The ultimate guide to proper bus etiquette
Some of you really need a lesson or two
As a someone who is much too lazy to walk everywhere, and whose bike has been broken and rotting outside for over a month now (I’m too lazy to walk around, so I am also too lazy to take a bike to the bike shop), I have become a frequent bus user.
The bus is a fantastic resource, especially at Davis where students have free access to such clean and nice buses that can take you anywhere you need to be around campus, but a sweet experience on public transportation can quickly be soured by people who seem to lack common sense, or at least lack some general knowledge of bus etiquette, so here are some tips to help you not be a dick while using public transportation.
My beautiful pals and me taking the Yolobus to Old Sac on Halloween. What fun!
If the bus is super crowded, your bag doesn’t need a seat
This is probably my biggest pet peeve and something I frequently see in my adventures on the bus. If the bus is completely empty, by all means put your bag on the seat next to you, but if there are other people who want seats, put your bag on your lap.
It’s very simple and its very easy, someone shouldn’t have to stand on the bus so that your bag can have a seat.
Get your Aggie card, or whatever it is you use to take the bus, ready before you get onto the bus
No one wants to stand there while you fumble around in your bag for five minutes struggling to find your aggie card, and when you take a while to board the bus you slow everyone else down and risk making other people late.
Cute bus selfies are always fun. (Again, this was Halloween, I don’t always wear a tiara, but maybe I should)
Be nice to the bus driver
This doesn’t seem to be a huge problem in Davis as people are generally nice here, but still, be kind to the bus driver. They work hard to make sure the buses run on time and make sure everyone has a safe and pleasant trip.
It’s nice to thank them when you get off the bus and simply being a nice person in general is always a good thing.
Don’t push your way onto the bus
It’s common courtesy to let people get off the bus before you get on, and it’s best to try not to push your way in front of others in order to ensure your seat on the bus.
If you’re one of those people who power walks and pushes ahead of everyone to make sure you get on the bus ahead of other people, you need to take a deep breath and relax because everyone and will get on eventually (I’ve been on a bus with 80 people before, they really will let everyone on) and being a pushy person is just really annoying to everyone around you.
It’s perfectly fine to sit directly next to someone on the bus
This is just a general tip because I see a lot of people choose to stand rather than sitting in an empty seat that is directly next to someone else, and I think this is because people don’t want to make others uncomfortable by sitting next to them, which is super duper nice, but most people won’t mind you sitting next to them if it is more comfortable for you to sit than to stand.
So, don’t worry! And hey, maybe you’ll make a new friend on the bus ride home.
Single bus seats eliminate the awkwardly sitting directly next to a stranger thing, I don’t like them because they make me feel lonely.
Try and chill with the super loud phone conversations
People on the bus always seem to be yelling into the phone, I think it’s because the bus itself is loud and people try to talk over the bus sounds, but when you yell on the phone in the middle of the bus, everyone can hear all of the details of your conversation and no one wants to.
When I am taking the bus early in the morning, the last thing I want is to hear you yelling about your crazy weekend with your gal pals, and even though I am glad you had a great time, I don’t need to know about how happy you are that you and Sarah finally hooked up.
I also once had a lady singing loudly on the bus and that was kind of weird, and another time a guy who was sitting next to me was dancing in his seat the entire bus ride, and that made me extremely uncomfortable so maybe don’t do that either.
I’m not the only one who thinks people on the bus are rude, my amazing best friend also thinks people are obnoxious, this is probably why we get along so well.
Don’t request to stop two seconds before the stop
Mistakes and confusion can happen, which is okay, but if you know when your stop is and you request to stop literally right before the stop comes up and make the bus driver frantically pull over you are being rude. Give fair warning that you want to stop.
There are probably a million more tips on how to not be rude on the bus, but if you at least follow these ones you should be golden; that being said, don’t be afraid to take the bus! It is a fantastic and fun way to get around town. Plus, it’s super easy to use when you get the hang of figuring out which bus lines to take and when.