Bus route #1 is consistently late. I would know. That’s my bus. To make it worse – it’s the most late of all the buses. Route 1 is late by about 20 minutes every day. Everyone knows this. But, while these delays can be infuriating, it’s not the drivers’ fault.

It’s simply impossible to have every bus, every day, be exactly on time. There are just too many outside factors, like traffic and construction, to make this feasible. Typically, it’s not even the driver’s fault. Nonetheless, it is still a nuisance, and it annoys students when their only mode of transportation isn’t dependable.

Late buses waste time – and overall, they are a bad experience for everyone involved. Students become irritated, especially if they have to wait in the cold, the heat, or rainy conditions. However, instead of getting upset, we need to have patience and understand that it’s out of students’, bus drivers’, and even the transportation department’s hands.

Traffic congestion is an inevitability with the city’s expansion, but this can also slow down buses. Roads here aren’t wide enough to accommodate people, cars and buses, and while construction is under way, it will still be a bit before late buses are not as big a problem. There also just aren’t a lot of roads that lead to the school in general, so taking an alternative route isn’t really an option.

Students make mistakes anywhere. And on the bus is no exception. Factors like fights and arguments – or on the opposite end of the spectrum, health issues, such as nose bleeds or puking, can all slow down a bus. And while this is not always the student onboard’s fault, students still waiting are impacted – even though they have no influence on it. Just as drivers have patience for these students, we need to have patience with the people who drive us to campus.

Bus drivers aren’t all professional athletes with top-notch health. They get sick, and when they’re missing, a substitute replaces them. A substitute who doesn’t know the route. They usually unintentionally take a longer path and stop at non-existent stops. The bottom line is students should understand that these substitutes could be very stressed, with all their lives in their control on the road, and cut these substitute drivers some slack.

So, while late buses are annoying, and it makes sense for students to think it’s their driver’s fault, they need to realize most of the time it’s not their fault. Students just need to be patient and give drivers some leeway. They’re just doing their job. No one likes to be blamed for something that they can’t control, so I imagine bus drivers are no different.