I know it is difficult being a train passenger, especially on rush hours. However, we must still practice proper decorum at every instance we are using this public utility. Note that I used the term public utility. This is not a private vehicle, so we should learn to use it as a public and not as an individual.
Whenever I use these utilities, I find myself stuck in a pushy crowd, disallowing passengers to exit. Also, I find that a lot of space in the center of the train remains unused. It seems that everyone wants to stay near the doors, maybe because they want to alight the train first when their station comes. But I always see that these people stay near the door from end to end (okay, maybe from Taft to Cubao, or North to Ayala).
What I want everyone to realize that most of us using the train wants to go to their destination at the fastest time possible. The time it takes for people getting on and off the train lengthens because of the people staying by the doors and those eager to enter the train, blocking the path of those wanting to get out. Also, at particular stations, people fail to organize themselves in queuing for tickets or for entering and exiting the station. And finally, more delay happens when people force themselves in an already full train, or rushing in during the warning buzzer and failing to beat it causing the doors not to close.
Here are some guidelines we should all follow upon using this service in order to become refined passengers:
- Upon entering the station, have your baggage opened up for inspection once there are only one or two more people in front of you.
- When purchasing tickets, keep the queue at the direction of the wall. Do not block the way for passengers who already have a ticket. Also, when asking someone else to buy your ticket, do not block the path to the ticket receptacles.
- Do not step beyond the platform edge. This is marked by the different colored tiles. On MRT and LRT2, it is yellow. And on LRT1, it is red. This serves not only for your safety, but also for space to those who would be alighting the train.
- When the train comes, do not step towards the platform edge until all people who desire to alight the train have done so.
- Upon entering the train, do not push the people in front of you. At the same time, when in front, do not take time entering the train, and follow guideline number 8 immediately.
- Do not enter the train when the warning buzzer sounds. The buzzer does not mean "QUICK! RUSH! PUSH! DO IT LIKE YOU'RE PREGNANT! PUUUUSH!" The buzzer actually means: "Warning! The doors are closing. Stop entering the train and kindly wait for the next one."
- If the train is full to the door, do not push people in. If they follow these guidelines, you should know if there is still space available to you.
- As you enter the train, go to furthest you can to the center. If you come from the left of the door, go left. And if you come from the right, go right. An exception would be if this is the door of the end of the train, in which you go to the direction of the center of the current train. It doesn't matter if your destination is near or far. This is to let other people enter the train smoothly and to maximize space. Position yourself to according your destination once the train is moving at constant speed.
- Do not stay beside the door unless you will be alighting on the next station or the remaining space in the center constrains your position.
- Whenever there is an available seat, take it. Seats often become available when people queue for getting off the train (see number 13). If you aren't alighting on the next station, take the seat. This is, again, to give more space to the standing passengers.
- If you are standing, and if you can reach the bars or railings, use them. Do not use the straps unless you cannot reach the bars. This is so that passengers who cannot reach the bars are able to maintain their balance in the train by holding the straps. Also, use only one hand on the railings, and do not use your entire body and embrace the pole as if it was your lover. If you do use the straps, use only one. Or better yet, share a strap, win a friend (remember to wash your hands afterwards).
- Keep your baggage in front of you. Not only does this prevent any theft, but also provides more space.
- When you are nearing your destination, go towards the door as the train moves in constant speed. Once the station is announced, you should already be in queue for those desiring to alight on the next station. You know you have failed this step if the train slows down causing you to lose your momentum. Some practice for this step is required.
- If you find yourself at the door or at the queue of those wanting to alight, and you're not exiting on the current station, step out of the door and give way to those who will be alighting. After which, enter the train keeping guideline number 8 in mind.
- When the train doors open, exit the train swiftly and orderly in a single file towards the exit. If people follow these guidelines, there should be enough space for you to proceed towards the nearest exit.
- Upon exiting the station, queue on a line furthest from the train. Also, keep in the queue, and do not cut other queues. An exception would be when a ticket receptacle suddenly closes, where the line furthest from the train should allow those from the closed queue to shuffle in courteously one person at a time.
- Oh, and if you are disabled, carrying a child, or pregnant, please use the first train. I know you are already handicapped, but the first train should serve this purpose. The rest of the trains are ideally for those who are in the rush hour traffic.
Following these guidelines will make you a refined train passenger just like me. If everyone follows, we should all have a quicker and more comfortable journey to our destination.
Any additional guidelines are welcome.
Sincerely,
Refined train passenger,
Inggo
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