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Except for major sporting events, public transit is probably the biggest breeding ground for poor manners that we can imagine. For instance, on an absolutely packed #42 bus, an older gentleman began yelling at the other passengers standing in front of him: "Somebody's got to get the hell out of my way so I can get the hell off of this goddammed bus." People were moving, but it was a tight squeeze, and the man continued to yell, well past the time that he was safely standing on Walnut Street.
There was also the man on the #36 trolley who, oblivious to the fact that there was major construction happening on the tracks preventing us from travelling at any speed, decided to yell at the driver (who was talking to the woman standing next to the front row of seats): "Whatsa matter, you can't talk and drive?" Now, the driver wasn't necessarially showing off his good manners when he stopped the trolley completely and rose from his seat to yell back at the passenger, but to be fair, he only did this after the man had been yelling at him for several minutes. And the trolley would have stopped anyway -- there were fifteen SEPTA workers in glow-in-the-dark vests standing on the track fifteen feet in front of us. Of course, if the man on the trolley had things his way, the driver would have simply run them all over.
Conventional manners and common courtesy should be extended toward other SEPTA passengers, too. For instance, if you have a seat, especially on the front of the bus, and you're a perfectly healthy twentysomething, you should be perfectly willing to give your seat to pregnant women (or women travelling with children), elderly passengers, and other riders who seem to have any sort of (serious or minor) disability. We all know that the presence of a wheelchair means you must vacate your seat if you're sitting in the front rows, but just because a person isn't in a chair doesn't mean that s/he couldn't benefit greatly by sitting down, too. Two days ago, Phillyist watched a pregnant women with two children board a very full bus and nobody offered her a seat. Not even one. If we hadn't already been standing, we would have leapt out of our seat. And really, if we were to be really picky about this whole thing, we'd be pretty miffed that not a single man offered his seat to Phillyist. Women aren't the weaker sex, per se, but it is much harder to stand on a moving bus wearing high heels.
Also on the topic of seat availability: if the bus/trolley/etc. is particularly crowded, please try to keep yourself in one seat. Keep your personal belongings on the floor in front of you, whenever possible, or on your lap. And for Pete's sake, slide toward the window if the bus starts to fill up. Nobody wants to crawl over you when finding seats. (Or, if you anticipate getting off sooner than your new seatmate, stand and let him/her slide in before you sit again.) On a related note, if the person on the inside of your seat needs to exit before you do, please stand up and let that person out. Phillyist had a very awkward moment with a young woman who wouldn't stand to let us exit. Let's just say that usually, people pay for that sort of treatment. Seriously -- at the very least, try to swing your legs into the aisle so your toes won't get stomped!
Here's the most important thing to remember when you're taking public transit: saying "excuse me" and "thank you" will go far. "Excuse me" will get you to the exit so you don't miss your stop. Pushing will only irritate those around you and might make them push back. "Thank you" should be said as soon as people move out of your way, and also to the driver (if you're exiting the front of a bus or trolley). You'd be surprised at how far it can get you.
Next week, we'll discuss the f-bomb and other sundry phrases.
The presumably very polite animal bus passengers were illustrated by artist Nora Hilb.
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