After a nice Mother's Day breakfast at Denny's, where Mom and I were surprised by an anonymous person paying for our meal, we headed to the Megabus stop for another Sunday of my journey home. This is a ritual that takes place at least once or twice a month. Mom and I go out for breakfast and then she waits with me at the stop until the bus comes.
I used to ride Greyhound, but a few years ago the local bus company, Kerrville, was taken over by Megabus. Greyhound is still operating, but now they only stop at the downtown bus station in Houston. They do not pick up or drop off in any outlying areas. If you have ever been to the downtown Houston Greyhound bus station, you know why I avoid it all costs. Despite security presence, the place is dangerous, especially just outside the building. The last time I was there, some guy threatened another guy with a crowbar. The Megabus stop in downtown Houston is a parking lot with a temporary building offering restrooms, limited seating, snack machines, and protection from the weather. Somehow it feels safer than the sturdy Greyhound station. I've had a few pandhandlers approach me on the Megabus grounds, but no one has had a crowbar - yet.
Megabus is way better when it comes to disability accommodations, which is another reason why I prefer it. I don't love waiting outside in the elements, especially in Austin, but there are plans to move the stop to another location which will feature a small building so we can wait inside and have easy access to restrooms. When you purchase your tickets online with Megabus, you click a button that says you're a disabled passenger, and then specify what kind of assistance you need. Your name and reservation then appear on the driver's manifest, and you are able to board first if you want to. With Greyhound, you are supposed to call a a toll free number and give an operator your information. Maybe the situation has improved by now, but when I was riding Greyhound, the driver rarely received that information. The workers at the Austin Greyhound station were usually nice and tried to be helpful. They would have me wait in a customer service office and then someone would retrieve me when the bus arrived so I could board first and not have to stand in line. Except they would often get busy or somehow forget about me, and I would be trying to get myself and my luggage to the bus as everyone else was boarding.
But the real problems came at the Houston station. I would check in at the customer service desk, then have a seat and someone was supposed to escort me to the front of the line before the other passengers started to board. Except again, they often forgot about me. So me and often my Mom would be trying to get to the front of the line when the bus arrived. And people who had been waiting in that line were not happy to see someone cutting their way to the front. Not happy is an understatement. One time we caused a near riot. A man was furious and when my mother, who is sometimes a little too brave in my opinion, shot back that I was disabled and that's why we were cutting, the man retorted, "I don't care if she's disabled. She needs to wait in line like everybody else." Other people in the line agreed with him and started heckling us. He was pissed, my mom was pissed, other passengers started to get mad, and I was terrified. No Greyhound employees or security personnel came to our aid. I begged my Mom to get someone to walk her to her car, fearing some kind of retaliation, but she didn't, and luckily she was okay.
So I have some PTSD about waiting to board a bus. Luckily I've never had a problem with Megabus. Until last Sunday. At least this time the situation was extremely minor. People were lined up at the stop while Mom and I waited in the car. It was a windy, drizzly day, but it wasn't just the weather. The unfortunate fact is that I am having an increasingly difficult time standing. I'm walking decently, but my poor balance is making standing in one place very hard. So when we saw the bus, Mom grabbed my luggage while I scooted across the street and managed to position myself as first in line. Mom had caught up with me in time to hear a lady say with annoyance, "Excuse me, the line is back there." My mom immediately said, "She has special seating." At that point, the driver recognized me and motioned me over to board first. That was the end of it. The woman didn't say anything else. Crisis averted.
But I still feel unsettled about it. I can honestly understand the woman's frustration. No one likes to see someone cutting in line, especially when you've been following the rules and waiting with at least some level of patience. She doesn't know me and she doesn't know my circumstances. Maybe she would have been more understanding if I had rolled up in a wheelchair or pushing a walker. I could get one of those walkers that opens into a seat, and then I could wait in line like everyone else and not have to stand. But I'm not ready for a walker yet. And if I had a walker, it would be another thing that I would have to physically deal with on my trips, in addition to the bipap and my luggage.
If I don't board first, then I run the risk that the downstairs part of the double-decker Megabus will be full by the time I get on. Then the driver would have to ask someone to give up their seat and move upstairs. I'm obviously nervous that such a scenario would cause even more annoyance and frustration.
I'm not trying to ruin anyone's day or ask for unnecessary special treatment. I'm just trying to get on a bus.
librarianintx
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