Easter and buses

Greetings from Vancouver. After a long, but uneventful trip (which included a great ride in the Nesher sherut to the airport: great because the Nesher driver was polite, didn't smoke and didn't scream at anyone!) I arrived in Vancouver.  So far it's been nonstop visiting -- catching up with friends and family and eating all my favourite Vannie foods (xiao long bao topping the list), not to mention Easter turkey.  I'm having a great time. (The sun and cherry blossoms are also amazing!)

On Thursday I was riding the bus and train to midtown to meet friends for coffee and lunch.  Events on the bus gave me a chance to compare life here and there.  In Jerusalem the buses are frequently packed. And, I mean packed: there is no space left for anyone to squish anywhere. Here are a couple of examples:

On the bus to Mt Scopus (No. 19)

On the bus (No 19)

 
And, here's how you get on:

Loading the bus from Mt. Scopus

Israelis don't line up for the bus, at least not in the way your average Anglo-Saxon mannered North American would. The queue isn't long and skinny, it's short and fat and functions more like a funnel. You learn that coming in at the side of the line works as well as, or better than, going to the back of the line. And, you learn to take up space, subtly, but solidly so as to secure your entry to the bus. (I learned this  last October by missing 2 buses in a row and finally 'winging' my way into the 3rd.)

Anyway, none of these new manners are really necessary in Vancouver. People mostly queue in the long skinny sense. But, more importantly, and more comically to me on Thursday, the bus won't ever be filled to its physical capacity (as distinguished from its assigned capacity) in Vancouver.  The driver announced that if anyone couldn't get behind the red line they'd have to get off the bus! The red line marks off the space of the front of the bus that gives the driver clear sight lines. In Jerusalem, the driver often pulls away from the stop when 3 or 4 people are standing in the door (you have to squeeze in to be sure to not get caught in the closing doors) and proceeds to process payment (you can still get change on the bus in Jerusalem) while he drives down the road navigating traffic.