Vehicles are driven on the left side of the street instead of on the right side as we are used to driving on in the U.S.A. Imagine the inside of the bus being reversed. The driver sits where the doors are supposed to be and the doors open on the other side! At first I was very nervous about riding the bus because I don't know the city well and often made mistakes about where to get off. I now closely follow the bus application on my phone to track my location since the bus driver doesn't announce the stops. The only way you would know if you are at the right stop is via the small screens where you swipe on and off for the Snapper Cards. After riding the buses a few times, I am now starting to get the hang of where I am going and can estimate my location by recognizing the stores outside of the window. When I want to get off the bus, I press the red stop button. The button is similar to the system back at home, and when exiting I shout "thank you driver!" The more I take the bus, the more comfortable I am travelling using the bus system.
Using the bus system helps me connect with more of the city than if I were to walk. I can often see the kindness of people helping each other. This can be seen through a young lad giving up his seat to an elderly woman, or a stranger helping a disabled person carry his groceries. I also noticed that people tend to be very trusting with their items.
