The Rant: F@%k The LTC Strike!

Reemuh Hater | Nov 17, 2009 | Comments 36

Straight up, I’m pissed. I tried to come up with something clever to open this column with, but the constant use of the ‘backspace’ button only pissed me off more. My bitterness comes from many a source, but most recently the LTC strike. As a student, London local, and a fucking human being, I rely on public transportation to get me to school, work, and sometimes social gatherings when I don’t feel like spending over $20 on cab. Fuck that. The strike only started a few days ago, but I already feel like London has turned into a ghost town. Maybe it’s because I haven’t really been outside during high traffic hours, but I bet the other bus riders are sitting at home plotting a mass homicide on all drivers of the LTC.

If I’m not correct, I believe the drivers are striking for higher hourly wages and more benefits. Might I just add that they are asking for the same benefits as firefighters and police officers? I’m sorry, but you assholes don’t risk your lives every day driving a bus. The thing is basically an armoured tank and doesn’t go over 50. You don’t have to worry about getting shot, you may suffer carpal tunnel, but unless Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are aboard your bus and it gets high jacked, I’m going to go ahead and say you’ll live a long, and likely uneventful life. Did I fail to mention the months paid vacation that are to be awarded these people… for driving a bus? I don’t mean to look down on this most noble of occupations, a job is a job, but you don’t need to run off to Hawaii because of a crying baby, or because some bum won’t stop talking to you while you’re rolling down Dundas. Fuck, life is so hard sitting on your ass sometimes.

If they win this, LTC drivers will be the highest paid public transportation community in all of Canada. I’m pretty sure they have been asking for bathroom breaks along the way too. For those who don’t know much about the bus system (other than knowing the 6 Richmond gets you from your apartment at 675, to school and back) the bus drivers are only allowed breaks if they are ahead of schedule. To someone who rides the bus a greater distance than 5 minutes up the street, ’cause they’re too fucking lazy to walk anyway, you’ll notice drivers who stop and support their tobacco and coffee cravings almost every 3rd stop. Here’s and even worse example: The lady driving the 10 Wonderland is a cold-hearted-Mormon-bitch. Picture Little House on The Prairie meets Carrie. With her wispy fucking hair tossed in a bun, and her quadrafocal glasses, this Nazi driver gets to her stop at Westmount Mall 10 minutes (at least) prior to departure time everyday, and rather than let all the poor freezing bystanders (assuming it’s winter time) on the bus until she leaves, she sits and fucking knits to her heart’s content until it’s time to go. If you’re going to sit on the fucking bus and leave the rest of us outside, at least knit everyone else a god damn sweater! Jesus.

It still baffles me how complaining over driving a set route that is given to you every day is justifiable. I get that driving the same way over and over is extremely repetitive and annoying, but It’s not like the director gives you a route through fucking Narnia and back and asks you to fend for yourself… although thinking about it now, I’d take a bus ride to a mystical land before class any day. In my opinion, the drivers are being pretty selfish right now. Okay, you want more money? How about all the people who depend on the bus to get to work to make money themselves? Not everyone can just carpool as easy as you might think, and not everyone can afford alternative transportation. Maybe if the government released their teleportation technology to the masses we wouldn’t need buses in the first place, and you LTC-tards wouldn’t have to piss and moan about not being paid enough… but I’m sorry the world doesn’t work in everyone’s fucking favour, so shut up and drive!

I think the least that can be done is a refund on our bus passes. I’m not talking for the entire year, but for the time the LTC decides to be little bitches about this situation. That way, any money we get back, we can use to fund ways to get around and live our lives as students. But let’s be serious, we know we’ll end up spending it Western’s favourite pass time: chugging beer and having sex.

I guess we can thank the LTC for the workout we’ll be getting now that we have to walk everywhere. So thank you London Transit. My legs have never looked better… Yeah… Suck it!

I leave you with a song, from Rihanna to the LTC. With Love,

Rima Hater