Bus Rage

[Deadly Ferret]

I have to use the 149 London bus for work. Well, alternatives include riding a moped or getting a taxi for £30+ each way, neither of which I wish to do.

The examples of humanity on that heap of junk simply stagger! No manners. No awareness of surroundings. No perception of when they're tempting an ordinarily polite and genial sort of fellow to perform an 'Arnie on the plane in Commando' back-handed punch on their dozy faces!

They overfill the legspace afforded them by their own seats, resulting in thighs pushing against mine. Now most of these people are foreigners, and perhaps where they come from it's more normal for men to sit like that, but I dislike having a man's thigh touching mine, especially when there's tension between the two thighs, vying for space which is mine by rights. (I push back a bit, as I shouldn't have to suffer from squashed marbles because I can't keep my legs open enough!)

Similar story with their shoulders or elbows quite often. I get really wound up by this, but have managed to bite my tongue until today. Today was the last straw. Some berk was resting his elbow on my arm as though it were an armrest. I gave him a verbal lashing about how out of order it was. I saw one or two grins on the faces of other men nearby, and I think it was due to them having been long-suffering victims of this behaviour themselves.

Fortunately, it didn't end up in anything serious. He removed his elbow, kept a reasonable distance, and said nothing. He did give me a look though as I was speaking. Thought he might want to take it further, but fortunately not. I was worried I'd have to nut him on candid camera and with a bunch of witnesses.

I'm starting to reconsider the moped option.

 

[Deadly Ferret]

Not with £8 congestion theft per day, going upto £10 shortly. Plus all other running costs, such as road theft, MOT, insurance extortion, BP profit contributions etc.

 

[Deadly Ferret]

My thoughts are with you. Its 2 hours a day, 5 days a week that I wish never had to be. im 6 foot 5 and try and stand up whenever possible cos of no leg room and being crushed in.

Ive developed an aggressive posture nwo using busses and trains, that gives me a much needed 3" comfort zone. Anyone that dares enter it gets full on death stares.

And mine with you, as I have problems at 5'11" with wide shoulders. I can barely imagine how much worse it must be for you.

 

[Deadly Ferret]

I too get the 149 from London Bridge to Liverpool Street... never had any of your experiences though *touches wood*.

That'll be due to a number of factors other than just luck. Presumably you're a woman, which means you don't have any nuts that can get squashed and so you probably, like most women tend to do, sit with your legs crossed or closed, which takes up little space and so you don't come into contact with your neighbours even though they're probably interloping in the space in front of your seat. Also, chances are the men are more respectful around you because of your gender, and so there's none of the purposeful pushing that goes on.

Another thing is that you're at the civilized end of the route, suits and shoppers. I'm at the 80% black, Turkish and Eastern European end. Many of those people are completely lacking in manners. Especially the men in their twenties.

Only had one problem that I can recall with an Anglo-Saxon. The rest of the time it has been one of the three groups mentioned above. Those Eastern Europeans are bad. I get it from them on the District Line too, mostly construction workers early in the morning.

Sorry Ferret, but I think you're the problem here. Don't be so stuck up. I'm sorry that I'm a big guy (6"1 and generally just big guy)...I can't bloody well help it if someone like yourself thinks their too good to be touched by someone else. I can't even get my damn legs behind the seat properly, so that's awkward as it is. Then my arms, jesus relax. You aren't going to catch something. I do try and keep myself close, but as I said - I can't really help it.

Stuck up?! I couldn't give a fig who sits next to me; I just don't want them taking up my space. Your size be damned; any man of above average height wants to be able to space his legs out, and on the bus no bugger should take up another man's space as defined by the seating arrangement! Even if you're 6'6" you can still make yourself fit within the allotted space, so bally well do so! You suffer for your size, as there's no reason why I should have to in your stead!

If you don't like it, complain to the bus company instead of trying to force my leg further into my own space so you can appropriate some unjustifiably!

 

[Deadly Ferret]

Thanks. It would be just as annoying if it weren't foreigners...I only mentioned that because it is of some relevance, what with the trend.

Robert, it's only in the last five years or so that this problem has become noticeable (to me at least). If we managed fine without it before, why should we need or tolerate it now? Hope that's adult enough a question for you.

 

[Deadly Ferret]

Thing is DF - I'm British, but I'm foreign too.... Would you mind me being close to you Bar your homophobia of course

Homophobic? I'm not scared of houses.

As I said to Robert, I don't care who sits next to me; only how they conduct themselves.