Louis Michael: The Public Transport Phenomenon

I’ve been using public transport for the last nine years. As an eleven year old starting secondary school and straining at the leash for every shred of independence I could get, the idea of the bus was a sacred symbol of autonomy. I imagined all the places I could go, all the freedom I would have, all the magic waiting for me inside what I saw then as a mysterious, colossal car. About a month in and the sparkles started to fade from my vision as I realised public transport actually offered very little excitement. The only great adventure to be had on a bus was the epic journey from A to B.

But that was before I had taken notice of a phenomenon that is exclusive to communal travel, something that’s lightened the burden of public transport with a fresh coat of humour. I call it the Public Transport Phenomenon.

In this era of anonymity we may all be civil enough to share means of transportation, but the civility stops short of actual communication. It’s this reluctance to talk, but this necessity to congregate that facilitates the Phenomenon. I theorise that it is this removal of the cornerstone trait of humanity, our ability to verbally communicate, that is responsible for what I see as a battle between our human decorum and a much more animalistic instinct within us all.

A battle between decorum and an animalistic instinct

Have you ever noticed the atmosphere surrounding the doors of a bus about to open? That’s a crowd of people who are ready and focused. Though seemingly composed they balance the social protocol of proper etiquette with an overriding primal urge to bolt onto the bus and secure their seat. All those waiting to get off the bus see is a hungry crowd, remorseless and ready to pounce.

And the Phenomenon isn’t just restricted to buses. On trains we pick our place in the platform line up, obedient and compliant, but the second the doors open the every man for himself mentality possesses us as we flood into the train in one swarming movement. Even aeroplanes aren’t out of reach of the Phenomenon’s influence. Polite, single file, and considerate boarding just precedes the inevitable anarchical free-for-all as people try to stand up, get their bags, and get off the plane all in one movement.

So next time you’re squashed in a press of people on the bus, have a little look around and have a little laugh at the caged beast within us all.