Tweet
Had an incident on the bus, Monday.
I've been rearranging stuff and hauling things to storage (most of which I need to start hauling *back* now that the "pre-inspection" is over). So lots of bus trips.
This one was a trip to Powell's to sell some books (a few gaming things and books I now have as e-books). The books were in a *huge* shoulder bag (and weighed far too many pounds). I also had my cane.
The bus was remarkably crowded for 3 pm.
All the "priority seating" was occupied and people just looked at me rather than making a move. Finally a guy one seat back (the first forward facing seat, the kind with the damned partition in front of it) offered me his seat.
I took it, even though I hate those because was better than standing. I hate them because most don't have enough room for my knees. This one did. Barely. And the heavy bag had to sit on my lap. (and my left knee was hanging out in the aisle).
A few stops later a wheelchair gets on and the folks on the priority seating behind the driver very reluctantly got up (one family group only gave up the side facing seat but kept the forward facing one next to it (which didn't have a partition) and the father stood in the aisle just in front of me.
Note that they usually make you vacate that forward facing seat as well because the anchors for tying down a wheel chair are under it. But this was a powered chair and didn't need them.
Finally a couple of miles later the wheelchair gets off. And I decide I'm going to move to the now partially vacant priority seating.
That father of the family group was standing blocking the aisle completely bent over talking to his wife (who was on the other side of the aisle from me). So his back was to me.
I poked him in the side to try to get his attention. No reaction. I do it again a bit harder. Still no reaction. By the third or fourth try I'm also saying "excuse me".
By that time one of his daughters who is sitting in front of me has noticed and is trying to get his attention. Still no reaction.
It's been a trying few days between the heat and the way too many trips to storage.
So throw politeness to the winds and say "EXCUSE ME" in a parade ground voice.
He finally turns around and everybody on the bus is looking at both of us. He doesn't say anything, just moves and sits in the priority seating directly behind the driver with a weird sort of smirk on his face.
By then I'm not having any of it. I just say at a more normal volume but still in a no nonsense voice. "That's where I was going to sit".
He gets up and moves. I think to the seat I'd been in. They got off a few stops later.
I really *should* have said a few things to him after I got the seat, but I had it and it wasn't worth the effort. Still, he really deserved to get read the riot act over not paying attention and not being willing to follow the rules.
So yeah, while I'm usually non-confrontational and try to let things slide, there's a point where the switch gets flipped. And given the "right" circumstances, that switch does go all the way to berserkgang (which fortunately wasn't needed this time).
Oh yes, there'd been a similar bit of entitled idiocy on the run home on the trip before that.
A wheelchair was getting off the bus (I was seated in one of the seats facing where it was. As soon as the wheelchair was out of the space and up by the front door, these two women start trying to lower the seat back down. This in spite of the driver and several other passengers yelling at them that there was another wheelchair coming on.
The driver almost had to yank them out of the seat. I think some other (fed up) passenger actually laid hands on one of the women before she'd pay attention.
...and they were all upset at this.
Their own damn fault for not listening while being so intent on getting those seats.
And yeah, it's unusual for a wheelchair to get off only to have another one get on at the same stop. I don't recall seeing it before myself. But that doesn't excuse you from *listening*!
I've been rearranging stuff and hauling things to storage (most of which I need to start hauling *back* now that the "pre-inspection" is over). So lots of bus trips.
This one was a trip to Powell's to sell some books (a few gaming things and books I now have as e-books). The books were in a *huge* shoulder bag (and weighed far too many pounds). I also had my cane.
The bus was remarkably crowded for 3 pm.
All the "priority seating" was occupied and people just looked at me rather than making a move. Finally a guy one seat back (the first forward facing seat, the kind with the damned partition in front of it) offered me his seat.
I took it, even though I hate those because was better than standing. I hate them because most don't have enough room for my knees. This one did. Barely. And the heavy bag had to sit on my lap. (and my left knee was hanging out in the aisle).
A few stops later a wheelchair gets on and the folks on the priority seating behind the driver very reluctantly got up (one family group only gave up the side facing seat but kept the forward facing one next to it (which didn't have a partition) and the father stood in the aisle just in front of me.
Note that they usually make you vacate that forward facing seat as well because the anchors for tying down a wheel chair are under it. But this was a powered chair and didn't need them.
Finally a couple of miles later the wheelchair gets off. And I decide I'm going to move to the now partially vacant priority seating.
That father of the family group was standing blocking the aisle completely bent over talking to his wife (who was on the other side of the aisle from me). So his back was to me.
I poked him in the side to try to get his attention. No reaction. I do it again a bit harder. Still no reaction. By the third or fourth try I'm also saying "excuse me".
By that time one of his daughters who is sitting in front of me has noticed and is trying to get his attention. Still no reaction.
It's been a trying few days between the heat and the way too many trips to storage.
So throw politeness to the winds and say "EXCUSE ME" in a parade ground voice.
He finally turns around and everybody on the bus is looking at both of us. He doesn't say anything, just moves and sits in the priority seating directly behind the driver with a weird sort of smirk on his face.
By then I'm not having any of it. I just say at a more normal volume but still in a no nonsense voice. "That's where I was going to sit".
He gets up and moves. I think to the seat I'd been in. They got off a few stops later.
I really *should* have said a few things to him after I got the seat, but I had it and it wasn't worth the effort. Still, he really deserved to get read the riot act over not paying attention and not being willing to follow the rules.
So yeah, while I'm usually non-confrontational and try to let things slide, there's a point where the switch gets flipped. And given the "right" circumstances, that switch does go all the way to berserkgang (which fortunately wasn't needed this time).
Oh yes, there'd been a similar bit of entitled idiocy on the run home on the trip before that.
A wheelchair was getting off the bus (I was seated in one of the seats facing where it was. As soon as the wheelchair was out of the space and up by the front door, these two women start trying to lower the seat back down. This in spite of the driver and several other passengers yelling at them that there was another wheelchair coming on.
The driver almost had to yank them out of the seat. I think some other (fed up) passenger actually laid hands on one of the women before she'd pay attention.
...and they were all upset at this.
Their own damn fault for not listening while being so intent on getting those seats.
And yeah, it's unusual for a wheelchair to get off only to have another one get on at the same stop. I don't recall seeing it before myself. But that doesn't excuse you from *listening*!
Comment