Mötley Crüe Big In The Rut?

Isn't it weird the things people do when they're waiting for The Bus?

We took the Bus on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) to Hannaford's and while waiting for our return bus retreated to the bus shelter rather than roast in the sun.

It's not the first time we've sat there but it is the first time we noticed a bunch of stickers on the shelter wall.

Randomly, the stickers appear to be from CDs, predominantly the works of Mötley Crüe.

Not that we have anything against Mötley Crüe in particular but why would you have a bunch of Mötley Crüe stickers with you? Alternatively why would you take your Mötley Crüe CD labels and decorate the bus shelter with them?

Just strikes us as a little weird and random. Not as random as the Bus being free each Saturday or as random as a freak tornado warning interrupting our American Idol party though. We might randomly place some Lee DeWyze stickers around The Rut tomorrow, just for fun.

Secret Life of The Bus Drivers Part 2

We already know that when bus driver Ross Vumbaco isn't behind the wheel he can be found behind the drum kit giving his band Bogo Guppy the beat.

On Saturday we saw another of The Bus' drivers out and about. We think his name is Garry (we heard a passenger call him that once, probably not the greatest source but it will do for now).

Anyway, Garry and his wife are dog lovers, in fact they own some inordinate number of dogs.

We spied him outside Petco on Saturday, clearly stocking up on supplies and we were greatly amused when we caught sight of his personalized license plate.

Any guesses what it says?

Corgi 9! We LOVE it!

Do You Recognize These Men?

By night they're known as the rockin' and oddly named trio Bogo Guppy. By day this trio rock and rolls in an entirely different fashion.

Our friend Butternut dragged us out last Friday night and despite Rut Girl's persistent flu, she abated, intrigued by the fact that Butternut told us her favorite bus driver plays in the band.

Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the Downtown Tavern and spied a man that looked very familiar to us.

Yes, turns out Butternut's favorite bus driver is Rut Girl's least favorite driver. Regular readers of The Rut will probably remember Rut Girl's encounter with Ross earlier in the month when he declared The Bus would go on strike after voters declined ongoing funding.

You can revisit that delightful ride here.......on the plus side for Ross we did discover he rescued a kitten last year, so we're open to giving him another chance.

So raging and ranting Ross Vumbaco spends his days driving The Bus but he's not the only band member renowned for his day job.

The carving Ken Marisseau, who sings and plays the guitar, is head of Killington Resort's Ski School and has quite a rock and roll past, having played in ski school bands for an eternity.

The swinging Chris Cornelius, who sings and plays the bass, is Rutland's own Dr Feelgood and gets pulses racing at his local clinic. Well actually, maybe not. According to some of the reviews we found online, Dr Cornelius may have gone to the same customer service school as Ross. Maybe the pair should give up their day jobs!

The band entertained the appreciative crowd at the Downtown Tavern with sets of covers including Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal, which they dedicated to the late Corey Haim.

It took a while but eventually patrons followed one Guppy Groupie's impassioned plea to join her (we think she might be Ross' wife) and grooved the night away. We particularly like the man doing the two beer fist pump.

California Dreaming

Rut Girl took The Bus to the mall today (more on that tomorrow) and it was like stepping back in time. The driver had a show tunes compilation blaring (and we mean blaring) including California, Here I Come from the 20s musical Bombo.

Not sure if he was dreaming of a warmer climate but it was a ray of sunshine in Rut Girl's day. The five people on board couldn't help but tap their feet. We just thought we'd share the ride with you.

The Bus To Go On Strike?

After a week of texts and emails from regular riders of the 7.15am Rutland-Killington bus, Rut Girl decided to experience the trip for herself and she wasn't disappointed.

The driver was not happy; his mood set off by someone's apparent failure to warm the bus up for him (the bus was seriously like an ice box). Let's call the driver Cowell, after Simon, the original Mr Nasty; except nowhere near as witty.

Anyway Cowell's mood was further darkened by some riders who complained that the bus was late. Various classic one liners followed including 'I don't care' and 'that's what they get for voting the bus down' (a reference to voters voting against funding The Bus at last week's elections).

But the most interesting comment was 'wait till the bus doesn't run for a week and see how they like that'. One rider responded, 'really', and Cowell said 'yep they'll do it'. We hadn't even left the transit center yet and Rut Girl began to fear Cowell might actually pack up his bongos and go home.

More gold followed. As we approached the always busy Court Square stop, rather than drive to the curb, Cowell remained in the left hand lane, forcing the passengers to step on to the road into the exposed right hand lane to get on the bus. Cowell then radioed the driver of the Highridge bus and boasted 'did you see that move?'. Nice.

