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Bus etiquette

I take the bus a lot. In fact, I take the bus on a daily basis and rely on the bus to get me from one place to another. With spending at least 1.5 hours on the bus everyday I have experienced extremely strange encounters that I somewhat wish I could forget. So to make it a bit better for everyone here are some things to contribute to people's bus etiquette.

1. Wear deodorant! I know it's warm outside and people sweat but there is a big difference between someone sweating that has put on deodorant and someone that hasn't. This is an absolute must, especially for people that are planning on lifting their arms up right next to my face. No one appreciates a sweaty, stinky armpit on the same level as your nose.

2. If the bus is full, move your bag. Standing on a bus is uncomfortable and sometimes hard since you constantly need to hold on to something. If your bag is hogging a seat you are preventing people from sitting and also taking up more space than you have paid for. You haven't paid for your bag to sit so why should it? You have a lap and there's a floor for a reason. Even the most precious bag can be on the floor. If it gets dirty, clean it afterwards. But don't make me stand up for 40 minutes because you are too self absorbed to realise that other people might want to sit.

3. Connected to the previous point; if the bus is half empty and I have my bag next to me you don't need to sit in that particular seat. Sometimes I put my bag down next to me because I'm not feeling well or it's very heavy or I have more than one bag with me. If the bus gets full I will move my bag but there is no need to insist me to do that when there are several other places to sit.

4. If you are religious and don't want to sit next to someone of the opposite sex, stand up or move to a seat next to someone of the same sex if seats starting to fill up. If you don't, I will sit next to you because I shouldn't have to stand up because you aren't making any sort of effort to cooperate.

5. When the bus stops, move away from the door. The doors open for people to get off and if you stand in the way for the door you are preventing people from doing just that. It is not too hard to take a step to the side. If you worry about personal space you can even get off the bus and then get on again to enable people to get off at their stop. If it's to hard to follow these directions then don't stand next to the door.

6. When getting on the bus, let the people that are getting off get off first. This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, if you get on first you will be in the way for them to get off. Secondly, if you let people off first there will be more space for you when you get on and you don't have to feel like a sardine.

7. Do not lean against the poles if the bus is crowded. These poles are there for people to hold on to. Without the option to hold on to something there is a big risk of falling. When you lean against the pole you are preventing people to hold on to it or you are forcing them to dig their hand into your stomach, back, butt or any other body part that reaches to the pole. You are also risking to crush the hand with your body weight and it is extremely painful to have every bone in your hand squashed by a grown man's body.

8. If you want to listen to music, use headphones. No one wants to listen to your RnB or music that you seem to think is appropriate bus music. You are not the driver and it's not your office so don't make the bus your space to do whatever you want.

9. When you sit down, stick to your chair. I am aware that not everyone come in the same size and the chair might not be big enough for your rear but don't spread out more than necessary. You can keep your arms in and not poke me with your elbows. When I move closer to the window it isn't an invite to take up more space, it is to give myself space.

10. If you are planning on sleeping on the bus, don't fall asleep on the stranger sitting next to you. That is not a pillow or your partner, it is a person who has paid to get from one place to another and don't want your drooling mouth on them. It is not too hard to stay awake if you know your head has no control then get a travel pillow.

There are probably plenty of other things you should be doing or not doing when on the bus but if people started following these rules my journey on buses would be a lot more pleasant.


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