The Technology Trip

I was going downtown with my friends. We were going to the Museum of Science and Industry. We were going on the bus. To figure out what bus we would take, I used a computer. If you go on the Internet you can find maps that show Chicago transportation systems. I found the map showing the route. It even told me what times the buses came.

My friends and I went to the bus stop, and a few minutes later the bus came. It was a very rainy day, so we were glad we knew when the bus would come. We just stood outside a few minutes and there it was.

We rode along slowly. Traffic was bad because people were driving slowly because of the rain. We didn’t mind since we were inside nice and dry. Then it happened. There was a bump. It wasn’t a big bump, but we all felt it. The driver stopped the bus and got out. Then she came back in.

“A car has hit us,” she said. “There is no damage to the bus. But there is a rule. When a car hits you, you need to make an accident report. Soon another bus will come. Don’t worry. Please stay in your seats.”

So we waited. We thought it would take a long time. But in just about five minutes there was another bus. When we got off the bus, we saw the car. The driver was looking very sad. A policeman was talking to the driver. They were standing outside the car.

We got on the other bus. One passenger was angry. “I am going to be late for work,” she said. The new bus driver said we would leave right away as soon as everyone was on the bus. She said, “The driver of the car has to take a taxi to get to his office, but the bus company sent me to make sure you get to your destinations.”

The delay had only taken ten minutes. We got to the museum safely. When we got off the bus we asked the driver what time the buses would be coming to take us back—we asked if she had a schedule.

“Check the computer at the museum,” she said. “You’ll find out what the actual time is for your bus back.”

The Museum is all about technology. But we had already been learning about technology.