Talking buses

So, yesterday I was on a bus and had an interesting experience. As I was walking towards the bus I heard a clearly feminine voice greeting passengers saying "hello"; it took me a minute to realize that the hello was not from the bus driver, but the "Hello" was merely a recorded computer greeting. Hmm. I had never had this experience on the bus before. As the bus continued on, the voice continued to say "hello" as people entered, and "goodbye" as people exited. "How very impersonal!" I thought to myself. I wasn't sitting near the front of the bus, so I couldn't tell if the driver was able to offer his own greetings over the jarring computer voice chime. It struck me though, because I had previously been very impressed with the friendliness of the bus drivers in saying to people "have a good day now", as they exited the bus - it is a very personal gesture in the midst of an impersonal world. This automated voice however, seemed to provoke exactly what it was supposed to remedy: an impersonal, "I-feel-ignored" feeling on the bus. Really, who cares that a computer recording dings every time you enter and exit the bus? Frankly, I just found it aggravating and annoying! An example, in my opinion, that computers can't replace human interaction. When they attempt to, a jarring incongruity is evident, in which the human person recognizes the void of authentic human communication.