By Marla Crockett, KERA Reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-511546.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Sam Baker, Morning Edition Host: Most commutes to work are introverted journeys, but not on Bus 234. 90.1's Marla Crockett rode the bus from Plano to Irving recently and has this report:
Germaine Brown, Bus 234 rider: Good morning, Martina Darling. Good morning.
Marla Crockett, KERA 90.1 Reporter: Germaine Brown, of Plano, is standing in the middle of DART Bus 234, greeting the 20 or so passengers who board in Richardson with copies of a free newspaper. It's almost 6:30am; outside, it's dark and rainy.
Brown: Rain or shine we're on. We've got a shelter, so we'll be doing great.
Crockett: Brown is talking about the riders' 4th Annual picnic, which will be held that evening in Plano. As the bus starts to pull away from the station, she makes a final announcement:
Brown: Okay you guys also, before you go to sleep, it's time for us to say goodbye to one of our favorites here. This is John's last day riding with us, he's getting a new job in Plano, so thank you. (Applause.)
Crockett: She reaches across the aisle and hands John Nissley a card. He quietly opens it to see a few dozen signatures.
John Nissley, Bus 234 Rider: Thank you, everybody. You made this long trip for the last one-and-a-half to two years enjoyable. Thank you. This is something you don't get from people at work a lot of the times. This is a bus of people I did not know before I started riding.
Crockett: But, then, that's what life is like aboard this express bus. Because it makes just two round trips per day, people here are regulars and have gotten to know each other. They talk--not politics or issues, really--but about their families and work. Dave Eldred of Plano has been on this route for around five years:
Dave Eldred, Bus 234 Rider: I mean, you get in trouble on this bus if you tell people you're not going to be here for a day. Then people worry about you, are you sick, are you okay? So, you almost have to be accountable like to your family.
Crockett: Eldred's invited his fellow travelers to his daughter's wedding next month. The group has also gone out to eat, attended each other's churches--and even organized to keep DART from cutting the route early this year. The culture of Bus 234 has developed gradually and includes everyone, Eldred said, even the drivers. Brenda Adams has been at the wheel since February:
Brenda Adams, DART Bus Driver: They're a close knit group of people. I didn't think I was going to like it at first because of the express route, and it being Plano, and you have to basically treat them like vip, but I've gotten to know them, and they know me, and everything turned out just fine.
Crockett: There's little doubt who's queen of the bus, the spark that keeps the camaraderie going. It's customer service rep and mother of three, Germaine Brown:
Brown: I'm an only child, and that pushes the desire to meet and talk to people. I want to know other people's stories. And in this McDonald's microwave world where we just rush by people it's been such an awesome experience to see everyone reaching out to someone here, and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Crockett: Brown deflects praise for her role in all this, but at the picnic that evening, Mark Read of McKinney said the group's been calling itself, the "Germaine-iacs.":
Mark Read, Bus 234 Rider: I don't know what it is about Germaine, she has a natural gift to draw people to her. She always has a smile on her face even when things aren't going well for her. I've never heard her say a negative thing about anyone.
Brown: If I could get your attention everyone. I am so glad you guys made it out, it's so awesome and terrific. I hope you guys feel what we feel when we get together every year. (Man on bench) Yeah, hungry. (Germaine) So, just grab a plate and let's dig in. It all looks good.
For KERA 90.1, I'm Marla Crockett.
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