If you haven't driven an automobile around Los Angeles, then you won't understand the firsthand experience or displeasure of traffic mayhem.  It is a running joke with those of us who are old enough to remember the video game Paperboy, that driving around the heart of L.A. is truly like dodging challenging items as if you are a newspaper boy on a bicycle.  I often wonder if the grim reaper himself isn't crouching next to an intersection.  If it isn't crater-sized potholes or bumper-to-bumper traffic where snails outpace cars, it's having to deal with the erratic bus drivers trying to stay on schedule.

I'll paint the most common local Metro bus scenario for you.  As part of their service they pull over to the right to load and unload passengers regularly.  It isn't the service that they offer that causes mayhem, it's their sporadic driving.  Frequently, I myself have noticed that bus drivers, whether it is because they too are anxious in traffic, these bus drivers will immediately return into the lane after loading passengers, without even looking to see if there are approaching vehicles.  Also, bus drivers try to pass other buses and vehicles up, perhaps they are running behind on schedule but for whatever reason, oftentimes they're in a rush.  If one truly observes the path of a bus driver, you would find that they move in and out of lanes as they please carelessly, without truly ensuring the safety of ofther vehicles.  In traffic school, they teach you that you must be a defensive driver, and apparently it doesn't apply to bus drivers.  They are constantly on the offense, weaving in and out of lanes, without consideration of neighboring vehicles.

Now, this isn't to say that this trait applies to ALL bus drivers.  But usually if there is a stereotype, it stems from somewhere.  I guarantee, that more often than not, you will be able to find a bus in L.A. not driving correctly within its lane, or cutting off someone else with little regard for others on the road. 

So what do you do when a bus changes lanes into the lane next to you when you're completely stopped in traffic?  And said-bus does not just lightly sideswipes, but oh no, takes a huge chunk out of the entire side of your car from the rear to the front, denting not only the door panels, side mirror, bumpers, wheel-wells, and damaging the wheel to the point where it is rendered undrivable?   Side-swipe seems to be an understatement.  Perhaps Side-destroy would be more fitting.

You can only do so much.  Take down all the information of the bus and the driver that has collided with you.  The more info you can obtain now, the better.  The bus driver is obligated to give you a claims card providing information you can use to file a claim with the Metro.  It is in your best interest to contact your insurance company as soon as possible and let them handle getting in touch with the other party.  In the meanwhile, another Metro official is also sent to the scene to assess the situation.  Everything seems to be structured.  Could it be, that this type of accident occurs often?  Your intent is simply to get reimbursed for damages, because at the end of the day, no one benefits from a car being struck by a bus and left undriveable.

There is nothing else you can do but wait for the appraiser to evaluate the damages and come up with an estimate to put in a claim.  This is why insurance exists.  Thankful for the service that insurance companies provide.  Because there is a methodical system in place, now all you do is patiently wait while they take matters into their hands on your behalf.

The only disheartening part of the situation is that the driver made a comment that disappoints me at a personal level, because it leaves you wondering how genuinely sorry they really are for their actions.  It was something to the extent that to her, it didn't quite matter, she didn't care too much because she wasn't responsible, because her employer is the one paying for the damages.  Her attitude was that since it wasn't her own car, it wasn't a huge concern to her, and that the city would handle it.  But, we ARE the city. I am a proud Los Angeleno, and the taxes we pay and the love we have all go into the city that we love.

It is my strongest belief, that the jobs we have, the duties we have, whether we are paid for it or not, but just as common courtesy as a human being, is that we DO take pride in the work we do and we do man up to the responsibility we have.  The things we do, is an extension of our own character.   I don't work hard because I get paid a lot to do it, I work hard because I want to ensure that the person at the end-chain of my hard-work is pleased with the product and service they receive.  I think this should apply to ANY function which provides a product or service.  We, as human beings, should care at all times, regardless.  If I was a bus driver and I hit someone's car, I would be groveling with a thousand sorry's because that's how bad I would feel.  Heck, I once accidentally demagnetized someone's anime movie and I felt so bad I personally reimbursed him for the movie, though I wasn't obligated to.  I can't control how apologetic someone feels, as this is just a difference in personality but it would be uplifting to see some positive attitudes and heartfelt concern.  Simply because we are all fellow human beings.

At the end of the day, we are rendered without our main vehicle for transportation as well as a beyond-ugly-eye-sore on a brand new car.  Since the Metro is 100% at fault, they will need to reimburse us for all damages.  I have hopes that the Metro is highly established after years of providing service to the Los Angeles community and will take care of this painlessly and quickly.    This is the backbone of our transit system.  So many people rely on the Metro to get to their careers and their homes.  So tangentially, when working for the Metro, I hope people would not merely consider themselves simply as employed by them but believe that they themselves ARE the Metro.  Represent the company you work for as if you are the driving force behind it.