Mer Buses

[sunrise]

What if one day we had a bus or a few buses that we could use to transport merfolk to events? Would it make getting to events easier, and what kinds of things would make these buses unique? What about tanks instead of seats, with room in back for storage? Just some fun things to think about, since I've seen old buses for sale in car magazines every once in a while. ;)

[Mermaid Annariea]

tanks instead of seats would be really dangerous... plus, not all merfolk are in the same area, so itd be hard to gather a bus full. :/

[Nemefish]

i like the idea of tanks instead of seats even of it is dangerous, cuz it sounds so much fun!!!!!! hahaha jk, still it be cool if we could find a way to make that idea into a safe one ;P

[Spindrift]

Ha, I can only think about smashing my face against glass walls every turn and bump and getting really carsick. Also, water spilling everywhere and leaking onto the street from doors/windows.

[Toxotes]

Imagine a real mermaid who can breathe underwater, in a closed tank full of water. The water has nearly the same density as the mermaid, so the mermaid wouldn't be smashed against the glass walls.
The next problem would be the tanks themselves and the load of the bus.
But a very cool idea! :cool:

[Alveric]

I tried to resist but just couldn't. Here's an excerpt from Chapter Seven of The Girl with the Sea Green Eyes illustrating the dangers of Mer transport.

The Sisters can only breathe water and, since they don't have lungs, can only be communicated with telepathically. That's why Hannah the MerVulcan and narrator is with them. They're trying to take them from a small lake to the sea.


I surfaced to see a large flat-bed truck waddling its way across the pasture to the lake. They found a good solid spot near the water then blew their horn again. The Sisters surfaced around me.“That’s our cue girls,” I said.

We swam toward the truck; me on the surface, so they could see we were coming. One of the truckers spotted me and waved. I stopped to wave back.

“Hello!” the man said, “Are you the folks we’re supposed to pick up?”

“Yup,’ I replied. “Where’s the engine to fill the tank?”

“It was right behind...There it comes!”

He was right. A big classic, red fire engine emerged from the wooded path and slowly made its way toward us. While they were setting up, I took the opportunity to crawl out and examine the tank. It wasn’t nearly as large as I thought it would be. I’ve never been very good at estimating distances and volume. I had thought I would ride with my friends, but it looked like five mermaids would be too tight a fit. I pulled myself up onto the truck bed. A gray tarp was hung around the sides of the tank to provide some privacy. The top was open to provide light and allow the occupants to see over and out. I knocked on the Plexiglas. It was thick and seemed good and solid. I smiled and gave the Sisters, who were watching my inspection, the OK sign. And, finally, for good measure, I gave it a thorough sniffing over.

“Ma’am?” said one of the firemen, who had a length of hose over his shoulder.

“Oh, sorry,” I got out of the way.

Before going back into the water, I told the men that though the Sisters can’t talk, they can hear and should be treated with respect in anycase. They nodded solemnly. They seemed nice and probably didn’t need the reminder.

We watched as the engine started up and began pumping. One of the firemen waded out with the hose to make sure it didn’t pick up too much muck from the bottom. Elise decided to be playful and swam around him a couple of times. Then she reared out of the water and planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek before splashing away, laughing noiselessly. The man’s f ace reddened and his fellows teased, but he didn’t falter. Once the pump got going, it only took five minutes to fill the tank.


Finally, one of the guys sat himself behind the hydraulic controls for the crane and swung the arm out over the water. Dangling from the end was a sling, rather like a child’s swing. He then lowered it into the water. Elise volunteered to go first. She swam into the swing then seated herself. I surfaced and gave the thumbs up signal. Elise swung up and out of the water. She made a coughing sound as water streamed out of her gill-slits, but she made the OK sign and after only a few seconds, she was lowered into the tank. Honey was next, then Annie. Annie swung her tail and actually got a little pendulum action going before sliding off into the tank. Sallie is one of the few Mers to have a vertical tailfin. This made it difficult to sit like a person, so she sat sideways and it worked out.

Then it was my turn. Once over the tank, however, I asked the operator to stop. It looked really crowded in there. The trip would take almost two hours. I worried about me using up the Sisters’ space and oxygen. I touched hands with Elise and spoke to the drivers as well. We decided that I would ride in the cab until we met with the police escort. Then I would ride in one of the cruisers.

I pulled and wiggled my way into the cab next to the driver. The other guy gingerly squeezed his way in next to me. It took a little while for me to figure out what to do with my tailfin. Finally, I curled it up onto my lap and held it. This was so awkward, I had to laugh, which made the two men laugh as well.
We waved goodbye to the firemen, who were taking advantage of the opportunity to test their equipment some more, and started off. The weight of the water (eight tons, they told me!) made the truck a bit top-heavy. It rocked and bounced its way across the grassy areas, slopping and sloshing water. I wondered if theSisters could be any more uncomfortable than I was.

