manchester, it was the same, “Thank you, driver.”
The week passed, and I didn’t see him again until the following Friday night. Once again, I was flagged down at the same bus stop, and, surprise, it was the same guy.
This time, rather than asking the question, he saw me and immediately placed £1.50 on the tray. This time, I decided to do something different. I hate taking a full fare from the homeless, but I also disagree with just giving them free rides everywhere. As he attempted to pay a fare, I processed a Dayrider pass through the machine, pushed the £1.50 back at him, and said, “You attempted to pay; I’m not going to take your money.”
This interaction—where they attempt to pay a fare and I offer a gesture in return—is a step I prefer and will tolerate. They haven’t asked for a free ride; they have attempted to pay.
This routine went on for ages until, out of the blue, he was never at the bus stop again. I still wonder what happened to him. I know when it wasn’t me or Jon driving, he either had to pay or perhaps got his free ride, but no one ever saw him after that.
This is a simple case where manners and politeness make bending the rules feel better. The reality is that giving free rides isn’t a huge issue. As a driver, if an inspector gets on for ticket enforcement and you simply say, “There is a passenger I have allowed travel; they have no ticket,” they will deal with it. Most of the time, they will just take note of the passenger’s details and allow them to carry on their journey. The people they want to target on revenue inspections are the ones who simply force their way on or have expired or incorrect tickets. Just never make a habit of it, as that will raise flags to the inspectors, but they are aware of situations and are sometimes human.
I hope you have enjoyed this story. What would you of done different?