I often have to commute to Manhattan to work with customers or to our New York office. I often take the bus in and have come up with a few items and suggestions for folks to make their commute a little bit easier. Some of these things are obvious, but I find that many people still need reminders.

ON THE BUS

• Have exact change or very close to it - If you don’t travel on the bus often and don’t have a pass or ticket, don’t pay for your $4.55 fare with a $20 bill. Nothing makes the bus driver angrier than this.
• Sit on the inside seat - I got on the bus and there were no empty rows left, so I had to sit next to somebody else. I find it annoying and rude that people give me attitude if I ask them to get up so that I can sit on the inside seat as they are sitting in the aisle seat. It’s not like I am asking you to give up your first born. I am always polite and say “Excuse me, would you mind if I sat in that seat?”, and I always follow it up with a “Thank you!”.
• Turn your iPOD or music device down - I shouldn’t be able to hear the lyrics from the song you are playing from 5 rows away! See my previous rant.
• Put your cell phone on VIBRATE - People like to sleep and relax on the bus. Nothing adds more stress than the constant ringing of phones. See my previous rant.
• Talk quietly (on your phone) – If you know somebody on the bus or you are going to use your cell phone, talk quietly. There are other people on the bus that might be trying to sleep and aren’t interested in your conversation.

ON THE SUBWAY

• Move to the center of the car - If the subway is crowded, try to move in so that others can board. Nobody likes to feel like a sardine, but unfortunately it happens.

GENERAL – Walking around, etc.

• Stand RIGHT, Walk LEFT – When you are on an escalator or moving sidewalk, it is common practice to stand to the right and let the people that are walking pass you on the left. Similar to the passing lane on highways.
• Don’t stop short – When you are walking, especially out on the sidewalk, do not stop short. People in NYC are typically always in a rush. This is very apparent during Rush Hour (typically Monday – Friday 7:30AM – 9:00AM and 4:30PM – 6:30PM) when they have to get to work or want to go home (myself included ). Do not stop short while you are walking and just stand there.
• Do NOT stand on the corner – I see this all the time during rush hour. People not familiar with the area are constantly stopping on the corner trying to figure out where they are going. They end up getting pushed and shoved by the commuters.
• Jaywalking is a common practice – If you do not feel comfortable crossing the street while that Red/Orange hand is up move out of the way. There are plenty of people who would like to move around you.

The above points are not meant to be rude, but to give some advice to make your commute easier and more enjoyable for everybody. The bottom line is be polite and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

-Allen

On my way back from a business trip in Charlotte, this was listed on the flight information board. Does this mean that the flight was no longer delayed???

-Allen