For the last week and an half of October, I was covering the Ontario Municipal Board hearing at Stoney Creek City Hall. This required taking the HSR multiple times each day.
I stayed at a friends in Stoney Creek to significantly cut my commuting time each day by 30 minutes each direction.
At lunch, most days, I'd go to Fortinos or Eastgate, the lunch break being 90 to 120 minutes and there being no food options within walking distance of Stoney Creek City Hall.
HSR drivers were excellent, watching for people coming out of the City Hall. Twice, operators stopped and waited for me to run for the bus - saving me 30 minutes of waiting.
This happened three times at lunch, and twice at the end of the day.
One driver had a bit of fun on the second Thursday at the end of the hearing. Seeing me walking out the door of Stoney Creek City Hall, he closed his doors. I ran, he opened the doors.
I leap on board, "thanks for waiting". He smiled at me, "just wanted to make you run, I have a few minutes". Him and I get along very well, he's good friends with some of my high school buddies.
I smiled back, "I should've checked my watch, I just assumed you were late like always".
On Friday, I had a ride out of Stoney Creek City Hall, and walked out the doors casually. The same operator slowed his bus and came to a stop, looked at me as I was walking down the ramp with two full bags. I signalled him that I didn't need the bus, he opened his window, "thanks for the great coverage Joey".