The Politics of Lining Up (for a Bus)

Every day I typically start my journey to work via public transportation by waiting for a bus.  I also end up my journey homeward bound by waiting for a bus.  I guess after watching people line up to get on the bus, my mind begins to look for patterns.

Who knew that when waiting for the bus — I’d discover that the process of lining up is really somehow a very complicated process?  Again, just like my analysis of how we sit on the subway, this is by no means academic — I just have an odd tendency to over analyze what some may consider pointless matters.

The Priority Sequence

If we rationalize the process of trying to step on to the bus we arrive at these two basic priorities.

1. The primary goal of lining up = To get on the bus (pretty simple eh?)

2. The secondary goal of lining up = To get a seat (If possible, most people prefer sitting)

With the assumption that there is a consistent flow of buses arriving at each bus stop on route, most people regard the secondary goal as their first priority.   For most bus riders, the secondary goal only evolves into a lesser priority when there is a large line up (or mob) at the bus stop, and we arrive at the conclusion that the bus hasn’t come along for a while.

While there are no particular markings on the bus platform, anyone who has taken the bus before will generally know where to stand.

Where’s the Line?

That said, it’s always interesting when people will insist on creating their own line.  While there is the rare person who might speak up, generally the people who are lining up don’t seem to say much while expending their energy on giving the death stare to the individual who created their own line.  Unfortunately the person who created their own line typically wields an immunity to those stares and simply ignores them.

The common consequence is that someone from the line breaks the original formation and joins the new line or someone coming from outside the situation who does not yet recognize the circumstances arrives.  This person most likely will notice the shorter line and of course, will join that one thus making it legitimate.

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Of course there are those cases when I arrive to find more than two lines forming for the rear bus doors (only two doors are available).  Usually a line or two has been developed according to social standards and some sort of heretic has decided to rebel against society by starting up a third line.  One usually finds that there is a quiet murmur in the crowd and one would gradually notice the rise in tension in the atmosphere as the bus arrival is notably at hand.

Although there is likely to be some finger crossing and perhaps even a little bit of prayer reciting, the ability to predict where the bus will stop (and thus determining where the door will be located) is rather difficult and sometimes requires looking for some type of marker on the platform — even a scratch on the cement or a piece of old gum stuck to the ground.

Are You the Line? Or Am I?

The worst and by far, the most interesting situation, is when lines evolve into mobs.  It frequently becomes an every-person-for-themselves type of situation and the line fails to form.  Although some resort to pushing and gentle nudging, people are able to peacefully get on to the bus.  What is interesting about the mob is the development of what I consider, a personality type-based line up.

It isn’t necessarily a line up yet it is!

There are two possible outcomes that I can think of.  One is where individuals of a particular personality will zig zag or push through the mob of people to get on the bus (above).  This case can also occur when there are groups of people that are associated (i.e. family).  There is a possibility that this can incite a riot or some form of conflict if bystanders of a different personality feel strongly enough to block the way.

The Layered Effect

Alternatively, the other is where the mob turns into layers of personalities.  This situation seems more likely to occur when a bus stops in a position that is unexpected causing a rush.  Personalities that are more aggressive are more likely to get to the doors first and those who may be less aggressive/assertive or patient are likely to be on the fringe.

In the Running

Now that we’ve identified the different circumstances, we can move on to identifying the different candidates.  There are many but here are some of the more prominent ones:

The Liner Upper: Quite self-explanatory.  This candidate is disciplined and will follow the conduct code of The Order.

The Elbow-power Pusher: Skilled at nudging, pushing, and shoving — this candidate has the ability to maneuver to the forefront of a messy line formation.

The Space Invader: Obviously has no issues with personal space.  This candidate enjoys standing extremely close to others and is very protective of their spot/position in the line or mob formation.

The Fence Sitter: A rather indecisive individual, this candidate can rarely decide upon which line they should stand in so instead they wiggle or hop back and forth between the two lines if possible until a decision is forced upon them when the bus arrives.

The Inventor: A rather creative candidate, he or she enjoys randomly initiating the formation of a line wherever convenient.

Patience is still pays

What about the people who are patient?  Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about them.  The funny thing about the people who are patient is that they are unexpectedly rewarded for their control over themselves and the circumstances.

You ask how?

Those who are patiently typically devise a different way to get home if they find that lining up is not providing any sort of positive result.  With patience, these people manage to get on to buses that tend to be less crowded and are more likely to acquire themselves a seat.

So …

Where do you stand?  How do you approach the line up?

Possibly-related Posts

• A Persistent Thought
• Top 5 Spots on a Subway: A Glance at How We Sit and Stand
• Sidewalk Politics – The Beginner’s Guide

Tagged as: behaviour, buses, line ups, lines, people, society, traffic, transportation