Yesterday, just as we pulled into our driveway, arriving home after doing the weekly supermarket shopping, we noticed one of our neighbours who lives six houses up the street from us, driving down the street in his van. About fifteen to twenty minutes later, his university-age son was knocking at our door to inform my husband that his father, who had driven out to pick up his wife arriving home from work and waiting for him at a bus station, had been side-swiped by an OC Transpo bus. That's the public transportation agency operated by the municipality.

We don't have too high an opinion of those bus drivers. When we were working and making use of the transit system, we can both recall, my husband and myself, how some of those bus drivers steered and operated those buses; we used to call them transit "cowboys". And lately, it has been reported in the news that the cost to the taxpayer to settle claims against OC Transpo because of accidents, has been rising, and represents a sizeable expense.

In the case of our neighbour, he was transiting a roundabout, when a passenger-empty bus swiped him, knocking the mirror off his passenger side. And then it smashed into his fender. Our neighbour was more than a little shocked. All the more so as the bus driver made no attempt to stop, but kept driving furiously on, obviously anxious to put the bus into the sheds, his afternoon shift concluded.

Our neighbour did his best to draw the attention of the bus driver, but he appeared completely oblivious, didn't stop, just kept racing ahead. At which point so did our neighbour pick up speed, driving ahead to keep the bus and its driver in view, until he was finally able to draw the driver's attention and bring him to a stop. At first the driver evinced innocence of any knowledge that his bus had come into contact with another vehicle. Then he admitted that he'd hit the van. And he suggested to our neighbour that the best course of action would be to accompany him to the transit office nearby where he could complete a claim. He did so, and at the office wanted to contact the police. He had forgotten his cellphone at home, and neither the station manager nor the driver would agree to having him use their phones to call police.

He left the transit office, somewhat insecure and wondering what his next step should be. In the meanwhile, my husband drove out with our neighbour's son to pick up the mother still waiting at the transit parking lot. The son asked my husband's advice, which was to go to the nearby police detachment and make a report. That was finally done, and the policewoman who took the details said they would be calling in the bus driver, who had finally admitted he had known he hit someone, but was in a hurry, and obviously didn't relish the thought of a blemish recorded on his driving record.

The incident couldn't be characterized as a hit-and-run, my neighbours were informed by the police, since our neighbour had succeeded in flagging down the bus driver eventually and speaking with him. His options? Not much; to pay the insurance deductible, have the van repaired, and submit the bill to OC Transpo to attempt to recover those unexpected costs.

As for the aggravation involved; tough luck.