'Flabbergasted': Deb Knight stunned by common bus habit

"There is a time and a place for everything" is a truism that should be displayed as a poster on all forms of public transport. 

When I do catch the bus, light rail or train I'm often flabbergasted at how many basic social norms go out the smudged window, making the entire journey entirely uncomfortable for everyone seated near the selfish few. 

The recently-opened Metro in Sydney still has the shiny new car smell about it, and I suspect the novelty of a clean, on-time and spacious public transport option means the bad habits of a drudgerous daily commute are yet to sink in.

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We can live in hope that they never do. 

A recent trip to the city started off well. It was after the sardine-like early morning rush so there were plenty of seats and the bus was only five minutes late, so pretty much bang-on time. 

Pretty soon a strong odour started emanating from a few seats back. It wasn't from someone's body, but from the hot takeaway curry that this passenger just couldn't wait to consume.

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It was bad enough having to smell his lunch for the whole trip, but from the intensity of what he was eating, it would likely be worse sitting near him on the commute the next day.

Who thinks it's OK to have to share the smell of your hot lunch with up to 100 people on a bus? Surely you can wait until you reach your destination before tucking in? 

I feel the same way about people who bring strong-smelling meals into a cinema.

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Knock yourself out with sharing the smell of your popcorn or choc-top, but please eat your takeaway Thai or KFC before sitting in the confined airless space of a movie theatre. Those smells don't go anywhere fast. 

Smells are one thing. Loud conversations are another thing altogether.

I know time is precious and a trip on public transport is the perfect opportunity to catch up on messages left by colleagues or friends, but that's why text communication was invented.

No-one wants to hear your conversation in a confined bus or train carriage, particularly when those speaking are seemingly oblivious to how loud they are in the otherwise quiet space.

Send a text, or just answer the phone and let the other party know you'll call them back when you won't be punishing the ears of those around you. 

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And don't get me started on seat hogs who begrudgingly remove their bags to let others sit down, or who spread their legs so wide, those next to them almost have to sit with their legs in the aisle to share the seat. 

Surely it's not that hard to be considerate of others? 

I'll leave the bad behaviour of drivers to another day…

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