About nine and a half years ago, Sandra Wade and her husband Gregory F. Wade were thinking about careers. Mr. Wade bet his wife, Sandra, she would not be able to make it as a bus driver.

"I believed I could make it as a driver and that bet gave me even more encouragement,'' she explained with a laugh. They went through training together successfully. In a couple of weeks they started to work on the same day and both have been driving ever since.

Mrs. Wade, dressed in blue, is a patient and kind driver. She answers volumes of questions from tourists daily and she is a considerate driver who waits until the passenger is seated before driving on.

If you get her bus, you can be assured of a smooth and pleasant ride. The locals sing out her name as they board the bus and she is quick to flash a smile at each passenger.

Some days she works 10 to 11 hours in uniform but she does not drive in excess of seven and one half-hours. Every day is an adventure in the life of a bus driver.

"We have a lot of responsibility and sometimes it is serious when a person's temper flares up. That person may be imbalanced due to illness or drugs.

Someone may be feeling ill. Sometimes I get a lost, crying child or an elderly sick person.

"One day this older lady got on the bus and she became ill. She was diabetic but I did not know that. I called an ambulance for her which took her to the hospital. A week later she passed,'' Mrs. Wade reflected.

Mrs. Wade describes herself as a dedicated employee and says being in control is a must when you are a driver.

"It's an adventure and takes a heap of patience. You need to be assertive.

The navy doesn't have it all by any stretch of the imagination,'' she said.

When Mrs. Wade was asked if her job was stressful she responded: "When the bus is jammed I am less stressed because I can only hold so many passengers.

The job gets stressful because of the attitudes of passengers. I feel stress the most first thing in the mornings trying to get everyone to work and school in the busy traffic. I sometimes realise I am stressed on the job but when I get off I let it go.'' The thing she most enjoys about her work is seeing people and exchanging chitchat with them.

"This makes my day pass sooner. I enjoy being out and about too. My day is never the same.'' The questions tourists ask her most frequently are: "Where's this bus going? "Can you tell me where to get off? "How long does it take to get there?'' "How do I get there?'' Mrs. Wade's suggestion to improve tourism was focused on the buses.

"I recommend extra buses on the routes between 8 a.m. and noon and between 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. The tourists ride at peak times when the locals are trying to get to work and then when the school kids and locals are leaving school and work. It is far more pleasant travelling on a bus when you have a seat and people are not standing.'' In her spare time, Mrs. Wade enjoys spending time with her two children, ages 18 and 9. She relaxes through quality time with the family, reading novels and watching satellite television.

Today's buses play a vital role in tourism. On April 23, 1946 the first bus was commissioned into service by the Bermuda Omnibus Service, a division of the Bermuda Railroad Company. Later, it came under the authority of the Public Transportation Board.

Prior to 1946, the Island's only type of public transport were the trains and ferries.

The first bus trip commenced from Wadson's Cycle Shop, opposite the ferry terminal on Front Street at one p.m. and travelled east along Front Street, via Crow Lane, Point Finger Road on to South Road and finished at Devil's Hole, Smith's Parish. The first trip carried 18 passengers but on the return trip, there were no passengers on board.

The first female driver was employed in February, 1968. Today there are about 26 females and 97 males.

Easy does it : Sandra Wade, popular bus driver, gives visitors a smooth ride.

TOURISM TOU