Boorishness on the bus, the sequel

Remember the saga of the pregnant woman not offered a seat on the bus? This morning, we have the tale of the baby-wearing dad who couldn’t get one either.

Our reader writes:

I’ve seen a few posts concerning the conduct of West Seattle bus riders. The ones that really stood out to me were the stories about very obviously pregnant women riding on the bus and having to stand in the aisle as no one offered up a place to sit. Discouraging to say the least.

I’m a guy, so I can’t specifically identify with what those women must have felt. But (Thursday) I may have come pretty close.

I recently began taking my 4-month-old daughter downtown (where I work) to daycare 2 days a week. The first few times I drove, but parking in my building is $20 a day. So, I decided to give the bus a try. I usually ride the bus to work, but it’s typically just me and my backpack…easy. But on our maiden voyage together I had my daughter strapped to the front of me in a sling, a backpack on my back and her big diaper bag over one shoulder. I felt like a pack mule.

Getting to work was easy. My wife drove me in on the way to her job. But getting home … oy. The traffic was terrible on 1st Ave. I climbed aboard a bus just before the Hwy. 99 on ramp at Columbia Street. The bus was hot and full of people. I shuffled down the aisle trying not to disturb riders with my plethora of baggage and found a place to stand. And that’s where I stayed for the duration of the painfully slow crawl home.

Had someone offered me a place to sit and unload some baggage, I most likely would have insisted that they keep their seat. But I was really assuming that I’d at least have to say “no, thanks”. My faith in humanity was dashed a little. I’m not the slightest bit angry, just disappointed.

Maybe once she’s a little older, I’ll try getting my daughter home with me on the bus again. But, for now, it’s worth every bit of $20 in parking to not go through that again.

DB Panic September 8, 2007 (7:46 am)

I am not surprised by this, Ive noticed alot of times on the bus here in West, people behaving rudely and out of sorts. Now once you hit the ride free zone d.t. I chuckle as all the upper crust shuffle to dodge the hairballs that hop aboard.

Kayleigh September 8, 2007 (8:21 am)

Sometimes just getting on the bus is enough to make me feel rude and out of sorts. It’s never fun, but seems to be getting worse lately.

I got on the 54 to downtown the other day, first thing in the morning, and the smell was enough to make me gag. Opening the windows didn’t help much. The inner-city buses I transfer to have an even higher smell-to-square inch ratio.

Still, a good reminder…poor guy shouldn’t have had to stand.

Jiggers September 8, 2007 (9:19 am)

Every bus should be required to have Lysol or air freshner on board.

ML September 8, 2007 (9:31 am)

Speak up! Say something! As easy as (it seems) it should be to read people’s minds or send telepathic messages, saying something should still work.

It’s like the folks who “save” the window seat for their belongings–I always go sit there and make them hold their stuff.

Michael September 8, 2007 (1:18 pm)

Don’t use Thursday afternoon as a bellweather of anything bus-related.
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Due to Microsoft taking over Safeco Field and timing their exit to coincide with rush hour (and refusing to do something forward-thinking like bus its workers in), downtown bus wait (and therefore, bus crowding) were the worst I’ve seen in years – by far.
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It was insane. The 120 and 125 buses were crammed full by their second stops, so bus after bus passed by the Fed Bldg stop without picking up riders. I personally walked to 1st and hailed a cab (if I didn’t have an appointment to make, I’d have just had a drink downtown and waited it out).
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Anyhow, Thursday was an anomaly. Just saying.

Bill September 8, 2007 (2:20 pm)

So you didn’t want a seat, but you wanted someone to ask so you could decline the offer. If that’s true, the outcome is the same: no seat. What’s the problem? A soldier friend of mine puts it in perspective for me sometimes. “At least nobody’s trying to kill you.” Stop whining.

Jeff September 8, 2007 (3:51 pm)

If you ride the bus enough, there’s gonna be good days and bad days. If you’re just looking for an excuse not to have to take the bus, sure, go ahead and use that one experience. Driving’s not all wine and roses either. Like others have pointed out, if you need help, ask for it. $20 a day? Take that money and put it toward your daughter’s college education or something.

