The Bus

I ride the bus to-and-from work every day along with hoards of other commuters. The bus I take is a commuter bus that picks up passengers for about a mile then hops on Lake Shore Drive for the three-mile shot into downtown. 

Fortunately, I get on at one of the first stops. I always get a seat. (I take a seat by the rear exit because I get off at the first stop downtown.) However, two stops later, it’s standing room only. Two stops after that and there’s no room at all for any additional passengers. It quickly turns into sardine mode. 

It’s important for the standing passengers to move as far as they can toward the back of the bus in order to allow as many passengers to board as possible. 

The thing is, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a passenger stand by the rear door and refuse to move all the way back. It prevents the other passengers from moving back and, ultimately, prevents passengers from boarding at all. 

It really irritates me.  Few things are more inconsiderate than that.

This morning, it happened. A young woman got on, stood near the door and refused to go further. There was space toward the back of the bus, unoccupied, and I could see that passengers were being turned away at the front of the bus. 

Grrrr!

So, I tapped her on the arm and said, “Here, you can have my seat so that you’re not blocking the aisle.” I got up, gave her my seat, and moved all the way to the back, freeing up a lot more space for more passengers. 

It felt great.

It was my passive-aggressive way of doing something. Also, it gave a message, loud and clear, to this woman how inconsiderate she was. 

I’m going to do this every time I see someone blocking the aisle. 

I'm going to be the super-hero of the Chicago Transit Authority, ensuring that no one pulls that Rosa Parks crap anymore.