12/15/10

Pet Peeve #6

Another story about MUNI and the lack of common decency displayed by its riders.

This morning I found a nice place to stand in front of the single seats. These are coveted spots since standing there does not obstruct other riders from walking by. Also, when the seated passenger leaves, you get a single seat to yourself.

I am standing there minding my own business when the bus stops to pick up the last batch of passengers before hitting the freeway. I am holding the overhead bar between two vertical bars. A fellow passenger holds the vertical bar to my right with her left hand. Another passenger further down is holding the bar to the right of her. The second passenger down recognizes the occupant of the seat I am standing by.
____________
| me | 1 | 2 |
The second passenger and seated passenger exchange exuberant greetings. The second passenger proceeds to change her hand hold from the first passenger’s right-hand bar to the same vertical bar the first passenger is using. This directly puts the second passenger in the first passenger’s standing space.
__________
| me | 1 2 |
The conversation between the two continue unabated by the obvious discomfort of the first passenger. A few minutes pass and the first passenger moves to squeeze between other passengers on the opposite side of the walkway. The second passenger doesn’t even apologize and steps into the vacant space. We are now in a situation where I am standing side by side with this person.
_________
| me | 2 |
She continues her conversation with the seated person. I’m thinking to myself that she’s probably going to stay where she is, right? She doesn’t need to get any closer. She is in perfect conversation distance from her friend, which is an arm’s length by the way.

My assumption was full of fail. She leans down towards her friend and speaks in a louder conversational voice. Conveniently for her, the backpack she is wearing pushes me out of the space which leaves me standing in the middle of the walkway with no handholds.
____
| 2 |
me

This recounting has been brought to you by the letter D.