What Grinds Our Gears: Inconsiderate transit passengers ruin my commute

It doesn’t take much effort to be kind

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overhead shot of someone’s knees sitting on a subway
We need to be considerate and accommodating when we use transit. PHOTO: Charles Deluvio / Pexels

By: Olivia Visser, Opinions Editor

Those who rely on transit to get to school or work know how much of a hassle commuting can be. With buses being off-schedule or often full, our frustrations with TransLink feel like a growing list as students. What’s even worse is fellow passengers who seem to disregard the people around them. 

There are many unspoken rules of transit, and they’re often broken. One of my biggest annoyances is when people put their bags on the seat beside them, even when the bus is full. Seating is already so limited; why make the issue worse? Sorry, but I’m still going to squeeze my way into that chair. 

Riders who blast music over bluetooth speakers deserve a mention here. I mean, come on, you’ve got to be trying to annoy people at that point! Most bus drivers are understandably too tired to deal with the confrontation, so commuters are left at the mercy of inconsiderate passengers. 

As an invisibly disabled commuter, I know we have to be careful about making judgments to those sitting in the disabled seats. However, I truly believe our society would benefit from rethinking how our actions affect those around us. I’ve seen visibly disabled people have to stand on the bus, because no one offered their seat. That’s heartbreaking.

Too often, I see people disregarding those around them on transit. As commuters, we have a responsibility to be considerate of fellow riders. Doing this helps create a positive environment for every transit user.

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