I have to agree with Anon here, the entitlement of space on a public bus is unbelievable in this city. I want to teleport these people to other parts of the world so they can see how many more people can actually get on public transportation! My favorite people are the clowns who enter a crowded bus and immediately stand at the entrance forcing everyone to maneuver around them. In an effort to benchmark this phenomenon, has anyone witnessed this trend in other major west coast cities? How about folks who commute on the train? I'm ignoring the walk/ride on ferry commuters, you get to roll in luxury! ;)

Take a lesson from us C-Liners. We PACK IT IN, BABY!! The most crowded busses in Nairobi, Delhi or Shenszen got nothing on us.

I ride the bus to and from work every work day. Here are my grievances:
1) Express busses are for commuters. Not kids. Not folks just using the bus, for free, to go one or two stops
2) Don't talk on the phone on the bus, it's evidence you're socially unaware or just rude
3) Be careful when you walk down the aisle. Your bags hit people in the shoulder or heads as you walk by
4) If you are standing, take your fucking backpack off and put it at your feet. I don't appreciate having your bag either centimeters from my head when I'm sitting or have it hit me as you sway to and fro
5) If both seats are empty, take the one next to the window. Don't make someone crawl past you.
6) You presumably ride the bus a lot too. Why do you wait to take your orca card out of your purse or wallet right when it's your turn to scan? Have that shit in your hand before the bus arrives.
7) The folks who don't know where the bus goes, so engages the driver in conversation for 5 mins standing on the sidewalk while the rest of us fume
8) Not really a bus riding thing, but on 3rd avenue, you, you clueless selfish driver who thinks they are too important to miss a light so you block the intersection (gridlock) and consequently block the buses from moving. You piece of shit, you one person, inconveniencing 50 or 60 people.
9) How old are you? Keep your feet off the seats! That goes for kids too. You know how disgusting seattle streets are? Your shoes do and now your shoes have been where I sit.

@3: The only thing here I disagree with is your first point. The bus is for everyone. That's the point of public transit.

@4 I know. It's just a pet peeve. When parents clamor on with kids to my express bus, I find myself muttering under my breath "This is what the D line is for!"

@3 I also disagree with your asking the driver if it goes somewhere point. Buses in various cities can be tricky, and the same numbered bus (or small variation, like express versions) may or may not go where you need to go, which is usually cleared up by one quick, simple yes-or-no question. If your expectation is I should just hop on and hope I don't end up in fucking Tacoma and trying to find my way back in order to keep from making you wait approximately 5-10 seconds... well, get used to disappointment.

I drive buses. I've gotten complaints for "being rude" when I ask people to move back, make room, or take their backpacks off. You people suck. I deal with the homeless all day/night and people doing god-knows-what smelling awful, drinking, sleeping, not letting me take my break at the end so I can decompress, and now I have to put up with you? Go fuck yourself. Take your fucking backpack off or get off.

My favorite is the woman who refused to move back because she was black. Probably the same woman who literally complained to @kcmetrobus on Twitter calling the sign on the bus "Move Back" racist. A special fuck you to you.

Welcome Aboard! ;)

@6 Yes, agree a simple yes or no or the street name or something. But I'm talking about the folks who just can't accept a one word answer and keep going and going. Then talk about the errands they need to run.

And be sure to thank your driver!

I ride busses late at night. So my view is probably different from a daytime rider. I see people yelling. I see drugs being used. I see people dropping needles. I see feces on the floor. Although I have never seen who did it. I see drivers harrassed. I have been scolded for defending a harrassed rider when nobody else stood up to them. Nobody else stood up. You lazy, pussy, passive aggressive, piece of shit motherfucking modern Seattlelites. Just sitting there. Probably reading about the next protest downtown to protect people's rights. Fuck those people. I would love to ride a bus at night where the only problem is personal space. Of course it is wrong to do that. But not worth conplaining about. Push them back or move away frone here.

You folks need to chill. This is Seattle. Situational awareness is asking an awful lot.

What's with "resting bitch face"? I thought that term died a few years ago.

Wow. The bus sounds horrible. I'm going to keep using my car.

