Two bus sightings. LONG. MILD LANGUAGE

[tinamarble88]

These two stories are from long ago, so pardon me if the stories aren't that clear or if it's confusing.

First bus story:

My mom and I get on bus and an old lady is sitting in the front where the seats are mainly for elderly and disabled. Another lady comes to sit in the front. She looks like a tired mom and I think she had like 3 kids with her plus a carriage, which was folded. The old lady was telling the lady that she isn't elderly and she shouldn't sit there and the mom was telling her that she had 3 kids and a carriage and was very tired. I was young so I was like . At least the other passengers were on the mom's side. I heard passengers saying amongst themselves that the old lady had a big mouth. That she did!

My mom then warned me from then on never to sit in those seats. I still do, but rarely. Only if it's crowded and there is no where else to sit.

Second bus story:

I'm on a crowded bus. I'm standing. Young man (maybe about late 20's, hispanic, this DOES matter in the story.) He's sitting in the front playing with his Sidekick or phone. Old lady comes in the bus and it's crowded and there is no seat in this bus to sit on anymore. However, she picks on this man. He's not paying attention and he's looking at his phone. She pokes him and tells him "This seat is for seniors. I want to sit." She said it in a mean tone, so the man says, "NO." Then the old lady asks again in a mean tone and says "This seat is for seniors...blah blah blah." He then ignores her. Of course she was being rude and I think she could've said it better. She then was saying how he should go back on the boat where he came from or something. (Of course everyone's racist side seems to come out when their angry at a certain race). She shouldn't have said that since we're in a NYC bus, most people are probably of the Spanish race. He still ignored her. She was ranting and raving about how her son-in-law is a cop and shouldn't mess with her. Another man gives up his seat for her. She is sitting next to him now and she's telling another elderly person how young people don't have respect anymore. (Neither do old people it seems ) When he he was getting off the bus, she had her umbrella ready to HIT HIM. He said before getting off the bus, "You and your son-in-law can go to fucking hell!" He got off and she was like, "I should call the police right now." LOL of course she didn't.

[infinitemonkies]

Heh, I was hoping you were going to say the young guy had to walk with a cane, or otherwise had some sort of mobility impairment.


There's this old lady on my block I despise. She's using one of those rascal type scooters, and can't steer it worth a damn. She's also convinced for some reason no matter how many times she's told otherwise that she needs to back it onto the bus, and slam it repeatedly into walls, seats, passengers, the driver, etc..
Every single time, it always takes her at least 10 minutes to board. All of the regular riders, especially the driver, groan out loud when the see her at a stop.

Worst part: She never ever goes more than 3 blocks. In less than half the time it takes her to get on the bus, she could just drive down the sidewalk.

[gremcint]

Oh god I hate people like that. If the seat is open I'm using it. If someone who needs it more than me and/or asks nicely (case by case basis) I will move, but if come over and start giving me crap about sitting there I will be in that seat until my stop and not a moment less.

[GhostHelwig]

I hate people like that; I hate rudeness of any kind, but it's especially irritating when the rude person won't shut up about how justified their rudeness is. Although I have to admit, if I were that guy, I probably would've moved the first time she asked, even if she was rude about it. But then, it's ingrained in me to give up my seat for the elderly, since I usually sit up front (as I have awful balance and our bus drivers can't always be trusted to stop at a bus stop long enough for an unsteady person to get off).

Not to go too off-topic, but since this story would never merit a thread of it's own - many, many moons ago (like, ten years worth of moons), when I was a teenager, my Mom was taking me home from the hospital after I got a spinal tap. (Also known as a lumbar puncture; although my memory of both the procedure itself and my unforgettable, terrible pain afterward do not completely match up with what I've read about the procedure online since then...) It was right after the procedure, so I was in a lot of pain. My back was killing me, my head... So I'll admit, I was sprawled a little in my seat in the front of the bus. But I was only taking up my own seat, and I was keeping my legs from taking up the aisle. And I'm sure I looked miserable, because I was.

But when we stopped, the bus driver barked at me to get up so this older woman who just got on the bus could sit down. I don't remember what exactly he said, but he sounded mad. My Mom was going to argue, but I shushed her, and just walked very unsteadily to the back of the bus. I did not have it in me to argue.

Besides, I can see how it looked from his perspective - sure, he picked us up at the bus stop close to the hospital, but he had no way of knowing I was sick. I probably just seemed like a rude, lazy kid. So I spent the rest of the long bus ride home clinging to the steel bar near the exit door in the back of the bus, trying not to pass out/vomit/fall over.

And that little story is one of the many, many reasons I'm glad I no longer have to rely on public transportation.

[Sonoma]

These posts remind me of my experiences riding our bus & light rail system. On the bus I ride every morning, I usually sit up near the front. Our buses have them listed as "Priority seating for seniors & people with disabilities". They're not reserved, but you should give them up if someone who needs the seat comes on the bus. I have no problem with that. The bus I take in the morning is always relatively empty, so there are plenty of seats.

Our light rail trains have 4 sets of doors. The front & rear doors do not have wheelchair ramps. The middle 2 sets do. The middle 2 sets open up into a section with flip-up seats to make room for wheelchairs, and the seats there are part of the priority seating area. Now, during rush hour, these trains are packed. Imagine sardines in a can to get a visual. We were at a downtown stop when a man in his 30s-40s walked on through the rear doors, with no visible impairment. He stood in the area back behind the priority seating, where the bike hangars are located. He stood there for about 5-10 seconds, then threw his arms up in the air, and yelled about people not giving up a seat to him, as he stormed off the train. Everybody in the area was just staring after him with a WTF expression.

When I sit there on my trip home, if I see someone who is elderly, or someone with a visible physical impairment, I will offer my seat. But dude, if you aren't old, and you don't have any visible disability, how is anyone supposed to know to yield a seat to you?