The Bus Driver Is Not Your Information Desk

Nowadays, all you have to do in order to find your way to a desired place is to take your mobile phone, literally ask it where to get somewhere, and it will give you the result. Going somewhere has never been so easy. No maps made of paper needed.

But still, we live in a time when people love to rely on other people. I have been noticing this a lot lately. When I'm on the bus, it often happens that people enter and immediately ask the bus driver for directions. Don't get me wrong:

1. They are not asking for directions and leaving. They are asking for directions with the desire of taking that bus.
2. They are not asking for GENERAL directions or checking for specific bus stops. They already have their final destinations in mind and expect the bus driver to know every store and every company.

So, what happens is that someone enters, asks the bus driver a very specific question, and the bus driver is supposed to figure out the following things:

1. Which street does the desired building / company / sight belong to?
2. Which part of the city is that place?
3. Which bus stop is that nearest to?
4. Which bus is the right one to get there?

I find this almost offensive, for two reasons. Reason number one, that's not the bus driver's job. I'm often not so easy on bus drivers and many of my posts reflect that. But I think you gotta let it go here. Bus drivers should only be asked for bus stops... if they know the area, that's an extra bonus, not something you should expect.
Reason number two is: You are actually taking time away from the people on the bus. You as the person asking for directions may not be in a hurry, but I for instance need to transfer to another bus every day of my work week. So I need the bus to be on time. But the people who are asking take their time, even when they eventually leave the bus! They just slowly wander off like little ballarinas. Fuck them.

So that's my piece of advice: Get informed beforehand. Don't just walk around and expect the bus driver to solve the problem for you. It's okay to ask someone if you already have a very good idea of where you want to go, but with all the technology available today, don't be such an idiot please.