A local bus driver has confessed that he gets a feeling of supreme power from making people wait before letting them onto the bus, revealing that it has turned into an addiction which is ruining his life.
48-year-old Stan Danwaite, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Ulster Fry that he noticed the problem soon after starting the job 20 years ago.
“At first I was eager to provide a good customer service, so if I saw someone waiting I’d let them on,” he told us. “But after a while I began leaving it longer and longer, just so I could see their faces.”
Stan was beginning to suffer from what psychologists call Transport Syndrome – a rare disease which causes normally pleasant individuals to become complete dicks.
“The urges spread to my home life,” says Stan. “If I was picking the wife up in town I’d park a few metres from her, then just sit looking at my phone avoiding eye contact, and I’d always be late for nights out with friends. Sometimes I wouldn’t turn up at all or just walk straight past everyone without stopping.”
“It all came to a head when I was in the park last June. I was pushing our child in his pram when I suddenly started running really fast then stopped so abruptly he nearly fell out. He could have been seriously injured, that’s when I knew I needed help.”
If you or any of your family have been affected by the issues raised in Stan’s story, there is support available – just visit the Translink website where you’ll find loads of information, some of which may have been accurate 6 months ago.