Tha Magic Bus

I love travelling by bus in Madras(And yes it will alwys be Madras to me) .Nowhere else doe being Alone in a Crowd take so much meaning.
Lets get the obligatory compliments to the bus service over with. It probably is the cheapest and most efficient bus service in India.Now that that's taken care of,On to the fun part.
The most interesting experiences can be got by travelling during the peak hours between 7:30 and 9 in the morning or 5 to 7 in the evening.In the unlikely event that you get yourself a seat watching everyone else in the bus can be a lot of fun.
PTC buses routinely defy the laws of physics....A bus built to carry around 70 people max. carries anywhere between a 100 and120...rather like the the Wealeys' flying car. And then there are the gravity defying stunts of the people travelling hanging off the doors and windows. And the ability of the person standing in the far corner to push their way into the middle (where a seat is getting empty ,probably right in front of you).
If by some lucky conjunction of the planets you do happen to get a seat,prepare to lose it to the sad young pregnant woman with a baby or an old toothless crone with a huge sack who stare at you with an oddly compeeling gaze that everyone else in the bus remains oblivious to.
If you are sitting down ,without doubt your neighbour will treat you to a lecture on where she is going and why,the details of her family ,the history of illnesses that she has suffered from and leave you convinced that the head cold that you have is a ssymptom of a fatal illness.
Passing change for the ticket is always a game on a bus...You have to find the one in a million person who is not blind to your standing and waving the change at their face to pass the change on for you.Then there is the routine fight with the conductor for the exact change.The likelihood of the tichet and exact amount being returned to you are minimal,so be warned.
Getting into a bus can also be an adventure as the buses stop anywhere but at the bus-stop and take off just as you get a foot on the first step!Running for the Bus is probably how most schoolkids train for the Hundred metres Dash.
By the Way a not to be missed sight can be got by travelling on a 3pm bus passing through a few schools ....Schoolhildren descending upon the bus in hoardes...it is an act of curage to stay on the bus while it is under attack by the invading armies.
Also fixtures on any bus are the Footboard Romeos and the women carrying baskets of Who knows what that stinks all the way up to heaven.
For all that, if you like watching people and don't mind a little discomfort to pay for your amusement....try a busride once in a while.