The 73 bus journey can be perilous to us fare evaders. I can’t sit down and relax. At every stop I have to check out the doors, hoping that the ticket inspectors haven’t gotten on. I always try to stand near a door wherever possible so I can make a quick escape if needs be.
Sometimes the inspectors wear uniforms, some times they are undercover, and occasionally they are accompanied by The British transport police…these are the scary times. I’m not sure if they can/will arrest you…but they have police in their name and wear big yellow jackets and hats and everything.
This morning I was very late for work, most morning I try to walk in anyway so to not have the hassle of the BTP. But today, it’s bus in or nothing. I have no money to pay for a ticket so on I sneak.
The bus gets to Kings Cross, I am barely awake and am very tired and very, very late.
The bus stops, as is its wont. I am near the back door of this three doored bendy bus. Getting on at the front door I see several bright yellow jackets. It’s the BTP. It’s bloody Cricklewood all over again.
I jump off the bus, feeling smug that I’d managed to avoid them and their pesky ten pound fines.
But there are no more buses, It’s still a 20 min walk to work from Kings Cross I should have been at work five minutes before…and this is with flexitime.
I start to walk. Thanks to the busy traffic I soon catch up with the bus, nearly… Only to see the BTP piling out of the same door they’d gotten in on. The cheeky bastards, they were just hitching a lift round the corner, not checking tickets at all…They were fare evading themselves.
I ran after the bus, but was slightly too far behind and had to walk to work. and was late.
Bastards.