You can't kick me off!

[Redbeard]

Having hopped on the bus after wandering around Beaverton (the area that I live in outside of Portlandia), I got to watch this wonderful display of humanity brought to you by the Portland area MAX public transit.
One of the passengers was a man in leg braces on crutches, so he obviously was extremely slow to exit the bus at his stop, which happened to be a light rail station. An individual who was obviously just coming from the airport (I could see the airline tags on his suitcase) tried to bull his way on and actually tried to force the handicapped man out of his way, whereupon the drive told him quite forcefully to get off the bus and wait his turn.
Several minutes later, the handicapped man is able to make his way off while Mister Important is quite loudly complaining the entire time about how slow he is and needs to hurry up (This is after he had to be told - again - to make room so that the man can exit the bus)
So, the bus raises to the correct height after having lowered for easier exiting, Mister Important tries to enter and the driver tells him "Since you can't be bothered with common courtesy I don't want you on my bus. Get off"
In true SC fashion, MI enters the bus, plops down in the section nearest the doors and proclaims loudly "This is a free country, I can go where I want, and you can't make me leave!"
The driver, sticking to his guns, turns the engine off, turns around in the chair and tells him "This bus doesn't move until you leave."
Copy and paste a couple of times, I'm tired, I'm hungry and getting more than a little cranky, so I yell up to the front "Hey, asshole! the driver can and does choose who rides, so get off the bus and let the rest of us go home!"
Ah yes, there's that familiar deer in the headlights look. "What? He can? Oh..."
Finally got off, his ass is left in the dust and the drives drops this gem:
"Sorry about that folks, but he actually tries to push the handicapped fellow down in his hurry to get by him, I didn't want him anywhere near my bus"
General applause, we go home.

[dalesys]

I've had a UTA driver tell me that dicking around with the bus can be a Homeland Security offense... Public mass transportation... Yahoo could be on a CIA rendition flight in no time.

[Food Lady]

Good for that driver, standing up for what's right. Reminds me of Plaidman.

[Marmalady]

Me too, bless his memory.

[wolfie]

I've had a UTA driver tell me that dicking around with the bus can be a Homeland Security offense... Public mass transportation... Yahoo could be on a CIA rendition flight in no time.

Please don't call that creep a Yahoo. Yahoos are creatures from the primate family, found in the land of the Houniams (sp?) in "Gulliver's Travels" by Johnathan Swift. They take delight in flinging dung at unsuspecting targets. It would be an insult to them to equate them with the creep the OP referred to.

[PepperElf]

I'm not sure about homeland security ... but i do know bus drivers can also call the cops to get you arrested if you're being a dick or if you refuse to leave once you're told to go

[Merriweather]

Congrats to the bus driver for not putting up with that crap, and kudos to all the folks on the bus for not being SC's about the delay (yelling at the guy to get off was NOT being an SC).

OH, and HI Neighbor (waving from Salem)

[Redbeard]

Yeah, I love the MAX system.
And hi right back!

[MoonCat]

I'm not sure about homeland security ... but i do know bus drivers can also call the cops to get you arrested if you're being a dick or if you refuse to leave once you're told to go

Oh yes, I've seen drivers refuse to drive, and call the cops on trouble-making kids, drunks and even a few people with potty mouths who wouldn't shup up.

I wish the driver had tossed the drunken lady off the bus back in the spring/summer of 2011. When she finally took her loud, nasty, wasted self off the bus, she was actually trailing booze that was spilling out of a bag. Eww.

[Sapphire Silk]

I've had a UTA driver tell me that dicking around with the bus can be a Homeland Security offense... Public mass transportation... Yahoo could be on a CIA rendition flight in no time.

If only . . . .

Still, what did the CIA do to deserve this dipwad?

Kudos to the driver and Redman for giving this jerk the heave ho.

[Seshat]

All I can say is .. thank you.

On my 'can't walk fast' days, I remember threads like this one, and it helps me feel less bad about taking forever to cross the street/get out of peoples' way. Because I know that decent people (like you lot) don't mind. That you know we're doing what we can, and you .. I dunno. You just want us to go on living our own lives, being part of society. Even if it inconveniences you sometimes.

Thank you.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Bravo to you and the bus driver both. What a dickweed and a pathetic excuse for a human being Mister Important is. I weep for humanity...

[csquared]

Drop a letter to MAX and let them know what a great bus driver they have.

[Redbeard]

All I can say is .. thank you.

On my 'can't walk fast' days, I remember threads like this one, and it helps me feel less bad about taking forever to cross the street/get out of peoples' way. Because I know that decent people (like you lot) don't mind. That you know we're doing what we can, and you .. I dunno. You just want us to go on living our own lives, being part of society. Even if it inconveniences you sometimes.

Thank you.

My mother spends most of time in a wheelchair thanks to spinal injuries from multiple car wrecks, Little Sis, besides her injuries from having that inpatient jump up and down on her knee until it bent backwards has rhumoid arthritis.
All I have to do is think "What if was them". To be honest, if he had kept it up I was tempted to throw his suitcases off the bus and tell him to fetch.

[Seshat]

Please pass on my sympathy and understanding to your mother and sister.

And pass on my congratulations to your mother for raising her son right.