The Bus That Came Early

Rosa usually caught the same bus to work. The schedule said it reached her stop at eight fifteen, and she arrived five minutes before that. One morning, she saw the bus leaving as she turned the corner. Her watch showed eight seven. She had to wait for the next one and arrived late.

At first, Rosa thought the driver had ignored the schedule. Later, she checked the transport website. Her stop was not a timing point. The printed time was an estimate, and the bus could arrive earlier when traffic was light. An official timing point farther along the route required the driver to wait if necessary.

Rosa began checking the live arrival display before leaving home. She also saved the route of another bus that stopped a little farther away. Neither option removed every delay, but together they gave her a better plan. The schedule had been useful; she had simply treated an estimate as a promise.