How safe/fast is the westheimer (82) bus

Hello,

I currently commute twice a week to downtown and live in upper Kirby. I’ve been driving to work myself, but would like to save some money (and sanity) by taking the bus. I work off Main and Rusk. I feel like I’m in the perfect locations to take bus route 82 to work, but have hesitated in the past due to concerns of safety and overcrowding. Is the bus safe to take and does the bus ever get too busy in peak times and drivers skip the stop? Also, some general guidance on how the bus works (how to pay, how to signal to the driver that I would like to get off at the next stop, etc) would be much appreciated.