"Ma'am, you need to get off the bus."

That is a direct quote from a bus driver this morning.

SIGH.

After yesterday's rather chaotic and lengthy commute, I decided to go via bus. I walked several blocks to the next major east/west street and boarded THAT bus. Win, right? Well, my Chicago Card failed to work. Again. This time, the bus driver was not so nice. I couldn't find my back-up card, and had no cash, so I could not pay for my bus fare. What happened? The bus driver kicked me off.

"Ma'am, you need to get off the bus." That's what he said to me.

Now, I was not trying to get a free ride. I pay for unlimited bus/train rides because I do not have a car. I had already paid my $86 for the month. The bus driver refused to allow me to stay on the bus. Instead, I was booted off, forced back out into the frigid air and forced to deal with the situation in another way. After one tearful and pathetic call to P.I.C., I walked to the nearby Dominick's and bought a $10 pre-paid card. I caught another bus, this time trying my Chicago Card again, just in case. Guess what? It worked this time.

I got to work only about thirty minutes late (thankfully), but not the thirty minutes early I had intended.

At least it's Friday, right?