In the parking lot we met two state police troopers with their cruisers. I chose to be in the following cruiser; it would be easier for me to keep my eyes on the tank. The trooper gingerly carried me to the open passenger side and sat me down. I buckled myself in and made sure my fin was clear of the door when he shut it. I was kinda excited. I’d never been in a police car before (except for a rather embarrassing incident when I was a teen that I won’t go into right now). The trooper had short-cropped light hair and a broad smile. I would not have minded getting a ticket from him. He talked a lot as he drove, but for the life of me, I can’t remember anything he said. I just nodded and smiled and kept both eyes riveted to the truck.

After we got onto the freeway, it became clear to me that he was flirting. Feminine instinct told me to begin paying attention to what I was nodding and agreeing to. The flirting was friendly, almost shy, but I still wished I had a wedding ring to subtly flash. He seemed like a nice guy, so I slowly and gently began backing him down.
Supposedly, pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell. I can’t say whether that’s true or not, but I was the first one to notice the smoke.

“Can you smell that?” I asked. “Where’s it coming from?”

He sniffed. “Don’t know, but I bet it’s a brush fire. It’s been awful dry here for the last month or so.”

Just as we came around a bend, the wind changed. It was like dropping a curtain. Everything ahead turned into a blank, gray sheet.

“Dammit!” The trooper slowed and turned on all his lights. I could just barely see the truck’s brake lights. Suddenly, the air between cleared just in time for us to see the truck collide with a car in front of it. A column of water shot at least ten feet above the tank. I screamed. The trooper stomped on the brakes and managed to avoid the same fate. He leapt from the car and ran forward. I rolled out of the passenger side and hop-crawled as quickly as I could to my friends. The tank looked OK and was still on the flat-bed. I climbed up and swept aside the tarp. A good third of the water was now gone, but they all four looked OK. Elise seemed especially worried,however. She knocked on the glass to get my attention, then pointed down to one of the corners. I looked closely. A web of cracks was slowly growing and spreading, like something alive.

I raised myself on my tail and screamed and shouted for help, but there was too much noise and confusion already. There were horns, tires squealing on pavement, more collisions and terrible screaming. Somewhere, there was a fire. I looked around; the wind was beginning to change again. About a hundred yards away there was a small farm pond, no larger than a back-yard pool. Between us and the water, however was a metal fence topped with barbed wire. It would be impossible for any Mer to get over it without a lot of effort and risk of injury. I tried to communicate with the sisters, but the glass was too thick and none of us could reach over the top. I pointed to the pond. Elise nodded and began trying to calm the others. I had to do something about the fence.

I slid over the edge of the truck and flopped to the ground. In front of me was the police cruiser, its lights still flashing. I crawled over to it, opened the driver-side door and slid in. I put it in gear. Now what? I couldn’t even see the pedals for my long tail and fin. I tried ‘stomping’ where I thought the accelerator was, but I kept hitting the brake too. I growled and pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Finally, I calmed myself down and looked about. I spotted the trooper’s night stick slung under the dash. I grabbed it, curled my tail out of the way and punched the pedal with it. The engine roared and the cruiser leapt forward.

Then there was a sound like a rifle shot. A wave of water hit the cruiser as I passed. To my horror, a mermaid also bounced off the side of my vehicle. I picked up speed as I rolled down the grassy slope. A little too much, I thought. I took the nightstick from the accelerator and tried to apply the brake with it. It slid off. It was too late to try again. I hunched my shoulders and yelped as the cruiser hit the fence. There was an explosion of white, then everything went black.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Two thoughts...

1. While a portable aquarium seems dangerous and problematic (buses aren't designed to be water-containing), one of those amphibuses or duck buses or whatever one calls them today might be cool for a whole bunch of mers and mertenders... driving into the river with everyone in their tails.

2. Also, there's a local scuba diving training quarry in Pennsylvania that has a sunken a variety of vehicles (including a helicopter, train, plane, and a school bus with the seats removed) for divers to swim in. The waters are fairly cold, but they have a camp ground, and it would be interesting to see if scuba diving in tails is allowed.

[Mermaid Miel]

In an actual Bus, Reclining Chairs so you can stretch out in your tails and Seat belts (Attached to the seats instead of the walls) So you can be safe in an accident.
I think a ceiling mural and shell shaped reading lights would be an awesome touch too!
Having a bus to go from the Airport to Merpalooza or Mercon in LasVegas would be awesome.

[sunrise]

Great points, everyone. Yeah, it's just a thought for now, but the ideas you guys came up with are great! Someday, mer-transport will be built. And thanks for that, Alveric. :)

[Benjemin]

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