15 Worst People You Meet On Public Transit Everyday
Millions of people commute to work using various modes of public transit, worldwide, on a daily basis. Naturally, the customs and social norms will vary depending on where you live. One thing remains universal, however. There will always be a handful of people who, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decide to go against the grain. These folks don't want to conform to politeness. Nope. They prefer to exercise rude, irritating, annoying and unacceptable behaviour while commuting. We all know them. The people who don't get up and offer their seats to pregnant women? The ones who decide that a packed metro ride is a great time to whip out a boiled egg and eat it? The ones who clip their toenails on a bus and leave the nail trimmings on the bus floor? It's unbelievable what kind of atrocious people can be spotted on a near daily basis.
Public transit certainly has more advantages than disadvantages. The reduction of toxic emissions resulting in cleaner air for all, the time saved in transit, the avoidance of frustrating traffic and the ability to use your transit time to do something for you, like enjoying a good book or a latte. Clearly, more perks than downfalls. But, we're allowed to be whiny once in awhile, and we all know that coming face to face with a public transit weasel can ruin a morning (or a day) so let's take a look at the people we all know and despise, here are the The 15 Worst People You Meet On Public Transit Everyday.
15 The Person Who Doesn't Give Their Seat Up For Preggo Ladies
A few categories of people are exempt from giving their seats up to preggo lady. If you are elderly, disabled or suffering from any ailment that prohibits you from standing for long periods of time: this is not aimed at you. Everyone else should be getting off their butts to let the pregnant lady take a seat! Nothing is more painful to witness than able-bodied youth, comfortably and apathetically sitting down while an 8-months-pregnant lady struggles to support her weight and get through her hot flashes. Not OK! Pregnant ladies have a number of not-pleasant side effects to deal with, and standing up on a bumpy bus or metro ride (unless they choose to!) doesn't really help matters. So next time you see a pregnant lady without a seat, be kind, remember that she is carrying around a lot of extra weight, probably has acid reflux or hot flashes, and needs the seat more than you.
14 The Person Who Thinks Their Bag Is More Worthy Than You
If the train/bus/metro you re on is virtually empty, by all means, put your bag on the seat next to you. I do this all the time for security and hygiene reasons. But, if there is a sudden demand for seats, the polite thing to do is to move your bag out of the way so that someone can sit instead of stand. How many times have we seen people ignore the fact that someone is standing right in front of them, while their bag sits comfortably on a seat? It's so infuriating. Your bag is not a person! It doesn't need to have priority seating. Stop being a jerk and let a fellow human have a more comfortable transit. Special shoutout to the extreme selfish beasts who make extra effort to not make eye contact with the people standing around them, and then "suddenly" notice and move their bag right before they are about to get off anyways. You're not fooling anyone!
13 The Smelly-Food Eater
I'm all for snacking during your commute to work. Late night slice of pizza? No problem. I've definitely had some not-so-proud moments eating on the Montreal metro; one involved devouring an entire poutine with fingers only because I forgot to get a fork. I ended up with gravy and cheese all over myself. It wasn't my best moment. But, drunken, sloppy eating memories aside, some people really push the envelope with eating on public transit. I'm talking about the people who whip out smelly, gross foods for their commute. So what constitutes a smelly and/or gross food, you ask? Well, here's a shortlist. Tuna, sardines, boiled eggs. Essentially, anything that will cause the rest of the passengers to think, "ugh, why does it suddenly smell like sardines in here?!" or, "Where is that egg smell coming from?". We get it, you're hungry. We're hungry too. But smelly foods require well-ventilated areas (ie: the great outdoors), so do us a favour and wait out your snack time!
12 The Man-Sprawler
This has got to be one of my most hated public transit predators: the man-sprawler. We get it. You have balls. It's probably not comfortable to be sitting cross-legged on a warm, packed metro ride. But do you really need to spread your legs into a 120 degree diamond?! You look like a frog AND you're taking up THREE metro seats. If I'm sitting next to you, your leg has definitely entered into my personal bubble, and I'm probably seething and cursing you under my breath. The worst part is that many men execute this "move" somewhat subconsciously, in an animalistic attempt to claim their territory and show off their machismo. They are the worst. Let me make it simple: keep your legs, balls and other bodies parts on your side. I don't want to be touched by you.
