SAN ANTONIO – B.C. Eatmon recently started another day of work driving a double decker bus for City Sightseeing, right in the heart of downtown San Antonio.

“Fridays are a little different than they used to be. It used to be our second busiest day. Now you never know how many you’re going to get on a given Friday,” he said.

These days, San Antonio and his bus look different.

“It’s weird seeing downtown half empty every day,” said Eatmon.

When the city shut down in March, so did the double decker tours. They didn't start back up until June. Eatmon said they went from having full buses with 80 people on each tour to sometimes only two people.

“On average, each bus driver will probably take off with 10-15 people on each bus ride. Just those few people – they still deserve the tour just like 80 people would,” said Eatmon.

And that’s exactly what they get – Eatmon even sings along the tour.

“On the right, the San Antonio River Walk. Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?” Eatmon sings to his riders.

Eatmon says the best part of his job is interacting with the different people on his bus, but the looming rise in COVID-19 cases is always on his mind. City Sightseeing already got some help from the federal government over the summer.

“With the new spikes in COVID, we’ll see how we do,” said Eatmon.

So far, the City of San Antonio has handed out more than a thousand grants to small business owners, totaling $22.7 million. Eatmon wants to see the downtown area bustling like it was before COIVD-19.

“We’ll get back there. It’s just a factor of when. We just gotta get it together and keep it together,” Eatmon said.

In the meantime, he will continue giving people a break from reality – bringing a smile to as many, or as few faces as he can. Even if it’s hard to see behind a mask.