Rules for Riding the T

I think people should use the right side of stairs to keep the traffic flowing, especially at Park St station at 8am. Also, if you can't fit on a train, wait for the next. I can't stand when the doors keep opening and closing and the conductor has to yell at them cause they don't fit. Wicked annoying!!!
 
New Rule:

If someone accidentally steps on your toes while moving to let someone off a crowded train, don't haul off and kick them in the ankle as hard as you can when they turn to apologize to you.

Thanks.
 
Also, if you can't fit on a train, wait for the next. I can't stand when the doors keep opening and closing and the conductor has to yell at them cause they don't fit. Wicked annoying!!!

Oh, I love when all the scared sheep pack themselves onto the overcrowded trains. I stand back and happily wait for the much less crowded train that is probably right behind it.
 
^^ Pff, Americans and their precious "personal space"...though Bostonians deserve some street cred here: I've found MUNI riders in San Francisco significantly more loathe than T riders to really pack it in and get personal during rush hours and on game days.
 
An overly packed train on the T usually means that the line is backed up and another train will pull into the station right behind it with much less people on it. If more people would stand back and wait for the next one, rather than pack on with the doors openig and closing on them like Statler said, the whole system would move faster.
 
Here's another one:
The bus 93 was late one night and there were a lot of passengers waiting. When it arrived to Haymarket it stopped at the first bus sign instead of the usual second bus sign which was around 20 ft away. One of the passengers got pissed and decided to give the driver a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, she was the 5th person to get on out of 20 and she blocked the entrance to yell at the driver. Lady, I know the driver probably deserved it but would you please move out of the way so other people can get on the bus or be last person to get on so that the bus can ALSO move while you RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGEEEEEEE.
 
Here's another one:
The bus 93 was late one night and there were a lot of passengers waiting. When it arrived to Haymarket it stopped at the first bus sign instead of the usual second bus sign which was around 20 ft away. One of the passengers got pissed and decided to give the driver a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, she was the 5th person to get on out of 20 and she blocked the entrance to yell at the driver. Lady, I know the driver probably deserved it but would you please move out of the way so other people can get on the bus or be last person to get on so that the bus can ALSO move while you RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGEEEEEEE.

I once saw a guy with a cane flip out and yell "PULL UP MOTHER F&CKER WHY DO I GOTTA TELL YOU EVERY DAY TO PULL THE F&CK UP MOTHER F&CKER?" when the bus driver stopped 10 feet short and 6 feet off the curb of the southbound shelter at Church Park.
 
i personally detest the bus riders who practically sprint to the door when it pulls up to be the first person on, then fumble through their purse/wallet to find their crumbled up charlie ticket so they can add enough nickels to it to bring it up to fare, while a dozen people stand there with the charliecards they've had out for the last 10 minutes
 
I don't understand why drivers don't insist on a "tap-and-go-first" policy. This would be the simplest and fastest way of speeding up boarding (short of more radical solutions like real BRT)

Also, at major interchange points that have a very close-by Charliecard value machine, buses should stop under a no-value-adding rule. For example, at Hynes, where massive amounts of people may board at once, if you don't have enough value on your card you should go into the T station to add value rather than make 100 people wait for you. At the very least, signs at the bus stop should direct waiting riders to the machines for adding value.
 
^^I could see this working if they set up two separate "stops" at each bus stop, one for cash, and one for card.

I didn't even realize you could add money to your card on the bus - I'd been going to the T stations for that. Or do you mean that if you don't have enough on your card, you just pay the remainder in cash?
 
To add value to a Charlie Card with an on board fare box press the little gray button on the top right of the fare box. Then tap you Charlie Card. Next insert bills or coins and press the button again once you are done inserting the amount desired. Tap your Charlie Card once to add the new value to the card, then tap again to actually pay the fare and board the vehicle. This is true for both the buses and the Green Line.

The fare box gives prompts once the button is pressed with directions, however the button itself usually isn't labeled. Some boxed used to have a little dollar/coin sticker on the button, which most operators removed. I believe it's the MBTA's way of discouraging people from adding value on board as much as possible.
 
Just like at surface green line stops, you can add value to your charliecard on the bus with cash. This is often more time consuming than when people pay with change, since the machine only accepts about 1/5 of all dollar bills in circulation, and only about 1/5 of all idiots can figure out what buttons to press to do this. Often the bus driver (rightly) won't wait for the transaction to finish before moving, and then when it hiccups the driver gets very distracted walking the passenger through steps of how to straighten the bill, what buttons to press, or how to get a refund in the case that the machine eats the bill. It's all very redundant especially for passengers who get on near a T stop.
 
To add value to a Charlie Card with an on board fare box press the little gray button on the top right of the fare box. Then tap you Charlie Card. Next insert bills or coins and press the button again once you are done inserting the amount desired. Tap your Charlie Card once to add the new value to the card, then tap again to actually pay the fare and board the vehicle. This is true for both the buses and the Green Line.

The fare box gives prompts once the button is pressed with directions, however the button itself usually isn't labeled. Some boxed used to have a little dollar/coin sticker on the button, which most operators removed. I believe it's the MBTA's way of discouraging people from adding value on board as much as possible.


It is so confusing, but my wife and I have our own mnemonic device that works: button card money button card card. It has a nice and memorable rhythm when said aloud, and thankfully when I'm struck blindside by the first of the month i am able to add a buck or two quickly so i can get to forest hills and buy a pass
 
Does anyone else get annoyed when you are on a crowded bus and a person sitting down, especially on the inside, moves and gets up to head towards the door while the bus is still moving and a good distance to the stop?

This happens all the time on the 57, 65 and 66 in my experience.
 
That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. It reduces the amount of time that the driver has to wait for the passenger to disembark.
 
That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. It reduces the amount of time that the driver has to wait for the passenger to disembark.

Sorry, I think it's a terrible thing when the train or bus is lurching around, and in their haste to be the Most Important Person ever, you have to let go of the already precarious hold you had over and between three other people to let some clod with no patience by you.
 
The absolute worst is the people who add EXACTLY $1.25 to their card using the farebox so that they can get the discounted CharlieCard rate but not put any extra money on the card. I honestly cannot believe they don't have $10 or $20 they can put on the card to pay for the next few rides.
 
The absolute worst is the people who add EXACTLY $1.25 to their card using the farebox so that they can get the discounted CharlieCard rate but not put any extra money on the card. I honestly cannot believe they don't have $10 or $20 they can put on the card to pay for the next few rides.

It's amazing to me that the T would allow that! They could institute a minimum $5.00 add to the cards on Green Line trains and buses.
 
Perhaps a packed Orange Line car isn't the best place to loudly settle your domestic dispute?
 
Oh hell yes it is! Just wish there was someone selling popcorn IN the cars, so that we'd have something to snack on during the entertainment.
 

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