My daily commute to work has never been a pleasant experience. But it’s far less pleasant when it involves any sort of public transportation. While there isn’t a whole lot we can do to fix the transit systems in cities all around the world, there are some behaviors that we can all agree upon to help alleviate some of the more excruciating annoyances about riding in a vehicle with strangers.

This series will focus on ways to help you and your fellow passengers have a more pleasant ride. As with most situations that call for courtesy, simply being aware of your impact on others is a great way to make it better for everyone.

Articles in this series:

You’re not fooling anyone

Every weekday morning I see people in the subway car sitting in the outer of the two seats in their row, hoping against all hope that no one will have the guts to ask them to move aside so they can sit in the seat next to them. And I do watch some other people stand, rather than make that move. Me? I always make people get out of the way so I can sit in the inside seat next to them.

Believe me, I hate sitting next to strangers more than your average person. But as far as I’m concerned, if you didn’t pay twice as much as everyone else, you don’t get to take up two seats just because you were clever enough to sit on the outside.

I understand that some people do this just because they want to be on aisle, for easier exit purposes, or because they’re claustrophobic, or whatever. That’s fine. You can have the outside seat.

But I’m still going to sit next to you every time. So don’t give me that look, as if I’m inconveniencing you. Just get out of the way and realize that sitting next to strangers is part of the whole public transit experience.