The Soapbox: A note to my fellow MBTA riders

MBTA ridership is up, which is a good thing. But still, none of really enjoy having to ride the T. Unless it's the commuter rail, which -- if you can get a seat and it's running on time and the heat or air conditioning (depending on the season) is running appropriately (lots of if's, I know) -- can be a pretty cushy ride.

But we can't all ride the commuter rail. Some of us have to take the bus and the subway. Which can sometimes be pleasant, sometimes less so. And while I know this is a topic that's been beaten to death in manyh ways and many different forums, today, my gentle T-riding readers, it is my turn to add to the dialog on etiquette when using public transportation.

There are certain things, which together can be lumped under the terms "good manners,", "common courtesy," or "proper consideration," that can make the ride more pleasant and convenient for everyone. Three, in particular, come to mind at the moment:

1. Step to the back of the bus as it fills up. When getting on a bus -- particularly one that is already somewhat crowded, doesn't have any empty seats, and still has a way to go -- the proper thing to do is step to the back. Don't plant yourself standing in the aisle at the front of the bus. Standing by the back door is alright, as long as you have a way to get out of the way when people have to get off. What you should not do -- and I'm looking at you, girl in the pink shirt with the gray backpack on the 36 bus to Forest Hills yesterday morning -- is plant yourself in front of the steps leading up to the rear platform of the bus and refuse to move further back while the aisle in front of you fills up to the point that people are jammed hip-to-hip while half the bus remains empty behind you. You dolt.
2. Step all the way into the subway train. The train operators even tell us this using their "Sound of God from above" PA system..."Step all the way into the train." Why do they tell us this? Not because the like to hear their own voices. Rather, it is because if you step onto the train, immediately grab the railing, and plant yourself half way in the aisle, half way in the doorway -- like you did, young East Asian lady with the glasses and blue tank top on the Red Line to Alewife this morning, or you, sir, the guy staring down the blouse of the attractive yet clearly uncomfortable woman sitting in front of you, oblivious to all but her cleavage -- people like me have to elbow their way around you. And by elbow, I mean elbow. Or shoulder. Or shove. I no longer have any qualms about ramming my messenger bag into your lower back, or dropping a shoulder as I to try to make my way around you to access the completely empty middle stretch of the train car. There was a time once when I did have such qualms. That time has passed.
   
3. Shower. Or take a bath. I don't care about the hygenic norms of your home culture. You are now in the US, in Boston to be specific, and here people shower in the morning. Unlike you, sir, man of indeterminate Middle Eastern or Southern Asian descent who was fairly well dressed yet smelled as though he'd not been in the company of water nor soap in a fortnight. You, who, in the sardine can that was our shared Orange Line car yesterday morning, made it a ride nauseating experience. For God's sake, and that of the sinuses around you, go take a shower. Update: As if to make my point....
   

It's a lot to ask you to show some common courtesy to your other commuters and maybe take notice of your surroundings, but I think you can do it.

I hope you have enjoyed the first installment of what will likely become a semi-regular feature, The Soapbox. There's more where that came from, don't worry. Charlie Card and sardine pictures by flickr users redjar and elsiemarley, respectively.