Being without a drivers license in a foreign country , I am forced to use the public transport system to commute to work. After reading
this blog about the public transport in India , felt like writing one about my experiences with the metro transit.
Metro Transit Facts :
#1 You will never be without a seat on a bus.
Till this date , I have never ever been without a seat in any of the metro transit buses. The trains may be , but the buses always have plenty of seats. In fact I have even had the whole bus to myself once or twice.
#2 Always have exact money to pay.You cannot buy a ticket unless you have exact change, but most drivers will let you have the benefit of the doubt and give you the ticket , once or twice even if you don't have it. But it does get you a lot of stares from around the bus (This applies only if there are people in the bus).
#3 If some one asks about your job , avoid the usual techno jargon like programmer , software etc , Better still avoid the word software altogether and say that you work for
so and so employer. With huge recession fears looming, you don't want people staring at you like you stole their job from them.
#4 There are weirdo vaynokkis in every land. I even had to endure a guy try to talk to me about cricket (duh!) and he was not an Indian or Pakistani.
#5 The other women you see on the bus are either dressed like sluts or women in their fifties talking about their grand children.Exceptions are few and far between mostly being Asian women with multiple children or Indian software engineers who sleep till their destination is reached. Men who are not in their fifties or sixties are usually dressed in jeans that look like they are held up only by virtue of static electricity and over sized t shirts.
#6 If you want to make polite conversation with fellow passengers , stick to safe topics like weather (What crappy weather today) or angst at approaching winter . Family questions are a strict no.
#7. Sometimes , your bus might stop for a disabled person and if it does , be assured that your connection bus will be gone , for in this country disabled people on wheel chair get royal treatment. (Made me feel sorry for the same category in India where they are just bound to be pushed off by the huge rush of people in the bus stop.
#8 If you see some one who is carrying many leaflets , act fast asleep , for the person is most probably a zealous follower of some church who will talk to you for hours about joining them which will make you fall asleep anyway.
#9 Expect public displays of affection. If you are embarrassed by it , feigning sleep is the best option , but believe it or not , I have seen worse in Indian trains.
#10 Know exactly where to get down. Do not expect the driver or the fellow passengers to be able to help you because , 9 out of 10 times they won't know and even in the odd chance that they do know, they might misunderstand your accent and misdirect you.
