MTA review: M22 Bus Driver

On Tues. On Aug. 22nd at approximately 9 pm, a very unusual incident occurred as I was waiting for the uptown Lincoln Center M20 MTA Bus at Warren/North End Ave.

An M22 bus (Bus # 9727) approached, the doors opened, and I asked the driver if he was going past a subway station. I'm unfamiliar with the M22 route and just completed a double-header softball game at Battery Park City Ball Field.

The driver said he wasn't sure whether he passed a subway station or not,

I decided to get onto the bus and take a gamble. The next thing I hear, the driver says, ' I should know where I'm going.! If I knew that, I wouldn't have asked you.

At this point, the driver becomes irate and threatens to call the police and says I'm being disrespectful! This driver was never threatened verbally or physically during this circumstance.

'This driver goes on to say 'that this bus was pleasant before I boarded, and he can no longer drive this bus, and he has now taken the bus out of service because he is full of tension and no longer feels like going...

And he did not move this bus!

The two female passengers decided to exit the bus while I waited patiently for the police to arrive.

After waiting over 15 minutes, the driver left his bus with me, the only customer on board!

At this point, I decided to leave this bus because my correct bus (M20) was now located behind the M22; this is the reason why the driver vacated the M22 to discuss the stoppage which I observed the M22 driver talking to the M20 driver thru the driver side window.

Therefore, I boarded the M20 bus and continued my journey uptown.