“There’s a news crew set up at one of my bus stops,” Benny radioed his dispatcher as he settled into his bus driver seat. “It looks like Channel 2. What do you think we should do?”
“Let me call them,” the dispatcher said, and Benny began his route. He had to drive for 15 minutes with an empty bus. It was his favorite time of day. Then he picked up a couple of regulars, including Adela, a grandmother who called him Mr. Driver every morning.
“Hey, Benny, I talked to Channel 2,” the dispatcher said over the radio. “They won’t tell me why they have someone at the bus stop. So if they’re still there, go around the stop.”
Benny saw the crew set up while the bus was a few blocks away.
“Mr. Driver,” Adela said, “Why are you changing the route?”
“Just a one-block detour, Adela. A news crew staked out one of my stops, and I think they’re trying to catch me doing something wrong.”
“Like what?” Adela asked.
“Who knows? The local news loves to get bus drivers in trouble.”
Benny’s morning continued uneventfully. His entire route took about an hour and a half to complete, so he turned off the street twice to avoid the news crew. Then, at about 12:05, a few minutes into the noon newscast, his dispatcher called panicked.
“Benny, I need you to get to that bus stop with the news crew. They’re running a story about how we skip service at that bus stop.”
“Oh man, I’m on the other side of the route.”
“Get over there!” the dispatcher yelled.
Benny quickly kicked everyone off the bus and raced across town. He made it to the stop 15 minutes later. He opened the door, and the news crew applauded.
“Hello, Benny. You’re live on the air as our hero of the day!” the newscaster said. “You were nominated by a woman named Adela.” They handed Benny a plaque, a cake and a gift card. Once the news segment was over, the reporter turned to Benny and asked, “Where were you all morning?”