Battalion
Aggielife
Page 3 • Thursday, September 9, J 999
/Wheels on the bus go ‘Round for Round’
udents at Texas A&M could benefit from lessons in proper etiquette on bus rides
BY BRIAN FLEMING
The Battalion
Tiile driving her bus on campus one day,
Meredith Stewart, a bus driver and se
nior management information systems
major, was chased down by an angry student
who was a few seconds too late. Frustrated, this
student ran to the middle of the street putting his
life in danger while trying to gain a spot on Stew
art's already full bus. In accordance to Bus Oper
ations rules and regulations, though, she had to
leave him on the curb.
“1 felt very bad, but there was nothing 1 could
do,” Stewart said.
Stories such as Stewart’s are common at Texas
A&M because many rely on campus transporta
tion to get them around.
What many do not realize is that among the
frustrations of packing students aboard a bus, a
certain camaraderie does actually exist between
passenger and driver. What could be called a
“code for survival” applies not only to the writ
ten rules, as in Stewart’s case, but to the unwrit
ten rules of bus riding as well.
These rules, when broken, frustrate students
and drivers alike and get in the way of daily
campus life.
“What people do not understand is that we
have rules to follow,” Stewart said.
Stewart said when a bus is full, a bus is full,
and it would put other peoples lives in danger to
crowd it even more.
“We [bus drivers] are liable, and it is not our
decision,” she said.
Stewart said one of the biggest no-no’s seems
to always happen when students are entering and
exiting the bus.
“The general rule has always been to let the
people who are already on the bus off and then
enter,” Stewart said. “But someone always for
gets, and that only takes more time.”
Stewart said that by avoiding this, less time is
spent at stops and the bus can stay on schedule.
“Overall, l would say that [not waiting for oth
ers to exit] is one of the biggest things that both
ers drivers,” Stewart said.
Because time is a factor as buses try to make
the required stops, Stewart said students need to
understand that walking up to the bus slows
down operations and might mean they will not
have a ride.
"What they taught us in training is you run,
you ride; you walk, you wait.” Stewart said.
Stewart said this is especially evident in cer
tain parts of campus.
“1 know when students are leaving the Bush
School, they walk up so slowly,” Stewart said.
“Sometimes we have to leave, and that is not our
fault. We are not trying to be mean, we are just
doing our job.”
Yet another intricate part of common bus eti
quette is exercised for those who are courteous
enough to speed their ingress. Rosie Arcelay> a
bus driver and graduate modern languages stu
dent, said the simplest act can make riding a bus
much more pleasant.
“1 try to say ’Howdy’ to everyone who
comes on my bus,” Arcelay said. “I know £t
is not only courteous but part of my job to
make peoples’ ride as pleasant as possible.?’
Stewart said cleaning up after passengers is
another on-the-bus no-no.
“The most important thing for people to kno\V
is to pick up your papers,” Stewart said.
“Sometimes I spend up to 15 minutes ju^t
cleaning off the unnecessary trash that is left On
my bus everyday. ”
Stewart said this really is more of a com
mon courtesy than anything, and it is greatly
appreciated.
Chris Palmaroy, a senior finance major, said
that from a passenger’s perspective, people need
to understand what is acceptable and what is not.
“I know 1 hate it when people sit right next to
you while there are other seats available,” Pal
maroy said. “For one thing, it is usually hot, and ,
for another, it is just the principle of the whole
thing. ”
This principle is what Palmaroy calls the “uri
nal rule.” When there are four of five urinals
open, students should not use the one right next
to someone else.
“This can definitely be applied to the bus
es,” he said.
Palmaroy said students also need to know-
some more obvious rules.
“Definitely stand up for girls and give them
your seat regardless, and when the bus is crowd
ed, let them off first as well,” he said. “That
should just be common sense, and plus, it makes
you look good because girls love it.”
Arcelay said that overall, students need to un
derstand all of the rules of the bus system.
“People complain about the buses, but we
honestly do the best job we can,” Arcelay said. “I
have no trouble saying that if it was not for bus
operations, this University would not work.” ;
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