Here's a thought Cowell. If that's the level of courtesy drivers extend their customers; that might have something to do with why they voted no.

Rut Girl's Friday Fail
Walgreens is the winner of Rut Girl's inaugural Friday Fail. Some residents on Woodstock Avenue today were rudely jolted from their sleep by the sound of an industrial strength leaf blower which was in use at 5.30am. While Walgreens' parking lot may look pristine today, the same can't be said for the mood of locals.

Rut Girl's Friday Fun
It's a bit silly but there's an email that's been doing the rounds at Killington titled 'Another Two Feet of Snow'. You get the picture. It made Rut Girl smile today.

Rut Girl's Friday Bus Ruckus
Not a day goes by when Rut Girl doesn't hear an amusing tale from someone riding The Bus to Killington. Once again it was the 7.15am bus, which predominantly carries Killington and Pico staff, where there was an amusing display of bus driver/customer interaction.

According to Rut Girl's source, The Bus was unusually crowded with standing room only until Pico. When The Bus pulled in to The Nordic Inn, nicknamed Little Jamaica because it is home to many of Killington's Jamaican employees, the driver was unimpressed by one man's indecision about getting on the Rutland-Killington connector versus the Highridge bus which could be seen approaching The Nordic.

The driver, in a tone that indicated indecision would be punished, said 'you're either on or off, make up your mind' followed by 'you better grab some metal (ie a hand rail)' when he finally got on board. We love it.

Take Your Time Melanie, No Rush

A big shout out to Melanie from Peru today who kept commuters entertained on this morning's 7.15am bus to Killington. As The Bus pulled into Lafayette Street, Melanie could be seen in the distance balancing what looked like a plate and a cup. Decked out in her Killington uniform, it was clear Melanie needed to be on the bus as opposed to taking a leisurely breakfast stroll.

Apparently, the Bus driver and all on board offered amusing commentary as Melanie would run two steps, walk twenty steps, run a couple more, taking a total of five minutes to get to the bus, which was clearly waiting. Laughter erupted as Melanie finally stepped on to the bus (weirdly out of breath), carrying a plate of pizza and a cup of tea. As you do.

If The Rutland-Killington Bus is Rocking, Don’t Come Knocking

Some commuters on last night’s 10.15pm Rutland-Killington bus were shocked when two mountain employees engaged in a raunchy make-out session. Rut Girl hears the antics were more like something from Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels than the type of behavior one normally sees on the commute to Killington.

While most tried to ignore the blatant display of passion unfolding before their eyes, Rut Girl hears one regular on the bus was quite the voyeur and remained fixated by the amorous pair.

We’re not that surprised though. Monday nights are ‘international party night’ at Killington, where the international workers from Killington and Pico let their hair down after the weekend with many heading to Charity’s for a few not-so-quite bevies.

In fact, only a few weeks ago a bus driver on the 10.15pm bus threatened to kick a group of Latin American revelers off the bus when they began drinking beer on the bus. The partiers were then made to dispose of their liquid ale or face a long walk home in the cold.

Rut Girl thinks she might have to catch The Bus more often.

The Bus and Article 4, an icy debate

If you don't own a car, the only way to get around Rutneyland is via its bus service, simply named The Bus. I love The Bus, it costs just 50c to roam around downtown Rutland and $2 if you want to go up to Killington. Not only is it a bargain, it is a guaranteed way to see some of Vermont's human oddities in all their glory.

If you're lucky, you'll have received a People of Walmart email at some point. I think there should be a People of the Bus email that does the rounds each month. In fact going forward I may just dedicate a page to them.

Anyway, there's an election coming up so mailboxes, sidewalks and shopfronts are awash with campaign literature designed to sway your preferences at the polls.

The Bus is not immune. Bright pink A4 sheets adorn the buses asking Rutneyland voters to support continued funding for their local transportation system.



'The Bus. We're going YOUR way' .... unless you were one of the customers left stranded on Tuesday night when the Rutland-Killington connector stopped in the wake of snowmageddon. My friend, who'll we'll refer to as Butternut to protect her privacy, had come to Rutneyland for a few hours and needed to return to her home in Killington. We stood outside for half an hour in the snowstorm (which had eased by this time) waiting for the 10.15pm bus.

When The Bus failed to materialize, we called them and were informed they had ceased service. Nice. We get it. It was snowing. A lot. But if you want people to get behind your service and support it, you need to provide some level of customer service. Maybe like sending someone to the stops and putting up signs advising them that service was suspended. Not everyone has The Bus' number on speed dial (Butternut has had frequent cause to call them), so if you want us to 'get on board' at the polls, lift your game. Oh, and offer a service to Burlington.