Passenger Etiquette from The Chronicles of Bus #10

As a bus passenger there is basic etiquette that you want to abide by:

• You give up your seat for the elderly
• You give up your seat to the disabled
• You give up your seat to women with children or women who are expecting
• You give up your seat to someone who is carrying a ton of stuff
  

During the ride home this afternoon, I noticed the following situation:

A woman who appeared to have Tourette syndrome got on the bus. The bus was half empty, but she wanted to sit in a seat that was already occupied by a man in his mid-40's. She hovered over the man for a few minutes and kept asking him if she could sit there. The man refused, telling her that the seat across from him was free and that she could sit there. She kept asking and the man kept refusing. He got so fed up with the woman that he finally said, "Stop hovering over me. You're making me very uncomfortable." She ended up taking another seat.

I don't know about you, but would it have killed the guy to give up his seat and sit elsewhere? It's not as though the bus was full and there were no other seats available. It's also not the first time that I have noticed that this guy would not give up his seat. He just tries to ignore you in hopes of not giving up his seat.

What happened to basic etiquette? What happened to treating others the way you would want to be treated? All I can say is, "What goes around, comes around." He'll get the same treatment one day and no one is going to feel bad for him.

The man eventually exited the bus a few stops before she did. Immediately after he got off the bus, the woman stood up and took his seat. She wanted that seat badly.