11 The Chatterbox
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of conversation. I love chatting with friends and family. I love meeting new people. I definitely fall into the "chatterbox" category, but, I also consider myself pretty good at reading people's body language. Most people commute to work in silence, engrossed in a book, listening to music or engaging in some other form of individual activity. To many of us, the time we spend before and after work is sacred. It gives us a chance to mentally unwind before or after a long day. Enter the chatty stranger. This is the guy or gal that just doesn't get body language. They will strike up a conversation out of nowhere, and demand that you converse with them during throughout their journey. It's totally cute and fun when two people are both in chatty moods and gravitate towards each other to enjoy a mutually beneficial chat. When you want to enjoy the quiet time? Not so much.
10 The One Who Stares
Most of us know that staring is rude, so we use discretion when checking out strangers on public transit. Some people are either really good looking and demand a second look, or maybe they have a cool shirt that we want to check out. The truth is, we are all visual creatures and public transit provides us with us a plethora of material to sink our teeth into. When we're on the other end of the admiration (or curiosity, or perhaps, disgust?) it's not such a walk in the park. Feeling a stranger staring you down just feels like an invasion of privacy. A quick glance or two, fine. But if your eyes are glued to me the entire time we are sharing a bus ride, chances are, I won't like it. So don't be that person who makes others' uncomfortable with your leering! Practice the art of subtlety and limit your sneak peeks.
9 The Pole Hog
One of the worst transitory beasts is the infamous "pole hogger". This person doesn't care if you have nothing to hold onto during a bumpy and unpredictable metro ride. They selfishly claim an entire support pole to themselves. Usually, they do this by hugging the pole with their entire body, rubbing their butt and back up on the pole or a weird combination of both. This person is very often distracted by their cellphone or a magazine, making it nearly impossible to make eye contact with them. The best way to deal with this person is to push your way onto the pole and hope that they recognize their selfishness and make some room (they might act like they haven't done anything wrong, or, perhaps they will offer some sympathy). Move over, pole people! The pole is there for communal use.
8 The Music-That-No-One-Likes Blaster
Earphones were made for a reason. All of us have different musical tastes, and earphones allow you the luxury of listening to what you like, without disturbing your neighbour. Public transit is a great time to catch up on some new tunes, or to just veg out listening to something mellow. So imagine the dismay when you get on a bus and realize that some jerk wants to share his idea of good beats with you, and everyone else. I'm talking about the guy who decides to bring his beatbox on board, and play old school French rap. Or the girl who is playing some weird latin pop on her iPhone with no earphones. What makes you think we want to hear this? Even if the music is good, we still don't want to hear it broadcast live throughout the bus. Give us some peace and quiet! We're not at the club!
7 The Person Who Delays Everyone While Arguing With The Bus Driver
This unf0rtunate character usually strikes when you've been waiting for ages for a bus to arrive (in the cold, no less) or when you are in a rush to get somewhere. They either don't have enough change for the bus fare, need very specific directions or decide to engage in an argument because they are bored. Whatever the case, this bus gremlin has no regard for the line of people behind him/her being held up and delayed. Sometimes, this person strikes during a bus ride, causing the bus driver to have to stop the bus and give their full attention to the dramatics. Why, why, why? If you don't have correct bus change, get a ticket before you get on the bus. If you don't know where you're going, wait until everyone has boarded and then ask for directions when the bus driver has some free time to address you. And if you just want to argue, join a debate club.
