Despite, or maybe because of having all the time in the world this morning I missed the bus I was aiming to catch. But I caught a more interesting one.

Halfway along Princes St the 25 I was on stopped and a little old lady stepped aboard. I missed the first few lines of dialogue and then heard a stentorian voice declare "X25! If you're no the X25 what the hell are ye stoppin here fur?" The driver's more muted tones explained that the plain 25 was also enjoined to stop here.

This did not satify the old lady so the driver got out of his cab, stepped onto the pavement and pointing to the bus-stop indicated politely that both the 25 and the X25 were listed. He then got back into the bus and said "I will accept your apology". More than once he said it but no apology was forthcoming. The old lady screamed and shouted again to the driver's "I will not take this."

She then stormed off fuming quietly to herself. Before pulling away from the stop the driver addressed the passengers roughly in these terms - "If you think I am being hard just take a look at that bus-stop. It's for the 25. It's always the same. Every time she gets on a bus she starts shouting at someone. I will not take it."

I found it quite amusing but I suppose if you are abused day after day it must get a bit much and clearly that was the case for our driver because when he stopped in Shandwick Place he spent some time bending the ear of a controller about it via his radio.