Stop being so evil - an SF muni vignette

An exciting night for theatrics this evening on the 22 northbound.

"Stop being so evil," said the woman to the driver, "I don't have any money for fare."
"Then get off the bus."  The driver was already angry.
"All I've got is a check, and I can't put that in the machine," said the woman, shrugging.
"If you don't pay, you can't ride."
"I'm riding this bus!" the woman points at the floor.
"I'm getting the police."
"That's fiiine -- my family is the police.  They know me."

The driver storms off the bus and walks away (hypothetically to hail the law).

"Does anyone have 50 cents?" asks the woman to the bus.  The other passengers look around, a few check their pockets.  There's no response.

Several minutes go buy.  The woman continues to ask for help paying the 50 cent disability fare, but it seems no one is simultaneously carrying change and willing to help.  Some of the passengers get frustrated, "I have to get home, she needs to get off the bus."  A debate breaks out about whether the disability fare is indeed 50 cents.  It is.

Finally a hero emerges from the back of the bus with a whole dollar and delivers it to the woman.  The bus breathes a collective sigh.

Several more minutes pass and eventually the driver returns.  The pair resume their previous argument.  But wait, this time she has the fare! Things should be resolved very quickly.  The fare, however, does not emerge from her pocket.  Wide-eyed disbelief from the other passengers turns to laughter.  How funny!  We were all duped!

Another helpful passenger feels this may still be but a misunderstanding, "But you have a dollar.  It's in your pocket.  You can pay now."

"Does anyone have 50 cents?" the woman reverts to her previous plea.  Paying extra fare is not an option.

"You have a dollar?" asks the driver, catching onto what happened during his leave.

"Ohhh NO.  You're not taking my last dollar!"

"Her last dollar," chimes in the bus, indicating with eyes and fingers the forgotten hero who frowns and pleads again, "can we just go?"

There's more, of course, but in summary:

• money is flung (source: woman, target: fare machine and/or driver)
• convenient municipal laws are invented (fares must be placed in the fare machine by the riding party and no one else.  Thank you driver.)
• charity is repaid (with interest!) to the original hero (source: sympathetic passengers)
• the police eventually arrive and remove the woman

In defense, this rider was completely cashless.