Rona and Nina: Kindness and the Kissing Ticket

Two questions: When were you last on a bus? What is your favourite transport app?

The conversation always takes many directions.

To the really important things.

Rona and Nina took me to the human touch and The Knowledge…and a bus ticket kissing game.

It is the human touch in travel and information which stood out: from friendly drivers to helpful passengers.

Kindness is a great word in public transport services - in all services.

Sometimes there’s a need for more detailed knowledge to help in travel, for example when you’re a visitor and taking a longer trip.  Someone taking the time to impart that knowledge is important for many people.  But I think it’s more than that: real trust and confidence in knowledge – The Knowledge - comes from connecting with, eyeballing, a human. Especially for something new, different or scary, our brains need help to create new predictions and constructions of the experience.  This best from a human.  (BTW: Rona’s letter (and others) helped keep the ticket offices open.)

It is the human bits we remember.

I often think public transport is as much a place of congregation as it is a way of getting from A to B. 

A tram ticket game with your school friend: if the numbers add to 21 it facilitated a kiss!  

And the blog cover picture of the old Edinburgh tramway is on the wall at Rona’s home, made as a birthday gift by an artist friend.  A homage to “Auld Reekie” and Rona’s trips to/from Portobello: As a child I loved the trams and used to go upstairs. At each end there was a cubicle.  We would go in there have a laugh.  There were sliding doors on them so it was nice! 

Picture credit: John Hewitt artist: Hewittdesign@yahoo.com

Music Credit: Life of a Wandering Wizard by Serge Quadrado