If you strip away the BS rhetoric about "community" what you generally see is a lot of selfish actions on the part of Seattleites. Much like the prez, watch what they do, not what they say. Oh, and whatever you do, DO NOT point it out. People who live in a bubble only know what they know and it's somewhat pointless. Hopefully those of us that know a better way can lead by doing unselfish deeds (actions). Despite seeing dozens of bitch faces every day (it's areal thing), I still smile and say hello to the lifeless husks.

And with a single I.A. posting, the difficulties with instituting mass transit over single occupant cars is laid bare.

Despite all it's shortcomings, I would still ride the bus over driving any day. I can completely zone out and read a book. I get silent sustained reading time twice a day. One day I had to drive to the eastside during morning commute. Oh boy, that sucked. I couldn't imagine doing it everyday.

@15 "...and whatever you do, DO NOT point it out." Ha ha, so true. I can never tell who is in line in Seattle because people stand so sprawled out with ridiculous amounts of space between themselves and the person in front of them. Yet if I simply ask the person if they are in line, more often than not, they get huffy and act like I'm insane for even asking such a stupid question.

I also don't understand how no one seems to have been taught that when you walk down the sidewalk, you stay to your right. I seem to be endlessly stuck behind some meandering 20-something swaying back and forth in the middle while walking at a zombie's pace staring down at his phone as though he lives in the middle of nowhere instead of in a crowded fucking city with people who have places to be.

And yes to all the bus stuff.

@3 Yes, keep your feet off the seats and keep your #$%^&*@! dog off the seats, too. Dogs go in your lap or on the floor. Not beside you (unless you paid an extra fare, and you didn't).

OK. Back on topic. Here's how to deal with clueless front-of-bus aisle standees: When you board, and you see empty standing space in back of the bus, just start moving toward it, squeezing past people, saying "excuse me" repeatedly. Most people will get the message and start moving back on their own rather than let you pass them (either way is fine with me). Problem solved. You're welcome.

All of the crowding issues (and related frustrations) could be solved if there were enough buses / bus routes to serve the metro population. Addressing the root cause would make a world of difference.

You ride a bus. Deal with it

@3, you are on point about people asking the bus driver where the bus goes. Please try using the directions function on your favorite maps app first.

@3 wtf on #1? Busses are for everyone. FU for saying they're not for kids. Also, anon, that lady with four shopping bags probably does her grocery shopping once or twice a month, doesn't have a car, and is likely aware of her compounding a problem, but has enough of her own that she's gotta spread her shit out somewhere. May as well be on a few extra seats a couple times a month.

@24 I don't think the sentiment you are sharing can explain all of the hell that people experience on Seattle buses. It's great to live in a city where people are compassionate, but it's gone too far. There's really such a thing as inconsiderate people and deliberate rudeness, and that ruins the experience of living in this city for a lot of people. For every poor woman who's trying desperately to do her shopping, there are people taking up too many seats just for the hell of it, huge baby carriages at rush hour using up seats for seniors (these contain dogs occasionally), people yelling at each other and even fighting. Seattle's a big city now and in order for a city to run even halfway efficiently, people have to observe some rules, just as drivers do on the freeway. There's nothing uncharitable about that.

This is what happens when human and canine populations--not just in Seattle, but anywhere--- spiral out of control. Those relying on public transportation usually feel it the worst.
@25: CharleeR: Agreed.

JEEZ, what control issues you have. If only everybody behaved exactly like you think is right.....Newsflash, ain't EVER gonna happen, so, get over YOURSELF. If somebody has a problem with all others, then all others ain't the problem, Pumpkin.

"lady with the grocery bags taking up four people's worth of space in the aisle"

Where the fuck else is that car-less woman supposed to put her shopping bags, on a seat?

Good god, then Charles Mudade will take a picture and subject us to a 5,000 word essay on someone abusing their 'privilege'

@20 I'd add to your Excuse me, "I'm trying to get to all that empty space behind you." And I wouldn't be at all kind while elbowing my way among the front-space hogs. (Yes, I would literally elbow them as I passed. All accidental, of course, because there wasn't enough room to get past them, and where are my arms going to go?)

@23 Not everyone has map apps - or perhaps that's only outside Seattle. But yes, people who keep on asking route-related questions without boarding while the rest of us are waiting to move on are really annoying.