O.R. September 8, 2007 (5:22 pm)

I would definitely agree with the speak up suggestion. Not to say it wouldn’t be ideal for a seat to be kindly offered but many people riding the bus have a lot on their minds or may be in the drawl of the work week and not fully paying attention – simply saying, “is there anyone who might be so kind as to let me take a seat” … its worth a try rather than bottling it up.

chas redmond September 8, 2007 (6:43 pm)

Well, at least you found out that the local saying many Seattleites are fond of repeating – “we’ve got a great bus system,” is really self-delusion. My son, wife and I take the bus all the time and to us the public transit system in and around Seattle is a sad joke at best and an unaccountable public tax money trough run amock at the worst. The 22 has a 34 percent “late” rate for the month of July. Late is more than 5 minutes past a time mark. Actually two whole runs on the 22 were junked. Today, the 54 missed a run because the bus was held up by dozens of folks boarding it to get to the Cougar game. Like Metro didn’t know these three games were going on this weekend? We took three buses to get to REI downtown – actually I should have driven and next time will. Carbon loading is one thing, wasting hundreds of people’s time on a regular basis is another. I can’t do much more than a minor share of reducing carbon loading but I can do a lot more to reduce the waste of my time – even if it means pumping more carbon into the atmosphere. Green city – yeah, right! When you make things so inconvenient or hostile – as is done here with public transportation – then even those folks who would do the right thing give up and drive.

M September 8, 2007 (9:45 pm)

I think the poster was just disheartened by the lack of consideration the other riders showed. It’s all too common in this town. I had the same thing happen when I broke my arm and had to ride the bus for a month in the winter; there would be no seats and no one would offer their seat as I struggled to put my bus pass away while trying to keep my balance and not fall over as the bus pulled away from the curb. People in Seattle are nice enough, but Seattleites typically only think about how their actions affect themselves. Heaven forbid they think of anyone else.

Bonnie September 9, 2007 (8:56 am)

I took the bus yesterday and it was packed! Of course I didn’t realize something was going on at Qwest Field when I hopped on the bus with my 3 year old. Lucky for me I live at the south end of West Seattle and got on the bus when it was empty. Luckily it was only packed for about 10 minutes…until we got to the free ride zone. Now that was fun.

I personally, would give my seat up for a pregnant woman or elderly person. I might think twice about giving it up for a dad with a front pack but I know I wouldn’t want to stand while trying to hold on to a 3 year old.

flipjack September 9, 2007 (9:14 am)

You said it Chas.

Luckie September 9, 2007 (4:47 pm)

I would have offered my seat to Front Pack Dad, because I’ve done my time with a kid in a front pack (twice) and I know what it’s like. Especially on a moving bus; I think the dad and kid would be much safer sitting down.

cleat September 9, 2007 (7:18 pm)

Certain people are just creatons about taking up two seats though…. I’ve ridding the bus for the 23 years I’ve worked downtown and there are a few on the 37 who are typical… I’m headed in at 6:15 in the morning and as tired as the rest, but some are putin’ their backpacks beside themselves and laying across them and shutting their eyes so they can get a few more z’s and not feel guilty about people having to stand while they take up two seats… Though I’m disabled I don’t look like it too much … but I will show the driver my disability ID and ask for a spot to sit if I can’t get one…. cause I’ve found out no one will offer!!

NATINSTL September 10, 2007 (8:51 am)

Not sure if this is the same dad that I was on the 54 with last week, but it sounds like it. He had mentioned that it was baby’s first time trying the bus. All I kept thinking was that if we stopped short he and the baby would go flying in the aisle and she would be seriously hurt. I was standing in front of him and I was shocked that nobody offered up a seat. In fact, I had a woman ask me to put my backpack in the aisle where we were all standing because she was afraid it would hit her in the face since she was sitting next to all the people standing. I assured her that I would not let it hit her, but I all I kept thinking was “why don’t you stop complaining about something that hasn’t even happened and give up your seat to the man with the baby”

Sorry, comment time is over.