Boarding the commuter bus...
A few days ago, I had a whispered conversation with my future Swedish boss on my cell phone. The reason I had to whisper was because I was on the commuter bus, on my way to work in San Francisco.
I was hunched over, trying to shield the sound of my voice while we discussed an additional document the union needs in order to approve my work visa. (See my recent post.)
It got me thinking about the etiquette of riding the commuter bus here in the Bay Area. I will be using public transportation to commute from Uppsala to Stockholm in the near future and I wonder if there are also some unwritten rules there.
The San Francisco commuter bus is a whole different animal from a regular city bus. Commuter buses here are typically “coaches” rather than buses which means they’re larger, with upholstered seats, and big windows.
I currently work for a massive law firm in San Francisco’s Financial District. I have been a contract worker here for about eight months. Before that, I worked for another law firm for four months. One of the reasons I am moving to Sweden is that I have not been able to find a permanent job here for more than one year.
Waiting for the bus...
My commute takes around one and a half hours each morning and evening. Three hours is a large chunk of the day so it’s good to know the rules you’re supposed to follow during that time. There’s no manual that comes with being a commuter bus rider, one must simply watch and learn. Here’s what I have observed:
- The bus should be boarded in order of arrival at the bus stop. Usually there’s a queue.
- It’s tricky to figure out where the front and back of the queue is—the line seems to go in different directions depending on which stop you’re waiting at.
- Don’t use your cell phone unless it’s an emergency. This being 2011, of course people do talk on their phones, but usually they get a lot of nasty looks and they soon hang up. (It’s the last bastion of etiquette—a kind of rolling vehicle of good manners.)
- Don’t chat up the person next to you. Most people do work on their laptops or they nap. (I study Swedish.)
- Be extra kind to the bus driver. Greet him/her when you board and then thank him/her when you exit the bus.
- At least 90% of the time, women sit with women. Men sit with men. Welcome back to 3rd grade.
- Having a Translink card (a prepaid card that adds value to itself at designated intervals) speeds the payment process up. The bad news: So long anonymity! It is easy to track exactly where a person goes every day because of the card.
What is your commute like? Are you in Sweden or another country?
Don't look for me at my desk...I'm running for the bus!
