Non-City People

[Magpie]

Ok, I'm curious as to how much about riding a bus is actually cultural knowledge that you get from media and what not, and how much is obvious, and how much you don't actually know unless you're used to a bus. If you aren't from somewhere where you take the bus, can you let me know what of bus ettiquette/how to use the bus in general is known to you?

Pull the cord/push the button to get the driver to stop, this will result in a bell

Hold your bag/put it in your lap if possible - don't wear a knapsack, don't take up an extra seat, your bags aren't allowed in front of the magic line either

Exit at the rear doors if possible

Move to the back of the bus

If no one needs a seat, and the bus is crowded, SIT DOWN (I admit this one is less common if you're young, when the bus is full of high school students only the seats are probably empty because they're acting, not thinking).

[AdminAssistant]

I think I would get the "pull the cord/push the button" part, and not taking up extra room is just common sense and good manners. But the rest wouldn't be obvious to me. I've never rode a bus for public transit (though I've been in school/charter buses). I have taken the subway, and that was very easy.

[Squeaksmyalias]

Moving to the back of the bus I didn't know of, the rest I just figured would be the polite thing to do.

We don't really have buses where I am, we have a few going between the larger cities. If I wanted to take a bus say to Hartford, I would have to get a ride to the next town, and take a long bus ride stopping in a couple other cities to get there. Rather then the 20 minute car ride. Because of that I haven't taken a bus before.

[Primer]

I've not taken a bus in over 30 years, partly because Austin Capital Metro has never been able to figure out how to run routes that will get people where they need to go, and partly because 10 years ago, I moved out to the boonies. Until I did move out here, tho, I always tried to live within walking distance of a bus route, just in case.

More "bus etiquette":

Have your fare, whatever form it may take, handy before you get on the bus.
Let departing passengers OFF before you try to get on.
PLEASE, keep the IPOD/Walkman/whatever volume, DOWN.
Let the little old ladies, and folks with canes, walkers, etc. sit wherever is most convenient for THEM.
Keep your kids under control.
SIT. DOWN. unless it really is standing room only.

Yeah, most of it should be common courtesy, but we here all know that anything that should be common, is not.

[Cat]

I am bus-illterate, also because we have so few around my neck of the woods.

The whole pulling the cord thing was actually strange to me, I was used to pre-determined stops when I was in college....no cords, no buttons. Even the "city" bus just stopped.....

[Sonoma]

For me it was pretty much cultural knowledge. I had gone years without riding public transit. When I got my current job, driving to work makes no economic sense ($10.50/day to park, an extra 30 miles/day put on my truck, a good portion of that sitting in traffic). My employer, however, provides all-zone transit passes, so I can ride anywhere our local transit district goes, at no cost, any day of the week. When I was looking up schedules online, I did find that our local agency has a real good 'how to ride' page on their website. If someone doesn't have that cultural knowledge, the web may be a good place to search.