10 Things People Who Take Public Transportation To Work Understand

1. Talking during morning commute.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not like I’m going to come flying at you with my briefcase to prevent you from speaking, but the morning is a time reserved for quiet reflection on how you wish you were in bed and the 8 hours of hell you’re about to endure. And people who interrupt the peace will be recipients of quite a few glares. Afternoon is a bit different because people are amped for the end of the day and more relaxed so moderate levels of conversation is allowed.

2. Missing your train/subway/bus.

This is probably one of the most frustrating aspects of the public transportation commute. Because who in the hell wants to wait for a whole 12 MINUTES for the next one?

3. Tourists.

Chances are if you take public transportation to work you live in a city big enough that it attracts tourists. Which, hey, that’s great they pay to maintain our awesome city. What they also do, however, is cram into already-sardine-packed busses and trains and shove their plethora of bags and souvenirs into your space. Then they proceed to talk loudly about the pros and cons of their visit which is usually offensive. I’ve also already expressed my feelings about talking during the work commute and, trust me, they do not talk at moderate volume levels. However, this is not to say that they shouldn’t be allowed to use our system — it’s just kind of a necessary evil.

4. Transportation luck.

One’s entire day can hinge on his or her transportation luck. For instance, if I get to sit and read my book on the way to work, I know that it’s going be a damn good day. However, if I watch a bus drive by, without so much of a quick stop to pick me up because it’s apparently too full to stop, I know that my day is going to be absolute shit. It doesn’t matter what else happens — all that matters is that the gods of transportation are certainly not shining on me that day.

5. Personal space.

Simply put: you will have none. During rush hour people will do ANYTHING to get on their train and I mean anything (I saw one lady so determined that she pushed someone out of the car that had gotten on at the stop before). When you’re commuting, you will have little-to-no personal space and people will push you and people will elbow you and people will take up an inordinate amount of space trying to avoid the inevitable, which will, in turn, just make the entire experience more miserable for you.

6. Falling.

Picture this: you’re standing on a packed train or bus, with a terrible, jerky driver. You take your phone out of your pocket to check your emails while the vehicle isn’t moving and then BAM it accelerates and you end up smashing into someone or — worse yet — falling right into their lap. It happens, it always happens…

7. Body odor.

It doesn’t get much worse than heading home, already feeling tired and gross yourself, and then getting shoved next to the smelliest person on the train car. Great — now for the next 45 minutes I get to suppress my gag reflex! Hooray!

8. Traffic.

Magically not a problem for my fellow public transportation warriors. While we may have to deal with all the other things mentioned, they’re often sacrifices that I’m willing to make. I consider being stuck in traffic to be part of a special rung of hell.

9. Gas money.

Another upside! Chances are you’re saving money, because while travelling the distance via car without traffic might be cheaper than public transit, that doesn’t matter because the time you waste in traffic and the money you spend on that gas makes it more cost efficient to use public transportation.

10. Solidarity.

It’s like we’re the brotherhood of the Night’s Watch bound to protect the public transportation. We may complain that it sucks and it may ruin our day sometimes, but ultimately it saves our butts and makes life a whole lot easier. And anyone that threatens to take it away should be fed to a White Walker. (Yes I just ran with the Game of Thrones references).