You might be thinking really, a post on how to ride the bus, is it really that hard? And yes, apparently it is really hard because you won't be the number of people who have problems with this simple and basic task. So much trouble in fact that I can't even begin to cover it all in one post. So brace yourself, this is probably the first installment in a series of posts about ridding the bus in Seattle.
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| Yep. It is a selfie in the bus window. You are welcome. |
First, a little background. I spend about 1.5 hours on the bus, every day, Monday through Friday. I commute to work via the bus. I love it. I get to do everything that you can't do while behind the wheel; read a book, browse Facebook, catch up on blogs, write a blog post, watch Netflix, Google things I am wondering about, even sleep! Plus, the bus has it's own special bus only lane, which means we zoom past all the rush hour traffic and zip right on down the road. Suckers! Have I mentioned that my work pays for my bus pass? Yep. I love riding the bus. What I don't love are the other passengers. Let me explain.
Rule Number 1 :: Move to the Back
That's right, people. Juvenile had it right all along. When the bus is packed full, you have got to back that ass up. Back it up all the way to the back. This dude was too busy rocking out to his jams to notice that he needs to back it up and make room for more passengers. Look at all that space between us! See how full that bus is? It is standing room only, which totally sucks. Trust me. Standing on the bus can certainly ruin a perfect day. But that doesn't mean you can't be courteous to people trying to board the bus. Nothing is worse than having a bus pass by and leave you at the curb because they are too full to take on even one more passenger. And on this particular night, that is just what we did. Because of this dude.
Rule Number 2 :: Personal Space
You wouldn't believe how many people don't pay attention to what they are doing. They either don't notice or don't care that they are hitting people with their bags or taking up more than their fair share of personal space. For example, check out the person in the photo to the left above. I watched as the person standing hit the person sitting down four times in the face with their purse. FOUR TIMES. One time, it was an accident. Second time, the bus lurched, accident again, so sorry. Third time, stop being lazy and pay attention. Fourth time, your bus pass is revoked, you are out of here. In my opinion, anyway. The shoe in the picture to the right belonged to some girl sitting in the row of seats behind a partition. I seriously could not sit straight in my seat, her foot was where my knee should have been. But nope, she had decided she really needed to put her foot there and I was just going to have to deal. Seriously. Pay freaking attention to the space you take up and how that might effect others around you.
Rule Number 3 :: Don't Do This
I'm not kidding. Someone in the great city of Seattle saw this bag and thought, oh that the perfect commuter bag for me. Nothing would be more perfect for me to carry my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in. What in the world is this. And why do I have to look at it. I'm all for expressing yourself in a creative and personally meaningful way. But this just seems to be a bit too much. I was just sitting in my seat, enjoying my book, when I glanced up and saw this. A bit of a surprise. Not everyone wants to hear my music, so I wear headphones. Not everyone wants to hear me plan out my weekend, so I text my friends. Not everyone wants to see this kind of stuff. Just don't do this.
Rule Number 4 :: Give Up Your Seat
Some people say that chivalry is dead and I would have to agree with them. At least it is no where to be found on MT306, MT312 and ST522. No one gives up their seat for the elderly. No makes way for people with young children. No one gives their seat to a pregnant woman. This guy, who is so busy checking his Facebook page, looked a elderly woman in the eye and then went right back to his phone. Seriously. He stayed in his seat while the poor woman had to stand. I give up my seat in a flash, because it is the right thing to do. I am young and healthy. I can stand. It makes me so mad when people refuse to move. Let's be kind to each other.
So there you have it, four simple rules you can follow the next time you find yourself riding any form of public transportation. And yes, these are all photos that I took during my own commute to prove that I'm not making this stuff up. Stay tuned for more Rules for Riding the Bus. Oh, there is so much more to share!
Be sure to stop by the link up and see what other lessons are being shared today!
XOJO
Oh my gosh this is amazing, and you're right, there is so much more to share! The pros of bus riding are amazing as you said, but the cons, well... they seem to multiply daily. Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteOMG! All of these things that you listed.. made my skin crawl. The purse hitting someone in the face-- I would have said something. Not being able to sit straight due to someone's foot-- I would have said something. And GOD FORBID.. someone not getting up to let an elderly person sit-- I WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING! I just don't have it in me to sit by and watch that crap happen. LOL
ReplyDeleteCan I just say I LOVE this post! Bad manners at any time irritate me, but for some reason they seen so prolific on public transport! One of my big bugbears is when people use seats for their luggage and you have to ask them to move it so that, you know, other passengers can sit down. So annoying!!
ReplyDelete