How TransLink is trying to make your commute less of a pain in the backpack
If you use a TransLink vehicle to get to work and find the lack of etiquette frustrating, good news: Metro Vancouver’s transit operator is doing something about it.
You may have already heard the new PSAs on SkyTrain, urging folks to take their backpacks off, especially during peak hours.
Daily Hive Urbanized has even seen the PSAs working, with some folks responding by taking their backpacks off during the morning commute in response to the announcements.
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Some riders and residents are reacting to the change, and many are expressing frustration about backpacks and other transit faux pas that riders seem to be committing.
One Redditor said that the combination of people standing around with large bags and the fact that people don’t move to the back of the bus make for an “incredibly frustrating commute.”
Despite witnessing the PSAs working to a small degree, many seem to think they will do nothing.
“Sadly, the announcements will do nothing. No one pays attention, and if they do, they don’t seem to care,” one Redditor said.
Others think there should be some active enforcement.
“It’s better than nothing, although without any enforcement, it will have little effect.”
With many riders wearing headphones on transit nowadays, some feel that people won’t even hear the announcements.
In determining theories as to why some people don’t seem to obey the mostly unwritten rules of transit, one person thinks it’s a “cultural gap” built across quarantines. They also said that transit etiquette has been worse since the pandemic.
“A whole bunch of people never learned transit etiquette through peers/peer pressure, so there’s a whole bunch of people who never learned they were supposed to board at the front of the bus, move to the back of the bus, and take off their backpacks.”
Another Redditor thinks it’s a Vancouver problem.
“Commuters in Vancouver are idiots. NYC and London are massive multi-ethnic cities, and people have this inherent understanding of basic public transit etiquette.”
Last year, Daily Hive Urbanized shared a story about transit etiquette rules that many don’t follow. In response, some suggested that schools should offer a course on transit etiquette.
This isn’t the first time that TransLink has attempted to educate the public about some common-sense etiquette rules. You might remember when TransLink hired Seth Rogen to do announcements for a limited time. He would remind riders to take off their backpacks and not place them on seats.
Some also shared that they’ve heard new PSAs on the bus that they haven’t heard before.
TransLink told Daily Hive that the new PSAs are another example of etiquette campaigns that it regularly runs.
“This September, TransLink launched our newest etiquette campaign to spread awareness on our system. This year, we are focusing on educating customers about priority seating etiquette, and reminding customers with backpacks to remove them while on vehicles. Customers can expect to hear the PSA on the system, there will also be posters and signage on the system, as well as posts on our social channels.”
Just remember your backpack doesn’t deserve its own seat. Neither do your shoes.
Oh God, make it stop! (Amir Ali/Daily Hive)