I was on my way to UBC today on the #84 bus when I saw two conflicting and controversial acts by a woman and my bus driver. As you know, the #84 bus around 8:30am is usually packed with people who do not want to be late to class. Naturally, there is a long line at the bus stops because some busses are just too full to take them on, and leave the passengers for later busses to come.

The lady that I saw was at the very end of such a long waiting line at McDonald St. She was obviously in a hurry too, because when the rear bus door opened to let people out, she tapped her Compass Card and got on the bus. Now, I know how controversial this is, especially on such a small and infrequent bus as the #84. People at the front of the line were still waiting to get on, and the woman, who had been the last to arrive, got on the almost-full bus with ease.

It wasn’t fair, and the bus driver told the woman to not board the bus from the back door. The woman complained, “Come on!” and “Seriously?” but she was mature enough to get off and head towards the front door. Now, the second controversial act was by the bus driver. He refused to let the woman board the bus, closed the door in front of her face, and took off. The woman’s furious face still lingers in the back of my mind, even as I write this article ten hours later the incident. Yes, she was ANGRY.

This made me think deeply about the implications of cheating and punishing. Of course, the Athenian generals would claim that the stronger are entitled to do as they please. The woman had power over the other passengers because she happened to be near the back door and was swift enough to get on before it closed. The bus driver had much power over the woman and the other passengers because without him, we would get nowhere. As a result, the strong bus driver defeated the woman who had defeated the other passengers. He got his way, punishing the woman by refusing her and bringing what he thought was “justice”.

But to me, something felt wrong. If Socrates was on the bus with me, watching this whole play going on, would he have said that both of these people were living the way they ought to be living?

Okay, the woman shouldn’t have tried to cheat from the beginning. Society has rules and laws for a good reason. If one person started boarding the bus from the rear just because they were closer and they wanted to, other people would eventually feel entitled to do the same. The wait line would no longer serve purpose, the boarding time would drag on longer and longer, until the whole bus system is lagging behind the schedule. The next time the cheater tries to get on the bus, he would be waiting for a delayed bus that may never come on time. Keeping to the social rules is vital in the long-run perspective, because those rules make sure that any public benefits continue to exist. The woman was mature and courageous to admit that her decision of skipping the line to get on board was bad for herself (even though she cussed a bit).

What about the bus driver? I believe his “punishment” was a bad decision, too. Yes, the bus was very full, but the woman could have gotten on. By purposefully leaving the woman behind, he created a very unsatisfied, angry CUSTOMER. In that moment of acting out justice, he forgot that the woman was his customer. True, it may not have significant effects on the company just because he turned one customer in to a hateful mood. However, I cannot help but think about the psychological effects on the bus driver of having a person hate him from 8:30am in the morning.

What he should have done instead of bringing himself down to the same level as the woman, was to smile at the panicking woman, let her on the bus, and reassure her that he’ll take her to her destination on time. He could also have laughed it off or joked about it. It’s bad for both of their psyche to be hateful towards each other.

The woman and the bus driver gave me some good food for philosophical thought to keep me busy during the 20-minute bus ride.