a small thesaurus

in order to better understand some of the terminology that i use in this blog, i have begun a small directory of definitions related to bus driving.

protection: time spent hanging around the terminal watching buses fill to one third capacity and then leave
following a bus: time driving to the next stop and watching the bus that you are following take on another half dozen passengers
charter: when a driver takes a medium sized group of passengers on a short trip that could have been travelled cheaper by renting a couple of minivans
booking off: when regular drivers take the day off in a snowstorm and you get more than protection time
bid day off: the time you spend paying bills, doing laundry, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, sleeping an extra half hour and getting to bed early to be up at 3am the next day
sitting around (summer): time sitting in a stiff uncomfortable drivers seat on the bus
sitting around (winter): time sitting around in a stiff uncomfortable seat at the terminal
low air (summer): the condition associated with a malfunctioning bus that signals a significant mechanical problem
low air (winter): the condition associated with a malfunctioning bus that signals a wait of two hours for the bus to idle or for the outside temperature to climb past 0 degrees
power steering low/ air lo/ low air tag axle/ service door open: any one of several faults that you are told by mechanics to ignore in the wintertime