Rider John dropped a note last month about a fellow rider who stood up to an unruly rider when others didn't...
Today I was riding the the #25 bus to Fishtown. For several blocks an obnoxious group of teenagers were being unruly, obviously delighting in their idiocy. Not to be outdone was one young man in his late teens who insisted on shouting "f" you, "f" this, "f' that to the point that several passengers trying to ignore him were finally uncomfortable enough to look around try to see the source of the noise. One woman left her seat, went to the bus driver and asked him to please do something about the cretin who was, by the minute, showing his remarkable lack of any intelligence! The driver simply shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture and did nothing to stop the behavior. The noise continued. Finally, a young man--a passenger--probably in his mid twenties, stood up, turned to the obnoxious idiot and very calmly but forcefully said, "Watch your mouth! There are older people on this bus offended by your language and children too. Now be quiet!" He turned and sat down again, but there was no question that he was not the kind of person to be ignored. The cretin mumbled something and shut up. The rest of the ride was peaceful. As I walked out I turned to the young man who had made the simple request and said "thanks!" He deserved much more.
So, are drivers given sedatives before they get behind the wheel? Or is obnoxious behavior so common they no longer recognize it? I wondered what it would be like to ride public transportation in this city with some enforcement of the rules. The only rule I've ever seen enforced is having to pay before you can ride. Fair enough. But what about the more obvious things? It's a $300 fine if you eat, smoke or drink, SEPTA boldly proclaims, then does absolutely nothing about enforcing it. Floors are littered with uneaten food, discarded drinks and paper. In fact, I've seen bus drivers chow down while they drive. Subway trains are as bad or worse. Not only are they mobile dumpsters, people ignore the signs requesting them to NOT pass between trains totally oblivious to the danger there. They blatantly block the doorways and are often beyond obnoxious. But I am no longer calling them "pigs." Having grown up on a farm, I realize that it is a great injustice to swine to liken them to many people I see here taking public transportation!
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