@27: What control issues? It's just the truth, Billy boy. As the human and canine populations continue to increase and the Earth becomes that less inhabitable, those of us having to rely on public transportation are going to get hurt the worst. To understand this try riding Metro one day and get a clue.
@30: So all those road-raged commuters honking and yelling have you to thank for so eagerly contributing to the back ups on I-5, I-405, I-90, SR 520 etc. and burning our planet? Thanks for the warning. I have a car, too, but I drive sparingly and prefer not to have to sit in a bumper-to-bumper nightmare. Meanwhile, I'm curious: How DO you actually find the time off from trolling to brave going outside your mom's basement?

While the letter writer makes some excellent points, I'd like to add that the most annoying thing that can happen on a bus is a passenger who decides they need to boss the other passengers around. I'm afraid that Our Dear Author might be one of those people.

If you are standing right inside a rear door, consider STEPPING OFF the bus for a bit as other people are exiting it.

One of my favorite things in the whole world is yelling at a bus of clueless Seattlites "THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM, MOVE BACK PEOPLE". Works like a charm every time.

Riding the bus is incredibly simple. Here I wrote a function.

public enterBus(Person you) -> void {
if (this.bus.emptySeat && you.WantEmptySeat()) {
you.SitTheFuckDown();
}
else
{
you.moveToBackOfBus();
}
}

@3/@5 sensible list except for #1 also clamor vs clamber.

But really the situation is more complex then Anon's screed allows. Some people's bus form sucks, some people have a reason. By way of example people loading bikes are supposed to stay near the front.

It's the bus. Some people are oblivious and some people are actively selfish. It's tough, but it's life. I guarantee not a single soul will change his or her bus behavior as a result of this article.

@27 Wild Bill: I think I owe you an apology. I thought you were responding to my comment (@31), when, upon reading Catalina's following comment (@32) I realized you were referring to I, ANON. My humble apologies.
@36 2CV: Oh, Jesus. This week's I, Anon doesn't really need to escalate into a scene out of Speed, does it? There are enough road raged motorists already on I-5. A quote from the late L.A. taxi driver Rodney Glen King seems to fit this week's IA: "Can't we all just ....get along?"

@38 2CV: That really is sad. I have heard about some crazy shit regarding Metro over the years: drivers being threatened by knife-wielders and shot at; buses veering off bridges. When will this insanity end? I have a cousin by marriage who I'm sure is glad he's a long-retired Metro driver.

34: Here's a tradition you could start: When people get on the bus and it's crowded and the crowd is stubborn about NOT giving way to new passengers, try SINGING the words "There's Room On The Bus, Move Back, Move Back" to the tune of Woody Guthrie's "Wheels On The Bus" song.

Another pet peeve - when people (able-bodied) who sit in the front side-facing seats see someone who is older/disabled, etc. come on board and don't or won't give up their seat to the person who clearly has priority. C'mon, I know you saw the woman with the crutches, stop pretending you're oblivious by staring at your phone. I've even seen people make a 9 months pregnant woman stand because they were too lazy to give up their seat. (I would have given her mine, but I was sitting by the window with someone next to me, and they weren't about to give up their seat, either.)

And don't get me started on the eye rolling and muttering when a wheelchair comes on!

@42: Excellent points. I'm a veteran but usually sit back from front side seats for exactly those reasons. The only times I have ever used a seat up front is if all the ones further back are already taken, and there's nowhere else to sit. Thankfully, my bus stop is among the last ones before the bus station downtown. I'd still get up and move if I saw someone elderly or disabled get on the bus. I guess common courtesy isn't so common, anymore.

Friendly reminder that sometimes people aren't moving back due to physical limitations. I have an invisible disability and cannot stand while holding a high bar but there aren't always disabled seats available so I need to stay where there are low bars and (hopefully) something I can lean against. When I start moving back, I often wind up trapped in a space where I cannot keep myself physically stable which results in days of excruciating pain. When someone who doesn't look elderly or disabled asks for a seat, we're usually met with dirty looks at best (usually ugly insults instead) but are rarely actually granted a seat. It's easier to just tune everything out and hold firm where I can ride safely.

A truly accurate description of Seattle transportation. I wonder about these people though who say they'll keep their car thanks....y'all know you drive like the people with poor form on the bus right?
I can't tell if it's that you're miserable and want to make everyone else a little more miserable also, or just incredibly self centered and unaware of other people. But it's frankly embarrassing to travel around this city.

@44 Duly noted, ChrissyBleu. I'm a veteran with an invisible disability, too, and share your pain.