The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/7/08 Section: Athenscape

Media Credit: FILE PHOTO Be sure to be at the driver's doors when they're open. If they're closed, you're waiting. [Click to enlarge]

Fifteen minutes: the amount of time allotted between classes.

Most students walk to class and manage to arrive on time. However, if your classes are on opposite ends of the campus, walking may not be the most efficient way to travel - especially in Athens' sweltering heat.

The University's Campus Transit System will most likely become one of the most valuable ways to travel to class and around campus. However, if you are going to be using the bus system, there is etiquette to learn. Luckily for those without manners, transit workers created a Facebook group, "The UGA Bus Riding Experience for Dummies."

The bus etiquette guide covers waiting at a stop for a bus and actually riding a bus. When waiting on a bus, remember, "as the bus approaches the stop, do not stand on the curb" and "be courteous and allow the passengers inside the bus to exit before you try to get on." Those standing too close to the curb could easily be struck by a mirror.

To catch a bus that's already stopped, remember the simple motto: "You run - you ride, you walk - you wait." Once a driver closes the doors, students are usually out of luck.

Although the etiquette for waiting on a bus may seem like common sense, the rules for riding may not seem as obvious and aren't followed as often. Remember to always fill the seats first and then stand, beginning in the middle of the bus and moving outward.

Don't just crowd around the doors. Also, the campus workers suggested, "try your best not to ride up just one stop," especially from Tate Plaza to the Physics building. Instead, walk the distance and start fighting the infamous "Freshman 15."

And finally, don't talk on your cell phone on the bus, or at least not loudly. If you do, you will end up being the reason everyone else on the bus is laughing. No one wants to hear about your night or weekend.

Route maps can easily be found on the Campus Transit System Web site, www.transit.uga.edu.

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