10 things I wish the Bus Driver would

know
#1: I do not respond to you not because I am impolite
I have difficulty making eyes contacts with others. When I enter the bus, I am thinking about my
destination. If you greet me or waves at me and I do not respond to you, I am not trying to be
impolite, but it is because I am focusing on my objective to arrive at my destination.
#2: Do not panic if I panic
If you saw me panicking, do not approach me. Keep a safe distance because I may do
uncontrollable movement which can lead to hurt you and myself. Having a calm voice can help
me to lower my meltdown.
#3: I can be awkward of my position
If there is no seat and I must stay standing, I may not be aware of the distance I have with the
individual surrounding me. I may be on your bubble. I am trying to figure out the most
comfortable position to stay standing on the bus.
#4: I may have uncontrollable movement or making noise (Tic)
I will sometimes do weird movements like flapping my hands or shaking my legs. Those are self-
soothing me. I can also make noise or said a word that can be inappropriate to say in public. I
try to muffle those noises by putting my mouth on my shirt or jacket. If I must say despite all
that, I will whisper it.
#5: I may not know I am close to you
I have difficulty keeping a distance away from the passenger or the bus driver. I may even not
be aware of how close I am. You can tell me if I am too close to you.
#6: Sometimes my tone can be high or low
I do not know how low or high my volume can be. I may talk louder when I am right beside you
or I may talk softer when I am away from you. I talk louder because the noise around me
sounds louder and the need to talk louder to cancel that other noise is to help me concentrate.
#7: I may repeat myself
I repeat myself not because I am dumb, but it helps me register the information that was giving
me. It is also helping me to understand what you have just said to me.
#8: I may not say it, but I need help
It happens that I will take an unfamiliar bus or the bus change route because of the
construction site on the neighborhoods. I want to ask directly, but I may feel embarrassed to
ask since I do not want you to look at me as if I do not know anything. I need to secure myself I
am going on the right path to go to my destination.
#9: I use music or sound-canceling to not hear my surrounding
It is can happen that I would have my music blasting on my headset. It is because I do not want
to hear other noises around me like someone chewing gum, people talking, or the motor of the
bus. I can be sensitive to those simple noises and I use my music to keep myself calm.
#10: Please do not touch me
I am not comfortable when someone tries to touch me without warning. If you need my
attention if I have my noise-canceling or my headset with music, just give me a queue that you
want to talk to me. You can also wave your hand in front of me to gain my attention.

Overall, please be patient about me and my situation. I am not trying to annoy you nor do I
want to cause trouble. I am also an individual that takes the bus to reach my destination.