Bus Seating Etiquette Question

[Hello_Again]

@Sound Mind

The subway cars on my line have long bench seats that usually seat 6 people as well as some two seater benches. What really annoys me to no end is when I am seated at the far end of the bench seat and the rest of the bench empties except for the seat next to me and the person sitting in that seat still stays pushed up next to me instead of sliding over a few feet to give me some space. In those case I always move, sometimes with attitude.

Yes, I would definitely say in NYC you are breaching a social norm if you do not at least move over a bit if space opens up. When the subway is at capacity everyone is pressed up against each other – but to remain pressed up when it is no longer necessary is officially “creepy.”

There is also a hierarchy in terms of how “good” different seat locations are, and given the chance people normally “upgrade.” So for example if you are sitting in a full three seat bench, facing a full three seat bench, and 2 of the people opposite you get up, one person will normally switch across, and the people remaining on your bench shift to put the empty seat between them.

[Skywatcher]

If I’m the bus that stops closest to home, I’ll move when I spot an empty bench. My stop is the third from last so it makes things more convenient.