Rubbing out rudeness on public transit

Harriet Baskas Travel writer

An upside of leaving the car at home and jumping on public transit is all the nice, new people you get to meet.

A downside? All those rude, inconsiderate and bizarre people you’ll meet as well. Like the ones Kevin O’Neil describes in the “Breaches of Etiquette” category on his CTA Tattler blog about the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) buses, elevated trains and subways.

The blog describes riders “who insist on treating the whole car or bus to their fave tune blaring from their cell phone,” the people who think nothing of using a bus or train car to eat a messy meal, change their outfit, put on make-up or clip their toenails, and those folks who insist on taking up two seats (or more) when there are people standing in the aisles.

Well-Mannered travelers might especially enjoy reading the discussion about the “butt pivot,” as in “Is it rude to do the butt-pivot rather than stand all the way up when someone wants out [from the inside seat]?” You’ll find that filed under “Confronting the Rude Seat Hog.”

Not just the CTA
Of course, rude and bizarre behavior isn’t reserved for a subset of CTA riders. Mass transit riders everywhere will nod in recognition at the stories about drunk and/or smelly passengers, icky “gropers,” loud and obnoxious cell-phone users and those hard-to-avoid “let me tell you my life story” seatmates. And now that more and more folks are giving public transit a try, calls for on-board civility, and the apparent widespread lack of it, is at an all time high.

Are transit agencies taking note? Many are trying to. Others are being forced to.  According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), public transit ridership is rising faster than it has in 50 years. From April through June, 2008, for example, Americans took 2.8 billion rides on public transit. That is 5.2 percent more rides than during the same period last year. And the numbers just keep going up.

All those new riders are not only putting a strain on already cash-strapped public transit systems, they’re making already-packed buses, trains and subway cars even more crowded — and making everyone cranky.

Ask ‘Cappy’ for advice
Pretty much every transit agency has a basic “No eating, no spitting, no smoking” set of guidelines on the books. Over the years, the basics have expanded to include “No loud music without headphones,” as well.

Poke around and you’ll find most agencies also have an even more detailed set of rules. In Chicago, the CTA Tattler blog describes the rules against gambling, including “any shell-game, sleight of hand or juggling trick ...,” and against  possessing or carrying a “pistol, revolver, firearm, dagger, ... stun gun ... explosive device or other weapon.” And even though they are spelled out in the rules, it wouldn’t be polite to reprint here the list of sexual acts that passengers are forbidden to engage in while riding on a CTA bus or train.

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These activities are no doubt prohibited on other public transit lines as well, but these days, many public transit agencies have their hands full with the basics.

The Capital Corridor Joint Power Authority (CCJAP), which operates a passenger rail system in eight northern California counties, created an etiquette campaign starring “Cappy, the Friendly Capital Corridor Conductor” to encourage passengers to follow the rules. “Cappy-copy” appears in system timetables and includes tips and reminders, such as “One ticket, one seat” and “Don’t yell on your cell.” My favorite: “Personal grooming is just that ... personal!  Please use the restrooms for beauty time such as applying make-up, brushing your teeth or other hygiene tasks.”

Watch your step in N.Y., N.J.
In New York, the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) promotes its “Courtesy Matters” campaign with posters, flyers, and pre-recorded etiquette reminders voiced by New York based celebrities, including TV’s Al Roker and Maria Bartiromo, actor Alec Baldwin and New York Giants star Osi Umenyiora. “We believe that using famous people to deliver these messages, helps refresh passenger attention,” LIRR spokesperson Susan McGowan said.

NJ Transit is taking a different approach. Instead of celebrities, the agency is trying to enlist all passengers in a “we’re all in this together” courtesy campaign. “Ridership has never been higher,” said agency spokesperson Dan Stessel, “and increased ridership puts pressure on all of us to behave well if we want to have a civilized riding experience.” So NJ Transit created a series of playful and disarming posters. For example, one poster shows a woman screaming in frustration and a printed message that reads: “Please stow your stuff.”

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