| Every
year during the NBA playoffs, my thoughts turn to fouls
— and not just the kind that take place on the court.
There’s something about spring that causes a higher
incidence of bus fouls—or at least a heightened
awareness of them on my part. Or maybe it’s just
my hay fever making me cranky.
At any rate, here’s the third installment of
“what not to do on the bus.” (For previous
installments, see these issues: 4/19/06 and 7/26/06.)
• Failing to move to the back of a standing-room-only
bus. I regularly ride buses that turn passengers away—not
because there isn’t enough room, but because the
driver thinks there isn’t enough room,
due to the highly annoying habit some bus riders have
of staying put in a half-empty aisle. If the bus is
crowded, and folks are working to find standing room
in the front, please, please, please make sure
you move back as far as you can. If you’re at
the end of the line, move all the way back. I promise,
no one will bite you. Despite the back’s reputation
as the bad kids’ hangout, it’s usually pretty
tame on a packed ride; folks tend to behave themselves
in front of an audience.
• Failing to move to the inside seat. An unwritten
rule of bus riding: The first person in a seat takes
the window. This is not just because the window is preferred
by the majority of riders; it’s because it’s
the most efficient way to board. If you’re an
outside-sitter and the bus starts to fill up, move over.
Don’t make a fellow passenger ask you to move
over, and please don’t hold up aisle traffic by
standing up to let that person take the seat you don’t
want. If you like the outside because you prefer to
get off without the obligatory “pardon me,”
sit in one of the sideways seats.
• Not owning up to a “false ring.”
If you ring the bell too early, it’s tempting
to sit silently and hope no one knows it was you. But
if you do that, the driver will wait at the stop trying
to figure out who wanted off, holding the rest of the
passengers hostage in the process. Next time, instead
of shrinking into your seat, just call out, “Sorry!
Next stop!” and all will be forgiven. Or, you
could wait for the driver to get frustrated and move
on, and hope you’re not the only one who needs
the next stop.
• Emitting toxic fumes. Let’s face it:
An enclosed space that contains 30-plus people with
vastly varying hygiene habits can’t be expected
to smell like Ravenna Gardens, but we can all do our
part to keep it from smelling like a sewer. Pretend
you’re on a date with your dream bus chick/nerd,
and hold it in.
Got something to say about public transportation
in Seattle? Email Bus Chick at: buschick@gmail.com
or blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/buschick |
