Public Transportation Etiquette Tips
Written by worldtraveler on November 24th, 2009
I ride the bus every day to and from work and have noticed that some people don’t understand basic, common public transportation etiquette. Maybe I am wrongly assuming that these etiquette points are naturally ingrained into the subconscious of man. Or maybe I’m just uptight. Either way, here are some quick tips to help make the ride more comfortable and bearable for everyone involved.
1) Be on time and have your fare ready. The world does not revolve around you. I know this may be difficult to grasp, but we all have places to go and when we are late because the bus has to stop and sound the bus air horn so you can run up the block to catch it or you fumble with your coin fare for a few minutes, it affects everyone. The bus has a schedule to keep and every lost minute slowly builds up and can even cause people to miss their important transfer. Be courteous and have your fare or prepay card in hand and don’t be late.
2) Give up your seat for elderly persons. This is just basic common sense that anyone with half a brain should have been taught by their parents when they were young. If you see the bus is full and an elderly person is looking for a seat, be a gentleman or gentlewoman and offer them your seat. It may seem like a small gesture, but it can make a big difference and for some of us who have largely given up on goodness and kindness in Man, a small gesture like that can slightly reaffirm that humanity is not completely lost.
3) Don’t sleep on the bus. Just don’t do it. I know it’s early (or late) and you’re tired from just waking up (or drowning yourself in Miller Light) but the bus is not your bed—it’s a bus. Feel free to rest your eyes but when you start snoring or falling over into other people’s laps you’ve crossed the line from “bus rider” to “creepy guy who passes out on the bus.” Don’t be that person. Nobody likes that person.
4) Bring something to do on the bus. Don’t be like Putty from Seinfeld, just staring off into space like an awkward weirdo. Bring something to do; a book to read, a handheld video game to play, the newspaper, your smart phone, something. It’s not a cool look to sit and stare at the person across from you because you have nothing to do on the bus—that’s your fault, don’t make the rest of us uncomfortable because of it.
5) This is a little tip for bus drivers—I know it might cold outside but when you pack 30+ people into a small space their body heat is usually enough to heat the bus. You don’t need to blast the bus’ heat and turn the cramped, metallic hotbox into a sweltering, arid, germ-breeding wasteland. Not all of us like to sweat through our shirts while riding the bus.
Alan Lomax is a freelance writer who probably has a mild form of claustrophobia. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/public-transportation-etiquette-tips-1499025.html
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