Strange.
Growing up in Canada I never called 911. It was only for BIG EMERGENCIES where someone was GOING TO DIE if they didn't get help IMMEDIATELY. And, frankly, I was never in such a situation.
Living here, however, I seem to be making a bit of a habit of calling 911.
It's not my fault. Really, it isn't. The bus told me to.
Really.
It did.
I left my house to go grocery shopping, and I see the bus coming up Hamilton. Out of habit, I look at the sign to see which it is. It's a bit far off, and it looks rather unlike any of the signs I would expect to see on this street. I wondered if it had some sort of "out of service" sign on, so I watched it as it came closer.
It said "emergency."
Wierd... is this a bus that's on an emergency route? I've never seen one before.
Then, as it's driving by, I see the side sign says "help."
Huh?
Then, as I watch it going off in the other direction, I see that the back says "call 911."
So I went back in, called 911, and told me the bus told me to call. I gave them the details... but since I was so startled by the signs, I hadn't taken a good look inside. I remembered it being fairly empty, but I can't remember whether there actually were any passengers. He said it might have been switched to "emergency" by accident, but he notified the police and transit control.
I saw two cop cars on my way to the grocery store. Neither had their lights flashing, but both were headed in the general direction the bus had gone.
Well, I guess that was tonight's entertainment.
9 comments:
that's interesting that each side had a different message. most of the cabs and busses here just have a 'dial 911' thing that can be turned on in the event of an emergency.
eek! hope it was okay.
Whoa, that's really weird. I've never heard of something like that before. I wonder if the bus was hijacked? Do people hijack buses?
Your post had me cracking up at first, but really, the bus DID tell you to call 911!
Wow! I wonder if you'll ever know the outcome? I'm curious! lol Glad you called though, I doubt seriously that it was nothing, not with three seperate signs. Hmmm did you watch the news last night?
I think all they have to do is hit a button, and all three signs automatically change to the call-for-help setting. I'll keep an eye on the police blotter in Wednesday's paper.
It could have been hijacked... although why someone would want to, I have no idea.
I wonder if it was a test to see if the public actually responded to the alert? I think it's a brilliant idea -- especially with a couple of TTC drivers here in Toronto being shot or beaten up lately.
I wonder if you were the only person to see the "help" signs and respond? Do people notice them? Do people who do notice the signs just dismiss them as an accidental push of the button? I would guess that, unless they can see something dramatic happening on the bus, most people would be strongly tempted to not get involved. "By-stander apathy" is hard to overcome.
Yay Andrea! Whether it was an emergency or not, you did the correct thing.
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You tell me this story and then don't know what happened???!!! Keep us updated.
How strange! Good though that you placed the call. I too am chiming in and asking for an update! :)
See the next post for a follow-up. ;)
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