Chronicles of Bus 21

This is obviously not Bus 21, however, this looks like Bus 21 and it is in the loading area right next to where we load Bus 21. Close enough.


I have been wanting to post about my adventures with Bus 21 for a while now. I take Bus 21 every day from the Luzern train station to my school...and again from school to the train station. For a few reasons, taking this bus has had its "moments." I thought I would share some for posterity sake.

As a precursor to some of these stories, you must know that I work with a wonderful girl named Anke. She commutes from Bern every day. Her train is supposed to arrive at 8:00am, but the problem is, Bus 21 is supposed to leave at 8:00am, and the next one doesn't leave until 8:30 which puts her to work right when the kids are arriving. Not ideal. Now...the stories can begin:

1. I have learned one German phrase: "Bitte eine minuten warten! Meine freunden kommf gurade vom zug." (For anyone who speaks German, I could have spelled this wrong.) It basically means, "Please wait one minute! My friend is coming now from the train!" Some bus drivers are nice and wait while I am frantically on my cell phone with Anke asking her how much longer she will be and I update the driver, "30 sekunden..." You may think it's silly, but they have a countdown clock right by their steering wheel that tells them by the second how late or early they are and they are usually rattling in German to me while they point to their clock and I just sputter out, "Bitte, bitte warten...10 sekunden!" At which point, Anke flies onto the bus. These are our lucky days.

2. Sometimes Bus 21 has already pulled out from the loading place and is on the street at a red light. Anke has often made it to the bus at this point, and usually with me begging the bus driver and her pounding on the bus door, he will reluctantly let her in off the street and then tell her in German that he's not supposed to do that and then she gets upset and tells him it's not her fault SBB (Swiss transit) and VBL (Luzern bus company) can't coordinate their schedules better. Sometimes she even argues with him all the way to school (15 minutes). It's funny. I love Anke.

3. One time the bus had already pulled onto the street and was waiting at the red light. I was doing my normal begging in German, but the bus driver was just staring ahead like he was deaf. Anke made it to the door and was pounding, and then Mr. Mean Bus Driver just drove off like he had been oblivious to the whole ordeal! Ooooh-I was so mad. Then I started looking right at him and in English told him that I hoped someday when he needed a favor from a stranger they would kick him in the shins. Then I looked at his nametag, said his name, and told him I was going to contact his boss. (Yeah right, like they would have taken my side.)

4. One time it was snowing so hard and stubborn Swiss...life went on as usual. There were four of us International School of Luzern people waiting for Bus 21, along with about 50 other Bus 21ers, and we waited, and waited, and waited...No bus 21! The electronic timetable board kept saying it was 5 minutes away, but it never came! Finally, one hour late, here comes Bus 21. We all filed out from under the covered waiting area, across the lot to our loading area, and Bus 21 lets the people off the bus about 20 yards before he reaches us, closes his doors, and drives right past us! About 10 minutes later, another Bus 21 (empty this time) comes, and again, we all file back out to our loading area, and again, he drives right past us! What the-!!!??? When we finally got on the third Bus 21 an hour + later, the bus is way overcrowded, the streets are an ice rink and the bus driver tells us as we head up a hill that he will only go up the hill until he starts sliding, and then he will stop. WHAT?! Thank goodness there was no sliding, and we got to school nearly 2 hours late.

5. The following scenario has happened many times. Pedestrians own Switzerland. They dart out in the road like nobody's business. For this reason, busses are constantly slamming on their breaks. Sometimes I'm lucky to be sitting down, but even then, I've had some co-workers (sitting across from me) end up in my lap with my lunch smooshed. Sometimes I'm standing up and have many bruises to show for my violent throws across Bus 21.

6. One time, Anke got out of the train station at the side door and saw Bus 21 (with me and 2 other co-workers on it) driving down Pilatusstrasse. We are often stop and go on this street as there is a lot of traffic and many stop lights. Anke literally chased the bus down Pilatusstrasse and was able to make bus 21 at the next stop (but not without me having to beg the bus driver to wait just "20 sekunden!"). When she flew onto Bus 21, I let out a big "Woo-hoo!" and she literally fell on me in an exhausted heap. I'm sure all the other people (Swiss) were thinking, "Loud, obnoxious Americans", even though Anke is German...

Well, I could go on, but I think those are the best stories. They probably aren't near as entertaining to anyone who reads this as they are to me and Anke and our other co-workers. We've relived these moments and Anke is finally able to laugh a little at them...