How to become a moralistic character on a public transportation system?

Just before I graduate from Abraham Lincoln High School with the Highest Honors, I intended to write travel stories and tips that I had not imagined to myself until I started my semester at the University of Arizona. I only started out with the hidden curriculum when riding a SEPTA. It was tough and homesick that I wanted to go home and my parents encouraged me to stay in Arizona for a while. During summer 2009, I worked hard to came up “hidden Curriculum” in general – what’s expected, what’s unexpected in specific communities.

SEPTA stands for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

During my four tirelessly years in high school:

I received a weekly student Transpass that I took a SEPTA bus every day. I was very inquisitive about setting “hidden curriculum when riding a SEPTA bus, subway, train, etc.” While I was riding a SEPTA to school, I observe how passengers will react each situation from damaging bus property to fighting other innocent passengers. I know the topic can be an intricate to discuss, but we need to change the way how we behave. Finally, after sometimes I rode the same routes to and from school, I learned how to change their boisterous kids’ behavior that gets themselves in trouble. Now, I am going to write, “How to become a moralistic character on a public transportation system?”

I also customarily traveled to NYC monthly to see our Grandparents because he was getting old and needed lots of care. I took a great sense of safety savvy that lots of students described me as “educated girl” that I applied “hidden curriculum on public trans” to other schoolmates about what’s right, what’s wrong in certain situations. Wow! Lots of schoolmates described me as “successful NYC travelers” that many Lincoln High kids felt jealous of my traveling experiences. I was realized that I was a prosperous student that I can’t imagine living as the brightest girl in the whole school.

Wow, lots of students and schoolmates called me “the best” or a “traveling girl” that some of my classmates called me, “NYC girl.” I was the most popular and most successful student but someone “replacing with 9th graders” as “Blah name.” Surprisingly, I won scholarships that benefit me to travel to out-of-state universities with Central and Masterman students.

I already knew all NYC attractions and landmarks that I am more likely to invite some of my friends to NYC for a day. I began remembering NYC since my beginning of my high school year that I regularly travel around NYC alone and with my younger siblings to fun places – recreational and educational. I also knew how to get around NYC including buses, subways, and trains that embrace and enrich myself to the extended hidden curriculum on MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) transportation system (NYCTA) as well.

NYCTA stands for New York City Transportation Authority.

Why I plan to implement MTA?

“Please, don’t cut in line, even though there are very long lines to wait and are in a hurry. It is a plain rude.”

Here are the reasons why I nicknamed the “Rude Transportation Authority.”

• There were lots of slips, trips, and falls (tired of waiting for people to exit the train) on the East Broadway Station, waiting for the F to uptown in December 2006 (to Rockefeller Center) when I was traveling with only siblings. We heard “(Expletive) late, MTA Subways. (Expletive).”
• Passengers refused to give up their bench seats to disabled passengers on the N to Coney Island. 
• There was an undesignated music playing on the B southbound with my family to Brighten Beach in Summer 2005. It’s distributing to both passengers and train conductors. 
• They frequently used potty mouth to passengers with disabilities to get on the M15 bus. Please, never say anything to person with disabilities because this is who the person is. Be respectful to others.
• People had reported pushing people out of the train at Broadway Junction on the J because they took too long for an elderly person to step off the train.
• It was acceptable for homeless people to sleep in an NYC bus seats in place of homes or shelter. What are homeless people doing? Passengers need clean seats so they can sit in the seats and to have an enjoyable ride. I saw several homeless people sleeping on an MTA Express Bus in a cold January 2008. Yuck! 
• In summer 2008, I saw two people eating noodles on the B southbound and threw food onto the floor on purpose. You can’t litter on the public trans system; we need a clean transit system.

See how it differ if I don’t teach us safety lessons and the morals based on right/wrong in certain situations. I first started out when I took the bus regularly to and from school with a moralized character based on each scenario when I was my senior year of high school: the SEPTA Moralistic Passengers onboard.

Don’t become one of an immoral passenger on the planet. 

The Hidden Curriculum while you are waiting for buses, trains, trolleys, etc.

Expected behaviors:

• Wait patiently
• Limited eye contact if you are alone
• If you are with a friend/family, avoid topics that are personal or inappropriate
• Focus on another object if you are alone – playing with your phone*
• Don’t involve in unexpected behaviors

*limit phone use and focus on your surroundings

Unexpected behaviors: (Makes us weird thoughts)

