The Wheels on the Bus

Every morning I saunter on to express bus with my monogrammed Tervis Tumbler of iced coffee. Since I now live in Chicago, I have traded my beloved “sorority row bus” for the crowded city bus. But let me tell you the patrons on the CTA are not as gracious as my lovely Panhellenic sisters from college.

With this said, I just about died of shock last week when a man offered me his seat on the bus one evening.  This happening is about as rare as spotting Haley’s Comet. But what really took the cake was what happened this morning.

This morning, I was gearing up to read “50 Shades of Grey” on my Nook this morning. As an aside, if you haven’t read “50 Shades of Grey” yet, I suggest you start immediately. As I was about to dive into my novel, an acquaintance of mine took a seat right next to me on the bus and began to chat my ear off. Let’s be honest, you can rarely shut me up but it’s a little too much for a Monday morning. For the rest of my commute, I learned everything about her participation in couple’s counseling to her office politics. Did I mention she works in my building? Whew!

This got me thinking even more about bus etiquette. Below are some of my favorite tips to be the most polite commuter possible:

• Don’t make personal calls on the morning commute. No one wants to hear you paying your credit card bill or refilling your birth control prescription.
•  Don’t sit too close. And don’t sit on anyone’s coat either.
• Always give your sit seat up to pregnant ladies, the disabled, and the elderly. Hell, you should always give up your seat to women with kids with them.
• Please don’t talk to loudly. No one wants to her your voice in the morning.
• Also, don’t air your dirty laundry on the bus. It’s in poor taste.
• Don’t file your nails or do your make-up on the bus. This is just gross.
• Be pleasant.
• Be courteous to the bus driver- they are responsible for your safety and well being on your journey.

Who know what or whom I will encounter on my journey to the office tomorrow. All I know is that I will be prepared with my book.