My Experience on the Bus

Today, since the weather was so crummy, I decided to ride the bus. In class we determined that the bus can be considered a non-place, mainly because the reason for taking the bus is transit. You don’t really ride the bus expecting to talk to anyone, and most people are anonymous “travelers.”

I usually don’t take the bus because I always feel lazy when I do, but I had to go to the registrar’s office to get my transcript and I was told that the 85 drops off right in front of it. I got on the 80 on Charter and rode that to Memorial Union, where I picked up the 85. I then felt really stupid because I soon realized that the 85 stops at the same stop that I got on the 80 on Charter. Oh well! After I got my transcript, I got back on the 85 to Memorial Union, and then I took the 80 back to my dorm. The four bus rides probably totaled about 20 minutes.

In those 20 minutes I observed that the majority of people riding the bus just stare off in space, and they usually look annoyed or angry. Some people were listening to/playing with their mp3 players and others were talking on their cell phones. Some people that obviously knew each would start conversations, but it was usually just about where people were going or where they came from; nothing of any substance. Other than that, the most common words that were exchanged were “excuse me,” “sorry,” and “thank you.”

One interesting thing I noticed was that when people were not silent, such as when they were having a conversation, talking loudly on their cell phone, or, at one point, playing the harmonica, a lot of people on the bus would give them annoyed looks. I think that most people want to relax when they ride the bus, especially if it is towards the end of the day. In that sense, a non-place can sort of exist as an escape from stressful places, such as work or home. When people are talking, or playing musical instruments, it kind of disturbs the peace. I’ll admit, it was nice to have twenty minutes of solitude, but I found it kind of depressing that everyone looked so unhappy. Perhaps it was the weather. Seriously, when does it blizzard in April?