• Sitting on the ground (floor) – floors are dirty
• Picking things from the ground – it’s dirty
• Laying down – public space is not your home
• Yelling, screaming, crying – “Why are you yelling for?”
• Giggling – you are not a little kid anymore
• Making body noises – no one will hear that
• Making weird facial expression – keep facial expression neutral
• Spitting gums or putting gums under the benches or anywhere – yucky!
• Showing body parts – makes people turn away
• Pulling shirts up – no one will see your belly
• Putting hands/fingers in pants – eeek!
• Squirting liquids on the ground – this ain’t fun on the transit
• Picking, e.g., skin, eyes, ears, scab, nose – ill, nasty!
• Sucking a thumb – you are not a fetus, aren’t you?
• Fingers in mouth – we aren’t babies
• Dancing – little kids do
• Applying deodorant, perfume, cosmetics, etc. – “What’s that smell? Someone spill cosmetic paint on my white pants.” 
• Talking to self – “Who are you talking to?”
• Scratching private parts – “What are you doing there?”
• Starring someone – “Woah, what are you looking at?”
• Talking loudly – Shhhh!
• Taking pictures – “Hey, it’s not a picture day!”
• Firming videos – “Don’t post things on YouTube or on Facebook!”
• Invading other personal space – excuse me
• Dressing inappropriately or exposing inappropriate body parts – this is not a dress-up game for adults unless it’s Halloween
• Flashing – wearing provocative clothing that show private body parts
• Standing too close – needs arm’s length to give personal space
• Digging your ears, nose, mouth – this is not a restroom
• Spitting – spread germs
• Nibbling/biting nails – nails aren’t food
• Sitting on the seat backs – whoa!
• Licking on (anything) – “Yuck, its nasty!”

Ha, I started the question by asking myself, “What are the SEPTA’s code of conduct?” after I had done my school assignments…

What are SEPTA’s (Public Trans’) code of conduct:

Prohibited Activities:

• Fighting, hitting, stalking, assaulting, punching, and hurting others that inference with the safety of both drivers and passengers. Throwing things – no matter how small – is both prohibited and dangerous on any types of transportation. 
• Listening to music without headphones – no one wants to hear your music.
• Talking loudly – speak softly, please.
• Discussing personal information – no one want to hear sensitive info.
• Talking about political or discriminate topics – people hate to hear prejudice.
• Using profanity language – especially children on-board the bus – potty mouth.
• Spitting or vomiting on the floor – makes people grossed out. Use plastic bags.
• Damaging, doing graffiti, tampering, or destroying to any SEPTA (public trans) property – another vandalism.
• Urinating, defecating, and engaging in sexual activities – people hate this.
• Littering – take the trash with you. Or you can bring a plastic bag to put a litter until you reach a trash can. “I hate people at the Broad Street Subway threw litter between trains onto tracks.”
• Panhandling – homeless people are greedy for money that passengers got upset for this.
• Loitering – “Why are you here at Frankford Trans Center? Waiting for the 58 bus or what?”
• Soliciting – you are not here in exchange for good or services. It’s bribery. 
• Trespassing – unless a bus driver or a transit worker told you to get on the bus or any vehicle. Do not board the bus when vehicle’s doors are closed and no one in the vehicle. Some signs say “employees only” or “transit personnel only” and other restricted to specific people that can be allowed to access to such locations. 
• Eating prepared food or drinking with a lidless container – You won’t get yourself in trouble but makes buses, trains, and subways both unsanitary and unhygienic. Be careful. “It smells McDonald’s on the 14 bus to Oxford Valley Mall.”

What’s acceptance activities:

• Use indoor voice and don’t talk about personal information. Avoid two-way conversation.
• Keep your hands, feet, and personal property to yourself. 
• Listen to music to low volume so other people won’t hear your music.
• Don’t talk to yourself when your friends or your parents are not riding with you – sounds odd, aren’t you?

What’s permitted activities:

• You can eat your snacks such as potato chips, candy bars, or other food – some public transportation system won’t allow you to eat at all.
• Bored? Bring your notebook to draw a picture or write a story. Or you can read a book.
• Long ride? Secure your personal belongings before you take a snooze.

Unfortunately, lots of Lincoln kids got into the SEPTA bus (I was on the 88 bus to Frankford and 58 home) got in a fight while I remained calm and got away by sitting in the front of the bus – where seniors/elderly are supposed to sit. I stayed away from trouble that couple kids got arrested by SEPTA police officers for fighting and we already know the rules and code of conduct. I was so glad that I safely arrived at Frankford Transportation and transferred to another bus home.

I love traveling to new places that my parents urged me to apply to University of Arizona and Pima Community College. I was very excited to explore more opportunities that I wanted to change a better view of passengers’ behaviors.

One more thing when waiting for the bus, train, trolley, etc.

At a bus station:

• Stand back and behind a curb where the bus driver can see you.
• Don’t run to catch the bus.
• Let the passengers get off first before you board the bus.
• If the bus has been pulling off the curb, don’t try to run after the bus; the bus will not stop.

At a subway or a train station:

• Stand behind the yellow line.
• Don’t run on the platform to catch the train.
• Same as bus, let the passengers get off the train before you board the train.

I started a travel project that immerses myself to travel as a starter when I was on the SEPTA Bus to Frankford Transportation Center. I was amused that I am safe that I did not say anything. Let the kids be a kid, and they did not know the rules of riding a SEPTA bus or subway. Kids’ parents did not have the time to talk about rules of riding a bus or subway that some kids had broke the law: doing graffiti, fighting, throwing things, etc. that gets them in serious trouble. It is the parent’s and student’s responsibility to know the code of ethics on “How to be a moralistic character” on the transportation system.