Don't shuttle bus me!

A Weekend commuter's worst nightmare is the shuttle bus situation.  To those who are not familiar - As per WIKI: A shuttle bus service is a public transport bus service designed to {quickly} transport people between two points. (Not to be confused with a Space shuttle) hahaha. The MTA usually offers this service whenever track work and maintenance needs to be carried within a specific area (usually on the weekends).  I’ve observed that only in a few instances the train station might exhibit posters to inform commuters about changes in service. The other 85% of the time you get to the bus stop and wait in desperation until the bus finally snails its way to your stop; good news right? The bad news is that it is way too packed to get on. You arrive at the train station you hear that undecipherable message which you just have to assume has something to do with the fact that your bus was late - and the train that usually arrives every 4 minutes is nowhere in sight after 15 minutes. (Sometimes busses are pulled from the route for shuttle purposes)

The thought creeps into your mind but you ignore it until you finally hear a clear announcement in the train that they will be shuttle bussing you. Simultaneously everyone begins murmuring to each other, expressing their disgust as soon as you exit at whatever stop you have to meet the "shittle" bus.

 You usually see a bunch of police officers roaming around to keep some form of order, just in case an angry commuter decides to act on their feeling of total disgust for a 20 min  commute taking 2 hrs.

 Shuttle buses are usually packed and runs along the route of your train line. Ironically the shuttle bus drivers always seem to be way more annoyed than the commuters, more than likely because they have to answer an additional 30 more questions per hour than usual about what stops they will be making.  Can you even imagine a tourist, filled with spirit and adventure, and an upside down map of course sucked into the shuttle bus black hole, lost for a half of eternity? Just the thought of it makes me angry and tired.

 SHUTTLE

S-Sucks teeth (every one does this when the shuttle bus announcement is made)

H-Helpless  (you feel helpless and begin to question the relevance of your destination)

U-Unexpected confusion (what?, where?, why?, when?)

T-Tightly packed busses (cheek to cheek)

T- Time consuming (twenty regular commuting minutes = 1hour in shuttle bus time)

L- Lost in transit (literally)

E- Enraged (self explanatory)

When encountering a shuttle bus situation be prepared to shake out that last bit of patience you had stored up for a rainy day, be alert and try to follow whatever directions the posters or MTA personnel may have to offer no matter how confusing >>See image below<<. Expect to arrive at your destination minimum 15 minutes late. Don’t freak out, and last but not least- no fighting (trains and busses will be extraordinarily packed).

Commuter safety tip: always try to have back up cab fare or a secret metro card. You never know when you might need help getting home or fleeing a scene in a hurry!