6 The Person Who Tries To Sell You Pencils
Some pencil-sellers actually do get my sympathy. If you are really down and out, I feel for you, and chances are, I will give you some of my change in exchange for a pencil. The pencil-sellers that I am not down with are the ones who get in your face, aggressively shoving a handful of ugly pencils towards your eyes. Dude, it's pencils. No one even uses pencils anymore, unless you're targeting an elementary school student. Maybe if you were selling hot croissants, you'd be onto something. Or coffee. Or even little notepads. But pencils? They aren't really in high demand, and you can buy a dozen for a dollar in pretty much any store. Pens might even be a better option, as that is the writing instrument of choice for most adults. Please let me ride the metro peacefully and stop aggressing me with your unsolicited pencil marketing.
5 The Person Who Is Way Too Into Their Candy Crush Game
Every once in awhile (pretty much every day), you come across someone who is so invested in their Candy Crush game that you almost have to watch them. These people take cellphone gaming to a whole new level. They are oblivious to the commuters round them. They move their entire bodies to flow with their moves. They sometimes forget to silence the sound effects of their games (the worst perpetrators). I mean, good for these guys for being so excited about something so mindless, but also, don't you feel like you're wasting your brain cells being so hooked to your screens? We are all guilty of over-using our technological gadgets, but Candy Crushers are in a unique category of total disengagement with the real world. These people often end up ignoring the commuters around them who might need a seat, because they are so glued to their games.
4 The Girl Who Makes Whiny Phone Calls on The Bus
Oh yes, the whiny girl on the bus. She had a bad day at work, and wants to call her friends and rant. Or, she is having boy troubles and needs to discuss ASAP. Whatever the case, this girl has bitching and moaning on the agenda, and she doesn't care who she is disturbing with her very public verbal tirade. Sometimes this gal gets to work in the bus line, while people are waiting for the bus to pull up. If you're lucky, you can snag a seat in the back, far, far away from her booming complaints. If you're unlucky, you might be sharing a seat with her. This takes some strong earphones to tune out, or really good patience and meditative skills. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do to tame this beast. Dirty looks might even fuel her fire, since she is, after all, out for attention and validation.
3 The "I Have Just Done Way Too Many Groceries" Girl
I don't have car, so I can totally understand the need to do errands and get home by bus, metro, train or on foot. But, there should be a limit to the amount of groceries you bring on the bus. Obviously not an established limit, like, "only 2 bags per person or you get a $75 fine!", but like, common sense limit. If you are carrying so many bags that you can hardly make it onto the bus: you need to downsize, or buy one of those grocery trollies. If your fingers are blue because you are holding too much, and the circulation has stopped working in your extremities, also time to reconsider how many items you have! The sad thing is, I feel for people who find themselves in this predicament. Most of the time, their super haul is almost accidental. They get to the grocery store and get a little ahead of themselves, not realizing how much bus-space they will take up mere moments later.
2 The Oversized Backpack Guy
One of the most irritating guys around. When a bus is super packed, and people are jammed in like sardines, the last thing anyone needs is for extra space to be taken up by a schoolbag. Schoolbags should be removed from your back once the bus gets to capacity. Isn't this just common sense? The nice thing is that they usually will fit quite comf0rtably between your feet, making space for other passengers to put their bodies, which ironically cannot be removed and tucked away neatly. A lot of young students are guilty of this when riding public transit; perhaps it's time that parents' have "the schoolbag talk" with their youth before sending them off to school. It's not pleasant to have your face jammed into a rough, canvas bag over and over! Take it off and show some respect for your fellow passengers!
1 The Make-Up/Nail Polish Person
Yes, mornings can be tough. Sometimes that extra 10 minutes spent snoozing comes at the expense of having perfectly done hair and makeup. Sometimes you have to skip your morning coffee for an on-the-go joe, but alas, that's life! Enter, the makeup and nail polish gal. She didn't get up in time to do her eyeliner and mascara, but still wants to show up to work looking cute, so guess what? She's about to do her entire face on the metro. This isn't so bothersome if it's a quick application process. I've put on lipstick/lip gloss a million times on public transit… but I usually draw a line when it comes to the more intricate makeup work. And nil polish? That's just entering a whole new category of rudeness, due to the offensive smell and poor ventilation on public transit. Wait until you hit up a bathroom to perfect your polish, or get up earlier!